How to Keep the Latin Heritage Alive in a Multicultural Family

Dris Wall, a bubbly Latina mom from San Diego, California, is committed to giving her daughter Danica (8), a sense of value for her Mexican roots. Her references to their Mexican-American legacy play out daily, from more casual conversations through daily tasks to some structured activities she designs to share with them after school. “As a first-generation American from Mexican parents, I want to teach her where she comes from, our heritage, and our cultural background because I feel that makes her confident,” says Dris.

Dris engages Danica in activities like cooking traditional Mexican recipes, creating crafts to celebrate historical holidays, playing lotería in Spanish, and enjoying ancient Aztec tales like the famous El Conejo en la Luna. “Family is our number one priority. We love playfully navigating through cultural traditions. Besides the usual dominó or lotería, we often create our own little daily games to connect Dani with the Mexican symbolisms, the myths and the language. We also make arts and crafts for special occasions, like papel picado for Día de Muertos,” she explains.

Language also plays a crucial role in conveying Dris’ Mexican cultural history to her daughter. Spanish is still very present in communicating with her own parents, and she wants to pass on that knowledge to her. She finds it amusing that Dani seems progressively more interested in acquiring it. “My mom and I only speak Spanish, and Danica has become more curious about learning it. You can see her head go back and forth to each of us. She wants to know what we are talking about!” Dris says with a burst of contagious laughter.

Dris tries to introduce the language in everyday, simple situations to foster that interest. One of Danica’s favorites is going through the colors in Spanish while eating her Kellogg’s Froot Loops afternoon snack. “We sit down on the couch after school with a bowl of cereal, and we play this game that whenever she picks one, she needs to name the color in Spanish before eating it,” Dris describes.

Cooking is another significant way to keep their Mexican legacy alive. The kitchen has become a privileged space where her family celebrates the diversity of their background.

“Food is very important in our daily life,” says Dris. They often come together as a family for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, picking out recipes for a nutritious menu Dris designs weekly. Moreover, Dris and Dani usually cook together, which has become part of their routine workflow. 

Tacos de tinga de res or pollo with their very own handmade tortillas are a family staple in their household. Dris is particularly proud of her daughter Dani, who has perfected the different cues of the Mexican cookbook over time. “Dani loves making guacamole from scratch, and she’s gotten so good at it that she is better than me now! It’s become her thing,” Dris mentions with satisfaction.

After meals—or while enjoying a bowl of Kellogg’s cereals in the morning before work and school— sitting around the table has also proven to foster communication, bonding, and cultural learning for this family. “I want to make sure she knows it’s okay to be different—and to love that difference,” Dris assures.

Dris is convinced that teaching Dani to celebrate who she is and be proud of her uniqueness will also help her embrace the beautiful blend of cultures that defines the United States and learn the importance of empathy for those around them.

By blending cooking with conversations about traditional recipes, or attempting Spanish learning while having Kellogg’s cereal snacks, Dris helps her daughter celebrate their Hispanic heritage while raising a compassionate, sensitive human being who respects and understands the world’s cultural richness.

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