Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
El Paso is closer to California than to east Texas, and it shows. In many ways the resid-
ents (and the food) have a lot more in common with New Mexico than with the Texas Hill
Country heartland.
West Texans, in general, are a rural lot. Living with that blazing sun and desert drought
isn't easy. It's a hardy, well-tanned soul that chooses such an isolated life; that's probably
why there's a certain stubborn, determined-to-go-my-own-way spirit here. Artists and out-
doorsmen and women are drawn to outposts such as Marfa and Fort Davis
Ethnic Identities
Hispanic
According to the census bureau, just under 40% of Texas' population is of Hispanic des-
cent. But that statistic is misleading, and not just because everyone might not have been
counted. Tex-Mex is a way of life here. Mexican culture, foods and traditions are inextric-
ably interwoven in the Texas tapestry - whether people are conscious of it or not. Office
workers order out breakfast
taquitos
(tacos) for breakfast, Spanglish peppers everyone's
conversations and school kids study 'the first Thanksgiving' when Don Juan de Oñate and
500 followers broke bread with Native Americans on the banks of the Rio Grande in
1598.
Understandably, the influence is more pronounced the farther south you get. But there
are pockets in any city where it's no trouble at all to get around if you don't speak Eng-
lish. Unfortunately, the state's prosperity has not extended evenly to all quarters. Texas
has the highest proportion of minimum-wage workers in the USA, and the lowest percent-
age of citizens who hold a high-school diploma. Areas of the state with the highest num-
bers of Hispanics are often the poorest. Bringing family members over officially is a com-
plicated process that can take years and years. It's not uncommon to hear of those who
hired coyotes, the often exploitative 'guides' that help some circumvent the system.
European
Of the many European immigrant groups that arrived at the turn of the 20th century, it's
the Germans and the Czechs who have had the longest lasting cultural affects on the state.
Most settled in the Hill Country and central-east Texas counties like Washington, where
today you can see signs asking
Jak sa maš
? (How are you?) A surprising number of res-
idents still speak the language of their forebears. Both the small-town dance halls and
meat-market barbecue that Texas is famous for grew out of traditions these Europeans