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photo: thomas hoepker/magnum |
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A Colorful Cultural Mosaic
Mention Mexico to anyone whose roots lie north of the border and you will hear endless tales of beach resorts and archeological ruins. If they only knew how much more Mexico is, was, and may yet become. Indeed, Mexico has vacation spots with spectacular natural vistas like Acapulco, Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. And imposing pyramids like Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan. But the culture of this vibrant nation is even more compelling than its blazing sun and dramatic geography. Between Pacific and Caribbean coasts, beneath snow-capped volcanoes, Mexico today is a mosaic of indigenous, colonial, and modern influences. Just a river away but a world away, our southern neighbor is the ancestral home of two-thirds of the Hispanics living in the United States. Despite Mexico's vast open spaces, three-quarters of its people live in metropolitan areas. The major ethnic groups are Mestizo, a combination of indigenous and Spanish (60 percent) and indigenous (30 percent). While Spanish is the official language, Mayan dialects are still spoken in some regions. The capital, Mexico City, is the largest city in North America. Set at the foot of two 17,000-foot-tall volcanoes, the city was born as a "floating island" on a lake. The Aztecs established their capital of Tenochtitlán here in the mid-1300s. Two hundred years later, Hernando Cortés captured the city and the Spanish thought they had destroyed all remnants of the original culture. But over the past few decades, during expansion of Mexico City's subway system, the ruins of a Tenochtitlán temple were discovered.
Mexico City has one of the largest public plazas in the world. The Zócalo, as it is called, is said to be second only in size to Moscow's Red Square. The official residence of the president, the Palacio Nacional, takes up an entire side of the Zócalo. During the day, crowds gather to view a presidential color guard ceremony. At night, the square is brilliantly illuminated. Nearby, the Palacio de Bellas Artes, considered to be the grandest public building in the city, houses the famed Ballet Folklórico and an impressive collection of murals and other works by artists such as Rufino Tamayo, Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros. The city's most famous boulevard is the tree-lined Paseo de la Reforma. Designed by the Emperor Maximilian to compete with the great boulevards of Europe, the Reforma leads to Chapultepec Park, with its many significant museums. Among them is the Museo Nacional de Antropología, with exhibit halls dedicated to the Toltec, Olmec, Teotihuacan, Mayan, and Aztec cultures and famous for its massive, carved stone Olmec head. Off the Reforma is the Zona Rosa, a favorite site for those seeking elegant hotels, shops, and restaurants. One of Mexico City's most visited tourist sites is the Basilica de Guadalupe, a complex of churches, shrines, and museums arranged around a huge, stone-paved plaza. A modern church now holds the venerated cloak of Juan Diego, which bears the impression of the Virgin. A short drive from Mexico City is Xochimilco, home of the famous floating gardens, where visitors can take canal rides in launches decorated with flowers, from which craftspeople sell their wares. Mexico's second city is Guadalajara. Known for its broad avenues, lovely plazas, and expansive parks, Guadalajara is the birthplace of mariachi music, as well as Mexico's national dance, the beloved jarabe tapatio. Oaxaca, famous for its fine examples of colonial and baroque architecture, also boasts one of the largest indigenous populations in Mexico. The ruins of Monte Alban, and Mitla stand nearby, a testament to the great Olmec, Zapotec, and Mixtec civilizations that once controlled the region. In 1987, UNESCO declared the town of Oaxaca and the ruins at Monte Alban a World Heritage Site. Oaxaca is also renowned for its vibrant market where vendors sell handicrafts, like the area's famous black pottery. Galleries and shops sell the work of local artisans-silversmiths, goldsmiths, weavers, basket-makers, leather-workers, and glass-blowers. The state of Guanajuato, in the center of Mexico, offers a perspective not always seen in the country's most famous tourist destinations. Guanajuato is one of the smaller states but its geographic variety creates three different climates. In a valley, high in the Sierra Madres, lies Guanajuato City, the state capital of Guanajuato and the birthplace of Diego Rivera. This former silver-mining town is very popular among Mexican tourists and is known for its many museums, especially the Museo de Los Momias which houses the mummified remains of former town residents. But this museum is not for the faint of heart as the mummies are often displayed in gruesome poses. San Miguel de Allende, also in Guanajuato, has the Sanmiguelada, a yearly running of the bulls, similar to the event in Pamplona, Spain. Several of the towns in Guanajuato are known for their culinary specialties-such as Celaya for its cajeta (a soft fudge made from goat's milk); Salamanca for its tripe and braised goat snacks; Dolores Hidalgo for its shrimp-flavored ice cream, San Luis de La Paz for its chilies (purported to be the best in Mexico), cream tacos, and colonche (a traditional drink made from fermented cactus fruit). The Valle de Santiago in Guanajuato encompasses seven dormant volcanoes (Las Siete Luminarias) and a crater lake whose water occasionally turns bright red in conjunction with seismic activity. Mexico has many faces-tourist traps and isolated neighborhoods that tourists never see, modern cities and traditional indigenous communities. But they all share an intangible quality. Experienced travel writers describe Mexico as a country unlike any other, with a unique flavor that cannot be summed up in a few words. They say you must spend time with the Mexican people, basking in their warmth and humor.and then you will understand. Now discover the colorful traditions associated with Christmas in Mexico, find out why some people can’t get enough chilies, and learn about the Scoville Scale. |
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