Mexican Culture

1
Mexican Culture

• By Janice West

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Facts (hechos) about Mexico

• Mexico is the country just south of the United
  States.
  
• Spanish settlers came to Mexico more
• than 400 years ago.
• Mexico has three large cities Mexico City,
  Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Almost one third of
  the people who live in Mexico live in one of
  these cities.

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The people (gente) of Mexico

• Many Mexican people have Indian ancestors. The
  Indians who lived in Mexico were called Aztecs,
  Incas, and Mayans.
  
• Most of the people in Mexico today are called
  Mestizos. That means they have both Indian and
  white (Spanish) ancestors.
  
• Many Mexicans live on farms or in small villages.
  The people in villages are often very poor. They
  do not always get a good education.
  
• The people in Mexico speak Spanish.

4
Mexican FoodsBuen provecho- Enjoy your meal

• In Mexico, corn is an important food. Mexicans
  make flat bread, called tortillas, out of corn.
  In America we make bread out of wheat.
  
• Beans are another popular food in Mexico. Tacos
  are Mexican tortillas filled with beans, cheese
  and sometimes meat.
  
• Another Mexican dish made with corn is called
  tamales. Tamales are corn meal (like flour made
  from corn) steamed in cornhusks or banana leaves
  and usually mixed with pork or chicken.

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Sports (deportes) in Mexico

• The most popular sports in Mexico are soccer,
  bullfighting, and rodeo.
  
• Soccer (futbol) is Mexicos version of American
  football.
  
• In bullfighting the bullfighter or matador tries
  to kill a wild bull (toro) with a sword.
  
• Rodeo events (charreada) include riding a bronco
  horse, steer wrestling, bull riding, and calf
  roping. Did you know that many American towns
  also have rodeos?

6
Clothing (ropas) in Mexico

• Most of the clothes people wear are made of
  cotton because it is so hot in Mexico.
  
• Men often wear white cotton shirts, pants, and
  sandals.
  
• Women wear colorful cotton dresses.
• A sombrero is a wide-brimmed hat that many
  Mexican men wear to protect themselves from the
  heat and rain when they are working outdoors.
  
• Clothes in Mexico are often decorated with
  colorful designs sewed on in a style called
  embroidery.
  

7
Mexican Folk Art (arte)

• Pottery making is very popular in Mexico and is
  usually made the same as it was in ancient
  times.
  
• Baskets are hand-woven from materials such as
  palm, sugar cane, and straw.
  
• Weaving and embroidery are important art forms
  which are used to make colorful clothing and
  beautiful rugs.
  

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• Goodbye
• and
• Adiós