Transcript Mexico

¿Cuánto sabes de…?
MEXICO
¿Dónde está México?
¿Dónde está México?
How large is Mexico compared to
Illinois?
Mexico is almost 34 times larger than Illinois. It’s
one-fifth the size of the United States.
How large is Mexico’s population
compared to that of Illinois?
35
35
30
30
25
25
20
20
15
15
10
5
0
10
5
0
Mexico’s population is about eight
times greater than that of Illinois.
101.851.000
12.482.000
(2001 estimate)
What languages are spoken in
Mexico?
Spanish - ~ 88%
Other languages:

Doh!

Náhuatl -- “Tlazocamati!”
Mixtec – “Kúta ‘ùná!”
What is the capital city?
Mexico City (population 18.4 million – greater than all of
Illinois and Wisconsin combined!)
In Spanish, it’s called “México, D.F.” (Distrito Federal).
Reading tasks
Now scan the cultural reading on pp.
118-119 for the answers to the
following questions:
What is the unit of currency?
 Who were Diego Rivera and Frida
Kahlo?
 Who were the aztecas?

What is the unit of
currency?
el peso mexicano
Who were Diego Rivera and
Frida Kahlo?
Muralist
Diego Rivera
His works featured
social and historic
themes
In 1929 he married…
Frida Kahlo
Painter
Her works featured
personal and
psychological themes
Who were the aztecas?
Aztecas
“dominated Mesoamerica from
Mexico and Guatemala to the
territories of Salvador and
Honduras for nearly 100 years
(1427-1521)… The people of this
culture were refined workers,
merchants, farmers and fishers.
Also, they were fervent
worshippers of the many gods of
the Sun, and fierce defenders and
conquerors of their territory. In
1519 when Hernan Cortes landed
in this region and came upon this
civilization, they were the sole
heirs of a flourishing community.
Only two years after his landing,
the Aztec Empire crumbled and
the capital was burned to the
ground.”
http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/prehistory/latiname
rica/meso/cultures/aztec_empire.html
Aztecas
“The calendar is evidence of the Aztec's knowledge
of astronomy and mathematics. The calendar
contained the pictographs for their days, months and
suns (cosmic cycles). The stone is 3.6 meters (12
feet) in diameter and weighs about 24 metric tons. It
took 52 years to complete, from 1427-1479, it is
believed due to the use of only stone tools. This
calendar is 103 years older than the Gregorian
calendar which is used worldwide today… The
Aztec year consisted of eighteen months, each
having 20 days.” http://www2.truman.edu/%7Emarc
/webpages/nativesp99/aztecs/aztec_template.html
Bonus question!
What is the Día de los
Muertos?
Día de los Muertos
“El dia de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a
celebration that captures the idea of unity between
life and death. It emphasizes death as part of the
cycle of life. It came into being when the Catholic
feast of All Souls Day, a day to remember the dead
with prayer, merged with Native Indian rituals of
death after the Spanish conquered Mexico in 1521.”
http://www.elpayaso.com/muerto2.htm
Una calaca
Religion in Mexico
• Catholicism: 89%
• Protestantism: 6%, especially in the southeast;
called “Evangelical” by the government
• “Covenant mission work has led to the establishment of 57
Covenant congregations in three districts with 3,640
members.”
• Other religious traditions (or no religion): 5%
• Judaism, Islam, indigenous practices
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Mexico
http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Articles/mexico_religion.htm
http://countrystudies.us/mexico/61.htm
http://www.covchurch.org/mission/regions/latin-america/mexico
Syncretism
the “reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of
belief” (www.dictionary.com).
“Day of the Dead… the European Catholic All Saints' Day is
combined with indigenous rites of ancestor veneration. In many
Mexican communities, curanderos (traditional healers) use
indigenous folk medicine, spiritual, and Christian faith healing to treat
ailments and ‘cleanse’ spiritual impurities. In the southern areas of
the country, which are predominantly indigenous, traditional religion
has been mostly incorporated into Catholic rituals, as can be seen by
the change in priest's attires, which instead of being decorated with
the usual western symbols, instead include indigenous weaving
designs and symbols. For example, the Christian cross converted to a
flowery tree of life.”
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Culture_of_Mexico
Curanderos: Traditional folk healers
“…often use herbs and other natural remedies to cure
illnesses, but their primary method of healing is the
supernatural. This is because they believe that the
cause of many illnesses is evil spirits, the punishment
of God, or a curse.”
“…a blend of Catholic and pre-Colombian
Indian beliefs and practices… the curandero
healing tradition… typically uses herbs,
ointments, candles and prayers.”
Curanderos believe they have a “gift from God” for
healing.
http://www.answers.com/topic/curandero
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=510581
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/sdc1.html
Aztec use of skulls (death and rebirth)
Ritual observed
in August by
Aztecs for
3,000 years
Home altars to
deceased family
members
Catholic AllSaints’ Day
Visits to
cemeteries
Aztec belief that the deceased came back to visit
during the month-long ritual
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/history/