MÉXICO
Cultura, Geografía e Historia
La Historia
• By the 1500s, the Aztec civilization had solidified
power over the other indigenous groups in
Mexico. In 1521, the Aztec Empire fell to Hernán
Cortés and the Spanish Empire. Mexico then
became a Spanish colony until 1821. After gaining
independence, Mexico was in political turmoil
resulting in a civil war led by Benito Juárez in
1858. In 1910, the 10 year Mexican Revolution
began. In 1929, the National Revolutionary Part
became the governing party of Mexico until
loosing the 2000 presidential election.
Almanaque
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• Población: 103.400.165
• Capital: La Ciudad de México
(o México, D.F.)
• Gobierno: republica federal
• Idioma oficial: español
• Moneda: peso mexicano
$1
$5
$ 10
$ 50
$ 100
$ 250
$ 500
$12.99
$64.96
$129.92
$649.6
$1299.2
$3247.99
$6495.98
• Código Internet: www.[__].mx
Exchange rate as of October 12, 2013
La Bandera de México
•
There are two beliefs about the representation of the colors in
the Mexican flag.
– Green : Hope and Victory; White: Purity of Ideals; Red: The blood shed
by the national heroes.
– Green : Independence; White: Roman Catholicism; Red: Union.
•
Symbolism :
Interesting symbolism surrounds the coat of arms used on the
Mexican flag. The legend says that when the Aztecs were
settling in North America sometime in the 14th century, there
were unsure of where to build their central city. It is said that
they were instructed by one of their gods to to look for a
Mexican eagle sitting on a prickly pear cactus, holding a
serpent in its talons. The place where they spotted the eagle is
the present-day capital of Mexico, Mexico City, with the
imagery taken from this legend used to design the country's
coat of arms. For the symbolism associated with the colors, see
the relevant section above.
Source: http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/mexico-flag.html
Las civilizaciones antiguas
• Approximately 30% of the Mexican population
is comprised of indigenous people while the
other 60-70% are mestizos (of mixed
indigenous and European heritage). The
primary language of more than 5 million
Mexicans is not Spanish but one of several
indigenous dialects: Mayan, Mixtec, Náhuatla,
and Zapotec.
Las civilizaciones antiguas
• Tenochtitlán: The ruins
of this ancient city
reflect the Aztec
civilization. This Aztec
capital astounded
Cortés with palaces,
markers, and finely
dressed lords and
ladies. Today, it is the
site of Mexico City.
http://www.aztechistory.net/tenochtitlan
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Las civilizaciones antiguas
• Chichén Itzá: This is a
Mayan pyramid located
in the Yucatan Peninsula
and is one of Mexico’s
most studied and
revered archeological
sites.
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Las civilizaciones antiguas
• Tulum is another ancient Mayan site found on
the Yucatan Peninsula.
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La Geografía
• The geography of Mexican ranges from beaches to
deserts to mountainous areas. There are 5 major
mountain ranges: Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre
Occidental, and Sierra Madre del Sur.
• El Valle Central: The area around Mexico City is home
to over 1/5 of the Mexican population. It is also some
of the nation’s most fertile farmland.
• La Reserva de La Biósfera Calakmul: Located in the
Yucatan Peninsula, it is Mexico’s largest remaining
tropical forest and home to many endangered species,
such as the jaguar.
La Geografía
• El Volcán Popocatépetl:
one of Mexico’s active
volcanoes it is located in
the Central Valley of
Mexico and is the 2nd
highest peak of the
country. It erupted twice
during the 1990s and in
1993, it caused the
evacuation of 25,000.
More than 20 million
people live within 50
miles of this volcano.
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La Geografía
• La Barranca del Cobre:
This is a series of canyons
in the Sierra Madre
Occidental and it is much
larger than the Grand
Canyon in Arizona.
• Agua Azul: The clear
waters of Agua Azul in the
state of Chiapas form a
beautiful series of
waterfalls.
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La Capital
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• La Ciudad de México
(also known as D.F.) is
considered one of the
largest cities in the
world.
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La Cultura
• El jarabe tapatio: The national folk dance of
Mexico which is characterized as being very
happy.
• La Vida de la Familia: In Mexico, Family is very
important! Often, extended families live under
the same roof (sometimes children, parents,
grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins).
Everyone in the family contributes to the home!
Sunday is a special day when many get together
with their families and have a large meal.
La Comida
• Much of the food that we eat today in many
parts of the world originate in the Americas.
For examples: potatoes, pumpkin, tomato,
and turkey are from this region. Also,
Europeans did not know about chocolate until
after the European explorers arrived in the
Americas!
El maíz
• Mexico stakes claim to corn, a staple food in
many Spanish-speaking countries. Present-day
Mexico City is where the 1st varieties of corn
were grown. Elotl (late becoming elote in
Mexican Spanish) is the word for corn in
Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.
El atole
• Atole, like many
traditional foods, dates to
the pre-Columbian
Mexican cultures. Atole is
a drink from both the
Aztec and Mayan cultures
that combines corn meal,
water, and a flavoring
such as cholate, fruit, or
even chile peppers. Atole
is so popular that it even
comes packaged like
instant hot chocolate.
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La Comida
• In the north, meat and
beans provide the mainstay
of typical meals. Almost all
meals are served with
tortillas, (ground flour or
corn grilled on a hot
griddle), and some kind of
chile made into salsa. There
are dozens of varieties of
chiles, and their flavor and
name changes when they
are dried. For example, a
mouth burning jalapeño
becomes the smoky tasting
chipotle in its dried form.
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La Comida
• Mexican food is usually very
simple and subtle, varies
greatly by geographic region
and culture. With an
extensive coastline, many
places in Mexico are known
for their delicious fresh fish.
Ceviche, a Mexican
standard, is any white fish
“cooked” by letting it sit
overnight in a marinade of
lime juice, then diced with
onion, chile, tomato and
cilantro.
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La Comida
• El mole poblano is a
favorite dish in Mexico.
• Las empanadas de flor de
calabaza are typical food
in Morelos.
• Chiles en nogada are a
typical part of the food
during Christmas and
Mexican Independence
Day because the colors in
the dish are the green,
red, and white.
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Las Celebraciones
• December 12 is the day that millions of Mexicans make
a pilgrimage to the Villa de Guadalupe to pay homage
and celebrate the appearance of their beloved Virgen
de Guadalupe. Conchero dancers don costumes
imitating Aztec traditional festival dress, with brightly
colored feather headdresses, and bells and shells
around their ankles. Young boys dress up like peasants,
wearing a serape, sandals, and a false mustache to
imitate Juan Diego, the peasant who first saw the Virgen
in 1531. Approximately 15 million people go to the Villa
de Guadalupe each year! This is also the beginning of
the Christmas season in Mexico.
El Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe
(El doce de diciembre)
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Las celebraciones
• El Festival Internacional
Cervantino in Guanajuato is
dedicated to Miguel de
Cervantes (who wrote Don
Quixote de la Mancha). It is
celebrated with plays and
dances.
• El Festival de La
Guatelaguetza, o Lunes del
Cerro, in Oaxaca gets
distant communities
throughout the state
together to celebrate their
indigenous roots.
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Las celebraciones
• El Festival del 16 de
septiembre is celebrated
throughout Mexico. This
is the day Mexico
declared independence
from Spain. The
celebration begins when
the President of Mexico
shouts “Viva Mexico”
from the balcony at the
presidential palace.
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