Rio-American

Though the borders between the US and Mexico dissolved after the formation of the United North American States, cultural boundaries still persist. Many Americans tend to fall into ethnic categories based on which of the three main nations forming the UNAS they called home. Those from the former Canadian provinces are Canadian-American, those from the former United States are Middle-American, and those from Mexico are Mexican-American.
A major exception to this rule exists in the American Southwest, in a region spanning from South Texas and Chihuahua, all the way out to Central and Southern California (originally Southern California and Baja California). Even before North American unification, a unique blend of Latin American and US American culture gave the American Southwest a unique flavor. With the dissolution of the US-Mexico border, cross-border cultural ties were able to flourish, resulting in a more prevalent fusion of cultures.
Rio-American has become the official term for those immersed in this culture, named for the Rio Grande which was once a major geographic border between the US and Mexico. Now it simply divides the UNAS state of Texas from a few of its neighboring states to the South. This cultural fusion has seen official support and codification through the union of California with Baja California into a single, peninsular California, the union of Arizona and Sonora into a single state, and the cession of the El Paso metro area to Chihuahua for better integration with Ciudad Juarez.
Several alternative terms exist for Rio-American. One of the more polite euphemisms, "Tex-Mexican" plays on the idea of a blend between Mexico and Texas, as seen as far back as the 20th Century with "Tex-Mex" cuisine. This term is applied to Rio-Americans further West as well, much to their resentment. Those in the Arizona y Sonora/California/Sinaloa Region prefer the term "Sonoran-American" referring to the expansive Sonoran Desert. Sonoran-Amercan has even been recommended as an offshoot of Rio-American due to the distinct cultural differences between the influences from Texas and the states to the West.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

English (slightly more prevalent) Spanish Various "Spanglish" Creolizations

Common Dress code

A common theme among Rio-American attire is a romanticization of Cowboy/Vaquero styles, often featuring wide brimmed hats, denim, cowboy boots, leather, and occasionally sarape ponchos and shawls.

Related Organizations

• United North American States