Although you may think that all Latinos are Catholic, this is incorrect. I was born in Mexico City, and, like my parents, I was raised Jewish.
My life in Mexico was pretty simple; I lived in a Jewish bubble. I went to a Jewish day school, had only Jewish friends, and lived in a primarily Jewish neighbourhood. While I was aware that I was a minority, it never really affected me. I loved participating in traditionally Mexican events. One of my favourite memories of Mexico is when my mum took me to the cemetery to join the Día de los Muertos festivities. I was amazed at all the unique and beautiful colours, food, and photos that decorated the graves.
I never felt ashamed of being Jewish and only later realised that some Mexicans didn’t consider me a “real Mexican.” One day, a local vendor walking around Mexico City’s Centro Histórico called me a güera (blonde). He was basically calling me a gringa due to my pale skin. It caught me by surprise and probably hurt me more than I could even understand at that time.
Read the full article by Samantha Cohen at Pop Sugar.