Mexican Culture

1. Popular sports in Mexico include Mexican football, or what we call soccer. Audiences range from a few thousand up to 70,000 to watch the popular sport. There are 4 divisions in which each has over 15 teams. The Mexican national team has competed in several world cups. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, shown below, is considered to be one of the greatest Mexican football players of all time. He is the only Mexican Athlete to have won major awards in an international FIFA competition.

Other popular sports include boxing, bullfighting, and wrestling. With American influence, Mexico has participated in baseball, basketball, and golf.

http://www.donquijote.org/culture/mexico/

2. Traditional Mexican music is played using drums, maracas, flutes and even sea shells. Mariachi was originated in the 18th century and is still popular today. The video below shows traditional Mariachi with a modern twist. Popular music has been influenced by the United States and adopted rock and pop music, like that of Gloria Aura. 

3. Traditional foods are highly associated with culture and tradition. Tamales are made of a dough with meat, chilies, cheese, or vegetables and wrapped with leaf and boiled. They are are then unwrapped and eaten. Tamales are traced back to the Mayans, who prepared them for feasts. Pambazo is a traditional bread that got it's name from "pan basso" or low class bread. It is also a dish that is white bread filled with potatoes and chorizo and dipped in a red pepper sauce. Popular foods include enchiladas and flan, which originated in Europe. 

4. Mexicans are mostly found to be Christians, specifically Catholic (about 80% in 2010). Recently, many people have been following Protestantism. Catholicism began in Mexico when Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes pressured the indigenous people to follow the religion in 1512.

5. National holidays include bright colors, high energy, and unity across the country. Dia de los Muertos, pictured below, is a famous holiday of theirs. The holiday is to honor friends and family who have passed and to celebrate the life they had. Sugar skulls, also shown below are painted in bright colors. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday to celebrate Mexico's victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in the French American War. Other holidays include Día de la Constitución and Día de la Independencia, which each portray the patriotism of the country. 

6. Movies and film began to grow in the 1930s and 1940s, as it is known as the "Golden Age of Mexican Cinema". Famous actors and actresses of this time include Mario Moreno Cantinflas, Dolores Del Río, and Sara García. From 1960s to the 1980s horror movies in Mexico emerged and in the 90s Mexican movies became international. Actors like Salma Hayek and Gael García Bernal began as Mexican actors but have been making appearances in American films as well.

7. News Sources:

   http://www.mexconnect.com/

   http://www.ensenada.net/

   http://www.noticiasnet.mx/portal/

8. Forums for expatriates:

  http://www.internations.org/mexico-expats

  http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-forums-mexico

  http://www.mexicoonmymind.com/#

9. Governing in Mexico is much like that of the United States in that it includes an executive, judicial, and legislative branch. The president of Mexico is currently Enrique Pena Nieto, pictured below. All people over 18 are automatically eligible to vote, because their ID serves as a voting card. Some political parties include Institutional Revolutionary Party, National Action Party, Party of the Democratic Revolution, and the Labor Party.