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While the Mesoamerica region had many
people with different ethnic and linguistic differences, they shared
cultural lineage. All people of this region cultivated corn, used the
365-day calendar, built pyramids and used similar rituals and worshiped the
same gods and goddesses - thus, they owed allegiance to a common cause and
custom. Amongst the various native cultures in México, the six that are
considered to be most influential were - The Olmecs, Teotihuacans, The
Toltecs, The Mayans, The Zapotec and Mixtec, and The Aztecs.
Civilization of Mexico arose during the
Pre-Classic Period (from 2,000 BC to 500 AD), when nomadic natives became
settlers. Many advances in art and the sciences were made. Rural villages
became towns and ceremonial centers began growing in importance. During the
Classic Period (from 500 BC to 800 AD) urban centres became more powerful.
It was a true renaissance period for art and learning. The Post-Classic
Period (from 800 AD to 1521 AD) is notable because of the increasing
emphasis on military rule.
Mexico has a very diverse geography and
hence the people of each region developed their own civilizations. During
the colonial period, Mexico was called ~New Spain~. During this period,
Mexico covered three centuries of its history; from the August 13, 1521, the
date of the conquest of Tenochtitl’n by the Spanish, until 1821 when the
Independence movement was consummated. The War of Independence (1810-1821)
marks the beginning of the modern period. The revolt against Spanish rule
was initiated on September 16, 1810 by the Priest Miguel Hidalgo. This is
celebrated as the national day of Mexico.
Thanks to the political stability of the
accelerated economic and social development, which Mexico has experienced
during the first half of the twentieth century, the country has gone from
being at the turn of the century a principally agricultural economy to
become the 13th most important economy in the world. Various recent changes
in the economic policies have had a great impact in the process of
modernization of the national economy; in 1986 Mexico entered the GATT and
in 1994 signed with the United States and Canada the North American Free
Trade Agreement. With Free Trade Agreements policies, Mexico is looking for
modernization, but at the same time wishes to preserve its cultural
heritage. Today, many of the motifs and themes of the Mexican culture are
simply modern interpretations of the ancient traditions. Traditional arts
and crafts such as pottery, silverware, lacquers, woodcrafts and masks shown
up roots that goes back to Pre-Colombian times.
Arts and traditions -- While Spanish
influence was predominant after occupation, this changed after 1910. 1930s
saw emergence of well known artist such as Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente
Orozco and others who began to paint unique murals in memory of the styles
of the Old World and the ancient Mexican cultures. Amongst the most famous
Mexican music is ~mariachi~. Mexico has a very rich culture of music and
dance. Dances especially traditional dances have accompaniments of carved
drums and reed flutes that echo the timeless rhythm of rain dances to the
god Tlaloc. In the same vein, there are dances based on the strains from the
waltzes brought by the French and Spaniards. The rich music and dance
culture is essentially a confluence of these cultures.
The ~Day of the Dead~, is a beautiful
festival that is celebrated in November all over the country. It is
celebrated with a lot of gaiety especially in Janitzio. The traditional `posadas`
are performed in cities and towns across the country every December.
Some of the Interesting places to visit in
Mexico are Aguascalientes, Baja California north, Baja California south,
Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, the state of Mexico, Guanajuato, Guerrero,
Hidalgo, Michoacan, Morelos, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa,
Sonora, Tamaulipas, Tlsxcala and Zacatecas. |
