Robert,
You are an enlightened traveler who has replaced his delusions of European exclusiveness to a more enlightened view of the worth of everyone.
In contrast, I would argue that most in the USA, at least, consider North America to consist of just Canada and the USA.
Yes Mexico is our neighbor, but more like “those folk over the border”, without completely acknowledging their equal status as being part of the same continent.
The Central American states are even more mysterious.
In fact, to most folk here, “Central America” is a distant term like “worm theory” or “curved space-time” due to the sun losing mass. But it’s far from everyday reality!
In cowboy movies, there’s a stockade fence and beyond it are the “wild lands” like “Beyond the Wall” in Game of Thrones. That’s essentially ones view of just of the neighbors over Southern Border.
For sure it may be solid fact that Mexico is indeed equally part of North America, but it’s a distant concept, .....just that thousands of trucks simply arrive everyday, (like magic), with electronics, fabrics, cement, tiles and cars made somewhere in the “South” that arrives for us!
........Only that fellow with orange hair disturbs this mirage by seeing some imagined “invasion”.
Nevertheless, I appreciate that education even at a late stage is still possible. Thanks!
Asher