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Race/Ethnicity
Discrimination
Religion
Gender and Sexual Orientation
Ability
Further
Readings on Racism and Discrimination in
Latin America
Race/Ethnicity
Mexico is an extraordinarily diverse country in
ethnic and cultural terms. Over 60 different indigenous groups
exist, many of which maintain their own language, and they make up
10-30% of the population today, depending on the statistics one
consults. These groups are concentrated in the central and southern
regions of Mexico, though some also live in the northern region.
Over 60% of the Mexican population is mestizo—a mixture of Spanish
and indigenous blood, and approximately 9% are of European descent.
During the colonial period, African slaves were brought to Mexico
 and their descendents live in Mexico today, many of whom mixed with
the indigenous people and the Spaniards. These groups were brought
to the coastal areas of the states of Veracruz, Guerrero and Oaxaca,
where strong Afro-Mexican communities exist today.
The indigenous and the Afro-Mexican people are
subject to blatant racism in Mexican society, and many mestizo
people also experience racism to varying degrees, depending on their
skin color and class background. However, many Mexicans don’t
believe that racism exists in Mexico; instead they blame any
discrimination that does exist on classism. In Mexico, racism is
closely linked to classism. This means that indigenous and
Afro-Mexican people are the darkest-skinned and the poorest people
in Mexico. The discrimination these groups experience is based on
skin color, socio-economic class, and cultural background.
In early 1992, the Mexican Constitution was amended
to include recognition of the multicultural character of the Mexican
nation. The Zapatista movement in the state of Chiapas, which made
its first public appearance in January 1994, has brought many of
these issues to national attention. As a result, national networks
of indigenous organizations gained strength and numerous
organizations to recover Mexico’s black identity, known as the
“third root”, are currently growing.
For me, learning about the third root, the
Afro-Mexicans, was the most significant experience (of travel to
Afro-Mexican communities in Guerrero). In walking down the streets
in Cuajinicuilapa, I saw my own face. And although our struggles
and contexts of life are drastically different, I felt I could
relate to Mexico a little better because of these
communities."
~ Student, Duke University
 In addition to the indigenous and Afro-Mexican
population within Mexico, people have settled in Mexico from
different parts of the world including the Philippines, the Middle
East, France, Italy, China, Japan the United States and others.
People of Arab descent have had an important influence on Mexican
society and culture. In addition, many Jews fled the inquisition
and pogroms and later the Holocaust in Europe to settle in Mexico.
In the 1950s, many U.S. citizens sought refuge in Mexico during the
McCarthy period of political persecution. More recently, Mexico
granted exile and refugee status to many Central and South Americans
who left the dictatorships and civil wars in their countries. These
groups experience varying levels of acceptance and/or
discrimination.
Discrimination
Students of color who study in Mexico often find
that the expressions of racism are different than the ones they
might experience in the United States. Some Mexicans have
stereotypes that originate in television programs they watch or in
their own experiences as migrants in the United States, and don’t
hesitate to express these stereotypes openly. In Mexico it is much
more socially accepted to comment on people’s physical
characteristics than in the United States, where students may be
accustomed to more insidious forms of racism that try to conform to
“political correctness”. Others express a type of fascination that
some students find offensive—for example, African-American and
Asian-American students have experienced repeated stares on the
street, and Latino students are sometimes looked upon in
condescending ways if they don’t speak Spanish fluently. Some
Mexicans are quick to point out to Latino students that they are
“different” from them because of the fact that they live and study
in the United States and thus experience (from their perspective)
more privilege than the majority of the Mexican people.
Before coming to Mexico, I was very excited to
connect and find my father's culture, and when I arrived I
immediately felt rejected. I realized that when I am in the US,
they treat me badly because I am Mexican, and here (in Mexico) they
treat me badly because I am a gringa."
~ Mexico semester student
Some former students have said that their semester
in Mexico led them to reassess how they identify themselves with
regard to race and ethnicity while others have indicated that it
helped them deepen the identities with which they arrived. While
their overall experiences were very positive and life-affirming,
they have also been very emotional at times. This is why it is
important to have support structures in place before coming to
Mexico.
I’ve particularly liked the excursions. We’ve
met with a wide variety of people representing diverse perspectives
that challenge my own and make me grow. My favorite guest speaker
was Nadia Alvarado, an Afro-Mexican woman who taught us about the
minority population of African descent in Mexico. That hit home so
much because it personally touched me and related to my own
experience…My time here has expanded my cultural consciousness.
Being here has also strengthened my personal identity."
~ Student, Augsburg College
 Many
white students feel discomfort when Mexicans they don’t even know
will call them “güera” or “güero,” which are terms used in Mexico to
identify light-skinned people, including light-skinned Mexicans.
Most Mexicans would not consider these terms insulting but rather
just an identifying characteristic of the person.
"I had always heard about "white privilege" in my classes but it
wasn't something I ever really thought about. My semester in Mexico
really opened my eyes to my white U.S. privilege and at the same
time, challenged it."
~ Student, Augsburg College.
