History of Mexican Americans in Metro Detroit
Part of a series on |
Ethnicity in Metro Detroit |
---|
|
Part of a series on |
Chicanos and Mexican Americans |
---|
![]() |
In 2004 58.5% of the people of Hispanic origin in the Wayne County-Macomb County-Oakland County tri-county area were Mexicans.[1]
The Hispanic population is 8% of Detroit proper, mainly Mexican and then Puerto Rican.
Population history
In 1910 the State of Michigan had fewer than 100 Mexicans.
In 1951 in Detroit there were about 15,000 to 17,000 U.S.-born ethnic Mexicans and 12,000 Mexican-born residents.[5]
Around the 1950s/1960s, the second generation and third generation of Mexicans had been born in Michigan and their presence caused the size of the Metro Detroit Mexican community to increase.[6]
Demographics
In 2014 there were 22,700 Mexican immigrants in Wayne County, making Mexicans the largest immigrant group in that county. Within Metro Detroit overall, Mexicans are the third-largest immigrant group. In Macomb and Oakland counties, the Mexican populations are among the ten largest immigrant groups in each county.[7]
Commerce
Around the 1950s and 1960s large numbers of second and third generation ethnic Mexicans worked in steel foundries, steel factories, and automotive plants.[6]
Media
Jose R. Flores founded El Informador in 1954. It closed in 1956. After the end of El Informador, Jose Flores bought El Atomo. He changed its name to Noticias ("News"). In 1958 a Monterrey-originating teacher, Jose Elisandro, established Ecos de Michigan ("Echoes from Michigan"). Noticias closed at the time Ecos opened. Six months later, El Heraldo ("The Herald") opened and Ecos closed. El Heraldo closed in 1961.[6]
Beginning in 1961,
Institutions
Several mutual aid societies historically served the Mexican community. Among them were the Los Caballeros Catolicos and the VFW Mexican American Post #505. In 1960 the youth group Club Camellia was founded. In 1961 the Comite de Festejos Guadalupanos ("Committee of Guadalupe Parties") was founded.[8]
Religion
Mexicans and Mexican Americans began attending
As of the 1950s and 1960s other churches frequented by Mexican Americans and Mexicans included All Saints Church, Holy Cross Church in Delray, Most Holy Trinity, St. Anne's, St. Anthony, St. Boniface, St. Leo, and St. Vincent.[6]
Recreation and culture
There was a Mexican radio hour in Detroit.[9] Javier Cardenas, a native of Guadalajara who worked for WPON, started a Spanish-language radio program which began airing in October 1952. Every Saturday and Sunday it aired for one hour each. The program switched to WPAG in January 1955. In 1958 it switched to WHRV. Cardenas began directing and producing a Sunday-only program, airing from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, for WQTE in 1961. In 1980 the radio program on WQTE stopped airing.[8]
Dancing and music groups included "Club Fiesta," "Most Holy Trinity Dancing Club" and "Club Artistico Pemamino". At that time there were no sporting clubs.[9]
The Alamo Theater, the first Spanish language movie theater, opened in 1961.[8]
See also
References
- Alvarado, Rudolph P. and Sonya Yvette Alvarado. Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Michigan (Discovering the Peoples of Michigan). ISBN 0870138855, 9780870138850.
- Mayer, Albert. Ethnic groups in Detroit, 1951. Wayne University Department of Sociology and Anthropology, 1951.
- Content re-posted to: Feinstein, Otto. Ethnic Communities of Greater Detroit. Monteith College, Wayne State University, 1970.
- McGinnis, Carol. Michigan Genealogy: Sources & Resources. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005. ISBN 0806317558, 9780806317557.
- Rodríguez, María Elena. Detroit's Mexicantown. ISBN 0738578029, 9780738578026.
Notes
- ^ "Latino Children and Families in the Tri-County Area Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine." (Archive) From a Child's Perspective: Detroit Metropolitan Census 2000 Fact Sheets Series. Wayne State University. Volume 4, Issue 1, January 2004. p. 2/44. Retrieved on November 8, 2013.
- ^ McGinnis, p. 221.
- ^ Rodríguez, p. 7.
- ^ McGinnis, p. 222.
- ^ Mayer, p. 43 (Feinstein, p. 170) "MEXICANS In Detroit today there are approximately 15,000 to 17,000 people of Mexican extraction who were born in the United States. Also, there are an additional 12,000 Mexicans who were born in Mexico. The first Mexicans arrived in[...]"
- ^ a b c d e f Alvarado and Alvarado, Page unstated (Google Books PT 43)
- Crain's Detroit Business. June 1, 2014. Updated June 6, 2014. Retrieved on September 29, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Alvarado and Alvarado, Page unstated (Google Books PT 44)
- ^ a b Feinstein, p. 171. "The culture of these people is perpetuated by a radio program, "The Mexican Hour", which is broadcast every Saturday at 5:30 P.M."
Further reading
- Baba, Marietta L. and Malvina Hauk-Abonyi. Mexicans of Detroit (Peopling of Michigan series). Wayne State University, Center for Urban Studies, 1979. ISBN
- Badillo, David A. Latinos in Michigan. Project MUSE.
- Salas, Gumersindo and Isabel Salas. "The Mexican Community of Detroit." In: Hartman, David W. (editor). Immigrants and Migrants: The Detroit Ethnic Experience. New University Thought Publishing Company, 1974.
External links
- Llenas, Brian. "Latinos Could Be Key To Reviving Detroit Following Bankruptcy." Fox News Latino. July 19, 2013.