tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21266273107971576562024-03-08T10:47:07.723-08:00Culture in MexicoTodd Bates - Broker/Owner Re/Max Puerto Vallartahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175207921454710494noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2126627310797157656.post-65842836901428681262010-10-12T15:55:00.001-07:002010-10-12T15:55:51.241-07:00<h2><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="font-weight: normal;">Courtesy: Wikipedia </i></span></h2><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Mexico" title="Culture of Mexico">Culture of Mexico</a></div><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 172px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tradicionalranchero.JPG"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="143" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/82/Tradicionalranchero.JPG/170px-Tradicionalranchero.JPG" width="170" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption"><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jarabe_Tapat%C3%ADo" title="Jarabe Tapatío">Jarabe Tapatío</a>, an example of traditional Mexican dance and costumes.</div></div></div>Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Mexico" title="History of Mexico">country's history</a> through the blending of pre-Hispanic civilizations and the culture of Spain, imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. Exogenous cultural elements mainly from the United States have been incorporated into Mexican culture.<br />
The Porfirian era (<i>el <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porfirio_D%C3%ADaz" title="Porfirio Díaz">Porfiriato</a></i>), in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, was marked by economic progress and peace. After four decades of civil unrest and war, Mexico saw the development of philosophy and the arts, promoted by President Díaz himself. Since that time, as accentuated during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Revolution" title="Mexican Revolution">Mexican Revolution</a>, cultural identity has had its foundation in the <i>mestizaje</i>, of which the indigenous (i.e. Amerindian) element is the core. In light of the various ethnicities that formed the Mexican people, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Vasconcelos" title="José Vasconcelos">José Vasconcelos</a> in his publication <i>La Raza Cósmica</i> (The Cosmic Race) (1925) defined Mexico to be the melting pot of all races (thus extending the definition of the <i>mestizo</i>) not only biologically but culturally as well.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-202"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico#cite_note-202">[203]</a></sup> This exalting of <i>mestizaje</i> was a revolutionary idea that sharply contrasted with the idea of a superior pure race prevalent in Europe at the time.<br />
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<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Architecture">Architecture</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main articles: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Mexico" title="Architecture of Mexico">Architecture of Mexico</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_architecture" title="Mesoamerican architecture">Mesoamerican architecture</a></div><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aztec_restored_architecture.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="189" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d4/Aztec_restored_architecture.jpg/220px-Aztec_restored_architecture.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teotihuacan" title="Teotihuacan">Teotihuacan</a> architecture, an excellent example of Pre-Hispanic architecture displaying the common Amerindian use of jade, gold, carved, black granite and red paint, a reoccurring design motiff of many of Mexico's pre-colonial civilizations.</div></div></div>In a broad sense, Mexican architecture comprises works of architecture created in Mexico, as well as architecture of pre-Hispanic and colonial times that have become part of Mexico's architectural heritage. Moreover, architectural styles of the independent nation have a strong influence from those previous epochs; therefore it is necessary to include them as part of this heritage. Mesoamerican architecture is the set of architectural traditions produced by pre-Columbian cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica, traditions which are best known in the form of public, ceremonial and urban monumental buildings and structures. The distinctive features of Mesoamerican architecture encompass a number of different regional and historical styles, which however are significantly interrelated. These styles developed throughout the different phases of Mesoamerican history as a result of the intensive cultural exchange between the different cultures of the Mesoamerican culture area through thousands of years. Mesoamerican architecture is mostly noted for its pyramids which are the largest such structures outside of Ancient Egypt.<br />
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CatedraldeGuadalajara.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="137" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/CatedraldeGuadalajara.jpg/220px-CatedraldeGuadalajara.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalajara_Cathedral" title="Guadalajara Cathedral">Guadalajara Cathedral</a> an example of Mexican colonial architecture.</div></div></div>Spanish Colonial architecture, which dominated in the early Spanish colonies, is marked by the contrast between the simple, solid construction demanded by the new environment and the Baroque ornamentation exported from Spain. Mexico, as the center of New Spain has some of the most renowned buildings built in this style. With twenty-nine sites, Mexico has more sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list than any other country in the Americas, many of them boasting some of the richest Spanish Colonial architecture. Some of the most famous cities in Mexico built in the Colonial style are Puebla, Zacatecas, Querétaro, Guanajuato, and Morelia.<br />
