By Daniel Gonzalez
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC

PHOENIX — Santiago Chavez spotted Bibiana Arzeta at a Latin nightclub in Phoenix and asked her to dance.
Where are you from? Arzeta asked. Mexico, Chavez replied.

Chavez gave Arzeta his phone number, and later, the two began talking regularly. That's when Arzeta, who is originally from Acapulco, noticed Chavez didn't speak Spanish with an accent like hers.

Where are you really from? Arzeta asked. This time, Chavez told the truth. Guatemala.

The couple now have a 1-month-old son, Leo. Their union represents an emerging demographic trend taking shape in Phoenix and other cities throughout the Southwest: Growing numbers of Guatemalan and Mexican immigrants are marrying and having U.S.-born children, creating mixed Latino families with ties to three countries at once.

These new inter-Latin American families are also less likely to return to their home countries, their children tend to integrate into American society faster and more are converting from Catholicism to evangelical Christianity, immigration experts and community leaders say.

READ MORE: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/217608

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