MEXICO

Oziel de la Garza 680685LNICONTEMPORARY CULTURE GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING

LOCATION & SIZE

Mexico is bordered on the north by the United States and on the south by Guatemala and Belize. Is considered part of North America, along with Canada and the United States.

The total territory area is 1,972,550 km², making it the world's 14th largest country in the world.

The estimated population is 111,211,789. which makes it the 11th most populated country.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Mexico (from Náhuatl Mēxihco, unofficial meaning: The navel of the Moon) is a federal constitutional republic in North America.

Was the site of advanced Amerindian civilizations such as the Olmec, the Toltec, the Teotihuacan, the Maya and the Aztec.

INDEPENDENCE

In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory, which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain which would eventually become Mexico as the colony gained independence on September 27th, 1821.

The post-independence period was characterized by economic instability, territorial secession and civil war, including foreign intervention, two empires and two long domestic dictatorships. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system.

BICENTENNIAL

On 2010 our country is celebrating 200 years of the Independence movement which started on 1810 and at the same time the 100th anniversary of the Revolution that took place on 1910.

During the course of the year about 400 events will take place all over the country. Tributes, festivals, forums, artistic expressions and sports events are being announced on a massive media campaign.

POLITICS

The politics of Mexico take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic whose government is based on a congressional system, whereby the president of Mexico is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party electoral system. The federal government represents the United Mexican States and is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial.

The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe Calderon.

President Calderon and Ex-president Fox.

MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (Spanish: Partido Revolucionario Institucional or PRI). Its modern policies are seen to be like those of a centrist or even neoliberal party. Is described by some scholars as a "state party“.

• The National Action Party: (Partido Acción Nacional, PAN) is a center-right, Christian democratic party. Has been linked to a conservative stance in Mexican politics since its inception. Since 2000 the president has been member of this party.

• The Party of the Democratic Revolution is the leading opposition party. PRD was established in 1989 as a conglomeration of numerous left-wing parties, and has maintained a liberal political stance since then.

ECONOMY

The economy of Mexico is the 11th largest in the world. It has a free market economy in the trillion dollar class, contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector, however income distribution remains highly unequal.

In one side we have one of the richest man on earth, Carlos Slim, and on the other a wide percentage of people living in extreme poverty.

TOURISMMexico has one of the largest tourism industries in the world. In 2005 it was the seventh most popular. The most notable tourist draws are the ancient Mesoamerican ruins, and popular beach resorts.

INDUSTRYThe most important industrial manufacturers in Mexico is the automotive industry. Some large industries of Mexico include Cemex, the third largest cement conglomerate in the world; the alcohol beverage industries, including world-renowned players like Grupo Modelo; conglomerates like FEMSA the second-largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world.

COMMUNICATIONSThe telecommunications industry is mostly dominated by Telmex. Due to Mexican orography, providing landline telephone service at remote mountainous areas is expensive, and the penetration of line-phones per capita is low compared to other Latin American countries.

CULTURE

Most of the roots of our culture comes from a combination of Spanish and ancient Amerindian traditions (Aztecs and Mayans). However, contemporary life in the cities has become very similar to that in neighboring United States and Europe. Most Mexican villagers follow the older way of life more than the city people do.

MUSIC

The foundation of the music of Mexico comes from its indigenous sounds and heritage. The original inhabitants of the land, used drums, flutes, maracas, sea shells and voices to make music and dances. This ancient music is still played in some parts of Mexico. However, much of the traditional contemporary music of Mexico was written during and after the Spanish colonial period, using many European instruments. Some instruments whose predecessors were brought from Europe, such as the vihuela used in Mariachi music, are now strictly Mexican.

COUISINE

The staples of Mexican cuisine are typically corn and beans. Corn, traditionally Mexico's staple grain, is eaten fresh, on the cob, and as a component of a number of dishes. Most corn, however, is used to make masa, a dough for tamales, tortillas, gorditas, and many other corn-based foods. Squash and peppers also play important roles in Mexican cuisine.

RELIGION

The Spanish arrival and colonization brought Roman Catholicism to the country, which became the main religion of Mexico. Today, 95% of the population are baptized Catholics, making the country the second largest Catholic nation in the world, after Brazil.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe . According to the traditional account, the image appeared miraculously on the cloak of Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. The icon is on display in the Basilica of Guadalupe in the same locality and is regarded as Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image.