During President Porfirio Diaz's reign (1876–1880, 1884–1911), patrons and practitioners of architecture manifested two impulses: to create an architecture that would indicate Mexico's participation in modernity and the emphasize Mexico's difference from other countries through the incorporation of local characteristics into the architecture. The first goal took precedence over the second during most of the nineteenth century. A modern, sophisticated Mexico was the goal of President Diaz. Cast iron, marble, granite, bronzes and stained glass became mainstays of this period. Diaz was determined to transform the landscape of the nation's capital into one reminiscent of Paris or London. It is not surprising that the most important architectural commissions of the Porfiriato were built in these styles.<br />
<div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Teatro_Juarez.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Teatro_Juarez.jpg/220px-Teatro_Juarez.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">The Juarez Theatre built in Porfirian style in 1903, is an example of Mexican styled architecture which integrates European architecture with pre-Hispanic elements.</div></div></div>Examples include the Postal Palace, the National Theatre of Mexico (1904), the Legislative Palace (1903), the Secretariat of Communications and Public Works (1902–11). Neo-Gothic designs were also incorporated into the monumental public buildings of the early twentieth century. The two best examples were the Central post office and the Palacio de Bellas Artes.<br />
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_feconj.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="147" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0e/Santa_feconj.jpg/220px-Santa_feconj.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">Modern Mexican high-rise architecture seen in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_%28Mexico_City%29" title="Santa Fe (Mexico City)">Santa Fe, Mexico</a>.</div></div></div>After the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Revolution" title="Mexican Revolution">Mexican Revolution</a> in 1917, idealization of the indigenous and the traditional symbolized attempts to reach into the past and retrieve what had been lost in the race toward modernization. The School of Theatre (1994), by TEN Arquitectos, and the School of Dance (1994), by Luis Vicente Flores, express a modernity that reinforces the government's desire to present a new image of Mexico as an industrialized country with a global presence. Enrique Norten, the founder of TEN Arquitectors, was presented with the "Legacy Award" by the Smithsonian Institution for his contributions to the US arts and culture through his work. In 2005 he received the "Leonardo da Vinci" World Award of Arts by the World Cultural Council and was the first Mies van der Rohe Award recipient for Latin American Architecture.<br />
The José Vasconcelos Library, designed by Alberto Kalach, in Mexico City The refined work of Alberto Kalach and Daniel Alvarez stands out both in their numerous residences as well as in the San Juan de Letrán Station (1994) in Mexico City. The residential work of José Antonio Aldrete-Haas in Mexico City shows both the influence of the attenuated Modernism of the great Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza and a continuity with the lessons of Barragán. Other notable and emerging contemporary architects include Mario Schjetnan, Michel Rojkind, Tatiana Bilbao, Isaac Broid and Bernardo Gómez-Pimienta, Juan C. Ordaz Coppel and Jacinto Avalos from Avalos Arquitectos y Asociados with award winning works in Mexico, USA and Europe. Modern buildings (especially skyscrapers) in Mexico share many design parallels with modern urban Japanese, Chinese and German architecture however modern Mexican architecture usually integrates elements of both Hispanic and amerindian architectural styles.<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Cinema">Cinema</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Mexico" title="Cinema of Mexico">Cinema of Mexico</a></div><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PedroInfante.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="151" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3e/PedroInfante.jpg/220px-PedroInfante.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">Famous actors <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Infante" title="Pedro Infante">Pedro Infante</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Negrete" title="Jorge Negrete">Jorge Negrete</a> in the 1952 film <i>Dos Tipos de Cuidado</i></div></div></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Mexico" title="Cinema of Mexico">Mexican films</a> from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Mexican_cinema" title="Golden Age of Mexican cinema">Golden Age</a> in the 1940s and 1950s are the greatest examples of Latin American cinema, with a huge industry comparable to the Hollywood of those years. Mexican films were exported and exhibited in all of Latin America and Europe. <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Candelaria" title="Maria Candelaria">Maria Candelaria</a></i> (1944) by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Fern%C3%A1ndez" title="Emilio Fernández">Emilio Fernández</a>, was one of the first films awarded a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946, the first time the event was held after World War II. The famous Spanish-born director <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Bu%C3%B1uel" title="Luis Buñuel">Luis Buñuel</a> realized in Mexico, between 1947 to 1965 some of him master pieces like <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_olvidados" title="Los