[hispanarepublicana]

In fact, the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the Southwest NEVER considered themselves "Mexicans" at all, ever. They went, in their own eyes, from SPANISH directly to AMERICAN.

This is a very good piece. Just a minor tweak--LOL--"...went, in their own eyes, from SPANISH directly to TEXAN to AMERICAN.

[machman]

In fact, the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the Southwest NEVER considered themselves "Mexicans" at all, ever.

They went, in their own eyes, from SPANISH directly to AMERICAN.

One of the first things I learned living in New Mexico is NEVER call a long-time resident "mexican". Those are fighting words. They at least want to be called hispanic, if not properly spanish.

There was a big fight at the local high school here last year, the papers never really said what happened. In a follow up a couple of weeks later it came out the fight was between "hispanic" and "mexican" students........where there is "a lot of tension"......