Dionicio Valdes

Mexicans In Minnesota

Dionicio Valdes

From the colorful supermercados of St. Paul&#39;s West Side to the rural communities of the Red River Valley, Mexican Americans have left an indelible mark on Minnesota&#39;s landscape. As one of the state&#39;s fastest-growing ethnic groups, Mexican Americans have been part of Minnesota&#39;s history since the early years of the last century.<br /><br />The history of Mexicans in the Midwest has been, more than any other group of immigrants, a history of working-class people. Railroads, heavy industry, meat packing, and sugar beet production all offered jobs for Mexicans who first came to the region not in search of a better life and permanent homes, but to work. Welcomed as migrant workers even as they were shunned for being different from the state&#39;s dominant Northern European ethnic groups, Mexican Americans have grown deep roots in the state&#39;s urban neighborhoods and rural towns. They have sustained a wide range of community, religious, and cultural institutions and introduced traditional foods and conjunto music to their new communities.<br /><br />Author Dionicio Vald&eacute;s discusses the struggles that these immigrants&mdash;particularly migrant workers&mdash;have faced in making Minnesota their home. He highlights an unprecedented feature of the late twentieth century, the growth of barrios and colonias in communities outside the metropolitan area.