olvidados">Los olvidados</a></i> (1949), <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viridiana" title="Viridiana">Viridiana</a></i> (1961) and <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_angel_exterminador" title="El angel exterminador">El angel exterminador</a></i> (1963). Famous actors and actresses from this period include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_F%C3%A9lix" title="María Félix">María Félix</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Infante" title="Pedro Infante">Pedro Infante</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolores_del_R%C3%ADo" title="Dolores del Río">Dolores del Río</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Negrete" title="Jorge Negrete">Jorge Negrete</a> and the comedian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantinflas" title="Cantinflas">Cantinflas</a>.<br />
More recently, films such as <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Like_Water_for_Chocolate_%28film%29" title="Like Water for Chocolate (film)">Como agua para chocolate</a></i> (1992), <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cronos_%28film%29" title="Cronos (film)">Cronos</a></i> (1993), <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amores_perros" title="Amores perros">Amores perros</a></i> (2000), <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_tu_mam%C3%A1_tambi%C3%A9n" title="Y tu mamá también">Y tu mamá también</a></i> (2001), <i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crime_of_Father_Amaro_%28film%29" title="The Crime of Father Amaro (film)">El Crimen del Padre Amaro</a></i> (2002), <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan%27s_Labyrinth" title="Pan's Labyrinth">Pan's Labyrinth</a></i> (2006) and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_%28film%29" title="Babel (film)">Babel</a></i> (2006) have been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognised, as in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Mexican directors <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Gonz%C3%A1lez_I%C3%B1%C3%A1rritu" title="Alejandro González Iñárritu">Alejandro González Iñárritu</a> (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amores_perros" title="Amores perros">Amores perros</a></i>, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_%28film%29" title="Babel (film)">Babel</a></i>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_Cuar%C3%B3n" title="Alfonso Cuarón">Alfonso Cuarón</a> (<i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Men" title="Children of Men">Children of Men</a></i>, <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Prisoner_of_Azkaban" title="Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</a></i>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_del_Toro" title="Guillermo del Toro">Guillermo del Toro</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Carrera" title="Carlos Carrera">Carlos Carrera</a> (<i><a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crime_of_Father_Amaro_%28film%29" title="The Crime of Father Amaro (film)">The Crime of Father Amaro</a></i>), and screenwriter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_Arriaga" title="Guillermo Arriaga">Guillermo Arriaga</a> are some of the most known present-day film makers.<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Music">Music</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Mexico" title="Music of Mexico">Music of Mexico</a></div><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orquesta_Filarmonica_de_Jalisco.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="147" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Orquesta_Filarmonica_de_Jalisco.jpg/220px-Orquesta_Filarmonica_de_Jalisco.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">Jalisco Symphony Orchestra</div></div></div>Mexican society enjoys a vast array of music genres, showing the diversity of Mexican culture. Traditional music includes <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariachi" title="Mariachi">Mariachi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banda_music" title="Banda music">Banda</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norte%C3%B1o_%28music%29" title="Norteño (music)">Norteño</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranchera" title="Ranchera">Ranchera</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrido" title="Corrido">Corridos</a>; on an every-day basis most Mexicans listen to contemporary music such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_pop_music" title="Mexican pop music">pop</a>, rock, etc. in both English and Spanish. Mexico has the largest media industry in Latin America, producing Mexican artists who are famous in Central and South America and parts of Europe, especially Spain. Some well-known Mexican singers are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thal%C3%ADa" title="Thalía">Thalía</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Miguel" title="Luis Miguel">Luis Miguel</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Fern%C3%A1ndez" title="Alejandro Fernández">Alejandro Fernández</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julieta_Venegas" title="Julieta Venegas">Julieta Venegas</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulina_Rubio" title="Paulina Rubio">Paulina Rubio</a>. Mexican singers of traditional music are: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lila_Downs" title="Lila Downs">Lila Downs</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susana_Harp" title="Susana Harp">Susana Harp</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaramar" title="Jaramar">Jaramar</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEO_Meneses" title="GEO Meneses">GEO Meneses</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandra_Robles" title="Alejandra Robles">Alejandra Robles</a>. Popular groups are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Tacuba" title="Café Tacuba">Café Tacuba</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_%28band%29" title="Molotov (band)">Molotov</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%C3%A1" title="Maná">Maná</a>, among others.<br />
