Terminology and Mexican Culture
[Melissa’s Reflection on Mexican Culture, Part 2]
In this second installment on Mexican culture, I discuss aspects of terminology relating to the U.S., Mexico, and Mexico City that may be interesting or surprising to you!
Terminology surrounding the United States of America: If you have spent any time with Hispanic Americans, you have learned that it is inappropriate or downright offensive to use the word “American / Americano” to refer to citizens of the U.S.A. It makes perfect sense: “American” refers to a whole continent (or two continents, depending on how you define “continent.” More on that in a moment.) Of course it is offensive to act like U.S. citizens are the exclusive Americans! In more rural areas, it is still fairly common to say “americano” when referring to folks from the U.S., but I stick with “estadounidense” (literally “United-Statesian”) no matter the context.
In classes at Mexico’s National Conservatory, I noticed that in academic circles, it is very common to say norteamericano (North American) rather than estadounidense when referring to U.S. music and composers. To me, the term “North American” refers to the three countries in the North American continent - Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. But here, norteamericano only refers to people from the U.S. Why?
This is where we return to the topic of continents. In the U.S., we are typically taught that there are seven continents, counting North and South America as two separate continents. In Latin America, it is more common to say that there are five continents because “America” (North and South) is considered one single continent.
Then, there is the fact that Mexico’s full name is Estados Unidos Mexicanos (United Mexican States, or United States of Mexico). They often call the country to their north Estados Unidos Norteamericanos (United States of North America). Thus, the term “norteamericano” refers to the U.S.
The word “Mexico” and its multiple meanings: What is Mexico? Well, it’s the country south of the United States border, of course! In fact, the word “Mexico” can refer to the entire republic, the state of Mexico, or the city of Mexico, depending on the context.
I’ve spent this year living in Mexico City, but I have also had the chance to travel to a handful of states outside of the bustling metropolis. In other states, people often simply refer to the city as “Mexico.” It’s not unusual to be asked “when are you going back to Mexico?” …while traveling in Mexico. :-)
This use of the word “Mexico” seems to date back to pre-Hispanic times. Another name for the Aztec civilization is “Mexicas.” Their capital city, called Tenochtitlán, is where the Centro Histórico of Mexico City now stands. A variation of “Mexica” eventually became the name for the entire country - “Mexico.” But in some contexts, “Mexico” can still refer to the state of Mexico or Mexico City.