Where Are The SPANISH Speakers In Albuquerque? (South Valley, Socorro: apartment, home)
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Hello everyone in ABQ. One of the things that originally drew me to Albuquerque was that I wanted to get immersed in the Spanish language. I came here hoping to hear more SPANISH than English, but that is definitely NOT the case. English is SO the predominant language in this city (OK, fair enough, contrary to popular belief, NEW Mexico is one of the 50 US states, and English is the "de facto" language of the US, so it's simple logic that ABQ is an "English-speaking" city).
But still, I thought Hispanics here have BEEN here for centuries, passing on the Spanish language, heritage and culture. Yet, everywhere I go, I HARDLY EVER hear Spanish being spoken. Am I simply not going to the right places (I live in the NE part of town)? Which brings me to my actual question - where do most Spanish speakers "hang out"/live? Which neighborhoods? Which districts?
Moderator cut: Insulting, rude trolling comments not needed, and have been removed...
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 08-11-2012 at 02:06 PM..
Hello everyone in ABQ. One of the things that originally drew me to Albuquerque was that I wanted to get immersed in the Spanish language. I came here hoping to hear more SPANISH than English, but that is definitely NOT the case. English is SO the predominant language in this city (OK, fair enough, contrary to popular belief, NEW Mexico is one of the 50 US states, and English is the "de facto" language of the US, so it's simple logic that ABQ is an "English-speaking" city).
But still, I thought Hispanics here have BEEN here for centuries, passing on the Spanish language, heritage and culture. Yet, everywhere I go, I HARDLY EVER hear Spanish being spoken. Am I simply not going to the right places (I live in the NE part of town)? Which brings me to my actual question - where do most Spanish speakers "hang out"/live? Which neighborhoods? Which districts?
It went the way of the French language in Louisiana and the Russian language in Alaska, the Dutch language in New York.
If you want to find the Spanish speakers, find the areas where the people from Mexico and Central America live, don't expect that people who have lived in New Mexico for many decades failed to learn English. In fact, the population of New Mexico was very sparse when it became part of the USA, you aren't going to run into all those original New Mexicans who were supposed to preserve the old language.
The other thing to keep in mind is that northern New Mexico was always more Indian than Spanish.
Last edited by Poncho_NM; 08-11-2012 at 02:08 PM..
To the OP: It sounds like you didn't do much research. If you are in Albuquerque now and are unable to find people speaking in Spanish, I'm not sure what to tell you. It's not difficult. But no, generally it's not like being in a Latin American country where you might have to conduct day-to-day transactions in Spanish.
Try Pro's Ranch Market on the West Side. Try walking into the Taqueria Mexico on Lomas. Try walking into the Guava Tree Cafe (though you probably aren't going to run into New Mexican descendants of the Spanish, behind the counter). Try riding the buses up and down Central. Try walking around UNM campus.
To the OP, you are in the least Hispanic part of town (NE), but you should still be able to find a fair amount of Spanish. But yeah, if you'd like to be surrounded by Spanish speaking residents, try the westside (near Pros Ranch), or South Valley.
What happened to the Spanish language in New Mexico is that it got beaten out of the native speakers through generations of schooling. Children were punished for speaking Spanish (or Navajo, or any other language) in school ever since the anglos came. So that created a disincentive for speaking the language and passing it on to children. Parents began to think that their children would not succeed in an anglo-dominated world if they learned Spanish. Many people still do speak New Mexican Spanish but it isn't much like the Spanish that is taught in school, it is a very particular regional dialect. Many more native hispanic New Mexicans don't speak any Spanish at all. So, I hope you now realize how arrogant and uninformed your original post sounds. New Mexicans don't appreciate being told what language they are supposed to be speaking based on their last name or how they look, least of all by an anglo who belongs to the group that drummed not only the language but some of the culture out of the area, too.
Go to the Spanish mass at San Felipe de Neri in Old Town, or one of the other Catholic parishes if you want to hear more Spanish.
But no, generally it's not like being in a Latin American country where you might have to conduct day-to-day transactions in Spanish.
^^This^^
My typical Spanish New Mexican family speaks some Spanish some of the time, but only at home and amongst friends / family. For example if we are at a family dinner at someone's house, you will hear some Spanish spoken between the older generations, and more English between the younger generations. Yet if the same group is at a public restaurant for dinner, you will only hear English.
Albuquerque is definitely a predominantly English speaking city. Families who have been here for generations are fluent in both languages. Most people I've encountered who only speak Spanish are from other countries.
ApartmentNomad gave you some good suggestions on where to be immersed. You might also try a conversational Spanish class through UNM or CNM. I took a traditional healing class through UNM and it involved spending close to a month in Mexico. That helped my Spanish more than anything (even more than hanging out with my Spanish speaking family - who tend to use more of a mix of Spanish and English). There are a lot of programs where you can spend a few weeks in Mexico and take Spanish language classes while being fully immersed in the language and culture (e.g. you stay with a family who will only speak Spanish to you). It's a good way to learn a language.
What happened to the Spanish language in New Mexico is that it got beaten out of the native speakers through generations of schooling. Children were punished for speaking Spanish (or Navajo, or any other language) in school ever since the anglos came. So that created a disincentive for speaking the language and passing it on to children. Parents began to think that their children would not succeed in an anglo-dominated world if they learned Spanish.
This happened in my family. My grandmother (who was born in Socorro) didn't speak any English when she started school. She was "paddled" for not knowing how to speak English, or for not learning it quickly enough. Same kind of thing with my grandfather. Because of this, they were reluctant to teach their children Spanish. They wanted their children to speak perfect English with no accent, and discouraged their children from speaking Spanish.
Wow. Do you work for the chamber of commerce, or perhaps the convention & visitors bureau? I think you've missed your calling.
I actually toned down what I really wanted to say. I lost my patience a long time ago with this kind of attitude.
But I will say that if you wanted to you could live here (or in any major city in the US) speaking only Spanish. I know people who do. There are lots of carnicerĂas, llanterĂas, restaurants, tellers who speak Spanish at banks, certain cashiers at the grocery store, you name it. I frequent a certain Satellite Coffee because of a certain employee who loves to speak Spanish, we socialize and conduct the whole transaction in Spanish.
There was a documentary a couple of years ago made by a couple of reporters from Spain who wanted to see if they could do a road trip from coast to coast across the United States speaking only Spanish to do everything they needed to do, and they did it.
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