In this sense, the structure of the society changed as well. More and more Mexicans became part of the American culture and contributed to its definition. The Mexican family played a major role in creating the sense of multiculturalism inside the society. Unlike the traditional way of life of the American family the Mexican family was quite different. In this sense, "Mexican residents were given one year to move south of ht the new boundary or become American residents. Most became American citizens" (Nostrand, 1975). Therefore, the family component was an important part in the assimilation process and in the creation of a unitary familiar background for the Mexican community. The specificity of the community relied heavily on the need to feel comfortable and to create a similar environment to the one in the native country. Another impact of the presence of the Mexican family was the change in the structure of the educational process. At the end of the 19th century, the enrolment in primary schools increased especially taking into account the Mexican children who appear to be more engaged in the learning process than American ones. This comes to prove the fact that the Mexican families considered their existence on the U.S. soil as being permanent and tried to adapt to the conditions provided by it.

The presence of the Mexican people however attracted a certain contact with the common American communities. Such contacts were not always peaceful...

One of the most important consequences of the presence of the Mexican immigrants was in terms of economic figures. In this sense, the fact that they soon came to be more appreciated on the labor market due to their low demands in terms of wages, a certain conflict between the white population and the Mexican one emerged. More precisely, the Mexican immigrants came to have a sense of ethnic consciousness which limit their capacity of full integration in the society. Due to the different treatment they received, the immigrants formed particular communities, isolated from the rest of the society, creating for themselves the so called barrios. These places became exponential for the presence of Mexicans in the U.S., and in California and New Mexico in particular.
Overall, it can be said that immigrants had an important part in the evolution of the American society, from the construction of a certain labor education to the reconfiguration of the community profile.

References

Jenkins, P. A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave, 1997.

Nostrand, Richard L. "Mexican-Americans Circa 1850." Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 65, No. 3. 1975, pp. 378-390.

The Gold Rush. Mexicans in the Gold Rush. 2006. 31 Jan. 2008. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/peopleevents/p_mexicans.html