Reaction when I saw this thread
Finally someone who makes a thread on specifically American Latinos traveling to other countries. I think its important and vital for Hispanic Americans to go out and travel, many of us don't and just stay within the confines of our own neighborhoods. We're 15% of the U.S. population and should take every advantage possible to travel.
Anyway, my parents are also from Mexico and I have gone to 3 Latin American countries in Mexico, Cuba and Argentina so I'll chime in with my experiences.
I'm in Mexico now and as you may know that in Mexico there are lots of people who have family who live in the U.S., I think they did a study in Mexico where they found that every Mexican has at least one family member who resides in the U.S. so you going to Mexico won't be a big deal. You will be treated with indifference sadly because you will look like the people there, same if you go to other Latin American countries in Central and South America.
I stood out mostly by the way I was dressed and my haircut (I got a fade) and people assumed right away that I was from the U.S. They will find out you aren't a native by the way you talk. Mexican Americans tend to speak Spanglish a lot when trying to speak Spanish. We do know Spanish, but we tend to mess up words a lot and code switch to English which is one factor they notice. When I open a girl up, I always try to speak Spanglish like I would in the U.S. to make sure she knows that I'm not a native. I always start sentences with
"So" when I talk to girls. For example:
"So, te mire caminando aqui por la tienda y te me hiciste guapa. Me gusta tu style y vine aqui para conocerte"
Once you start talking Spanglish, they'll know you're from the U.S. Most of the time it just comes naturally for me. Spanglish is a very unique Hispanic American dialect.
There are people in Mexico who can't stand Mexican Americans, mostly because when they go down to Mexico many think they are the shit and above the law just because they're from the U.S. The
"Don't touch me, I'm an American citizen" mentality. You can understand for a white gringo acting like that, but a Mexican American? A lot of them like to go down there with their brand new trucks and show off their wealth and many develop an American arrogance as well. I remember I myself was victim of this when I would brag about how awesome the taco trucks in Chicago were and saying how I thought they were better than the tacos in Guadalajara which rubbed the Mexicans the wrong way. They just don't like people who look like them feeling entitled just because they come from the U.S.
Having said all that, I never once got hated on or was given bad looks or looks of disgust. In fact most people were very nice and welcoming and girls loved practicing their English with me. Mexicans are very welcoming and nice people and when they know you're not a native but are a
"pocho" (Mexican American), they will go out of their way almost to make you feel welcomed.
Of course you will need game and you wont have the white god factor going for you, but you do know Spanish and could close way easier than the average gringo.
When it came to Argentina it was a different story. I was getting out of my comfort zone and diving into another culture and leaving North America where you see Mexicans everywhere in both the U.S. and of course Mexico. I went to a place where the majority of the people have never seen a Mexican person before in their lives. So many people wanted to talk to me and get to know me. I had no game back then so I didn't really get a notch, but girls were very interested in my background and liked my accent. They thought I was some kind of alien. Like a Latino looking person from the U.S. who knows Spanish and English with a Mexican accent? It was surreal for them. Although there was a lot of indifference when I was walking in the streets of Buenos Aires, but when they found out where I was from, they wanted to get to know me. I really liked my experience in Argentina. Against popular belief in the forum that Argentina is hard, I have a feeling that if a Mexican American or a Puerto Rican American goes to Argentina with some good game he could pull with ease. Something about Argentina tells me the right kind of guy hasn't exploited it well enough yet. Most guys who have been to Argentina on the forum are non-Mexicans or non-Hispanics. No data sheet has been done by a Hispanic American. I think it has potential because lots of girls in Buenos Aires loved my Mexican accent. I put this to the test and whenever they asked me where I was from, I would say Mexico and half the time I would say America. I had better responses from the girls when I said I was from Mexico and many responded with
"Wow, what an awesome culture Mexico has" or
"Wow, I really want to go to Mexico one day". I want to go again down there and put my game to the test in Buenos Aires.
As far as which places I would go from the list provided, I will still pick Mexico City or Guadalajara. I love Mexico and love Mexican women, that's just me though. It really depends what your interests and look you like.
Suerte!