http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Spexico

Cracked "Spain is a peaceful land of giant hats and luchadores (or maybe we're getting that confused)."

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Fiction writers seem to not just confuse Mexico and Spain, but to fuse them into a strange amalgam of the most general stereotypes of both, much as Scotireland fuses Scotland and Ireland. Maybe it's because they share a language and their majority religion, the fact that Mexico used to be a Spanish colony, they both have exotic foods and customs compared to an Anglo-Saxon culture,note And compared to each other, as well. or simply that the author didn't check the facts and hasn't travelled much, either.

American writers (and particularly those in California) also have the excuse that Mexico is literally over the border from the US note (Alta) California was part of Mexico from September 27, 1821 to February 2, 1848. while Spain is an ocean away, so the more familiar Mexican culture to them colours their perception of Spain. This approach, naturally, requires the writer to ignore that Mexican culture owes as much to the native cultures that existed there before the Spanish conquest, like the Maya and Mexica ones, as it does to Spain's (although Hollywood has never showed its strength when having to keep those apart either), that Mexico is more influenced by U.S. culture than Spain is, and that the two countries are, simply put, an ocean apart from each other and have been not under the same flag for almost two centuries now, meaning that they have had ample room to develop independently from each other - be it in law, politics, holidays, food, dress, music or even language. Indeed, not only do they speak different dialects of Spanish in Spain and Mexico (the epic wars between supporters of Castilian and Latin American dubs on YouTube are testament to that) but there are also different accents and dialects within the countries themselves.

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In short, saying Spain and Mexico are the same is like saying that the United Kingdom and the United States are the same.

How this trope came to be happened due to the "Good Neigbor Policy " in the 1930s and 1940s, where America sought friendly non-interventional diplomatic ties with Latin American countries. Prior to this, works that revolve around Spanish language and culture focused directly towards Spain. Following the Spanish Civil War and Francisco Franco's regime, media, especially Hollywood media, sought for easier and more practical alternatives, and with Franklin D. Roosevelt's implementation of the Good Neighbor Policy, they looked no further than Mexico as a shorthand for Spanish, and it stuck ever since even after World War II and with the death of Franco in 1975.

In its usual form, this trope is represented by a group or town that is full of stereotypically Mexican or Spanish people, set in a location or doing an activity better suited to the other. That is, when they aren't just made into a mish-mash. It could be a Spanish mariachi band at a wedding instead of a tuna singing Clavelitos, or a town of thick-mustachioed men in sombreros and ponchos dancing Flamenco. When South of the Border and Latin Land are brought into the mix, it could even end with Spain being depicted as a hot, tropical jungle or desert full of revolutionary outlaws, sometimes fighting a Banana Republic run by a Fascist dictator (which might have been technically true during Franco's dictatorship, except there are no tropical jungles in Spain. But it's definitely false in anything set after 1978, and that being generous). It also takes the form of Spanish characters sporting names or surnames that are Hispanic in origin but geographically uncharacteristic (for example, Salazar or Chávez are very common in the American continent, but actually very rare in Spain).

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US productions are likely to misrepresent Spaniards more often than Mexicans, since Mexicans have many more demonstrable stereotypes in American pop-culture than Spaniards do, and they will likely have a much easier time casting Mexican actors (or from anywhere else in Latin America) than Spanish ones, accents and even race be damned. In Japan, where both nations are equally exotic, the mix and mash is likelier to happen both ways.

See Toros y Flamenco and South of the Border for Hollywood Atlas versions of Spain and Mexico, respectively. Contrast Latin Land for a similar fusion of different countries south of the United States in a process not that different of Spexico, with only jungle or llamas added for flavor depending on the circumstances, and narcoterrorists if convenient.

Compare Far East, Ancient Grome, Scotireland, and Mayincatec. Spexico is not the only example of transatlantic fusion, however: a similar phenomenon occurs with depictions of Quebec in Hollywood movies as being full of Frenchmen with Parisian accents and mannerisms, and outside the Anglosphere some people can't see the difference between the UK and the US either.

