What is the difference between "Native American" and "Mexican Indian"??

Question

I have read posts that Native Americans get offended that they receive remarks that they look like a Mexican. First of all not all mexicans are brown. Mexicans are a variety of complexions.

Anyway, I am half mexican indian, since I have Spanish Creole families that live and intermarried with mexican indians in a remote area where there is a large mexican indian tribe.

Native Americans don't consider mexican indians as Native Americans? But then why does Mel Gibson used several Native Americans to play the part of Mexican/Guatemala Mayan Indians in his movie, "Acapolico."????

There would be less confusion to refer to native americans as "American Indians." and refer to mexican indians as "Mexican Indians". Just title give the title to the indians of the country that they live in. "Guatemalan indians or Peruvian indians" and so on.

Answer 1

Okay, I'm Native American and I'd be offended if someone called me Mexican Indian because I'm not Mexican. I'm okay with being called American Indian because I'm from America. Mexican Indians should be okay with being called American Indians or Native Americans because they are from America (Not the United States, but North/South America). That would be a technical term that you could call all Indians that are from any place on the north or south american continent. But it would be wrong to call me (a Cherokee) Mexican Indian, because I'm not from Mexico.

Answer 2

This is a really good question. I was always certain that Mexican and Native American were two different things. Then I realized that Mexicans used to be Native American. THEN I realized that the only real difference between what is now considered Mexican and what is now considered Native American is the country that conquered them. Why do people call Mexicans mestizos, and they don't call Cherokee or Apaches mestizos? Many of them have interbred as well.

The only good explanation I have ever heard for this is that Mexicans culturally have seperated themselves from their tribal heritage. However, I know many people who do not live on reservations who call themselves Native Americans.

What many people don't realize, is that the words Mexico and Mexican are not Spanish words. They originated from the Nahuatl word Mexitl, which is navel of the moon. Mexican people are not a mix of Aztec and Spaniard, rather, modern day Mexicans are indegenous Americans who may have some European ancestors as well, since Spain was not the only European country to invade what is referred to as "Latin America."

Somehow, this argument always seems to lead to illegal immigration, which is probably the real reason that most people oppose the fact that Mexicans are Native Americans. They don't want Mexicans being able to use the "We were here first" argument. I am 100% Mexican, I am very proud of my heritage as an indigenous race, and as a United States born citizen, and even though I know who was here first, I don't think Mexicans should pull that "We were here first" card to justify illegal immigration. But, thats a different topic, and I have LOADS to say about that.

Anyways, thanks for anyone who took the time to read this. So far, the people answering this question have been for the most part waaay more professional than the other questions I have read with similar topics. With the exception of the people that just hate Mexicans.

-Mario Palma
(This is my first post, I hope it wasn't too long or nothing)

Answer 3

I am Mexican American native Indian and what ever you wan to call me, but make it really clear that this
California Nevada New Mexico Arizona Oregon Texas Utah where part of the Mexican cession 1848
what ever you want to call it agreement Mexicans sold it British bought it from or stolen from it all comes down to one thing al those Mexican Indians that got caught in the transaction Hello what do you think they dam it there Mexicans and will always be just because they got federal aid they think they can call them self's (American Native Indians ) brothers please you are all a bunch of Mexicans and native Mexican Indians till last breath all you Indians take and you can get offend it it doesn't matter you will still be Mexican American Indians and all you haters don't forget where you are standing is and was an will always be Mexico and when you forget what you are just look in the middle and what you are going to see is a Mexican dark looking ugly F................ wet back don't never forget we are all brothers paisas
for life .

Answer 4

Mexican Indian

Answer 5

I think people is confused... (not the ones answering here) Native American is the first people who inhabited this continent (America) all of them were indians so there were Mexican indians like Aztecs Mayas, etc and also indians in United States like Navajos, etc. there are different kind of indians but ALL of them are Native American.
But people get it wrong, personally I feel offended when people call "Americans" JUST to the people of United States because I wonder what about the rest of the people in this continent??? I am Mexican and also I am American! I could be Chilean, or Colombian and I still can be American!

Answer 6

I'm sure nobody actually wants to offend any 'natives' when they say those different 'native' names.. but I think I'd like to add that if we are going to use 'native' properly then all the people who are born in the usa, are 'native americans' too!!!
So with that knowledge under our belts.. what should we call the 'native americans' now?? 'native american indians', 'native mexican indians'.. do we need to say born? 'native born american indians'.. 'native born mexican indians'? what about the melded indian people at the borders? when/where do we add the North American? or do we? my gosh think of that!! 'North American native born mexican indians' that would separate the Guatemalans, and Peruvian indians. Holy crow! Is there a simple way? So maybe the simplest way IS to use the 'native american' and 'mexican indian' so that everybody or almost everybody knows who we are talking about.
I have to tell you about the lady in Jalisco that told me her daughters name was Blanca. I looked at the child and she was very dark. The mother smiled at me and said.. "Do you know why I called her Blanca?" I said smiling "I can't guess". She looked down at her beautiful, little brown daughter and said.. "Because her father is a North American". We both laughed. She was 100 % right..!
I always refer to my husband as being 'pure native born mexican indian' or when I don't have that much air in my lungs... Aztec.
As for Mel Gibson, well most of us have an opinion now that we never did before. His mouthing off about the Jewish people has just about disgusted everybody. Evidently what he says these days is in direct relation to what the alcohol content of his blood is. As for Mel's movies.. he's the top billing actor so he can pretty well do as he pleases. That's entertainment, and it makes good movies. So we pay the money and see the show.

Answer 7

Because they chose to call themselves Hispanic and Latino things like that only praise the Spanish language which is from Europe the natives of Arizona, new mexico,southern California a lot have Spanish last names are catholic even the oldest people a few spoke some Spanish but the never called themselves Mexicans ,Hispanic,Latino nothing like that that always what "tribe" they belong to it took them awhile to accept they were american

Answer 8

2011 a large scale mitochondrial sequencing in Mexican American revealed that 85 to 90% of mtDNA lineages of Native American origin, Native American mtDNA in Mexican/Mexican American is high than was expected, the culture is a little different,

Answer 9

There IS a grater enemy out there people!
The difference is that there is little to no difference. Both are descendants of victims or survivors of the European invasion. Raped of land, dignity, self worth amongst so many others, but especially our identity. A tactical military strategy know for centuries (Sun Tzu- Art of War) to divide and concur. The European mentality is to segregate its people, divide them for easer control. They have done this in the past with Jews, Italians, and Afro-Americans, read you history. Now us, how much “Indian” blood do you have or what percentage, where were you born (as if Natives kidnapped as slaves and taken to Europe are no longer Natives). The different colors of our skin only show the different European rapist our ancestral Grandmothers had to endure. As for myself, no European “label” please, I’m a proud descendant of First Nation People, and even after over 500 years, Europeans have NOT taken that away.

Answer 10

Well considering only now do we like to draw imaginary lines across lands, and the original inhabitants lived far and wide all over this continent... Also Native persons, but the cultures are so diverse though...

Is it really that it's a racial/nationality issue, or could it be that they want to be recognized for who they personally are? I don't mean a general term like "Native Americans," but rather as someone who is a member of a particular tribe/Nation and their own culture...a part of their own people, who looks like their own people. So it might be more feeling put off by such comments then it is offended...but that's just my guess, humans are complicated.