Throughout the history of the resettlement of Mexican migrants in America, Kansas City has always been a hotbed of settlement for Mexican migrants. As early as 1830, descendants of Mexicans lived in the area, beginning with the formation of the new republic of Mexico. Trade routes through the Santa Fe Trail led many Mexicans to settle in the Kansas and Missouri territories. From 1900 to 1914, the Southern Rail Company of Kansas City built a rail line, creating a direct route from the Gulf of Mexico to Kansas City. Many Mexican workers participated in this feat of connecting the country by railroad. Workers who settled in the Kansas City area formed many of the first Hispanic communities in Argentina.
Family
Spending very little time studying the Mexican family and about it makes it easy to see that it is important to their culture. Throughout more than a century of entry into the United States and forced removal due to racist immigration policies, the integrity of the family and family value system has never been compromised for Mexican descendants. Family units and structures tend to be larger in number. Parents and elders are treated with a high degree of respect, which is reciprocated by love for the youth of the family. The need for strong family bonds during the experience of the so-called person of color here in America has indeed contributed to the strength and bond between family members of Mexican American households. According to Rosa Gillis, a home interview was conducted as part of this study.
The importance of family is very tangible when you experience Mexican-American viewpoints. It is very common to see generations of families living in close proximity to each other, in the same neighborhood, or in the same household. This behavior reflects the level of support that the family structure in Mexican culture gives to each family member. Family members also very often support each other financially when needed. In 2014 alone, billions of dollars were sent from the United States to Mexico in the form of remittances alone. The economic power in the American paradigm held by Mexican descendants is growing rapidly. The traditional structure of the Mexican family is a patriarchal society in which the mother is at the center of most domestic spaces and tasks.
America is a very diverse place; it is a country where many different cultures come to the United States, and the overall culture is a melting pot of many different cultures in one. Generations of Mexican families have simulated American society and also created a subculture within the context of the family structure because of interracial marriages. Through this blending of cultures within the family structure, the value of a cohesive family was preserved, illustrating the importance of the family to the descendants of Mexicans living in America. It is typical in Mexican family culture for individual family members to place the needs of the collective family above the individual needs of the self.
Culture
Perhaps the most important aspect of the Mexican experience with regard to the impact of immigration on Mexican-Americans is the persistence of culture, including but not limited to language, food, family structure, spirituality, music, holidays, and a strong pride in work. For generations of families who migrated from Mexico and settled in the United States and who assimilated with Americans, the Spanish language persisted and was spoken within the family or among other Spanish-speaking people. The retention of Spanish by immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries has had some impact on life in America, as bilingual aid has become standard procedure in many industries.
Mexican Americans have also brought a new food culture to the United States. Some are more traditional Mexican food, and other Mexican-style dishes have an American twist. In supermarkets, it is very common to see a section specifically for certain Mexican- or Hispanic-inspired foods.
For many Mexican-American families, preserving the Quinceanerais tradition is not only of paramount importance, but an unforgettable experience for a lifetime. The Quiceanera is a celebration of a young girl entering womanhood. The party/ball is held to celebrate the 15 years of a young lady’s life. It is customary for families to band together financially to host the event, as the celebrations can be quite extravagant and expensive. Each individual member is given the responsibility and task, another great example of family structure and its support for each other.