Why is the Manito culture of New Mexico a distinct Mexican-American culture?

"Manito” is Spanish, short for “hermanito” ("little brother"). The Spanish-speaking residents of New Mexico were called “manitos” by at least the 1950s. “Manito” is also the name of the dialect of New Mexico Spanish. It is a colloquial term that refers to descendants of Spanish and Mexican colonists who settled the area before Albuquerque became part of the United States. It is a distinct cultural strain rooted in New Mexico's history. Albuquerque existed as a predominantly Manito agrarian community <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=rjq0ByeAqlEC&pg=PA155&lpg=PA155&dq=manito+%22new+mexico%22++-illinois++-il&source=bl&ots=-zYod5fXuO&sig=gI8RljDofCOvYbBoLsQ8Ld9CLf8&hl=en&ei=CLQpSs2RApOqtgept8nGCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPA156,M1" rel="nofollow">http://books.google.com/books?id=rjq0Bye…</a> p. 156-157 (these 2 pages have a lot of information) "In New Mexico, where my family originated, people pride themselves on being proper Hispanos. New Mexico was a Spanish ...  more