Mexico: history, culture, and contemporary society

Mexico is a country with a long and rich cultural heritage and history. Mexico has been a country for much longer than the United States has been a country, and as those with some knowledge of American history know, part of the United States formerly was a part of Mexico, lost in wars and treaties. In my web exploration of Mexico, I learned things about the country of which I was not aware. There are many vibrant colors and beautiful cities and small towns across the land. The geography of the country is also fascinating. It is a country with a rich tradition of agriculture -- there are a lot of delicious fruits and vegetables that grow there into which the people make delicious cuisine. There is a much richer indigenous food culture in Mexico than in the United States, which has adopted the cuisines of several other cultures into/as its own. I find that one of the best aspects of traveling is being able to taste and eat many of the native dishes of the country. In learning about Mexico, I became very interested in the kinds of foods that are traditional as compared to the few foods from Mexico that most people outside of the country know about.

There are many beautiful beaches, as much of the country is on a coast, as well as many interesting places to dive. As compared with the United States, there are less beaches and coastline of the U.S., as most of the continental U.S. lies between two coasts, whereas more of Mexico is on the water. There are underwater caves or caves that begin on the surface and lead to water within them. This seems like a country where there is a lot for visitors to explore. This is a country where visitors and inhabitants have many options of how to explore the country -- of course one can travel by car or bus, but also by boat, by foot, and by bicycle.

There is a balance between large cities, and rural towns in Mexico as well. So there is the opportunity to experience urban culture and nightlife as well as the chance to escape the big city, and retreat to the simple life of the Mexican countryside. There are elements of modern culture and development in Mexico as well as elements of older and even ancient relics of Mexican culture. Not much of the older architecture exists in the United States, as we are a country that is more likely to tear down what is old to make way for the new. There are old churches, pyramids, and villages that have not been touched for many years. This says to me that Mexicans value their history enough to make attempts to preserve it and bring it into the modern era. This is a culture that has a clear cultural trajectory that is reflected in the relics and architecture of the cities and towns.

Additionally, in the area of Oaxaca, the people are known for throwing themselves whole heartedly into celebrating holidays, national holidays, religious events, and more. The Mexico Tourism Board calls Oaxaca the land of the "never ending festival." (2013) Learning this made me very surprised and happy to know that there is a part of the country that is constantly partying and celebrating. Other countries do not have many holidays, or only have festivals during certain parts of the year, but in Oaxaca, Mexico, it seems every day is a good day to celebrate.