Quinceanera

In America, when a girl dreams of her highlight birthday party they may envision their sweet sixteen, but in Mexico girls envision their fifteenth birthday party. A quinceanera is the celebration of a girl's fifteenth birthday party. The quinceanera is regarded in three ways: as an extension of particular Catholic sacraments, as a rite of passage, and as a practice that has historical continuity or "tradition."  This birthday party marks the transition from childhood to young womanhood. It also has traditional views due to it having such deep historical orgins or roots that go back to the Maya. The birthday girl is dressed up in a beautiful gown, and her make up and hair are done to perfection. The color of the dress is usually pink or white because it symbolizes her purity. The quincenera waltz with the chambelanes is the girl's first dance in the public. Many other rituals are performed then the dinner starts with contracted musical groups playing songs for the birthday girl. 

Tlatelolco massacre

The Night of Tlatelolco is know to represent the Tlatelolco massacre on October 2, 1968 in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas of Mexico City. This massacre is known as a government massacre of student and civilian protesters and bystanders ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics celebrations in Mexico City. Many of these protestors were protesting for the repeal of Articles 145 and 145b of the Penal Code, which sanctioned imprisonment of anyone attending meetings of three or more people and deemed it to be a public order threat. Much of the government propaganda and media in Mexico stated that it was the protestors that had bveen provoking the government by shooting at them, but public government documents state that snipers had been employed by the government to stop the protestors. The number of people dead ranged from thirty to a thousand, and eyewitnesses reported hundreds dead and many more arrested. The affect of this terrible event had many negative influences on the people of Mexico. With so many people killed there would be many children either with one parent alive or now orphaned. The trust of the Mexican people in their government must have gone down due to the government killing not only protestors but innocent bystanders too. Also, the fact that these Articles exist show to the people that the government is trying to do their best with controlling the public's wants and demands.

source: texasgopvote.com

Poverty Rates

Mexico is a place filled with beautiful people and lush landscapes, but underneath all of its beauty is poverty. Mexico has 18.2% of its population under poverty, based on using food-based definitions of poverty, and 47% of its population on asset based poverty. There is a labor force of 44.71 million and 6.2% unemployment. In the years of 1994-1995, an economic crisis hit Mexico and this was the most severe in Mexico's history due to 50% of its population falling into poverty. However, rapid growth in exports initiated by NAFTA and other trade agreements helped to reduce the poverty rates, but this was only achieved in rural communities. According to World Bank, in 2004, 17.6% of Mexico's population lived in extreme poverty, while 21% lived in moderated poverty. The CIA Factbook reported 13.8% of the population being under the poverty line, and this was being measured in food-based poverty.

Women's Rights

In Santa Maria Quiegolani, Mexico there is a village named Zapotec that prohibits its women from voting in local elections. The men of this village argue that the women don't do enough work and therefore can't vote or run for local elections. Women aren't even allowed to attend town assembles. The village's board is made up of only males, and when a 27 year old woman named Eufrosina Cruz decided to become the first woman to run for mayor the board tore up ballots that cast her vote. The men state that as a woman, she wasn't a "citizen" of the town. "That is the custom here, that only citizens vote, not the women," said Valeriano Lopez, the town's mayor. Cruz decided to lauch the first , national-level challenge to traditional forms of government, known as "use and customs." Cruz says that it is every woman's right to vote because it is written in the constitution. Cruz believes that she is winning and wants the elections to be annulled and held again in order to allow the women to vote.

Visual Art in Mexico

Diego River is the most well-known figure of Mexican Muralism. Diego painted the Man at the Crossroads at the Rockefeller Center in New York City. However, this huge mural was destroyed the next year due to the inclusion of Russian communist leader Lenin. Some of Rivera's murals are displayed at the Mexican National Palace and the Palace of Fine Atrs. Post-revolutionary art in Mexcio had its expression in th eworks of renowned artists such as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and many more influential artists. The Mesoamerican architecture is mostly noted for its pyramids which resemble the largest structures outside Ancient Egypt. Spanish colonial architecture is noted by contrast between the simple, solid construction that was needed by the new surroundings and the Baroque ornamentation exported from Spain. Mexico is seen as the center of New Spain and it has some of the most renowned buildings built in this style.

