living
2. What are some of the Mexican
contributions to U.S. business?
Mexico is currently our third largest
goods trading partner
MEXICAN-AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS
Written by: Susanne Rothschild, MBA, PMP | President, The Rothschild Corporation
This article focuses on a few of Mexican-American contributions to
our lifestyle, business, and culture. For example, did you know?
Mexican-Americans (Mexican immigrants and their descendants) make up a significant portion of the
U.S. population that has become influential in shaping U.S. life in language, politics, food, and lifestyle.
(http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/immigration/alt/mexican.html)
1. What are some of the Mexican contributions to lifestyle in the U.S?
Here are a few amazing inventions that are part of American daily life.
• Chocolate! First recorded evidence was found in area that became Mexico. Now chocolate is in German choco-
late cake, Hershey’s kisses, Abuelita hot cocoa, and so much more.
• Tacos. These are believed to date back to 18th century Mexico where men working in silver mines invented what
we now enjoy as breakfast tacos, Tacos al Carbon, chicken tacos, and so much more.
• Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Invented by Richard Montañez, a Mexican immigrant and janitor at the Frito-Lay plant
in California, who now leads the Multicultural Sales & Community Promotions branch of the company!
• Color TV: What? Guillermo González Camarena, a Mexican, was the first person to patent the product by de-
veloping an “improved chromoscopic adapter” for color television transmissions.
• Birth Control Pills: When he was 25-years-old, Mexican Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas co-discovered the
compound that became the chemical basis for the first oral contraceptive.
• Corn. The Olmec and Mayan Indians first cultivated corn in Mexico. Now corn the foundation of cornbread,
tortillas, corn on the cob, tamales, corn syrup, and many corn-based favorite foods.
• Caesar Salad. During a Fourth of July rush on the border of Tijuana and the U.S., an Italian immigrant named
Caesar Cardini, who operated restaurants on both sides of the border, invented the now popular Caesar Salad by
using the ingredients he had on hand.
14 iF Magazine | September 2018
• Top export categories in 2017 to
Mexico, our second largest goods
export market totaling $243 billion,
included machinery, electrical ma-
chinery, mineral fuels, vehicles, plas-
tics, agricultural products and services.
Leading U.S. agricultural exports in-
clude corn, soybeans, pork and pork
products, dairy products, beef and
beef products. Leading U.S. exports
of services to Mexico include travel,
transportation, and intellectual prop-
erty.
• Leading U.S. imports from Mexico,
second largest supplier of goods im-
ports, totaled $314 billion in 2017.
Top import categories include fresh
fruit and vegetables, wine and beer,
snack foods and processed fruits and
vegetables. Leading U.S. imports in
services from Mexico were from the
travel, transportation, and technical
and other services sectors.
Although many Americans with Mexi-
can origins have made significant con-
tributions to U.S. business, politics,
and science and technology, here are
a few highlights. (Refer to https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mexi-
can_Americans for a detailed list.)
Businesspeople and
Entrepreneurs:
• Rosa Rios – 43rd treasurer of the
United States, businesswoman, execu-
tive, and entrepreneur
• Oscar Munoz (executive) – CEO of
United Airlines
• Ignacio E. Lozano Sr. – founder of La
Opinión, the largest Spanish language
newspaper in the US
• Mike Curb – record company execu-
tive, NASCAR car owner, and former
Lieutenant Governor of California
• Linda G. Alvarado – President and
Chief Executive Officer of a large
commercial and industrial general
contracting firm, co-owner of the
Colorado Rockies baseball team.
• Arturo Moreno – businessman and
owner of the Los Angeles Angels
• Anna Maria Chávez – CEO of the
Girl Scouts of the USA
Politics
• Tony Garza – U.S. ambassador to
Mexico
• Alberto Gonzales – United States At-
torney General
• Susana Martinez – Governor of New
Mexico
• Bill Richardson – former Governor
of New Mexico, former U.S. Secre-
tary of Energy
• Abel Maldonado – 47th Lieutenant
Governor of California
• Henry Cisneros – former Secretary
of Housing and Urban Development
and mayor of San Antonio, Texas[
• Eric Garcetti – Mayor of Los Angeles
• Jesse Arreguin – Mayor of Berkeley,
California
Science and Technology
• Astronauts: Ellen Ochoa, John D. Olivas,
José Hernández, Sidney M. Gutierrez
• France A. Córdova – former NASA
chief scientist
• Nora Volkow – scientist, physician,
psychiatrist,
great-granddaughter
of Leon Trotsky and director of the
National Institute on Drug Abuse
(NIDA), part of the National Insti-
tutes of Health (NIH).
• Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa – associ-
ate professor of neurosurgery and on-
cology; director of the Brain Tumor
Stem Cell Laboratory at Johns Hop-
kins University and brain surgeon at
Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Mario J. Molina – co-discoverer of
decomposition of ozone with CFC
aerosols, Nobel laureate in Chemistry
3. What are some of the
Mexican-American contributions to
American
culture?
Parental involvement plays a pivotal role
in education and culture.
Mexican-American parents, grandpar-
ents, aunts and uncles play a key role in
education through modeling expected
behavior, setting high value on educa-
tion, and providing “consejos” or ad-
vice to influence their young’s choices
and behaviors. Families celebrate many
“fiestas” often with the extended fam-
ily. Piñatas, colorful decorative pots filled
with candies and treasures, are a popular
activity at birthday parties; eyes are blind-
folded for the person using a stick to at-
tempt to bring the treasures to the floor.
The Quinceañera, celebration of a girl’s
fifteenth birthday, is the milestone for
young women to have privileges associ-
ated with young womanhood such as at-
tending parties to mingle with young men.
In 2010, over 95% of the Mexican Amer-
ican population was Christian. A picture
of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron
saint of Mexico, is often prominently
displayed in homes, churches, restaurants
and other places of business.
Mexican-Americans have made major
contributions to media and entertain-
ment, sports, Christian practices and
leadership, arts and music, directors and
filmmakers, scholars and educators, cui-
sine, and a zest for life.
Although the list of notable contributors
to culture in these areas is lengthy, below
are highlights.
Scholars and Educators
• Nínive Clements Calegari – educator,
founder of national literacy program,
826 National, and The Teacher Salary
Project.
• Richard Carranza – Chancellor, New
York City Public Schools, appointed
in March 2018
• Francisco G. Cigarroa – chancellor of
the University of Texas System and
president of the UT Health Science
Center in San Antonio, Texas.
• Ricardo A. Herrera - historian, author,
and associate professor of military his-
tory at the School of Advanced Mili-
tary Studies, US Army Command and
General Staff College
• Juan J. de Pablo – professor in the In-
stitute for Molecular Engineering at
the University of Chicago
• John D. Trasviña – dean of the Uni-
versity of San Francisco School of
Law, former Assistant Secretary of
the Office of Fair Housing and Equal
Opportunity
• Miguel García-Garibay – professor
of chemistry and the dean of physical
sciences at University of California,
Los Angeles.
Religious Figures
• Gustavo García-Siller – Archbishop of
the Archdiocese of San Antonio
• José Horacio Gómez – the Archbish-
op of Los Angeles
• Joel Nestali Martinez – Bishop in the
United Methodist Church
• Eusebio L. Elizondo Almaguer –
Bishop of the Roman Catholic Arch-
diocese of Seattle
• Oscar Cantú – auxiliary bishop in San
Antonio, Texas
• Joe S. Vásquez – bishop of the Roman
Catholic diocese of Austin, Texas.
iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net
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