This is my second post in my series about different cultures. Today, I will be posting about Mexico. Before I did this post, I did not know much about Mexico, so I think doing this post is quite beneficial. Also, you can read Zainab’s post about her trip to Mexico which encouraged to learn about this country.

Dressing

Mexican traditional clothing is very bright and beautiful. The main characteristics and uses of Mexican clothing are for sun protection, brightness, and moderate modesty.

The most popular and well-known men’s pieces of clothing in Mexico are sarape, sombrero, baja jacket, and poncho.

A sarape is a vibrantly colored garment with a fringe. A sombrero is a Mexican hat with a wide brim made of straw or heavy felt to protect the body from the sun. A baja jacket is a colourful Mexican hooded shirt. A poncho is the most known Mexican clothing in the world and is a simple piece of cloth with a hole for the head and no sleeves.

The most popular and well-known women’s pieces of clothing in Mexico are huipil, and Mexican skirts. A huipil is a sleeveless tunic made from cotton or wool and is worn with a skirt. Mexican skirts can be ankle-long or knee-long, are made from cotton, wool, silk and lace, and are wide, bright and embroidered.

Food

Common Mexican food includes:

• Tamales – Boiled pockets of corn dough stuffed with meat and served in banana leaves.

• Pozole – Chicken broth with corn, herbs and spices, with onions, lettuce, dried ground chilli, lemon juice and radish sprinkled on top.

• Chilaquiles – fried corn tortillas topped with red or green salsa, scrambled or fried eggs, cheese and cream.

• Enchiladas – corn or flour tortillas filled with meat, cheese and beans, topped in a chilli sauce

I have never tasted Mexican Food, so I don’t know how any of these taste, but they seem very delicious.

Language

68 indigenous languages are spoken in Mexico, and over 130 have sadly disappeared. This mainly due to globalization, and people using more dominant languages, such as English.

Some of the most widely spoken languages in Mexico are Spanish, Nahuatl, which has almost 1.4 million speakers, Yucatec Maya, spoken by over three quarters of a million people, and Mixtec, which is spoken by about half a million people.

Religion

88% of Mexicans identify as Roman Catholics, making it the most common religion. However, the amount of Protestants and Evangelicals is also growing, and they account for about 5% of the population.

Celebrations

Mexico has numerous holidays and celebrations that are celebrated all over Mexico and known in other countries.

One poplar holiday is the Day of the Dead on November 1st and 2nd, where people put up altars honoring the dead and visiting their graves with offerings. The following is a video about The Day of the Dead.

 

Another celebration is Benito Juárez Day on the third Monday in March. This celebration is done to celebrate Benito Juárez, President of Mexico from 1857 to 1872. He was the first indigenous man to hold the country’s highest political office, resisted the French occupation, led the country into the modern world and restored the republic. On Benito Juárez Day, political events and celebrations take place across the country.

Mexico’s independence day is celebrated on September 16th in honor of the country’s independence from Spanish rule in 1810. People gather  to see fireworks, dance and watch parades.

Another celebration is The day of the Virgen de Guadalupe on December 12 at Mexico City’s Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe to celebrate the patron saint’s birthday. Thousands gather around the Basilica and bring candles and offerings to honor her and they sing the famous “Las Mañanitas.”

Visit iExplore’s post about Mexican celebrations to learn about more holidays in Mexico.

 

I hope you learned about Mexico’s culture and want to research more about it, since this was only a brief preview,  and there is still so much more about this country.

My question for all of you is, have you ever tried Mexican food? Post your answer in the comments section, along with any questions or feedback.