Exploring Mexico, 3rd Edition (Fodor's Exploring)

Book by Fodors

Mexico Is ...Exuberant

Throwing off their usual reserve, Mexicans spring into action for well over 4,000 fiestas and festivals every year.  Whether taking place in a tiny village or on a national scale, fiestas verge on a sacred institution, offering the opportunity to dance, sing, eat, and drink intensively in an outburst of exuberance that mirrors the vibrant colors of this vast land.

From the grand colonial cities of the central highlands to the more modest villages of the south, façades are brilliant pink, dense turquoise, saffron yellow, or deep red-ocher.  Baroque churches resemble ornate Mexican cream cakes, ice-cream parlors rival the rainbow, and vibrant indigenous costumes lend color to the whole.  Yucatán cenotes (sinkholes) offer shades of emerald and jade, the Caribbean topaz and aquamarine, and the Pacific a deep cobalt: a palette that reflects one aspect of the complex Mexican spirit -- exuberance.

Mexico Is ...Life and Death

The Mexicans are fervent lovers of myths and legends, assimilating the cult of death into the cult of life.  Their fascination with death is revealed in every aspect of their existence, from rattling fiesta skeletons to the soul-wrenching laments of mariachi singers and the often tragic vagaries of Mexican history.

For the Aztecs life and death were two sides of the same coin -- the sun set only to rise again, just as dead souls would be reborn once more.  This deeply rooted belief led to their downfall when the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés was mistakenly welcomed as the reincarnation of the Aztec god Quetzalcóatl who, according to legend, had sailed toward the rising sun, vowing to return.  With the arrival of Christianity and its central belief in the immortal soul and resurrection, Mexicans could adapt to the new spirituality without totally abandoning the old.  Hence Mexico's unique religious customs and traditional serenity in the face of death.

Mexico Is ...Folk Art

Folk art, in a bewildering variety of colors, forms, and media, is present all over the country, as diverse as the landscapes and peoples from which it originates.  Industrialized techniques may be creeping in to replace time-honored skills passed on down the generations, but little can change the imagination and flair of the craftspeople.

Most regions of Mexico have specific craft traditions, whether pottery, wood carving, basket making, weaving, metalwork, or simple objects made from pine trees, maguey fiber, and sisal.  The markets of large towns generally offer the best selection for visitors, with the majority concentrated in the states of Michoacán, Jalisco, Puebla, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas, but Mexico City and Guadalajara offer the most varied selection from every region of the country.  Hard to resist, these beautifully crafted objects were once extensions of spiritual beliefs, a rapidly disappearing practice in the face of commercialism  and large-scale demand.

Mexico Is ...Indigeneous People

Colorful and exotic, Mexico's indigeneous peoples are the most marginalized section of the population. Reflecting a strong cultural continuity with the past, they are the victims of a political system and worldview whose economic ends disregard their constitutional rights.  Their very existence is now
under threat.

Mexico's original inhabitants are an estimated 29 percent of Mexico's total population.  Despite Independence and the 1910 Revolution, their lot has deteriorated with the demands of a rapidly modernizing Mexico.  Most exist in extreme poverty and earn less than the minimum daily wage as artisans or members of the campesino (peasant-farmer) class.  Their lands are fast being eroded by changes made to the constitution during President Salinas's term.  Titles are no longer binding, tempting many to surrender ownership to liquidate debt.  With negligable social assistance, their only recourse is to try for work in the big cites or seek illegal seasonal employment north of the border.  For others, the last resort is begging.

Mexico Is ...Tacos and Tortillas

Mexican cuisine is a combination of traditional indigenous dishes and later Spanish influences, often spicy and accompanied by tortillas and red beans.  Its famous mole (sauce), when cooked for three days according to custom, is divine; when prepared in fast-food style it can be heavy, tasteless, and depressing.

From north to south, the basic ingredients in Mexican food remain much the same.  Outside the main towns, it is difficult to find restaurants of a high standard, but Pacific and Gulf regions compensate with a wealth of exquisite seafood (lobster, red snapper, abalone, clams) on an often gargantuan scale
or integrated into delicious soups.  Resort towns have an increasing variety of sophisticated restaurants catering to an international clientele.  Meanwhile, Mexican nouvelle cuisine is visible above all in the capital, where stylish restaurants revive Hispanic recipes.

Mexican eating habits require a shift from the usual Western pattern, as the main meal of the day is normally eaten between 2 and 5 PM.  This is when restaurants offer comidas corridas (set menus) of three or four courses which are usually excellent value for the money.  Evening meals are lighter, often consisting of antojitos ("little whims") or tortilla-based snacks.

Mexico Is ...U.S. Relations

Mexico shares a 1,952-mile border with the United States.  This vast strip has long been a testing-ground for two different cultures that meet, clash, and join economic forces.  But interaction does not stop there and, with the advent of NAFTA in 1994, Mexico's way of life is increasingly dominated by American
culture.

There is nothing new about Mexico's fears of a cultural and political takeover: the country has been under invasion by the U.S. in one form or another since the 1846-1848 Mexican-American War.  This cost Mexico half its territory.  Since then, the arrival of each new fad or technology from the north has
been greeted by pessimists as heralding the end of Mexican traditions.  However, extensive U.S. investment is nothing new: in the late 19th century the policies of dictator Porfirio Diaz led to substantial American participation in profitable oil, mining, lumber, and transportation concerns.