Cedric Bixler-Zavala
The Mars Volta – 2010 Big Day Out Music Festival – Sydney, Australia – January 22, 2010 – Sydney Showroom – Sydney, Australia – Photo Credit: Landmark / PR Photos
Birth Name: Cedric Bixler
Place of Birth: Redwood City, San Mateo, California, United States
Date of Birth: November 4, 1974
Ethnicity: Mexican [German, Spanish, possibly other]
Cedric Bixler-Zavala is an American musician. He is the frontman and lyricist of progressive rock band The Mars Volta, and frontman and guitarist of the post-hardcore group At the Drive-In. He was also part of rock band Foss, with Beto O’Rourke.
His parents are both of Mexican descent, and also have German and Spanish ancestry.
Cedric is married to actress and model Chrissie Carnell, with whom he has two children.
Cedric has said:
My dads Mexican but his lineage is from the German colonies so most of his side of the family have white skin, blue eyes and freckles. My moms really small with dark skin. Growing up, I learned the value of sticking up for my brown-skinned friends amongst my white-skinned friends.
He has also said:
My family is bilingual. My dad teaches bilingual education in El Paso. His dad was German; that’s why I have colored eyes and lighter skin. My dad’s mom’s Spanish – as in people from Spain – so she had red hair and spoke proper Spanish (Castellano). My Spanish is more lingo – Spanglish, basically. Bordertown Spanish. But my mom is total dark-skinned Mexican.
His parents are from Mexico and therefore identifies as Mexican-American/”Chicano”, but ancestral-wise, technically speaking he’s 1/4 German, 1/4 Spanish, and 1/2 Mexican.
“My family is bilingual. My dad teaches bilingual education in El Paso. His dad was German; that’s why I have colored eyes and lighter skin. My dad’s mom’s Spanish – as in people from Spain – so she had red hair and spoke proper Spanish (Castellano). My Spanish is more lingo – Spanglish, basically. Bordertown Spanish. But my mom is total dark-skinned Mexican.”
http://www.lollipop.com/article.php3?content=issue53/atthedrive-in.html
Mexican isn’t actually a race, so the half Mexican comment doesn’t apply. If someone has roots from Mexico, they’re considered Mexican, simple as that. And having mixed ancestry isn’t at all an uncommon thing in Mexico– the majority of Mexicans are in fact mixed.
Mexican IS also an ethnicity and it automaticlly implies being mestizo unless otherwise stated, which person in question did. He said his father is 1/2 German 1/2 Spanish; a White Mexican which is uncommon in Mexico. He describes his mom as simply Mexican which we can assume is a common mestizo…
Mexican is an ethnicity in that ethnicity can refer to cultural identity, not specifically race. And no, being Mexican doesn’t automatically equate to being Mestizo. Even within the Mestizo population, there’s a broad spectrum with some leaning heavily European and Native. Based on the description of his mother being dark skinned, it’s safe to assume she has substantial Native ancestry, which puts him within the Mestizo spectrum anyway. So as I said, he’s fully Mexican since both his parents are from there, and racially he’s Mestizo– he just happens to skew on the lighter side.
Racially he is a Harnizo/Castizo, not a Mestizo.
who is this guy.