For more than 20 years, traditional medicine of Mexico, the U.S. Southwest and other countries has been taught as a series of academic course at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in the United States. These courses focus on traditional uses of healing plants and rituals for students in higher education and the community. These courses…

Latina immigrant women have personal lived experiences that inform and affect the ways they interact with the world on a daily basis and have shaped their personal and cultural identities. Because of those experiences, they have also developed particular ways of knowing, being, and doing that form and guide their ways of mothering. Drawing on the…

Best practice in the field of communication, especially intercultural communication, emphasizes seeking to understand and enter your interlocutor's perspective. This practice would seem directly applicable to college faculty and staff when they interact with students, especially given the cultural and ethnic diversity in college student…

Mexican American women have higher fertility rates and higher divorce rates than does the general population of the United States. In light of these data and the documented negative effects of marital distress and divorce on spouses, Mexican American women appear to be at risk for psychological stress. To provide some insight into the marital…

This paper examines the kinds of visuals that Spanish language textbooks use to legitimize Latino/a culture, noting how different groups are presented and represented by the narratives; how ethnicity, class, gender, age, and sexual inclinations interplay with power relations, and what ideologies weave the textual fabric of foreign language books.…

The ascendance of Menudo, the Puerto Rican rock group, was the most significant cultural event in the Hispanic community in the last eight years. As a phenomenon of popular culture, Menudo is worthy of study because of its main audience (Hispanic) and because it illustrates the dialectical interplay of gender, class, Hispanic ethnicity, and…

The hybrid music of the group "Kid Creole and the Coconuts" shows traces of every popular music style that has aroused New York City during the past 40 years--big band swing, Latin dance music, calypso, reggae, disco, funk, soul, rock, and movie pop. The fictitious characters the members of the band assume on stage, together with their…

This curriculum presentation outlines how to celebrate five Mexican holidays in the classroom: Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, Fiesta, Las Posados, and Three Kings Day. The goal is to help children learn through hands-on activities and real-life experiences. The format for each holiday celebration includes a brief history with ideas for…

Most studies of discrimination have been based on researchers' observations or on the perceptions of those who discriminate. Few attempts have been made to focus on the perceptions of the victims of discrimination. A comparison made between the direct perceptions of Hispanic Americans and those of Chinese Americans, both of whom are victims of…

This theoretical article based on published literature provides an overview of Mexican American culture and selected Mexican American children's literature that accurately portrays that culture. More specifically, the article focuses on three related topics. First, the article discusses the availability of multicultural literature, evaluation of…

This paper presents findings of a study that explored Mexican-American female principals' perceptions of leadership, power, and caring. Interviews were conducted with six principals of public schools in the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. The principals described the personal and social challenges of being Mexican-American and female, and those…

This paper argues that the identification of individuals with a certain ethnic grouping may have a significant impact on the way they communicate with others. It contends also that the way in which people's style is used and interpreted by others directly influences their effectiveness in communicative interactions. The communicative styles of…

Although Latino youth have slightly lower rates of alcohol use than Anglo youth, evidence suggests that as Latinos acculturate their rates of use increase to match those of the Anglo adolescent population. In light of these cultural patterns, a study examined the reactions of young adult males of Latino origin to television beer and non-beer…

Mastery motivation is considered important because it promotes competence and is believed to be the precursor to achievement motivation. Focusing on toddlers between 16 and 22 months old, this study examined the relationship between mastery motivation and environmental contributors, such as maternal expectations, and cultural orientation in Puerto…

It is important to know and understand the cultural heritage of Hispanic students if this population is to achieve academic success. Excessive drop out rates coupled with low high school and postsecondary graduations indicate the need for reforming school reading/writing and academic curricula. Also, educators at all levels need to be aware of the…