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permalink: http://alibi.com/blog/articles.html?desired_user=orangesky
CommentsRe: ¡The Mexican Asks a New Mexican! The Alibi’s Joseph Baca responds to hard-hitting questions about the Land
This article is such a joke. Nothing Baca says is in line with New Mexican culture or history (probably because it's sadly being lost). "because the last time I went up North, the music, much of it made using the accordion, which is without a doubt and instrument that was not introduced by the Spanish (much of it deeply influenced by Polka music from Central Europe)" - Mexican culture has been making its mark in recent decades, but historically it was notably absent. The recent generations of Hispanos have not hesitated to marry other races. This is not a bad thing, but it also doesn't change the fact that Hispanos people are ethnically Spanish, even if they are now intermarrying with other Hispanics. It is however, confusing people about the history of NM. "and the food, which without any doubt has more in common with indigenous and Mexican foods, than any cuisine from Spain" Not true. It is South West food, not Mexican food, and it has more Spanish influence than Mexican food can claim (although it has Native American influence also, yes, but not as much). They prefer wheat flour to corn in cooking, eat a lot of non-spicy stews & roasts, & cook a lot with olive oil & garlic. Sopapillas are also a great example of a savory pastry with European origins. Don't let restaurant food fool you either....that's for the tourists. No Hispanos saw a taco until they went out to eat the first time at a Mexican restaurant. "and the Spanish dialect spoken up north, which is not even close to Castillian" Not modern Castillian maybe, but 15th century Castillian, yes. Do your research. Any book will tell you that the New Mexican dialect is old colonial era Spanish, and due to the isolation of the people, did not evolve as the language continued to do in Spain. They also use far less Native American words than bordering Spanish speaking peoples.
Bravo to the letter. In response to the other comments: No one is claiming that all "Hispanos" in NM are 100% pure blooded Spaniards, only that for most of us, our lineage is PREDOMINANTLY Spanish European. One only has to look at the old Hispanos families that trace back generations (not newer immigrants to NM, of which there are many) to see light skin & Spanish features. If we are mestizo, then why don't we look like mestizos? At most, we likely have small traces of Amerindian blood with a few being equally mixed mestizos; it makes us no more mestizo than it makes an American of predominantly English descent with a drop of Cherokee a Native American. To suggest that is almost insulting to the true mestizos & Native Americans. More importantly is the distinct Hispanos culture, food, & Spanish dialect in NM. The NM dialect of Spanish is an old colonial era Spanish & is notably lacking in Native American influence in comparison to bordering Spanish speaking populations. Why is that? It's because whether or not they have Amerindian blood, the fact does not change that culturally they maintained their "Spanishness". Race & genetics aside, the ethnic culture of Hispanos is shaped more by Spanish culture than Native American. Ultimately, it's a unique culture that might be best designated "Spanish-American" or simply "Hispanos". Read: The Hispano Homeland. It explains the unique history of NM: -How the colonists did come directly from Spain (From the book: "The majority of New Mexcio's early documented colonists were from Spain, more than two thirds of whom were from Andalucia & Castile.") -How isolated NM was for a long time, & how it was largely ignored by Mexico when under its rule. -How the Pueblo people's successful (& unusual) rejection of Catholicism & other unique events served as a divide between the Spanish colonialists & the Indians to lessen miscegenation in comparison to bordering regions. The descendants of Spanish colonists in NM ARE unique due to a unique history. The facts increasingly support a Spanish ethnic identity for the Hispanos, not a mestizo one. It does NOT make us superior, but we do have a right to have our own history & heritage. I question the motives of people wanting to lump all Hispanics together, when every Spanish speaking country & even region in the Americas has its own story. I think people don't want to accept Spanish speaking people as "white"; it is their own racism & discomfort with something that doesn't fit into their neat little boxes. I could care less if someone calls me white or not, but I do take offense at having my own family history revised by the Politically Correct Brigade who is rewriting history (sans actual facts) to suit their agenda. I will concede that in more recent generations, many Hispanos have married mestizos or even Native Americans & have had visibly mixed children, so that the dwindling population of Hispanos people causes confusion as to their racial identity, as it's increasingly out of sync with their ethnic identity. They are being absorbed by other Hispanics, but it's no matter so long as the culture lives on; and the culture is definitely NOT the same as Mexican culture. | 
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