Dear Mexican: For most of my life, I was oblivious to the hate
that Mexicans have for Salvadorans. I became aware of it when I made
the huge mistake of marrying a Salvi. Once I became engaged to my Salvi
girlfriend, or whenever I would tell any Mexican that I married a
Salvi, I was bombarded with so much hate! I’d get responses like, “Eww,
a Salvi,” or “Damn, I feel sorry for you—you married a salvi!”
I’ve since divorced and can’t stand anything associated with El
Salvador. My question: Where does the disgust for Salvis from Mexicans
originate?
Former Pupusa Eater
Growing up, I never noticed the difference between any Hispanic
people. Yo pensaba if you spoke Spanish, it meant to me that you
were Mexican. (I was little, OK?) Of course, as I grew up, I started
noticing all different kinds of Latinos, but one in particular: Salvis.
I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s this feeling that was always
there, and I didn’t know about it: dislike and rivalry toward them. I
mean, don’t get me wrong: I don’t hate them; I just dislike them. And I
wasn’t the only one! I found out that many Mexicans feel this way, too,
as do Salvadorans toward us. Is this a universal feeling? Am I wrong
for feeling this way? Are Mexicans and Salvadorans rivales? If
so, ¿por qué?
La gordis de guadalajara
Dear Wabs: Historically, the Mexican-Salvadoran rivalry that so many
readers correctamente note has a strong basis. Shortly after
Central America gained its independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico
tried to swallow the region into its burgeoning empire. The fiercest
opposition against this annexation? El Salvador. Eventually,
republic-minded Mexicans stopped their country’s ambitions and allowed
El Salvador and the other Central American provinces to create the
United Provinces of Central America. That lasted into the 1830s, by
which time Mexico was too busy dealing with another imperial power to
care much about recouping its former holdings. And if you know anything
about Mexico, it’s que we don’t take thefts of our lands
lightly.
But that was then—this is ahorita, and there remains no
reason for the two countries and their raza to hate each other.
Presidents Felipe Calderón and Mauricio Funes met this summer
and reached quite a few accords and bilateral agreements. Stateside,
wabs and Salvis might compete for the same resources like other recent
immigrants, but we’re both wetbacks in the eyes of the gabachos (and in the case of Salvis, to echo the legendary Los Tigres del Norte
song, tres veces mojado). Let’s make peace, Salvadorans: Our
rivalry is pointless, and the fruits of a union much richer. Besides,
hatred between nosotros merely blinds us to the menace between
our ancestral lands: Guatemala.
In Northern California, we have many Latino-themed murals on
walls, buildings and storefronts. However, I’m told that in Mexico,
such murals are generally on the inside of the buildings (specifically
churches), where only the faithful or other insiders can see them. Is
this true? Do Mexican mural artists hide their talents away, while
those in California are happy to have their work on display for
everyone?
Rivera Raver
Dear Gabacho: Not true. Maybe the Catholic Church wants to withhold
its artistic treasures (like damning pedo-priest personnel files), but
the point of the Mexican muralism movement was to create art for the
masses and for public consumption—and it remains so today. For
more info on perhaps the United States’ best collection of such murals,
visit precitaeyes.org.
CORRECTION
A couple of weeks ago, in explaining the discrepancies between
English and Spanish in pronouncing the letter x, the Mexican stated
that St. Francis Xavier founded the Jesuits. The order’s true founder,
of course, was Ignatius of Loyola. The Mexican apologizes for his error
and blames the United States for stealing half of Mexico.
Ask the Mexican at themexican@askamexican.net,
myspace.com/ocwab or facebook.com/garellano; find him on
Twitter; or write via snail mail at: Gustavo Arellano, P.O. Box 1433,
Anaheim, CA 92815-1433!
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2009.
