Chicano-Anglo Intermarriage in Arizona,1960-1980: An Exploratory Study of Eight Countries

Abstract

This paper reports on an exploratory trend study of Chicano-Anglo intermarriage in Arizona. Data were gathered in eight of the fourteen counties and for three years-1960, 1970, and 1980. A search of the literature revealed only one prior study of Chicano intermarriage in Arizona. That study, however, was limited to a single border town. Using marriage records we found that both the individual and couple rates of intermarriage were generally high and thus more similar to those found in California than in Texas or New Mexico. Also, Mexican Ameri-can females were slightly more likely to marry Anglos than were Mexican American males. We argue that intermarriage should not always be studied from a simple assimilationist perspective. The evidence suggests that a different model may be operating. We encourage further research on Chicano intermarriage from different theoretical perspectives and using other methodologies.

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