Religion
As a result of the Spanish conquest, Mexico is a
predominantly Catholic country (about 89%). Nonetheless, Mexican
Catholics vary widely in the degree to which they actually practice
religion. Moreover, the Catholic Church in Mexico includes a
diversity of perspectives which range from people who openly
practice and promote a progressive form of Catholicism known as
liberation theology to those who are part of the conservative Opus
Dei movement. Many indigenous groups in Mexico identify as
Catholic, but also incorporate indigenous traditions—a practice
known as “syncretism”. Evangelical and protestant denominations
also exist in Mexico, as well as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews
and Muslims.
"Spending a week in Amatlán (an indigenous village
near Cuernavaca) is something I’ll never stop processing. Even
though I’m an atheist, it was amazing to live in such a spiritually
powerful place. I felt great spiritual energy there. Also, I got to
stay with two elderly gay men who’ve been partners for 40 or 50
years, which is something I’d never experienced in the U.S. They are
now my adopted grandparents."
~ Student, Augsburg College
It is common for Mexicans to assume that people from
other countries are Christian, so students from other religions may
find this surprising or even experience discrimination. For
example, it is not unusual for someone to respond “The Jews killed
Christ” when a student openly identifies as being Jewish. Unlike
the United States, Mexicans tend to distinguish clearly between
Catholics and non-Catholics. However, even though some Mexicans may
not have much knowledge about other religions besides Catholicism,
many are keen to learn when presented with the opportunity. In
Cuernavaca there are many Catholic and Protestant churches, some of
which hold services in English. An orthodox synagogue exists in
Cuernavaca, and other opportunities exist in Mexico City for those
interested in attending Jewish services.
"As a Jewish student, I was at first unsure about
applying to a study-abroad program organized by a Lutheran college.
At times, it was difficult to be separate from a larger Jewish
community both on the program and in Cuernavaca. However, the
Crossing Borders program ended up being an incredibly spiritual
experience for me, affording me the opportunity to engage with
Judaism on a personal, political, and academic level I definitely
hadn't anticipated and greatly increasing my committment to
religiously-grounded social transformation."
~ Student, Earlham
College
Gender and Sexual Orientation
 While
“machismo” still permeates Mexican culture in many ways, many
Mexican men and women are working to change this. Mexico has an
important feminist movement, which includes not only middle and
upper class Mexican women, but indigenous and poor women as well.
In some places, men have organized to combat their own sexism and
violence against women. Women participate in social and political
organizations on many levels and gradually more women are being
appointed to high-level government and business positions. In
recent years, the three major political parties in Mexico adopted
quota laws to advance the political participation of women within
the parties and as candidates in elections. Many human rights groups
are organizing to demand justice and put an end to the feminicides
in Ciudad Juárez.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT)
movement in Mexico is also growing rapidly. Although discrimination
and even hate crimes against the LGBT community exist nation-wide,
Cuernavaca is known as a particularly queer-friendly city. There,
the LGBT community has organized a Gay Pride parade since 2005.
Moreover, public establishments where the LGBT community is welcome,
including numerous gay and lesbian bars and nightclubs, have
multiplied in recent years, as have articles about LGBT themes in
national publications available to the general public.
I feel like Cuernavaca has a really good network
of LGBT-friendly places. On the nightlife side of things, it’s very
welcoming. It’s not hidden and it’s not exclusive.
~ Student, University of North
Carolina.
 This is a particularly exciting time for queer
people to study in Mexico, as laws have recently passed that enable
same-sex civil unions and give LGBT couples, as well as unmarried
heterosexual couples, the right to make medical decisions for their
partners and list them as beneficiaries of pensions and
inheritances. Although these laws do not afford same-sex couples
with important legal rights such as social security or adoption,
many LGBT people in Mexico are celebrating them as important steps
forward in the struggle for human rights.
“This program is definitely a safe space for LGBT
students. My participation in this program was very important for
me, not only in my academic development, but in my personal
development. Because the program and the staff were so
queer-friendly and queer-positive, I left the program feeling more
comfortable with my identity as queer than I felt when I first came
to the program. I am thankful that I was able to have such a
positive, affirming experience studying abroad with CGE.”
~ Student, Wesleyan University
Both men and women have sometimes found it difficult
to adapt to what seem like more traditional gender constructs than
those to which they are accustomed in the United States. For
example, women students often become angry and/or frustrated by the
catcalls they receive on the street, though learning how to deal
with these in another language can become an empowering experience!
Similarly, male students have sometimes expressed frustration that
they be expected to conform to “macho” standards. Transgendered
students and others who defy traditional gender binaries confront
particular challenges as transgendered people are largely rendered
invisible in Mexico. Not all queer students may feel comfortable
disclosing their gender or sexual identity in Mexico, though the
staff at the Center for Global Education can provide support in this
regard. Lesbian and gay-friendly homestays are also available in
Cuernavaca and the surrounding areas.
Please see our
LGBT
page for more information.
Ability
 Cuernavaca is built on a number of mountains and
ravines thus making it difficult for people with mobility issues to
get around independently.
Further Readings on Racism and Discrination in Mexico
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