The Mexican Culture, Art, Architecture and Literature

The Mexican culture is said to have changed in the 19th and 20th centuries because of many reasons. Some retain their old traditions while others embrace the Western cultures.

In the Spanish-speaking countries, Mexico is the most populous. Their government recognizes the other indigenous languages that are composed of 62 Amerindian languages. The English language have been also borrowed by Mexicans like chocolate, avocado, tomato and coyote. Their religion is Roman Catholic, just like the Philippines, that was under the Spanish regime for quite a long time. Other religions here are Jehova’s Witnesses, Jews, Seventh Day Adventists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), Evangelicals and Protestants. Because of these religions, their culture and values are also formed in parallel.

The Mexican art and craft are inspired by folk art traditions as well as Pre-Columbian art. The famous artists/painters here are many who are also known in the world. And the famous photographers and in the field of photography are Manuel Alvarez Bravo and others. Their music is the influence of the indigenous people living in the country. These are rock, Mariachi, Ranchera, Banda, pop and others. The Mexican architecture is also Pre-Columbian and lately influenced and inspired by European traditions. Others are influenced by Moorish Amerindian, Mesoamerica and others that are divided into pre-classic, classic and post classic architecture.

The Mexican literature outstanding poets and writers are Netzahualcoyott, Sor Juana Ines de la Cru, Juan Ruiz de Alarcon, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Alfonso Reyes, Octavio Paz, Jose Joaquin Fernandez de Lizardi, Maruxa Vilalta, Juan Rulfo, Bruno Traven, Renato Leduc and so forth.

The Asian Culture

Asia is actually the most populous and the largest continent in the world. Therefore, its culture and people vary from nation to nation. Their basic similarities are that they have all their own traditions and cultural history.

The important parts of culture are religion, literature, art, music, cuisine and philosophy. And the most complex part is the relationship and the acceptance of Western cultures. Originally, Asian ethnic groups were hunters and gatherers – perhaps, it’s almost the same as other ethnic groups such as the Native Americans and Africans.

In East Asia, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, Japan and China compose this group and the first ones are notably influenced by China. As it is, the latter has the biggest land area as well as the largest population in the whole Asia. Therefore, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are almost shared by all Asians. In South Asia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and others comprise this group. Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism are the four major religions of these South Asian countries. In Southeast Asia, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, East Timor, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei compose this region. Islam and Christianity are the majority of religion here.

However, these countries are also influenced by the literature of Indian, Chinese, Hindu, Islamic and Buddhist. In West Asia, the Middle East countries compose this region. These are Jordan, Israel, United Arab of Emirates, Yemen, Palestine, Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Iran and many more. These are dominated by Islamic beliefs. In Central Asia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and others compose this region. These are influenced by Chinese, Persian, Arabian, South Asian and other cultures.

South America's culture and people

Many from inhabitants of the South America are indigenous, therefore their culture is full of traditions and customs kept unaltered during the centuries.

The indigenous South American culture is having its roots during the Mayan civilization. Later on, the colonists of the European culture added their own cultural flavor on top of the historic heritage of the indigenous people. The African culture of the African slaves brought here by the European settlers has influenced the culture of the South America too. More recently the modern culture has its own contribution, mostly coming from the North America but also from other parts of the world.

The South American culture is strong, diverse, autonomous and reticent to change. People here are very proud of their roots. As an effect of the colonial period the vast majority of South Americans are Catholics. Usually the indigenous population of the South America is friendly and open with the foreigners but at times they may avoid contact with outsiders because of the long history of oppression by the colonial powers. The South American culture is very rich.

Around three quarters of South America’s population live in cities, some in the mega cities such as Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires, Lima and Santiago. However, in the Andes people are still keeping their way of life from the past, based on the respect for the mother nature. African Americans in the region still dance and play music with joy and great passion. There are still farmers to live connected to the Earth resources, people are still creating clothes and hats in a traditional way. South America is home of a mix of races and cultures and in time those diverse influences have grown together in a symbiosis of beliefs, customs and traditions.

The South Pacific Culture

Today, perhaps South Pacific is the purest part of the world that retains their ancient culture. Here, the visitors will discover the ancient dancing, tattooing, carving and music.

The South Pacific people arrived in this region for more than 7000 years ago wherein the traditions are passed on from older generations to the new ones. Therefore, the word of mouth is always preserved here. The people here have three main groups, which are Polynesians, Melanesians and Micronesians. In turn, these main groups have sub-groups. Polynesians are composed of Anuta, Aniwa, Mangareva, Hawaiian, Moriori, Austral, Aniwa, Nuguria, Rapan, Niuean, Renbelian, Sikaiana, Nukumanu, Marquesan, Futunan, Kapingamarangi, Ontong Java,Pileni, Samoan, Tahitian, Uvean, Wallisian and many more.

Melanesians are comprised of the islands of Maluku, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, Rotuma, Torres Strait, Vanuatu, Santa Cruz and so forth. Micronesians are composed of the islands of Gilbert, Caroline, Mariana, Guam, Marshall, Nauru and Wake.

The traditional dance of South Pacific people tells about the arts, history, legends, myths and stories. The eyes and body of the dancers tell the story like the revered warriors, goddesses or ancestors. The traditional dance can be done by group, couple or individual. Their languages are in many forms. Even every island people have own language.

