"Mexico's population is composed of many ethnic groups. At the time of European arrival in the early 1500s, the country was inhabited by people who are thought to have migrated into the New World from Asia some 40,000 to 60,000 years ago by crossing a former land bridge in the Bering Strait. After their arrival into what is now Mexico, centuries of isolation allowed the evolution of unique cultural traits among the many separate clusters. Highly organized civilizations occupied various regions for at least 2,000 years before European discovery.
By far the greatest number of people lived in the Mesa Central. At the time of European arrival, most lived under the general rule of the Aztec Empire, but many separate cultural groups thrived in this region, among them speakers of the Tarastec, Otomi, and Nahuatl languages. Outside of the Mesa Central were numerous other cultural groups, such as the Maya of the Yucatán and the Mixtec and Zapotec of Oaxaca. The splendid Aztec cities of the Mesa Central were marvels of architectural design, irrigation technology, and social organization. Spectacular Mayan ruins in the Yucatán give evidence of widespread urbanization and intense agricultural productivity dating back to well before the birth of Christ. In many ways the Indian civilizations of Mexico were more advanced than their Spanish conquerors.
With the advent of Europeans, racial mixing became commonplace and a new people, mestizos, were created. Over the past four centuries mestizos have become the dominant racial group in Mexico, accounting for at least half of the total population. Northern Mexico is overwhelmingly mestizo in both urban and rural areas. Because the number of Europeans in the total population has been small, the Indian contribution to the mestizo racial group has been relatively large. Indian racial characteristics therefore predominate in many Mexican mestizos. Europeans, including those who immigrated during the 20th century, account for about 15 percent of the population and are largely concentrated in urban areas, especially Mexico City, and in the West.
Although mestizos form the bulk of the population throughout the country, there are several areas where Indian speakers still represent the dominant population group. Maya speakers are the majority ethnic group in the rural Yucatán and the Chiapas Highlands. In the Southern Highlands, especially the Oaxaca Valley and remoter parts of the Sierra Madre del Sur, Indian (primarily Zapotec) communities abound. Despite their decreasing numbers, enclaves of Indians are still significant in isolated mountain areas on the eastern margin of the Mesa Central."
SOURCE: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27384
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In response to the other poster, Mexican is not a race, it is a nationality. Italians are a nationality as well.
Re: Cheap labor
Member #: 40846
Registered: 9/19/2005
Posted:
1493
Name:
Duane Vick
Name:
Duane Vick
Company:
Self-Employed
Occupation:
Installer
Location:
Phoenix AZ
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