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PXNDX.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/PXNDX.jpg/220px-PXNDX.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_rock#Present" title="Mexican rock">Alternative Mexican rock</a> band <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panda_%28band%29" title="Panda (band)">PXNDX</a> performing live.</div></div></div>According to the <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sistema_Nacional_de_Fomento_Musical&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Sistema Nacional de Fomento Musical (page does not exist)">Sistema Nacional de Fomento Musical</a>, there are between 120 and 140 youth orchestras affiliated to this federal agency from all federal states. Some states, through their state agencies in charge of culture and the arts—Ministry or Secretariat or Institute or Council of Culture, in some cases Secretariat of Education or the State University—sponsor the activities of a professional Symphony Orchestra or Philharmonic Orchestra so all citizens can have access to this artistic expression from the field of classical music. There is no public information about the exact number of professional orchestras in the country (probably 40 ensembles of very diverse caliber). Mexico City is the most intense hub of this activity hosting 12 professional orchestras sponsored by different agencies such as the National Intitute of Fine Arts, the Secretariat of Culture of the Federal District, The National University, the National Polytechnic Institute, a Delegación Política (Coyoacán) and very few are a kind of private ventures.<br />
Orquestas in Mexico are mainly subsidized by a governmental body or agency, unlike their American counterparts, therefore, these organizations do not have departments such as marketing or development. States such as Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Morelos, Nayarit, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Tabasco, and Tlaxcala do not have a professional Symphony orchestra. The only permanent opera company belongs to the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Institute_of_Fine_Arts" title="National Institute of Fine Arts">National Institute of Fine Arts</a>, offering six productions yearly, however, some cities such as Guadalajara, Monterrey or Morelia make important efforts to present this kind of expression to local audiences.<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="National_holidays">National holidays</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Mexico" title="Public holidays in Mexico">Public holidays in Mexico</a></div><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GritoIxmiquilpan.JPG"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/GritoIxmiquilpan.JPG/220px-GritoIxmiquilpan.JPG" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">Municipal president giving the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grito_de_Dolores" title="Grito de Dolores">grito</a>" of "Viva Mexico" at the commencement of Independence Day festivities in 2008</div></div></div><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 122px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Calavera.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="136" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Calavera.jpg/120px-Calavera.jpg" width="120" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">A skull made out of sugar, given during the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead" title="Day of the Dead">Day of the Dead</a> festival.</div></div></div>Mexicans celebrate their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_War_of_Independence" title="Mexican War of Independence">independence from Spain</a> on September 16, and other holidays with colorful festivals known as "Fiestas". Every Mexican city, town and village holds a yearly festival to commemorate their local patron saints. During these festivities, the people pray and burn candles to honor their saints in churches decorated with flowers and colorful utensils. They also hold large parades, fireworks, dance competitions, beauty pageant contest, party and buy refreshments in the market places and public squares. In the smaller towns and villages, soccer, boxing, cockfighting and amateur bullfighting are also celebrated during the festivities.<br />
Other festivities include <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=D%C3%ADa_de_Nuestra_Se%C3%B1ora_de_Guadalupe&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (page does not exist)">Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe</a> ("Guadalupe Day"), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Posadas" title="Las Posadas">Las Posadas</a> ("The Shelters", celebrated on December 16 to December 24), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nochebuena" title="Nochebuena">Noche Buena</a> ("Holy Night", celebrated on December 24), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas" title="Christmas">Navidad</a> ("Christmas", celebrated on December 25) and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Years_Day" title="New Years Day">Año Nuevo</a> ("New Years Day", celebrated on December 31 to January 1). "Guadalupe Day" is regarded by many Mexicans as the most important religious holiday of their country. It honours the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, which is celebrated on December 12. In the last decade, all the celebrations happening from mid December to the beginning of January have been linked together in what has been called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalupe-Reyes_Marathon" title="Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon">Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon</a>.<br />
