Difference Between Mexican and Puerto Rican

Mexican vs Puerto Rican

Mexican and Puerto Rican are two important ethnicities inside US that refer to people belonging to these respective countries who have many similarities. Mexico is a country lying to the south of US inside North America that was colonized and ruled by Spain for many centuries, whereas Puerto Rico is also a territory inside US that was once ruled by Spain. However, despite similarities there are unmistaken differences between Mexican and Puerto Rican people that will be highlighted in this article.

Mexican

Mexico is a large North American country lying south of United States. It is a country that was originally inhabited by the Mayans and Aztecs. It was colonized by the Spanish Empire in the 15th century. Spanish rulers also brought along African American slaves to work for them into Mexico. There is a sizeable population of Mexican people inside US today with about 22% of the Mexicans living in the country.

Puerto Rican

Puerto Rico is a territory belonging to the US that was colonized by the Spanish Empire in 1493 and kept under Spanish domination for nearly 400 years. It was originally inhabited by Tainos people who were subjugated and finally wiped out by the Spaniards. The territory was finally ceded by the Spanish to the Americans after losing the Spanish American war in 1898. The people of the territory are not the citizens of US and are clamoring for either statehood or independence.

Mexican vs Puerto Rican

Both Mexicans, as well as Puerto Ricans, are called Latinos, and they are Spanish speaking people. However, these are two quite different ethnicities. Puerto Rico was originally inhabited by Taino people while Mexico was inhabited by the Mayan and Aztec people. The colonization by the Spanish who brought along African American slaves to work in the mines and plantations led to mixing of races with influences from Europeans, African blacks, and the original inhabitants. In the case of Mexico, it was the intermingling with the Europeans of the local populace that led to a new breed of people.

There are many cultural differences between Mexicans and Puerto Ricans despite the fact that both speak the same language. These differences can be seen and felt in music, dance, art, and even in games where Football is the dominant sport in Mexico while Puerto Ricans love baseball. While rice and beans are loved by both people, there are many differences in the cuisines of the Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Of late, there have been reports of animosity between people of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent inside US which is a phenomenon only to be expected as both ethnicities claim to have an upper hand inside the country.