Carnivals

Within the world of Catholics, Carnivals are celebrated before a time of solemnity that is called Lent. The purpose of Carnivals is to get all of the people's craziness out of their systems in order to be ready for Lent. One of the many countries that have Carnivals is Mexico, and they hold some of the most exuberant celebrations. The Carnival dates vary from year to year, but for the up coming years they are 2011- March 3 to March 9, 2012 - February 15 to 21, 2013 - February 6 to 12, and 2014 - February 26 to March 4. Each Carnival celebration varies by destination. For example, Quema del Mal Humor is the start of the biggest Carnivals. This Carnival is known for the effigy of an unpopular political figure and it symbolicaly represents leaving behind everyday worries and concerns. The biggest Carnival celebrations take place in Veracruz and Mazatlan. Within the Carnivals there is a crowning of the Carnival Queen and the King, and there are parades, live entertainment, dances, and carnival games. The Carnivals end on Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday." Carnivals also serve as a way for many people to escape their everyday lives and live in a world that is dreamed of all year long.

Traditional Mexican Food

                At Christmas time many Mexicans celebrate with several authentic food, but one traditional food item commonly cooked and enjoyed for Christmas are tamales. Tamales originated in Mesoamerica around 8000 to 5000 BCE. Aztec, Maya, Olmeca, and Tolteca civilizations used tamales as a on the go food for armies, hunters, and travelers. Tamales have also been discovered to be used by the Inca Empire before the Spanish came to the Americas.

                Tamales are made with a masa type of dough that surrounds fillings such as meats, cheese, vegetables, chilies, fruit, or sweet foods.  The masa and its filling is steam cooked in a leaf or corn husk wrapper, and when the tamale is finished cooking then the leaf or husk is removed before eating. The most common fillings in Mexico are pork and chicken mixed with either red or green salsa. In Mexico, tamales are considered the most favorable traditional and comfort foods. Almost every region and state within Mexico has its own kind of tamale. There are around 500 to 1000 different types of tamales throughout Mexico.

Beef Tamale Recipe:

Ingredients

2 pounds beef shoulder roast
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 garlic bulb, cloves removed and peeled
4 ounces dried New Mexico chilies
2 ounces ancho chiles
2 ounces pasilla chiles
2 tablespoons cumin seed, toasted
1 tablespoons salt
2 bags dried corn husks, about 3 dozen
4 cups masa mix for tamales
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups reserved beef broth, warm
1 cup vegetable shortening

Instructions

Beef; Season the beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper then brown in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Once browned on all sides, add enough water to cover the roast along with the 1 sliced onion and about 6 cloves of garlic.

Cook until the meat is fork tender and comes apart with no resistance, about 2 hours. When done, remove the roast to a platter to cool, reserve the beef broth. Hand shred the meat and set aside.

Sauce; To prepare the sauce, remove the tops of the dried chilies and shake out most of the seeds. Place the chilies in a large stockpot and cover them with water. Add the cumin, remaining sliced onion and garlic. Boil for 20 minutes until the chiles are very soft. Transfer the chiles to a blender using tongs and add a ladle full of the chile water (it is best to do this in batches.) Puree the chiles until smooth. Pass the pureed chiles through a strainer to remove the remaining seeds and skins. Pour the chili sauce into a large bowl and add salt, stir to incorporate. Taste to check seasonings, add more if necessary. Add the shredded beef to the bowl of chili sauce, and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Husks; go through the husks and sort by size and remove any silks or debris. Soak the corn husks in your sink filled with warm water until soft, about 30 minutes. (You can also soak husks in large bowls of water if you are not doing a lot of tamales).

Masa; In a deep bowl, combine the masa, baking powder, and salt. Pour the broth into the masa a little at a time, working it in with your fingers. In a small bowl, beat the vegetable shortening until fluffy. Add it to the masa and beat until the dough has a spongy texture.