Examples:

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Advertising

Verizon, as seen in this sociologist's blog post, has got a print ad out there with "Coverage in Spain" on it (just ignore the "and 25 more countries than the UN recognizes" part) with the Verizon guy in front of a crowd of stereotypical Mexicans.

Anime And Manga

One episode of the Gag Dub from Axis Powers Hetalia has Romano calling Spain a "taco eater".

Comics

The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones issue "The Fourth Nail" loops the loop with its visit to Argenspexico. Mapuche boleadoras are a widespread civilian weapon in Barcelona (a white village with sandy streets that people call Barcelona, that's it). Indy's local sidekick is a Gipsy pickpocket dressed like a Mexican bandito, who also cons people out of pesos, a currency never used in Spain. And like the rest of the series, the comic takes place in late 1936, a time we all know had no significance whatsoever in Barcelona's or Spain's history, so everything remains bucholic and harmless.

Film - Animated

In TMNT, the four ancient Aztec generals are named Mono, Gato, Aguila, and Serpiente. Why would ancient Aztec people from 1000BC have names in Spanish? Not only did the Spanish language not exist 3000 years ago (for that matter, it's debatable whether Latin did) - the Spanish people did not colonize Mexico till after 1519 AD, and the Aztec Empire itself got started in 1323 AD. So this is also an Anachronism Stew.

In Thumbelina, "Los Sapos Guapos" come from Spain. They feature elements from Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina in their songs (and possibly more countries). They do not stop at Spexico- they also throw in elements from Brazil and Italy! All while living in France.

In the 1930's Classic Disney Short Ferdinand the Bull, the narrator tells us the story is set in "sunny Spain." However, many of the Spaniards look like stereotypical Mexicans, with sombreros, brown skin, thick black mustaches, etc.

DreamWorks' Puss in Boots. In Shrek 2, the setting is against a take on Arthurian England, so viewers assumed Puss was Spanish. In this prequel, it shows he came from somewhat of an amalgam of Spain and Mexico. Which all actually makes sense, since Puss is played by Antonio Banderas and generally spoofs Zorro. Spain itself is directly mentioned at one time, though. This is enforced in the Spaniard dub, where all but three characters are dubbed in Standard Castilian (though Jack & Jill sound unschooled and low class). The exceptions are Puss (also voiced by Banderas, but in a heavy SW Andalusian accent), Kitty and the Comandante (voiced, like in the English version, by Salma Hayek and Guillermo del Toro, both with Mexican accents).



Film - Live Action

Literature

Most astounding example in Tom Clancy 's Op-Center: Balance of Power: It looks like the author's first intention was to draw a parallelism between the nationalities of the former Yugoslavia and Spain, but did not do the most basic research and confused "ethnicity" with race. As a result, his depiction of Spain is that of a society divided in racial castes with close resemblance to the traditional ones of Mexico and other countries in Latin America (i.e. Whites on top, Mestizos in the middle, Indians and Blacks at the bottom), without realizing that said division is the result of an old colonial system that couldn't obviously exist in Spain because it was the colonizer. And that's only one of the thousands of errors in the book. The book takes the trope and beats you with it when it has two American operatives successfully pose as Spaniards despite never having been to Spain before: They manage because one was undercover for years in Mexico City. Would the same author write about a foreign agent going undercover in London because he had learned English in Texas?

The War That Came Early did the research when it had Chaim Weinberg remind himself that in Castilian dialect the letters C and Z are pronounced like 'th' rather than 's' note This is often called the "Castilian lisp", but it is not really a lisp since the S is still pronounced like one in Castilian . Sadly, it invalidated itself immediately by having Spanish characters using Mexican slang like mamacita or pendejo.

. Sadly, it invalidated itself immediately by having Spanish characters using Mexican slang like mamacita or pendejo. Dan Brown's Digital Fortress portrays Seville, Spain as a Third World hellhole with rampant crime, poverty and corruption, where injured citizens have to struggle to get basic medical treatment at hospitals, and most people apparently don't have access to hot water. Brown apparently confused some of the more negative stereotypes about Mexico with Spain, which is a fairly prosperous Western European country with a GDP that isn't that far from the United States'. Spain has also had universal healthcare since 1986, and its healthcare system is considered one of the best in the world.