Actually its the other way around, its the Salvadorians who hate the Mexicans for pass reason…when the European (Spaniards) came to conquer the Americas, the mexican indians in the Aztec capitol foolishly saw the white settler as gods, while the indigenous peoples of Cuzcatlan in today’s El Salvador Central America saw the Europeans as barbarian and invaders. When the Spanish finally defeated the Aztecs, they proceeded to conquer the Civilizations in Central America Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The Spanish took mexican indians the (Tlaxcala indians in particular) as auxiliaries, to help them conquer the indigenous in El Salvador. Thus the indigenous people in El Salvador saw the mexican indians as traitors to their own kind, that is were El Salvador’s hate towards mexicans started. The indigenous people in El Salvador were able to drive the Spanish and the mexican allies away for a while. Later, when mexico and Central America freed themselves from Spain, the mexican empire tried to swallow all of Central America, but El Salvador was the first one to object and reject mexico for some reason. that is the second reason why Salvadorian hated mexicans. After when the Salvadorian Civil war had begun, the Salvadorians crossed mexico to the USA as they do today, while crossing mexico, the Salvadorians face with violations and abuse. When the Salvadorians reached the USA they carried that rage and hatred with them, this laso happens to other Central Americans. That is the third reason why Salvadorians hate mexicans. When living in the USA the Salvadorians face abuse by mexican gangs and thus the Salvadorians with their military experience grouped themselves like hornet wasps and created their own gang and drove the mexicans away liek bubble bees from their hives, this was is Los Angeles. fourth reason why Salvadorians hate mexicans. Where as mexicans have no reason to hate Salvadorians. Once I asked a Salvadorian if he was mexicans, and he gave me a horrid look as if he thought mexicans were some kind of insignificant insects. I didn’t understand it, until i did some research. I found it funny when you said about the eww Salvi, because this is only said by mexicans. While the ((ewww mexican)) is said by other and most Latin Americans and Americas as well. I saw a Tyra show where a white American dated a mexican and the her friends bother her constantly saying horrible things about mexicans. I agree that the past is the past and Salvadorians and mexicans should just get along..
Just to be more logic, actually it was a huge mistake for your Salvi partner to marry you, a mexican. It is pretty foolish to get a divorce just because your mexican pals felt a inferior complex, and decided lashed out to your Salvi partner that way. You can really see their primitive behavior and cowardliness. Sadly it affects you too, because instead of defending your partner, you turned and gave a stab in the back. But i understand, my Salvi friends always try to not associated themselves with mexican things also, their disgust towards mexicans is pretty raw. While there are mexicans like your self who are clueless and dislike Salvis for reason which you dont even know, which sounds pathetic and childish ; )
He thinks he is funny hah. I just had to cut and paste his answer about why he hates Guatemalans too. I love how he brings skin color into it. He doesn’t seem to have a sense of humor over hate towards mexicans I notice.
It really must be an inferiority complex because all the Guatemalans I know don’t hate anybody except maybe their own corrupt government. They put their heads down, work had, make their way and don’t complain about their problems for the most part.
“Mexicans despise Guatemalans for many legitimate reasons. Your tamales are better–our puny corn variety doesn’t compare to your wondrous paches, potato tamales stuffed with chicken that are just about the most filling, tasteful snack in the Americas. The Mayans contributed more to world culture than the Aztecs–did you know the Mayan calendar remains the most accurate in history? Your national bird, the long-feathered quetzal, is prettier than our golden eagle. In 1821, free from the yoke of Spanish rule, Guatemala joined the burgeoning empire of Mexico–only to spurn us two years later for the United Provinces of Central America, a coalition of Central American nations created to resemble the United States but whose corruption and monocultural economics instead inspired the term “banana republic.”
But Mexicans hate Guatemalans mostly because of immigration, Guapo. Mexico can barely control its southern border with Guatemala, because the Guatemalan government does nada to secure its side, leaving Mexico exposed to illegal immigrants, drug runners and terrorists. And the Guatemalans who do cross over dress funny, are darker-skinned than the average Mexican and don’t like salsa! Guatemalans are the Mexicans of Mexico–and who doesn’t hate Mexicans? “
As we say from south of Mexico, todos son una bola de chulería and hate Mexicans especially Mexican Americans because we are more American and closer to the most influential culture in the world, most central and South Americans don’t have the charm, carisma and expression we Mexican Americans possess, I believe see and experience, hate, envy, jealousy from central and South Americans all the time, because I’m better at verbally communicating with white folks.