A subculture can be any small group outside of the key core or majority group. Groups can range from an organized criminal group, to an Asian-American group, to a religious group, to even a hippie commune. The main focus of this unit is immigrant subcultures. The immigrant subculture that is becoming more common in the United States every day is that of Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans have many religious traditions, ceremonies, customs, as well as art and music forms. There are also different cultural traditions. Mexican Americans have their own identity, on the contrary, they still have distinct American characteristics. First, one aspect that is both Mexican and American is the cuisine. The original food of Mexico is very spicy and most of the time also very colorful. Mexicans use spices, peppers, tomatoes and cheese in many native dishes. They use an assortment of meats: pork, beef, lamb and chicken. When Mexican restaurants pop up in the United States, the food is toned down to appeal to Americans. Mexican Americans use fewer spices to make dishes more delicate rather than hot and spicy local food. The food, always Mexican, takes on the appearance of American food. This is demonstrated in the United States by all the Mexican-American restaurants like Taco Bell. Therefore Mexicans Americanized their food. “Because Hispanics live on this side of the border, where Kraft makes Mexican-style Velveeta and where Jack in the Box serves Fajita Pita.” (Rodriguez 131). Americans complement the Mexican style and vice versa. Secondly, another area strongly influenced by American society is the religion of Mexican Americans. Ninety percent of Spanish-speaking people are Roman Catholic (C...... middle of paper...... stands out and blends seamlessly into the melting pot of cultures of the United States. Works Cited Clutter, Ann W. , and Ruben D. Nieto. “Understanding Hispanic Culture.” Osu.edu. Web 20 November 2011. .Crouch, Mexicans and Americans: Cracking The Cultural Code Collection (EBSCOhost). ” Web. 23. November 2011. Nakate, Shashank http://www.buzzle.com/articles/mexican-customs-and-traditions.html>.Rodriguez,Richard “Chattanooga State's Fear of Losing a Culture.” Boston Community College: McGraw Hill, 2009. 129-131. Print.