MEXICO

1. MEXICO Culture Government Customs Economy Language Population Religion Food

2. Mexican FlagLa Bandera de México Mexican Flag Independence movement Purity of the Catholic faith The blood of the National Heroes La Bandera de Mexico

3. Brief History • Migrated from Asia • Aztec Empire • Human Sacrifices • Tenochtitlan’s landscape • Spanish Invasion • Fall of Tenochtitlan, now present day Mexico City. • New races introduced

4. Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world and the second largest and most populous country in Latin America after Portuguese speaking Brazil. 92.2% total population speaks Spanish 94% of males speak Spanish 90.5% of females speak Spanish. The majority median age in Mexico: the median age 24.6 years male 23.7 years female 25.5 years Population Population Graph

5. Population continued... • The city accounts for a population of 20 million, which make it the largest concentration of population in the world. • population growth rate of 1.18% • Average of 2.49 children born per woman • Birth rate: 21.44 births/ 1,000 populations • Death rate:4.73 deaths /1,000 populations • About 70% of the people live in urban areas. • Reasons for migration

6. Religion • Mexico is predominately Roman Catholic • Represents more than 95 percent of all Mexicans • Population declined steadily during the period from 1970 to 1990 • Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, and others 5%. • Church-State relations in Mexico go back to 1519. Hernan Cortes was accompanied by Roman Catholic clergy. • Mexico’s religious architecture • ceremonial centers, pyramids, temples and ball courts • Churches replaced temples

7. Work/Economy • 3 distinct geographical features • free market economy- mixture of modern & traditional industry as well as agriculture • agriculture • Industry * These make up most of GDP • Service of Mexico • Mexico has the highest GDP of all the Latin American countries = 626.1 billion U.S. dollars • Largest contributor to Mexico's economy is Services –mainly restaurants and commerce

8. Work/Economy Continued... • Services count for almost 70% of Mexico’s GDP • Second largest sector is Industry = about 26% of Mexico’s GDP • (includes food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, automobiles, iron and steel, and petroleum) • 1994 Mexico joined NAFTA - roughly 90% of Mexico’s exports go to United States. • currently export $164.9 billion to the U.S. and Canada • Peso • Third Largest Sector= Agriculture- accounts for 4% of GDP • ( i.e. corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee) • Reasons for Mexico’s economic struggle $ $ $

9. National/Popular Culture • Education system • Problems: low wages for teachers, limited research opportunities, and inadequate instructional facilities and curricula • many primary and secondary- school-age students fail to complete their education programs • 1989, 20% of the total schools, 15,000 approximately, did not offer all the primary grades • Alternatives: sports; others will find low-wage jobs; and others will enter into the “drug world” • Mass media • soap operas- “telenovelas”

10. National/Popular Culture • Music • influenced by the Mexican antecedents, Spaniards and Aztecs • Known Types: Mariachi (musical ensemble) and Ranchera (Current popular tunes) • The songs express romance, sorrow, or nostalgia, in which most of them, the singer and /or audience yells “ay ay ay ay!” • Sports • Soccer, baseball and bullfighting • Drugs • 70%-80% of the cocaine and heroin- these are produced in Colombia- entering the United States comes across the border between Mexico and United States. Also, Mexico is known for exporting Mexican-grown marijuana

11. Custom's • Very superstitious people • Customs can be traced to the influence of the Aztecs and the Spanish traditions • Health: • Use natural herbs without attending a doctor • Black magic • The belief is so great of these supernatural powers that if wrongdoing was done by a perpetrator, the victim basically does not mention anything about it because of the fear that he/she has put a spell on the victim’s life or family • Day of the Dead • based on the Aztec belief that the dead do not go to their final resting place immediately. • Elephant trunk • belief that a picture or object of elephants showing their trunks facing downward will eliminate all the good luck entering the house • Las posadas

12. FOOD 3 Staple food products in Mexico: • Corn (staple crop) • Peppers or Chiles “Mexico has both the greatest botanical wealth of chilies, with some ninety different varieties, and the highest per capita consumption, since virtually no Mexican considers a meal complete without some kind of peppers.” (Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, 1st ed., S. v. “Mexico”) • Bean’s **Prior to the Spanish invasion of Mexico, Mexicans consumed nothing but vegetables and two forms of animals, turkeys and dogs. Currently: beef, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens are eaten

13. Food continued... • Poor generally eat twice a day starting with a small breakfast before work and a larger dinner when they returned home from work • Wealthy Mexicans on the other hand eat four times a day 1) Light breakfast: coffee or hot chocolate and a bread roll 2) Midmorning brunch: mole poblano or an omelet 3) Comida: the most important meal of the day. It is a four course meal consisting of a soup, a bowl of rice or spaghetti, the main course of meat, generally roasted or stewed, and beans to finish the meal. It is served with wine or pulque. 4) Dinner: served between 8-9pm. It is generally tacos or enchiladas. ***Specialties in differing regions in Mexico

14. DRINK • Traditionally, Mexicans consume large amounts of beer such as Pulque • Europeans distilled pulque and created tequila, which is now the national liquor of Mexico. However, most Mexicans drink Rum over tequila, which is imported from the Caribbean. • U.S. influenced Coca Cola, Pepsi, Corona Pulque is made from the sap of certain types of Maguey

15. Language • Spanish is the official language of Mexico • 95% of Mexicans speak Spanish • 5% speak other languages, mainly which are native to their tribes • 62 other indigenous languages in Mexico spoken by 5.5 million people • Originally Spanish was not native to Mexico, it was influenced by the Spaniards in search for Gold Glory and God • Reasons for the Mexican’s adopting the Spanish language: • Spanish killed off most of the Indian population • Mixing of native Mexicans with Spanish born "people“ which led to new races • i.e. Mestizos, Castiza, Coyote

16. Government/Social Order • Mexico is set up as a federal republic or “Estados Unidos Mexicanos” • Mexican constitution that was approved on February 5, 1917 • 3 branches of government • For 71 years the president of Mexico was elected from the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or the PRI – due to fixed elections • National Action Party (PAN) – (Conservative) • Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) – (Liberal) • Congress • Senate (6 year term) • Chamber of Deputies (3 year term) • Military (keeps internal order) • Drugs • Increased crime Mexican President Vicente Fox

17. Conclusion • The economy, culture, language and religion are only some of the aspects that make Mexico so fascinating. • Their diversity did not just appear; instead, it was embedded by the Spanish who came and conquered the natives land.