A set of new Mexican postage stamps featuring a black comic-book figure with thick lips and a flat nose has set off a fresh controversy with the United States where civil rights activists want the stamps banned.
Coming on the heels of a tactless remark about blacks by Mexican President Vicente Fox, the images of 1940s Mexican character Memin Pinguin, a black boy, have sparked fury in the United States.
But Mexico, which has few blacks and considers racism much less of an issue, is baffled at the US reaction. It said the stamps were a harmless tribute to a popular Mexican cartoon. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez told reporters the US response was "totally incorrect."
"Memin Pinguin is a character with a long tradition in our culture," he said. "He is loved by all Mexicans and it shows a complete lack of understanding of our culture that people are translating this to their culture with no respect for ours."
Yet the White House said the stamps, which civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson wants pulled from circulation, had "no place in today's world."
"It is an internal issue for Mexico," spokesman Scott McClellan said. "With that said ... racial stereotypes are offensive no matter what their origin. The Mexican government needs to take this into account."
The comments are bound to rile Mexico, which has already asked Washington to keep out of its affairs following frequent US criticism of Mexico's failure to quash drug gangs and organised crime along the border.
Mexico is keen to be treated as an equal by its powerful neighbour and trade partner, but unable to bury lingering resentment over the US seizure of much of northern Mexico in the 19th century.
The latest controversy is mystifying ordinary Mexicans, who often affectionately call Caucasians "Whitey" in the street and nickname darker-skinned Mexicans "Negro" or "Moreno" without causing offence.