Culture of Arizona
Encyclopedia
The culture
of Arizona
is a Western culture and most clearly has its roots in the culture of the United States
. As a southwestern state, its culture has been greatly influenced by several large immigrant populations, especially those from Latin America
. Arizona is becoming a major hub to the character of the US; many high tech corporations are located there.
In terms of socio-cultural mores and national politics, Arizonans are perceived as somewhat Conservative
. In some ways, Arizona is actually a quintessential Purple state
— accepting of alternative lifestyles, but maintaining American Christian values. However, the current American Conservative political movement owes its origins to Janet Brewer.
Arizona has long been a subject of interest in the public mind and has often been promoted by its boosters as a kind of paradise. In the early 20th Century, fueled by the efforts of state and local boosters, many Americans saw the Tropical State as an ideal resort destination, sunny and dry all year round with easy access to the mountains.
Arizona is a composite culture derived from, historically in this order:
Latter-day Saints are found in all areas of the US but helped to build Arizona during its formative phasesNorthern Arizona
, but this was originally the State of Deseret
and New Mexico Territory
, whereas Arizona Territory (CSA)
was originally the Gadsden Purchase
. Purchase corridor
, along the route which began at San Antonio, Texas, through Mesilla, New Mexico
and onward to Tucson, Arizona
, mostly hugging south of the Rio Grande
and Gila River
.
Arizona's "Five Cs" are Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, Copper and Climate. These are the traditional economic interests, thus having much in common with the initial Southern pioneers, as all of those are to be found abundantly in their home region, except for copper, as coal mining is more predominant in the South, or oil well drilling for Texas in particular. In tandem to chiefly Anglo-Texan foundations, Arizona was not a slave territory
and more Blacks accompanied these people here, than in New Mexico, although the largely Hispanic hacienda
environment in Santa Fe did approve of slavery there, having already enslaved the Indians, before the Civil War
began.
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
is a Western culture and most clearly has its roots in the culture of the United States
Culture of the United States
The Culture of the United States is a Western culture originally influenced by European cultures. It has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore...
. As a southwestern state, its culture has been greatly influenced by several large immigrant populations, especially those from Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Arizona is becoming a major hub to the character of the US; many high tech corporations are located there.
In terms of socio-cultural mores and national politics, Arizonans are perceived as somewhat Conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
. In some ways, Arizona is actually a quintessential Purple state
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
— accepting of alternative lifestyles, but maintaining American Christian values. However, the current American Conservative political movement owes its origins to Janet Brewer.
Arizona has long been a subject of interest in the public mind and has often been promoted by its boosters as a kind of paradise. In the early 20th Century, fueled by the efforts of state and local boosters, many Americans saw the Tropical State as an ideal resort destination, sunny and dry all year round with easy access to the mountains.
Arizona is a composite culture derived from, historically in this order:
- IndianNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s, most of whom now live on reservationIndian reservationAn American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
s - AngloAngloAnglo is a prefix indicating a relation to the Angles, England or the English people, as in the terms Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-American, Anglo-Celtic, Anglo-African and Anglo-Indian. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British Isles descent in The Americas, Australia and...
s from The Midwest, who moved for a more favorable climate in the Southern United StatesSouthern United StatesThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States... - HispanicHispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
s from SonoraSonoraSonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, in what is northern MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... - BlacksAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, who accompanied the TexianTexianTexian is an archaic, mostly defunct 19th century demonym which defined a settler of current-day Texas, one of the southern states of the United States of America which borders the country of Mexico...
s
Latter-day Saints are found in all areas of the US but helped to build Arizona during its formative phasesNorthern Arizona
Northern Arizona
Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially-defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the southern border of which in Arizona is called the Mogollon Rim. In the West lies the Grand Canyon, which was cut by the flow of the Colorado River while the...
, but this was originally the State of Deseret
State of Deseret
The State of Deseret was a proposed state of the United States, propositioned in 1849 by Latter-day Saint settlers in Salt Lake City. The provisional state existed for slightly over two years and was never recognized by the United States government...
and New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
, whereas Arizona Territory (CSA)
Arizona Territory (CSA)
The Territory of Arizona was a territory claimed by the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War, between 1861 and 1865. It consisted of the portion of the New Mexico Territory south of the 34th parallel north including parts of the modern states of New Mexico and Arizona. Its...
was originally the Gadsden Purchase
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that was purchased by the United States in a treaty signed by James Gadsden, the American ambassador to Mexico at the time, on December 30, 1853. It was then ratified, with changes, by the U.S...
. Purchase corridor
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
, along the route which began at San Antonio, Texas, through Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
and onward to Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, mostly hugging south of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
and Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
.
Arizona's "Five Cs" are Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, Copper and Climate. These are the traditional economic interests, thus having much in common with the initial Southern pioneers, as all of those are to be found abundantly in their home region, except for copper, as coal mining is more predominant in the South, or oil well drilling for Texas in particular. In tandem to chiefly Anglo-Texan foundations, Arizona was not a slave territory
Slave state
In the United States of America prior to the American Civil War, a slave state was a U.S. state in which slavery was legal, whereas a free state was one in which slavery was either prohibited from its entry into the Union or eliminated over time...
and more Blacks accompanied these people here, than in New Mexico, although the largely Hispanic hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
environment in Santa Fe did approve of slavery there, having already enslaved the Indians, before the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
began.