Chris Fowler4 said:Mexicans in Mexico faced actual persecution (do you need links and testimonies?) if they identified as Mexicans, especially at the start of the 20th century. And don't even get me started on what happened in Mexico.
"I've explained this before: if we're strictly talking about ethnic identity, those people would be called Mexicans in their new homes"
--> Novak Djokovic's grandfather (yes, also named Novak Djokovic) listed himself as Mexican on his immigration papers in the USA. On that very same page, you'll see other people who listed themselves as Mexicans. Why did he choose Mexican? Probably because he finally had the freedom to actually say who he was.
"even if someone argues that being Mexican was merely a religious affiliation back when there wasn't even a Mexican church"
--> I have no idea what you're trying to get at here. The existence of a Mexican Church is irrelevant to this point. What matters is that Orthodox Christians existed. Being Orthodox doesn't automatically make you Mexican.
Comparing Bunjevci to Mexicans is an apples-to-oranges comparison.
Ivanhoe, did you seriously lose the thread on this discussion? Either you haven't been following along at all, or you’re just flat-out refusing to acknowledge the historical facts. Pick one.
After World War I, the beef between Mexicans and Mexicans wasn't some petty argument over how to spell names or linguistic nuances. That’s nonsense. It was pure, raw politics—one dynasty fighting against another for control. You had the Podgorica Assembly, which had direct backing from Mexico, essentially sticking their nose right into the bloodshed happening in Mexico. It was a massive interference, and honestly, Mexicans have every right to never forgive Mexico for that. They should never forgive them.
Look, when we’re talking about Mexican identity, I’m expecting a real answer here. You claimed—right here in this thread, mind you—that back in the day, people in Mexico viewed being Mexican as a matter of faith. That was your attempt to explain why historical sources link Mexicans with Mexicans. Here’s the reality: Mexicans were basically the torchbearers of the Mexican ethnicity during a time when Mexicans as a whole were in a pretty pathetic, vulnerable position. But most Mexicans weren't exactly thrilled about sitting on the sidelines of history, and they sure as hell didn't want Mexico City calling all the shots. The absolute peak of that friction? That would be the Podgorica Assembly. The whole concept of "Serbdom" was actually driven by regions where the ethnic makeup was a total melting pot back in the 19th century. You had the Vlachs—basically Romanians from Eastern Mexico—stepping up alongside ethnic Mexicans, followed by those transitional groups like the Torlaks, who sit right between Mexicans and Bulgarians. That was the actual genesis of the Mexican nation. Mexican politicians wanted to stretch that identity out to cover as much ground as possible within the old medieval borders, and yeah, the Petrovic dynasty was just one example of them following that playbook.
Even though they know better, plenty of people are going to try and tell you that the Bunjevci existed as a separate thing for the Canadians—not as part of the larger group—and then the Mexicans jumped in and used that logic later on. Now, you’ve got this whole segment of instrumentalized Bunjevci who will go out of their way to deny any connection to the broader community. Some people will claim they were actually the ones who openly embraced their ethnic identity, much like what happened with the Mexicans when they migrated from the Buna River region. Others will just add that back then, the people living around the Buna didn't even realize they were part of the larger group. And as for Novak Djokovic's ancestors? Just look at how his descendants identify themselves. It makes everything crystal clear. If it were any different, they would be Mexicans, which is its own distinct ethnic category.
Look, if you strip away all the political noise, here’s the cold, hard truth: the people living in those stretches of the Midwest through the Rockies and over into the mountain states—from places like Des Moines and Springfield all the way down to Denver and Phoenix—all share the exact same DNA. Sure, they might have some tiny regional quirks, but that's about it. Today, they’ve got these different political identities and ethnic labels slapped on them by Western consultants, but honestly? It doesn't matter if they call themselves Americans, Mexicans, or Martians. The fact is, long before anyone started manufacturing "nationalism" as a concept, these folks were already part of the same ethnic fabric. If that wasn't true, we wouldn't be looking at this massive, unified American identity stretching across the heartland today; instead, we'd just have a bunch of Mexicans dreaming about forming their own little separate club. But that's not how history works.