Drain Husks; Rinse, drain, and dry the corn husks. Set them out on a sheet pan covered by a damp towel along with the bowls of masa dough and beef in chili sauce.

Spread Masa; Start with the largest husks because they are easier to roll. Lay the husk flat on a plate or in your hand with the smooth side up and the narrow end facing you. Spread a thin, even layer of masa over the surface of the husk with a tablespoon dipped in water. The easiest method of spreading masa is with a masa spreader (see side panel for how this is used) Do not use too much, keep the masa thin. 

Add about a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center of the masa. Fold the narrow end up to the center then fold both sides together to enclose the filling. The sticky masa will form a seal. Pinch the wide top closed.

Fold; the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make a long package. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rest against the side of the tamale with a seam.

Steam; Place the tamales in a steamer and cook tamales for 2 hours. Check every 20 minutes.  Do not let the water boil away. The tamale is cooked when it separates easily from the corn husk.

Serve; Unfold the husk and spoon about a tablespoon of remaing beef filling on top

Enjoy!

Source: soulfoodaustin.org

State of the Indigenous

Currently, in Mexico there are about fifty-six indigenous groups. An eighty percent of Mexico's indigenous people live in extreme poverty. The poorest state in Mexico is the state of Chiapas which has an extremely high concentration of indigenous people. There are several language barriers between the indigenous peoples in the public education system. The illiteracy rate among the indigenous people in Mexico is six times the national average. In addition to the language barrier comes the reality of unemployment and employment discrimination in Spanish-speaking areas. Many companies discriminate against the Indians not only because of their inability to speak Spanish but because of their physical charicteristics. For example, Indians are often not allowed to do the easier plant packing work because they are "too short" to reach the vegetables. Indigenous women also suffer much discrimination due to a higher illiteracy rate. Many of these woman have double the discrimination due to being an indigenous person and a woman. They suffer from employment and political discrimination and have to deal with rape and sexual asault from military presence in their home towns. The Mexican government is aware that the indigenous people suffer from racial discrimination, but the government blames it on poverty itself.

Current Events

According to the Southern California Public Radio, the director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, is highly concerred about the drug cartel violence in Mexico. Last year, there were 13,000 deaths due to the drug war in Mexico. There are growing threats of violence from this drug war's gangs crossing the boarder and leaking into the United States. The FBI has been giving extra support of law enforcement the the US, Mexico boarder as a means of lessening these threats. The FBI even has an office in Mexico City, Mexico's capital, as a way for the FBI to work directly with Mexican law enforcement officials.

Indigenous Languages of Mexico

Mexico has as many as 68 indigenous Amerindian languages as national languages. According to the Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples and National Institute of Indigenous Languages, only 5.4% of the 10% of the population who is of Native American origin speak an indigenous language. Nahualt is an Indigenous language with a total of 1,376,026 speakers. The Yucatec Maya is the second most commonly spoken indigenous language with a number of 759,000 speakers. A few of the other indigenous languages that still exist in Mexico today are Tzeltal Maya, Tzotzil Maya, Otomi, Totonac, Mazate, and many others. With the Spanish forces and colonizers arriving in the 16^th century, the indigenous languages of Mexico slow was replaced with Spanish.

Mexico's National Flag

Source: cia.gov

Map of Mexico

Source: Si-Mexico.com

Mexico

Mexico is a country full of rich and cherished culture. Ranging from its noted Mexican food to its beautiful landscapes touching the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Mexico has a population of 112,322.757 people with a birth rate of 19 per 1,000 and a population growth of 1.82% each year. The average life expectancy is 75.6 years of age. The number of people speaking indigenous languages such as Nahuatl and Yucatec is 6,001,202, and the main religion of Mexico is Roman Catholic. The flag of Mexico consists of red, green, and white. The largest city in Mexico is Mexico City and it has a population of 19,231,829 people. Mexico has a deep history of wars and triumphs, but its people is what keeps the country's memories and traditions alive.