In Princess Mariana And Lixo Island, it is never specified where Mariana lives. Is she in Latin America, or the Iberian Peninsula? The location has access to the ocean (so it is not a landlocked country note which removes only Paraguay and Bolivia from the list of possibilities ) and relatively warm weather- but the actual inhabitants, flora, and fauna could be part of both Iberian countries, as well as many Latin American countries.

) and relatively warm weather- but the actual inhabitants, flora, and fauna could be part of both Iberian countries, as well as many Latin American countries. For Whom the Bell Tolls repeatedly describes Spanish gypsies as physically resembling Indians (American Indians, not the Indian Indians gypsies actually descend from) and holding shamanistic beliefs and rituals stereotypical of Injun Country. The version of the Spanish Civil War in the book seems to lack actual fronts and plays more like a Western set in the Indian Wars or in The Mexican Revolution, with the derailment of a train serving as the climax of the book.

Live Action TV

Music

The 1970s rock band Carmen, which was formed by Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles, invoke this trope through the use of flamenco stylings and Spanish imagery. Considering they were formed as an outgrowth of the Allen siblings parents flamenco nightclub its at least somewhat justified. Ironically, the band found no initial success at home and only became notable after relocating to Europe, adding a British bassist and drummer and cementing the Spanish influences. Then they became a near-legendary opening act for several British Progressive Rock bands touring the US.

Near the end of the video for D12's "My Band" (the lead single from their 2004 sophomore album "D12 World" and biggest hit to date), during the part where "lead singer" Eminem does a joke teaser for his nonexistent song "My Salsa," we see Shady dressed in a matador's outfit and waving a cape while holding said salsa bottle. However, the rest of D12 are dressed in mariachi outfits and playing guitars.

for D12's "My Band" (the lead single from their 2004 sophomore album "D12 World" and biggest hit to date), during the part where "lead singer" Eminem does a joke teaser for his nonexistent song "My Salsa," we see Shady dressed in a matador's outfit and waving a cape while holding said salsa bottle. However, the rest of D12 are dressed in mariachi outfits and playing guitars. The wacky Eurodance mariachi character Carlito (actually a Swede named Jonny Jakobsen) is a flagrant example of this trope, still justified by the fact that it's an obvious parody.

Professional Wrestling

Before the match where Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Jericho for the WWE European Heavyweight Title on the April 3, 2000, WWE Raw, he cut a promo where he told Chyna that he had to set her aside in order to focus on winning the European Championship to make all his ancestors in "Spain" proud. Commentator Jim Ross said, "I thought he was from El Paso."

Radio

British media is guilty of this too: Radio comedy show Son of Cliché had the Up to Eleven Show Within a Show ¡Asso - Spanish Detective! Asso, a private eye working the sexy and glamorous Costa Bravo and taking jobs like locating a missing drunken Englishman on holiday named only as Dave from Ardwick ("Finding a drunken Englishman on the Costa Brava. This would be difficult!'', Asso, vocally, is not so much Spanish as Mexican.

Tabletop Games

Castille in 7th Sea, with fencers, powerful Inquisition, pirates and Armadas... and inexplicably, Ranchos and El Vago, Zorro's Expy.

Averted with Argos, the Fantasy Counterpart Culture of Spain in Anima: Beyond Fantasy. While depicted as having a mostly barren landscape (see "Real Life" below) very similar to (most of) Real Life Spain, complete with windmills and resembling the real country during the time of the Catholic Monarchs (feudalism, strong ties to the Church, and (very exaggerated) religious fanatism) Toros y Flamenco is nowhere mentioned, nor anything that resembles this trope. note That the game is Spanish, as well as the rather vague and short descriptions of each country, surely help.

Video Games

Web Original

Western Animation

Real Life