Latinxs and Racial Frames: The Evolution of Settler Colonial Ideologies in New Mexico.

This article examines how Nuevomexicanos, the long-established Mexican American population of New Mexico, understand and respond to racial discrimination within the context of "double colonization"—the legacies of Spanish and American conquest. Despite widespread reports of discrimination by Whites, many Nuevomexicanos minimize their racialized experiences by invoking the state's Hispanic-majority demographic, cultural diversity, spatial comparisons, and class inequality to assert a narrative of racial exceptionalism and social inclusion with Whites. These race-minimizing frames parallel historical strategies dating back to Spanish colonialism, where claims to whiteness and Spanish ancestry were used to contest discrimination and assert American belonging. The study highlights that demographic majority status and political visibility do not eliminate racialized inequality, and that regional histories and contexts significantly shape Latinxs’ conceptions of race and discrimination.