Piñatas are unique to Mexican celebrations. A pinata is made from papier-mache. It is created to look like popular people, animals, or fictional characters. Once made it is painted with bright colors and filled with candy or small toys. It is then hung from the ceiling. The children are blind folded and take turns hitting the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi%C3%B1ata" title="Piñata">piñata</a> until it breaks open and the candy and small toys fall out. The children then gather the candy and small toys.<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Fine_arts">Fine arts</span></h3><div class="rellink boilerplate seealso">See also: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecture_of_Mexico" title="Architecture of Mexico">Architecture of Mexico</a></div><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palacio_de_las_Bellas_Artes_%28Mexico_City%29.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Palacio_de_las_Bellas_Artes_%28Mexico_City%29.jpg/220px-Palacio_de_las_Bellas_Artes_%28Mexico_City%29.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_Bellas_Artes" title="Palacio de Bellas Artes">Palace of Fine Arts</a> in Mexico City</div></div></div>Post-revolutionary art in Mexico had its expression in the works of renowned artists such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo" title="Frida Kahlo">Frida Kahlo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Rivera" title="Diego Rivera">Diego Rivera</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Clemente_Orozco" title="José Clemente Orozco">José Clemente Orozco</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufino_Tamayo" title="Rufino Tamayo">Rufino Tamayo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federico_Cant%C3%BA_Garza" title="Federico Cantú Garza">Federico Cantú Garza</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Alfaro_Siqueiros" title="David Alfaro Siqueiros">David Alfaro Siqueiros</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_O%27Gorman" title="Juan O'Gorman">Juan O'Gorman</a>. Diego Rivera, the most well-known figure of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Muralism" title="Mexican Muralism">Mexican Muralism</a>, painted the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_at_the_Crossroads" title="Man at the Crossroads">Man at the Crossroads</a></i> at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, a huge mural that was destroyed the next year due to the inclusion of a portrait of Russian communist leader Lenin.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-203"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico#cite_note-203">[204]</a></sup> Some of Rivera's murals are displayed at the Mexican <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Palace_%28Mexico%29" title="National Palace (Mexico)">National Palace</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palacio_de_Bellas_Artes" title="Palacio de Bellas Artes">Palace of Fine Arts</a>.<br />
Academic music composers of Mexico include <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Mar%C3%ADa_Ponce" title="Manuel María Ponce">Manuel María Ponce</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Pablo_Moncayo" title="José Pablo Moncayo">José Pablo Moncayo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juli%C3%A1n_Carrillo" title="Julián Carrillo">Julián Carrillo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Lavista" title="Mario Lavista">Mario Lavista</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Ch%C3%A1vez" title="Carlos Chávez">Carlos Chávez</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silvestre_Revueltas" title="Silvestre Revueltas">Silvestre Revueltas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_M%C3%A1rquez" title="Arturo Márquez">Arturo Márquez</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juventino_Rosas" title="Juventino Rosas">Juventino Rosas</a>, many of whom incorporated traditional elements into their music. Nobel Prize winner <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Paz" title="Octavio Paz">Octavio Paz</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Fuentes" title="Carlos Fuentes">Carlos Fuentes</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Rulfo" title="Juan Rulfo">Juan Rulfo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Poniatowska" title="Elena Poniatowska">Elena Poniatowska</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Emilio_Pacheco" title="José Emilio Pacheco">José Emilio Pacheco</a>, are some of the most recognized authors of Mexican literature.<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Literature">Literature</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main articles: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_literature" title="Mexican literature">Mexican literature</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_literature" title="Mesoamerican literature">Mesoamerican literature</a></div><div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 152px;"><br />
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<a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sor_Juana_by_Miguel_Cabrera.png"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="210" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Sor_Juana_by_Miguel_Cabrera.png/150px-Sor_Juana_by_Miguel_Cabrera.png" width="150" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption"> A late 18th century painting of <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sor_Juana_In%C3%A9s_de_la_Cruz" title="Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz">Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz</a>, Mexican poet and writer.</div></div></div>The literature of Mexico has its antecedents in the literatures of the indigenous settlements of Mesoamerica. The most well known prehispanic poet is <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netzahualcoyotl" title="Netzahualcoyotl">Netzahualcoyotl</a>. Modern Mexican literature was influenced by the concepts of the Spanish colonialization of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerica" title="Mesoamerica">Mesoamerica</a>. Outstanding colonial writers and poets include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Ruiz_de_Alarc%C3%B3n" title="Juan Ruiz de Alarcón">Juan Ruiz de Alarcón</a> and <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sor_Juana_In%C3%A9s_de_la_Cruz" title="Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz">Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz</a>.<br />
