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What I ALREADY KNOW about Mexico’s Culture

What I WANT to know about Mexico’s Culture

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What I LEARNED about Mexico’s Culture TODAY

Mexican Culture Today

Today’s ObjectiveTo recognize that Mexico’s culture is a blend of many traditions.

Recognize the pros and cons of living in an urban or rural area of Mexico

Understand the significance of holidays in Mexico

A Blend of Cultures…O Mexico is a mix of traditions from 3

cultures• Native American• Spanish• Modern

Plaza of Three Cultures

Aztec

Spanish

Modern

Urban MexicoO Roughly 1/6 of all of Mexico’s

population resides in Mexico City, Mexico’s Capitol

O Mexico City = 19.319 million people

O 10th largest city in the worldO Compared with :

O New York 20.464 million peopleO DFW 5.874 million people

Mexico’s City of Culture

O Mexico City is home to the Palace of Fine Arts Home to the National

Opera, Theater, and Symphony

The Palace is also home to the famous Ballet Folklorico, a group that performs dances based on Mexican traditions

Smog in the CityO Streets are jam-packed with trafficO Car exhaust blankets the city with

smogO Major gap between the rich and poor

Rural MexicoO Most people speak Spanish but many

also speak Native American languages

O At the center of each village is a plaza, where people meet and visit with neighbors

O Each village sets aside a market day each week where people gather in the village plaza to buy/sell/trade food, clothing, and other goods

Poverty in the CountrysideO Poverty is one of the biggest issues

in the countrysideO Many homes have only one room, and

the floor is bare dirtO Many homes lack electricity and

running waterO Lack of education opportunities

Religion in MexicoO Roman Catholicism dominates Mexico

today as it has for centuries. O Protestant Christianity is the next largest

religious group due to the influence of Pentecostal Christianity in particular. O Roman Catholic 76.5%O Protestant 5.2%O Other or Unspecified 13.8%O Unaffiliated 3.1%O Jehovah’s Witnesses 1.1%

Important HolidaysO September 16th- “Grito de Dolores”

O Mexicans reenact Father Hidalgo’s call in 1810 to rise up against Spanish rule

O Similar to USA’s July 4th with fireworks, dancing, music, and parties in neighborhoods

Dia de los MuertosO The Day of the Dead: a time set

aside (Nov. 2) to honor and celebrate loved ones who have died.

• Celebrate by decorating graves with candles and flowers• Relatives gather for meals at the cemeteries

In Your GroupsO Make a Venn diagram comparing and

contrasting Dia de los Muertos with a major AMERICAN (USA) holiday

Dia De los Muertos USA Holiday

SimilaritiesDifference Difference