Are you ever walking down the street in Mexico and spot someone you just know is “one of yours”? When I say “one of yours,” I simply mean someone from the same country. You don’t have to actually claim them. Perhaps it’s part and parcel of being a foreigner in Mexico.
I’m pretty good at this, as are most people. Or are we? I suppose we don’t realize we’re not spotting the ones we don’t spot.
But for the most part, when you’re a foreigner in Mexico, it’s noticeable. It’s not just that we sometimes look different from our hosts. After all, there’s an incredibly wide variety of looks in Mexico; this is a very diverse country.
It’s something else. Or some ‘things’ else. The way we dress? Our gait? The way we look at people or don’t look at people? Whether or not we smile at strangers?
All of the above, perhaps. And anyway, most Whitexicans are not traipsing around downtown on foot. And they’re certainly not doing it in athletic sandals.
Mexicans seem to get along with pretty much everyone
The good thing is that it’s not bad to look like an American around here. Unless you’ve wandered into an anti-gentrification protest or something along those lines.
But for the most part, Mexicans seem to get along with pretty much everyone. They’re friendly, they’re polite, they love a good laugh, and welcome a touch of irreverence and absurdity. And there’s something about the Mexican personality that just meshes especially well with that of their North-er American counterparts.
If the rest of North America and Mexico found each other on Tinder, we’d for sure both be swiping right. Still, we all want to fit in. We want to be unique but not necessarily different.
So what is it that gives us away? Unless you’re an internationally-wanted criminal, blending in is probably not your first priority anyway. I’ve personally given up on it. Still, it’s a fun game to try and put your finger on it. What makes us so easy to spot?
If you ask Europeans how to spot someone from the United States or Canada, they’ll usually say, “Oh, you don’t have to spot them; you’ll hear them coming.”
Happily, I’m not totally sure this is true here in Mexico. Sure, your ears might perk up if you’re hearing non-Spanish, but Mexicans tend to be quite loud themselves. Whew! Speaking English is of course a dead giveaway, but at least it’s not embarrassingly higher-than-everyone-else volume.
So what else have we got?
Well, there’s our way of dressing, often utilitarian and for comfort. Here in Mexico, people who can afford to dress up consistently, do dress up consistently. Americans, by comparison, are often quite casual. The comments that most made me laugh when doing my research were those that described us as if we were dressed for a hike through the mountains even when we were just wandering around the city. Well, paisanos, they got us there.
Another tell-tale sign? What our faces are doing. Are you confidently looking straight ahead as you go along? Making direct eye contact and smiling, perhaps? Saying hello? Asking the barista how her day has been? Mexicans may be friendly, but gringos are really friendly — as in, we see a potential friend in literally every person we pass. In that sense, we differ: Mexicans are generally a tad less trusting of strangers. People from the U.S. and Canada, on the other hand, are the Kimmy Schmidt of the Americas [Editor’s note: I am British and the thought of this makes me feel uncomfortable].
Now move down: what are our bodies doing? Now this, I hadn’t thought about before it was pointed out to me. “Americans lean on things.” “Americans aren’t afraid to take up space.” The leaning thing is totally true, and while I did do that today, I at least had the decency to feel self-conscious about it. You’ll also see me and others of my kind looking very irritated when people walk by too close or don’t make room for faster walkers on thin sidewalks. “Let’s go, people!” is, apparently, a very gringo kind of urgency.
Back to friendliness: we talk to people when we can. We like chit-chat, and we’re not as discerning in terms of who we make it with. We’re also, I’ve discovered, classic oversharers. For me, this is totally true. I even publish a newsletter where I write about everything I’m thinking and feeling. Wait, are we emotional exhibitionists? In my case, I’m afraid so.
The last surprising yet embarrassing finding, which is also kind of adorable? We like to stare in amazement at stuff.
“What? That’s not true!” I thought for a brief moment before I remembered myself, just last week, stopping to examine a pretty leaf I saw up close. Sigh.
What else gives us away? Feel free to add more to the list in the comments!
Sarah DeVries is a writer and translator based in Xalapa, Veracruz. She can be reached through her website, sarahedevries.substack.com
I will indulge another classic American trait (akin to several mentioned in this column) and address a stranger on a first-name basis: Sarah, your MND columns are always so insightful and a joy to read!
Aw, thanks Steven!
Stephen
En español, Steven y Stephen resultan en Esteban Rice.
Sarah – great article, albeit this one hit a little close to home. I am guessing people can tell I am a foreigner from my near permanent wearing of shorts and tennis shoes here in Mexico!
I do think it’s funny when my fellow estadounidenses stride through the beautiful mountainous temperate city of Oaxaca dressed for the jungle or the beach, our preconceptions of what “Mexico” means.
