Hetalia: Guide to the United Mexican States

Introduction

+ Human Names: To those who don't know, Hispanic countries such as Mexico have their own naming customs that are different from, say, American naming customs. For the sake of keeping this author's note short, I'll give a basic explanation concerning these OCs' human names.

I'll use my Guanajuato OC's human name, Guadalupe Maria Allende Aldama, as an example.

To some people, that sounds like a long name. Believe it or not, there are people with longer names than that. But don't worry. My OCs' human names aren't too long or crazy looking. The name may look incomprehensible, however, it's quite easy to figure out once a person understands how these names work.

First thing to know, it's important to understand 'Maria' in my Guanajuato OC's human name isn't a middle name. In fact, none of the OCs in this book have middle names. Some of them have one given name. But for others like my Guanajuato OC, they have two given names. Typically, both given names are addressed at once. Therefore, it's appropriate to address my Guanajuato OC by both given names, Guadalupe Maria.

Second thing to know are Spanish surnames. In Hispanic countries, most people have two surnames: one from their father and another from their mother. Even though these OCs don't necessarily have a father and/or a mother, I still give them two surnames as it is custom in Mexico. The surnames I've given to my OCs are mainly of Spanish origin. Such surnames are usually connected to an OC's history or culture (the same goes for their given names). For my Guanajuato OC, his surnames, Allende and Aldama, come from revolutionary heroes from the state.

Third thing to know is how to address Spanish surnames. Typically, it's appropriate to address the first/paternal surname among the two. As such, my Guanajuato OC may be addressed as Señor Allende. Of course, it's important to understand I may address some OCs by their second surname instead. This is usually in cases whenever a paternal surname is too common among a populace, making it difficult to distinguish people with the same surname as being different, non-related individuals.

Last thing to know, the names I've given these OCs aren't perfect, nor do I expect everyone to remember these names. I doubt I'll ever write fanfiction featuring only their human names, mainly in concern of any confusion that may arise. Nevertheless, I hope everyone likes the human names I've chosen after spending many hours researching the subject.

+ Gender: I'm well-aware there are many genders. For simplicity's sake, most of my OCs are divided 'evenly' as appearing male or female. Among them, I've made an exception on making one OC transgender. Obviously, some may disagree with my choice(s). That's fine. But keep in mind I've already made up my mind regarding their gender orientation.

Also, concerning that special OC, I have my reasons for making them transgender. Yes, diversity and representation are important, but they aren't the driving force behind my decision. For those who are curious, look up the term 'Muxe'. Whatever one may think of transgenders, I don't tolerate transphobia. Overall, please don't nag me for that decision at the very least.

+ Age: To be specific, this category refers to the age they appear as. For these OCs, they're depicted as teenagers and young adults: the oldest individual is 25 years, and the youngest individual is 14 years old. How I come up with these ages is a complex subject I can't discuss without adding two thousand words to this long introduction. Just know I based their ages off their history, notably how they came into existence and their statehood.

On a side note, their relationship with Mexico is familial, however, they're NOT his children. Some of them are 'more' related to certain OCs than others due to shared histories. Of course, all these things are my interpretation of their relationship.

+ Before Statehood/Brief History: This part features a 5-sentence summary of each OCs' history. In my opinion, Mexico, Mexico City, and most of the Mexican States have existed long before Mexico's independence and the 1824 Constitution. The inclusion of their summarized history is intended to teach readers a little about their history on how they came to be.