Culture of Mexico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The culture of Mexico reflects the complexity of Mexico's history through the blending of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican civilizations and the culture of Spain, imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. Influences from the United States have shaped Mexican culture, and to a lesser extent, influences from Europe, Africa, and Asia.
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[edit] Language
- See also: Languages of Mexico
Spanish is the language spoken by the vast majority of Mexicans, and the variety of Spanish spoken in Mexico is similar to that found in other Latin American countries more so than with Spain. Some Spanish vocabulary in the country comes from the approximately 50 indigenous languages spoken in Mexico by about 7 million people; a significant fraction of the population does not speak Spanish at all. Roughly 2% of the country's overall population speaks Nahuatl, a native language derived from the traditional practices of the indigenous Aztecs.
[edit] Community
Citizens take pride in their economic independence, one nation that still values “community” in its cities and towns, its plazas and schools, and its work organizations is Mexico. In Mexican culture the expectation of working and socializing together is a key component of society, and has a basis in the strong ties formed within the family.
However, lack of faith in the government and other organizations is a result of widespread political corruption.
[edit] International
Mexico's relationships with the rest of the world are also quite complex. The arrival and conquest of the Spaniards left the country searching for an identity – as a result of extensive inbreeding with the Spanish (the vast majority of Mexicans are mestizo, that is, mixed blood), they lost their native heritage, but similarly are not like their European conquerors. Although a smaller proportion of the population, African ancestry is greatly hidden/suppressed and underreported.
[edit] Religion
With the Spanish conquest and colonization of Mexico, Catholicism was established as the dominant religion of Mexico, and today, Mexico is 96 percent Christian of whom 92 percent are Catholic.[1] After Brazil, it has the second largest population of Catholics in the world. [2] Weekly church attendance is forty-six percent of the Mexican population. Evangelical denominations have grown in recent years, after being introduced by missionaries and settlers from Europe and the United States in the 19th century. There has also been notable growth among The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Jehovah's Witnesses.
The methods of Spanish conquest of Mexico resulted in the conversions to Catholicism of increasing numbers of the indigenous population. Yet many people continued to practice aspects of their previous belief system. This led to widespread religious syncretism, incorporating indigenous practices into Catholicism.
Perhaps the most striking example of this fusion of different traditions is the widespread veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe.[citation needed] The Day of the Dead is another example of religious syncretism, in which the European Catholic All Souls' Day is combined with indigenous rites of ancestor veneration. In many Mexican communities, curanderos (traditional healers) use indigenous folk medicine, spiritual, and Christian faith healing to treat ailments and "cleanse" spiritual impurities.
In the southern areas of the country, which are predominantly indigenous, traditional religion has been mostly incorporated into Catholic rituals, as can be seen by the change in priest's attires, which instead of being decorated with the usual western symbols, instead include indigenous weaving designs and symbols. For example, the Christian cross converted to a flowery tree of life. In Mayan communities, the jmen, or healer, has an important place in the community comparable to (but not in competition with).
[edit] Art
Mexico is known worldwide for its folk art traditions, mostly derived from a combination of the indigenous and Spanish crafts. Particularly notable among handicrafts are the clay pottery made in the valley of Oaxaca and the bird and animal figures made in the village of Tonala. Colorfully embroidered cotton garments, cotton or wool shawls and outer garments, and colorful baskets and rugs are seen everywhere. Between the Spanish conquest and the early Twentieth Century, Mexican fine arts were largely in imitation of European traditions. After the Mexican Revolution, a new generation of Mexican artists led a vibrant national movement that incorporated political, historic, and folk themes in their work. The painters Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros became world famous for their grand scale murals, often displaying clear social messages. Rufino Tamayo and Frida Kahlo (Rivera's wife) produced more personal works with abstract elements. Mexican art photography was largely fostered by the work of Manuel Alvarez Bravo.
[edit] Literature and poetry
- Main article: Literature of Mexico
[edit] Cuisine
- Main article: Cuisine of Mexico
Mexican gastronomy, in terms of diversity of appealing tastes and textures, is one of the richest in the world, rich in proteins, vitamins, and minerals, though some people unaccustomed to eating it characterize it as greasy and excessively spicy. Popular dishes include tacos, enchiladas, and pozole. Traditionally the main Mexican ingredients consisted of turkey, sweetcorn (not really sweet), tomatoes, peppers, chillis, squashes, peanuts, avocados, guavas, chocolate and vanilla. The Spanish then influenced these by adding milk, cheese, rice, wheat, cinnamon, oranges and peaches.
[edit] Sport
- Main article: Sport in Mexico
The main sport that is most popular in Mexico is football, or futbol, in the US this is known as soccer. Charreria and bullfighting are popular sports in Mexico, and many large cities have bullrings. Mexico City has the largest bullring in the world, seating 55,000 people. Bullfights usually occur on Wednesdays, and other weekdays. Other popular sports and activities include soccer, boxing, baseball, basketball, and Jai alai. The game of soccer, known as fútbol is by far the most popular sport in the country. Every state has its own representative teams. Among the country's soccer stars are Hugo Sánchez, Claudio Suárez, Luis Hernández, Francisco Palencia, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Jared Borgetti, Rafael Márquez, Ramón Ramírez, Jorge Campos, Oswaldo Sánchez, Omar Bravo, and Ramón Morales,and Juan Diaz . Mexican sport is also known for its strong competitive boxing, having produced champions such as Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Jesús Chávez and Julio César Chávez. The country has hosted two international sporting events, including the Summer Olympic Games in 1968 and the FIFA World Cup in 1970 and 1986.
