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• Población: 103.400.165

• Capital: La Ciudad de México (o México, D.F.)

• Gobierno: republica federal

• Idioma oficial: español

• Moneda: peso mexicano

• Código Internet: www.[__].mx

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$ 1 $ 5 $ 10 $ 50 $ 100 $ 250 $ 500

$12.99 $64.96 $129.92 $649.6 $1299.2 $3247.99 $6495.98

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.

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http://www.aztec-history.net/tenochtitlan

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

• La Ciudad de México (also known as D.F.) is considered one of the largest cities in the world.

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http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-900&va=Mexico+City#index=frame

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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