Spanish Institute of Puebla

In Mexico, culture and tradition are seen as central to life and society. Mexican people are by and large warm and vivacious individuals with an incredible zest for life. Provided that you are respectful of local custom they will welcome you with open arms and show you all the best that Mexico has to offer. Mexico has changed rapidly during the 20th century. In many ways, contemporary life in its cities has become similar to that in neighboring United States and Europe. Most Mexican villagers follow the older way of life more than the city people do. More than 75% of the people of Mexico live in cities of over 50,000 inhabitants. Large metropolitan areas include Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Puebla-Tlaxcala, while rural areas include small areas throrought Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Yucatán, Aguascalientes, Michoacán, and many more.

Mexicans make several cultural subdivisions within the nation. The most common one identifies northern, central, and south or south-eastern Mexico. The extensive and desertlike north was only sparsely populated until the middle of the twentieth century, except for some important cities such as Monterrey. It has traditionally housed only small indigenous populations and is generally regarded as a frontier culture. Densely populated central and western Mexico is the cradle of the nation. Highly developed Indian cultures populated this region in pre-Columbian times and it was also the heart of the colony of New Spain. Many prominent colonial cities are major urban and industrial centers today. Southern Mexico has a tropical or subtropical climate and some rain forest. It is characterized by a strong indigenous heritage and is also the poorest part of the country.

Undoubtedly, an important part of the Mexican culture is its varied gastronomy. When Christopher Columbus in 1492 went out on his search for India and for the valuable black pepper, instead he found America, sparking off the conquest of countries which, like Mexico, opened the world to new culinary horizons with its universal donation of vanilla, chilli peppers, avocado, corn, tomato and chocolate, among others. Mexican food is popular throughout the world. But the kind you might be used to – tacos, nachos with guacamole, quesadillas, and enchiladas - is only a small part of this country's culinary repertoire. The fundamental Mexican food is based on corn, black beans and chillies, but due to the variety of cultures and communities in Mexico, each region is marked by a distinct aroma, taste and texture. Due to their great gastronomic variety, the States of Puebla, Oaxaca and Yucatán stand out; however one must not forget the recipes from Bajío (central part of the country) or the cuisine of the border states. In central Mexico you will find a blend of Aztec and Spanish food. Typical is the centuries old mole poblano, a thick, dark sauce made with dried chilli peppers, nuts, seeds, spices, Mexican chocolate, etc. Southern Mexico, with its variety of dried peppers and chillies, is famous for its savoury herbed stews and sauces. Seafood, garnished with tomatoes and herbs followed by strong coffee is the basic meal along the Pacific Coast. And in the Peninsula of Yucatán, dinner is likely to be a Mayan delicacy like cochinita pibil, which is pork meat cooked in banana leaves, served with the famous achiote-sauce.