Spanish in the US: Mexican Americans

The Southwest portion of the United states (California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Wyoming, and Nevada) has a high percentage of Mexican Americans.

Timeline:

  • Prior to the 1500's, the Southwest was inhabited by a variety of Native American tribes.
  • 1500's: Conquistadores from Spain conquered the Native Americans in this area, and claimed the land as part of Spain. (So this part of the United States was part of Spain for about 300 years.)
  • 1810-1821: Mexican War of Independence. Mexico declared independence from Spain, and these became Mexican states.
  • 1836: Texas Revolution (think of the Alamo)
  • 1848: Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: "Mexican Cession": Mexico gave CA, NM, AZ, parts of CO, UT, (a bit of) WY, and NV to the United States.
  • 1853: Gadsden Purchase: The rest of AZ and NM went to the US.

Here's what you need to know for the test:

  • Since CA, NV, NM, AZ, CO, UT, and a bit of WY were once part of Spain, then Mexico, there are a lot of Spanish speakers of Spanish/Mexican descent there.
  • There are many Spanish-speaking Mexican immigrants in CA, TX, AZ, and NM because they are just across the border from Mexico. Many are legal immigrants. Many are illegal immigrants. This is an ongoing contraversy in the United States.