Other writers include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfonso_Reyes" title="Alfonso Reyes">Alfonso Reyes</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Joaqu%C3%ADn_Fern%C3%A1ndez_de_Lizardi" title="José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi">José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignacio_Manuel_Altamirano" title="Ignacio Manuel Altamirano">Ignacio Manuel Altamirano</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Fuentes" title="Carlos Fuentes">Carlos Fuentes</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Paz" title="Octavio Paz">Octavio Paz</a> (Nobel Laureate), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renato_Leduc" title="Renato Leduc">Renato Leduc</a>, <a class="new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jaime_Labastida&action=edit&redlink=1" title="Jaime Labastida (page does not exist)">Jaime Labastida</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariano_Azuela" title="Mariano Azuela">Mariano Azuela</a> ("Los de abajo") and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Rulfo" title="Juan Rulfo">Juan Rulfo</a> ("Pedro Páramo"). <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Traven" title="Bruno Traven">Bruno Traven</a> wrote "Canasta de cuentos mexicanos", "El tesoro de la Sierra Madre."<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Broadcast_media">Broadcast Media</span></h3>Two of the major television networks based in Mexico are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televisa" title="Televisa">Televisa</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Azteca" title="TV Azteca">TV Azteca</a>. Televisa is also the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world and also the world's largest Spanish-language media network.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-204"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico#cite_note-204">[205]</a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grupo_Multimedios" title="Grupo Multimedios">Grupo Multimedios</a> is another media conglomerate with Spanish-language broadcasting in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. Soap operas (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenovela" title="Telenovela">telenovelas</a>) are translated to many languages and seen all over the world with renowned names like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ver%C3%B3nica_Castro" title="Verónica Castro">Verónica Castro</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A9ndez" title="Lucía Méndez">Lucía Méndez</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucero_%28actress%29" title="Lucero (actress)">Lucero</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thal%C3%ADa" title="Thalía">Thalía</a>. Even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gael_Garc%C3%ADa_Bernal" title="Gael García Bernal">Gael García Bernal</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Luna" title="Diego Luna">Diego Luna</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y_tu_mam%C3%A1_tambi%C3%A9n" title="Y tu mamá también">Y tu mamá también</a> and current <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ermenegildo_Zegna" title="Ermenegildo Zegna">Zegna</a> model have appeared in some of them.<br />
Some of their TV shows are modeled after counterparts from the U.S. like <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_mexicanos_dijeron" title="100 mexicanos dijeron">Family Feud</a></i> (<i>100 Mexicanos Dijeron</i> or "A hundred Mexicans said" in Spanish) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C2%BFQu%C3%A9_dice_la_gente%3F" title="¿Qué dice la gente?">¿Qué dice la gente?</a>, <i>Big Brother</i>, <i>American Idol</i>, <i>Saturday Night Live</i> and others. Nationwide news shows like <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Noticias_por_Adela" title="Las Noticias por Adela">Las Noticias por Adela</a></i> on Televisa resemble a hybrid between <i>Donahue</i> and <i>Nightline</i>. Local news shows are modeled after counterparts from the U.S. like the <i>Eyewitness News</i> and <i>Action News</i> formats. Border cities receive television and radio stations from the U.S., while satellite and cable subscription is common for the middle-classes in most cities, and they often watch movies and TV shows from the U.S.<br />
<h3><span class="mw-headline" id="Cuisine">Cuisine</span></h3><div class="rellink relarticle mainarticle">Main article: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_cuisine" title="Mexican cuisine">Mexican cuisine</a></div><div class="thumb tleft"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hot_chocolate.jpg"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="155" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Hot_chocolate.jpg/220px-Hot_chocolate.jpg" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate" title="Chocolate">Chocolate</a>" originates from Mexico's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec" title="Aztec">Aztec</a> cuisine, derived from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl" title="Nahuatl">Nahuatl</a> word <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xocolatl" title="Xocolatl">xocolatl</a>.</div></div></div>Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-Columbian traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists.<br />
