Mexico:  A blend of old and new

 

       

          The way that people dress, the food they eat, the music they play, the buildings they construct, and the art they create is culture.  It includes dancing, singing, performing, and celebrating.  Culture represents traditions from the past and present customs.  Mexico’s lively culture is a blend of old and new.

 

Influences of the old

 

The culture of Mexico is very old.  Long ago Native peoples built pyramids in the rainforest.  The Native peoples of Mexico had a very advanced way of living called civilizations.  They were considered more civilized than other peoples around the world at that time. Ancient Mexican civilizations included the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, and Aztecs.  Each one of these societies left traces of their way of living that are still evident in Mexico today.

 

Ancient Mayan Culture

 

          From 400 BC to 900AD the Maya were the most powerful people in Mexico.  The Maya were a very skillful civilization.  Evidence tells us that they were experts at mathematics, astronomy, and building structures.

          The Maya developed one of the first systems of writing in North America.  Their writings used pictures or symbols to represent words and ideas.  This form of writing was called hieroglyphs, or glyphs.  These writings were written on walls and in books.

          Mayan books were not like the modern books of today.  Mayan books, called codices, did not have pages.  They were pleated and had to be unfolded in order to be read.  The codices told about Mayan gods and important people.  Only three codices remain today.  The rest were destroyed by the Spanish, who came to Mexico 500 years ago.

          The Maya illustrated royal ceremonies by creating large murals, or wall paintings.  The city of Bonampak has the best examples of these murals.  The Maya had a great talent for creating dazzling shades of paint that other cultures tried to duplicate, but try as they may they could not reproduce such shades.

          A very important part of Mayan life was religion.  They believed in many different gods that ruled in all parts of the world.  The gods could bring health, good crops, and plentiful food to the people.  They good also send illness or hunger.  Peasant farmers prayed to a rain god named Chac and to a maize god called Yum Kaax.  The  Maya would keep the gods happy with gifts of food and prayers.

          Great engineering skill is evident in the Mayan civilization.  They are famous for elaborate buildings.  These building were not made of wood or stone.  The Maya used concrete to construct their buildings.  The Maya build pyramids that were sometimes 60 meters high!  These pyramids were built as monuments to gods and leaders.  Mayas constructed temples and palaces also.  Many of these buildings are still standing in cities today.

 

 

Aztec Heritage

 

          Many of the ancestors of present-day Mexicans were Aztecs.  Their culture centered around a large city called Tenochtitlan from 1325 AD to about 1500 AD.  Rulers, priests, slaves, farmers, and artisans called tolteca made up the Aztec society.

          The Aztecs were a very artistic society.  The tolteca were very respected because creativity was considered very important.  They lived in a separate part of the city.  Skills were passed on to the children by the artisans.  Huge families of tolteca practiced the same craft.  These crafts included working with gold, silver, turquoise, shells, feathers, wood, and stone.

          Aztecs appreciated the arts of other cultures.  Many people from  these other cultures were brought to the Aztec culture against their will so that the Aztec could learn their arts.  From these peoples, the Aztecs learned the arts of tie-dying, batiking, feather-working, and embroidery.

          The Aztecs were great astronomers and mathematicians like the Maya.  They created two calendars that were based on the movements of the sun and stars.  Those calendars were the solar calendar, which was based on the sun.  It was divided into 365 days.  The second was the religious calendar.  It was divided into 260 days.

          Aztec calendars looked very different from the calendars we use today.  The huge Aztec calendar stone stood in the Great Temple in Tenochtitlan.  It was brightly painted, flat and showed the Sun God surrounded by symbols that represented the stars and planets.  This calendar stone was used by the priests to predict solar eclipses.  The Aztecs believed that eclipses were messages from the gods, so they were careful to remember when a solar eclipse would occur.

          The country of Mexico was greatly influenced by these cultures of old.  The culture of Mexico was greatly influenced by recent cultures also.  Those cultures include the Spanish and United States.

 

Influences of the new

 

          The culture of Mexico has also been influenced by the Spanish. The Spanish sailed from Europe and ruled over the people of Mexico for many years.  When the Spanish conquered the Native peoples, they also destroyed much of the art and architecture of Mexico.  The Aztec city of Tenochtitlan was torn down, and the modern capital Mexico City was built on its ruins.

          Language was the biggest change made by the Spaniards.  Dozens of Native languages had been spoken in Mexico, but the Spaniards made the Mexican Natives learn to speak Spanish.  Today, Spanish is the national language of Mexico. 

          Christianity was made the desired religion, and the Native people were converted to Roman-Catholic traditions.  Some Native ways remain, for example ancient Native dances are performed to celebrate Catholic holiday.

          The Spanish built hundreds of Catholic churches in Mexico.  The town of San Miguel de Allende is proud of its handsome Spanish colonial architecture.  It is one of three villages in Mexico that have been declared national monuments.

 

          The United States has also had some influence on the culture of Mexico.  Television programs, movies, music, and fashions have all made a major impact on the Mexican culture.  In fact, the millions of tourists from all over the world who visit Mexico each year leave behind a little of their cultures.  That is probably why Mexico is so colorful and lively.  Happy fiestas, exciting bullfights, energetic dances, elaborate murals, mysterious ruins, and friendly people are all part of Mexico’s culture. 

 

                                              

References

 

Kalman, B. (1947).  Mexico:  the culture.  Crabtree Publishing

          Company

 

Bailey, D. (1990).  My Home in Mexico.  National Education

          Corporation, Macmillan