mexico-travel.ws

Mexico is largely a Spanish-speaking country, yet just under one-tenth of the population speaks no Spanish at all. Visitors to this country come to see ancient ruins such as Teotihuacan with its Avenue of the Dead and Pyramid of the Sun, but some may not realize ancient cultures still persist in modern Mexico, where many still speak their native Indian languages and follow ancient beliefs and customs. This makes Mexico strikingly different from most other Spanish countries. If you’re interested in learning about native Mexican culture on your vacation, don’t miss the archeological sites most famous amongst travelers in Mexico:

• Teotihuacan
• Chichen Itza
• Uxmal
• Monte Alban
• Palenque

Roughly a quarter Mexico’s almost 100 million people live in Mexico City, a bustling urban metropolis which is recently experiencing a renaissance amongst tourists. Even in Mexico City, people are polite and generally warm and friendly. A warm greeting is appreciated upon entering a store or restaurant, and a word or two of attempted Spanish, or as much as you can speak, will go a long way. Mexicans will regard you better if you are polite and courteous, just as you would if the roles were reversed.

The history of the Mexican people is as diverse and full of conquest as that of the United States. Beginning in the 1300’s, the Aztecs launched military campaigns against other Indian peoples in Southern Mexico. Two centuries later the Conquest of Mexico is well underway as Spain colonized the area. Three centures later Mexico wins independence from Spain in the early 1800’s. For three hundred years Spanish culture was imprinted on local Indian culture, resulting in the unique blend of customs and culture.

In the 1900’s the Mexican Revolution resulted in land redistribution and nationalization of industry and the PRI, or Partido Revolucionario Institucional, which remained the main ruling party until 2000, when the PAN party’s Vicente Fox won the election. Today’s policitcal system is much more transparent than before, but strong tests for Fox remain, not the least of which will be the economic problems which are linked to those of the United States.