The <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquistador" title="Conquistador">conquistadores</a></i> eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native pre-Columbian food, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maize" title="Maize">maize</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato" title="Tomato">tomato</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla" title="Vanilla">vanilla</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avocado" title="Avocado">avocado</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaya" title="Papaya">papaya</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple" title="Pineapple">pineapple</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_pepper" title="Chili pepper">chili pepper</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean" title="Bean">beans</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_%28plant%29" title="Squash (plant)">squash</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_%28fruit%29" title="Lime (fruit)">limes</a> (<i>limón</i> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Spanish" title="Mexican Spanish">Mexican Spanish</a>), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato" title="Sweet potato">sweet potato</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut" title="Peanut">peanut</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_%28bird%29" title="Turkey (bird)">turkey</a>.<br />
<div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width: 222px;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cabrito_con_tamales_2.JPG"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" height="165" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Cabrito_con_tamales_2.JPG/220px-Cabrito_con_tamales_2.JPG" width="220" /></a> <br />
<div class="thumbcaption">Cabrito con Tamales</div></div></div>Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef, goat and ostrich production and meat dishes, in particular the well-known <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrachera" title="Arrachera">Arrachera</a> cut.<br />
Central Mexico's cuisine is largely made up of influences from the rest of the country, but also has its authentics, such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa" title="Barbacoa">barbacoa</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pozole" title="Pozole">pozole</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menudo_%28soup%29" title="Menudo (soup)">menudo</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamales" title="Tamales">tamales</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnitas" title="Carnitas">carnitas</a>.<br />
Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. The cuisine of Southeastern Mexico also has quite a bit of Caribbean influence, given its geographical location. Seafood is commonly prepared in the states that border the Pacific Ocean or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico" title="Gulf of Mexico">Gulf of Mexico</a>, the latter having a famous reputation for its fish dishes, <i>à la veracruzana</i>.<br />
In modern times, other cuisines of the world have become very popular in Mexico, thus adopting a Mexican fusion. For example, sushi in Mexico is often made with a variety of sauces based on mango or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind" title="Tamarind">tamarind</a>, and very often served with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serrano_pepper" title="Serrano pepper">serrano</a>-chili-blended soy sauce, or complemented with vinegar, <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habanero" title="Habanero">habanero</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle" title="Chipotle">chipotle</a> peppers<br />
The most internationally recognized dishes include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate" title="Chocolate">chocolate</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco" title="Taco">tacos</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quesadilla" title="Quesadilla">quesadillas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchilada" title="Enchilada">enchiladas</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrito" title="Burrito">burritos</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamale" title="Tamale">tamales</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_%28sauce%29" title="Mole (sauce)">mole</a> among others. Regional dishes include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_%28sauce%29" title="Mole (sauce)">mole poblano</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiles_en_nogada" title="Chiles en nogada">chiles en nogada</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalupa" title="Chalupa">chalupas</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puebla" title="Puebla">Puebla</a>; <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabrito" title="Cabrito">cabrito</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machaca" title="Machaca">machaca</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterrey" title="Monterrey">Monterrey</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochinita_pibil" title="Cochinita pibil">cochinita pibil</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucat%C3%A1n" title="Yucatán">Yucatán</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlayuda" title="Tlayuda">Tlayudas</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oaxaca" title="Oaxaca">Oaxaca</a>, as well as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa" title="Barbacoa">barbacoa</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilaquiles" title="Chilaquiles">chilaquiles</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milanesa" title="Milanesa">milanesas</a>, and many others.Todd Bates - Broker/Owner Re/Max Puerto Vallartahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07175207921454710494noreply@blogger.com0