MEXICO MEXICO

Culture

• Masculine• Spainards brought

Roman Catholicism to the region but Mexico has no official religion.

• Very artisitic– Frida Kahlo– Diego Riviera

Art and Culture

Culture

• Our Lady of Guadelupe

• Food is very important– Traditional

• Tamales• Salsa• Tacos• Tortillas

• NOT CHIPS!

Important staples

• Mole Chicken Mole Enchiladas

• Stuffed Poblano Chiles

• Pico de Gallo

Climate

• Southern portion is colder (lighter blue)

• Northern portion is hotter (orange and yellow)

• Seems backwards but is because of the geography.

Geography

• Dark red are mountains and plateaus.

• Orange and yellow are more arid and rocky portions.

• Green and some yellow are forests and coastal areas.

History of Mexico• Mayans – 250-900 AD• Aztecs – 1325-1521 AD• Arrival of Spanish Conquistadors in 1581

– 1st expedition in 1517 to Yucatan Penensula, defeated.

– 2nd expedition in 1518 to Tabasco region and Aztec Empire.

– 3rd expedition during 1518, purpose was to take over Aztec Empire and bring Mexico under Spanish Rule

Colonial Period1521-1810

• Under Spanish Rule

• Native Mexicans could not hold offices– Even if of Spanish descendants

• Education was discouraged

• Only two ports open – did not want to compete with Spain’s foreign trade– Same types of crops would grow well in

Mexico also (Olives and grapes)

Mexican Independence

• 1807 Nepoleon I invaded Spain and made his brother King.

• September 16, 1810• Father Miguel Hidalgo held a sermon

about Mexican Independence.– “Grito De Dolores”

• Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (1821-1855)

• Benito Juarez ( 1855 – late 1860’s)

Holidays and Fesitvals

• January 8- Three Kings Day– We call it Epiphany– Day that wise men got

to Jesus in Bethlehem.

• May 5 -Cinco de Mayo– National holiday

celebrating the defeat of the French at Puebla in 1862.

Three Kings Day bread

Small porcelain figurine baked inside.

Holidays and Festivals

• September 16 – “Grito de Delores”– Independence day– Not the day they won independence but the

day that they began the fight for it.

– Like our signing of The Declaration of Independence.

• Revolutionary war happened after

Holidays and Festivals

• November 1 and 2- Dias de los Muertos– Similar to our

memorial day– 1 is for Saints and

Children– 2 is for adults

– Camp out at cemeteries and make “offrendas” at home.

Holidays and Festivals

• December 16-24.......All of Mexico prepares for Christmas with nine days of traditional festivities.

• The Posada, a re-enactment of the Holy Family's search for shelter in Bethlehem, is a joyous religious and social event, ending with a piñata party.

Teens

• Many work with parents to learn their trades or skills and take over family business

• Do not have jobs during school year

• Enjoy group activities

• Most do not go past high school– Especially girls

Teens

• Quinceanera – Can wear high heals and make up now– 15th birthday for girls– Becomes a woman– May get married

Points of interest • The red poinsettia originated in Mexico

and is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico.

• Mexican children do not get presents on Christmas day…they get them on January 8.

• One unusual Mayan weapon was a “hornet bomb,” which was an actual hornet’s nest thrown at enemies during battle

Interesting Facs

• The descendants of the Aztecs speak a form of the Aztec language called Nahuatl. Many of its words, particularly for types of food, passed into English...such as tomatoes (tomatl), chocolate (chocolatl), and avocados (ahuacatl)

• When Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortés arrived in 1519, the Aztecs believed he was their returning god, Quetzalcoatl, and offered him the drink of the gods: hot chocolate.f

Government

• Federal Presidential Representative Democratic Republic– Federales for short

• Congressional and multi-party system similar to the U.S.– Executive, Legislative, etc. – National Action Party, Party of the

Democratic Revolution, Institutional Revolutionary Party

• Elections are usually held on the first Sunday of July.

• http://facts.randomhistory.com/2008/11/25_mexico.html