What was the original difference between a Mexican person and a Spanish person?

Answer 1

The original difference still applies to differentiate a Spaniard from a Mexican: race. Mexicans are of native Indian dissent (Mongoloid) and Spaniards are Caucasian. Its not a popular or politically correct answer which is why one will notice so many varying answers.

Spaniards colonized Mexico and enslaved the Indians in order to spread Christianity. The Indians were forced to take on Spanish names; much like black Africans did in America- to appease their "masters". This is why one will see a dark skinned, Indian with a Spanish surname.

Along with Catholicism, the Indians were also forced to adopt the Spanish language and many other European customs.

The term Mexican stems from and Indian word for mixture as in the mixing of cultures: the Spanish and the native Indians living in Mexico. There must have been some mixing of the races because there are lighter skinned Mexicans and yet, considering the Spaniards left Mexico hundreds of years ago true Spanish heritage in Mexico is minimal.

Similar instances of cultural infusion occurred in many other countries: Vietnam with the French, in the Philippines with the Spanish, in the Caribbean with the French, Spanish and Danish.

An interesting example is Cuba, where a complete annihilation, or rather genocide, of the indigenous population living on the island was replaced by Spaniards and Africans. This is why Cubans are considered white, and look it. There are Mulattoes who are a mix of black Africans and Spanish and there are black Africans.