Ha! Tourists from up north do exactly the same in Miami. They wear bathing suits and sandals thinking they’re on Miami Beach!
Canadians are nothing like usa people. Learn that, it’s extremely insulting….
Oh yea, why would you want to advance making judgements and opinions on how people look…. We are trying globally to remedy that…… what is wrong with you…..😵💫
I don’t see anything insulting about Sarah’s article. And I note–look at the number of comments–the interaction she generated. Isn’t that part of what her job requires? At least it’s not “If it leads; It bleeds”–another kind of yukky journalism rule. I like the light humor.
And then there are a few people who are so negative and judgmental that they could single-handedly give almost any country a bit of a bad name.
Great article Sarah. Thank you.
So true!!
So true! (Response to your first comment)
Oh yes, VASTLY different! 😂😂😂
So right, it is much easier to identify Germans, French, Poles and Brits than Canadians.
You must be French Canadian.
To which?!
Lighten up, Francis.
A fun topic! I’ve noticed Gringo ladies are often over-dressed at night when just strolling down the street. Sequins and heels on a cobblestone street–really?
I’ve also noticed that the Gringos are the ones in the front row loungers at our local beach club, paying extra bucks to sit about four feet in front of the people in the next row.
And of course there’s the ever-present Birkenstock sandals….
When going out for dinner Mexicans are usually well dressed where we Gringos look like we just came off a roofing job.
Gringos will be wearing shorts even to go dancing at night.
Gringos will be on time for parties whereas Mexicans can arrive 2 hours late and think it‘s perfectly ok.
Gringos will be patiently waiting to be seated even in an empty restaurant whereas Gringos and Europeans walk right in and sit down at a table to their liking.Many hostesses make it a point to find you a table close to a smelly restroom.
Gringos carry water bottles around as if they were planning a trip through Death Valley.
An interesting thing I noticed when I moved to Mexico (Puerto Penasco, Puerto Vallarta, back to Penasco) over 18 years ago, when a Mexican lady is cleaning a condo/house, in the middle of the summer in the heat and humidity, they wear jeans! Plus they don’t usually turn on the A/C. I give them credit for that, I would never do that, too hot. They say they are comfortable, not for me though, I’m in a dress or shorts, and inside with A/C. Interesting article Sarah.
“(Mexicans) They’re friendly, they’re polite, they love a good laugh, and welcome a touch of irreverence and absurdity.” May I add they love ‘Dad’ jokes – thank God …just ask my kids
I’ve noticed that when I go to shake someone’s hand, the Mexican hand is like a cautious, reluctant wet noodle. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman – do Mexican women not shake hands? And I’m a North-er American who lived in Cuernavaca for 10 years and returns to Mexico frequently. You’d think I’d learn.
You know, that is a great point that I didn’t really think of here! You are totally right, and it’s never occurred to me to look into. I’m going to investigate!
Constantly taking pictures of everything. I walk almost everyday and most days I find something interesting (to me) to photograph. I did the same thing in the US.
I have found a number of expats (in San Miguel de Allende) avoid looking at you when passing on the street. I am ready to smile at a fellow countryman but then see no effort or connection. Perhaps it depends on where they are from in the US. It is delightful to be able to share a smile and a “buenas Dias” with our Mexican neighbors. Often, I am the first one to smile and greet when I catch their eye and always get a response, some more warmly than others, but it is there. I find the Mexican young people are the least likely to interact on the street which is sad if the habit of greeting others is lost with a new generation.
Well said!
Saludos! Renewed subscriber here. In elegant Plaza Machado here in Mazatlán I notice the gringo men dressed in their comfortable, but ratty old shorts and t-shirts. While the young Mexican men are dressed comfortable, yet with class and style. I’m slightly embarrassed for my compatriots and then I look at my reflection….
I think it’s the way we dress. My wife is often mistaken for a Latina. Brown-eyed brunette. Me, I can’t really blend in. I’m a 6’2 cookie cutter white man. I’m the tallest person on the island and obviously not a local
Americans are famous for their teeth.
Stupid article. We don’t blend in and we won’t blend in but we can be non-Ugly Americans.
Thank you Sarah!
Here in San Miguel de Allende, I see older American couples walking out of upscale hotels in full-on safari gear, just for a couple of hours of sightseeing, complete with big backpacks and giant water bottles. I thought they hadn’t done their destination homework. I just spent a wonderful weekend in Mexico City and was surprised to see Americans in the same kind of North Face/Patagonia getups! Fortunately my friends and I went to some nice, non-touristy restaurants and enjoyed seeing Mexican couples and families, nicely dressed. I am not trashing my fellow Americans, but wonder why anyone would show up in the capital of a country in beach shorts?