The oral tradition is the main source of passing on their customs and culture and even their stories are not written in the book but are told by mouth by memory. As long as the stories and instructions are told by mouth, the culture is maintained by each generation for the next one. Therefore, rituals, arts, ceremonies and other forms of culture are treasured and shared with other generations and even to the outsiders.

The Caribbean Culture

The Caribbean culture is influenced by the British. The conquest was in the 1759. The symbols of the Caribbean include the palm, shell and parrot. Their flag has undergone many changes as time passed by. The origin of their language is basically understood by human capacity, symbolic communication and the origin of complex cultures. Also, it emerges to maintain the coherence within their social group/s like children acquire such knowledge as language as the basic norms of the environment they are growing up in. Therefore, a language is basically an interaction between members of the same cultural society. In the arts field, the Caribbean people follow the trend of the Europeans where it flourished in the 1990s. In literature, it is always divided into English, French and Spanish languages where the perspective is often the nature, the life and their position in the world.

Speaking a language is one of the society’s culture as well as other shared norms or practices, generally. It has become the identity of the group. Its functions are always the same as any other countries’ languages. It is the way to communicate with the people of the same society or group. Here in the Caribbean, there is the so-called multiculturalism and bilingualism. The people here know two or more languages to be able to communicate with outsiders. They also have the so-called cultural protectionism which is to promote Caribbean cultural production and not the foreign ones. This is created by reform conscious constituents as well as interventionists. However, sharing a majority of common language such as the American English is still a difficult position for the Caribbeans to be diffused of the American culture. And though this has to be faced, the Caribbean people still know how to balance any trade arrangement responsibility.

Ancient History and Modern China

China, or the People’s Republic of China, is the second largest country in terms of land on Earth and is the second largest economy. The country has a rich political and social history of dynasties and empires that, although long past, continue to influence the modern culture of China.

Although some evidence has been found of pre-historic people in China, the first historical rule of a dynasty in the area is that of the Xia Dynasty. This dynasty was once contested by historians as being mythical, but some evidence has been found giving its authenticity. Many wars were fought between rival states during the years of the feudal dynasties and eventually a unified Chinese empire was born in 221 BC. One of the most culturally important eras of Chinese rule was that of the Han Dynasty; its culture has endured into modern times. The era of the Han Dynasty saw China as the world’s largest economy thanks to military expansion and trade of materials such as silk.

The teachings of Confucius, a Chinese philosopher who lived from 551 to 479 BC, are still important to Chinese culture. His theories of ethics, society, and politics were solidified during the Han Dynasty. The basic elements of Confucianism are that secular things are regarded as sacred; it can be compared to modern humanism. It focuses on the importance of altruism, family, acts of goodness, and proper behavior in a community. Although the theories of Confucianism changed slightly with ingoing and outgoing Chinese empires, the core concepts have always remained and are still cherished by some of China’s great thinkers. Certainly, these teachings should be viewed as an important world heritage.

Native American Culture

Native American tribes are also many. They were many indigenous people who were usually located on the North American lands.

Some of these known tribes are Cherokee, Apache, Iroquois, Navajo, Sioux and Cheyenne. And aside from these, there are still other tribes that compose the Native Americans. During the World War II, some of the Navajo people are used as ‘Windtalkers’ in the movie, which stars Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach and many more. Their language is used in the movie to defeat the Americans’ enemies. As it is, their communications are always intercepted because Japanese and other allies know the American English language. Therefore, the Navajo language is used for communication purposes.

The Native American culture is wide and vast. They have sun dances to pray to the god of the sun to give them abundantly, war dances to let them be victorious, marriage gathering, marriage rules and restrictions, tepees, pipes, totem poles, moccasins, peace and so forth. For example in marriage rules and restrictions. The wives are separated from their husbands during their monthly cycle. In marriage gathering, all the people in the tribe are invited and share food, wine and dance until dawn. Their teepees are movable as Native Americans are like gypsies. They transfer their homes with them as they look for the abundance of food and water the depends on the different seasons. The Native American War was always constant in the years of the early settlers of Great Britain come to the Americas. They were the source of mishaps and conflicts as well as discrimination and oppression.

The People And Languages Of Mexico

Mexico is home to the largest number of native Spanish speakers on the planet as well as a large number of residents who speak indigenous languages. The cultures, religions, and customs of the many indigenous people add to the wealth of Mexican culture.

An estimated 113 million people live in Mexico and the majority of them speak Spanish as their first language. However, there are many different ethnic groups which are commonly referred to under the umbrella term “Mexican”, some of which have their own languages. The majority of Mexicans have a mixed heritage of European settlers and indigenous peoples. The indigenous groups that continue to thrive in Mexico are mostly located in the southern and central parts of the country such as the Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, and Oaxaca. Some of the most populous indigenous groups are the Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Otomi, and Nahua. Although the history of all of these diverse groups contributes notably to world heritage, the reality is that life is difficult for many of these native populations.

Over 5% of the national population speaks an indigenous language in addition to Spanish; just over 1% of the national population speaks exclusively an indigenous tongue. This massive diversity is recognized by the government which has used the Law of Indigenous Linguistic Rights to establish national languages and recognize native languages on the same level as Spanish since 2003. The government’s National Institute of Indigenous Languages has identified 68 different linguistic groups into which it organizes 364 different variations on those tongues. Clearly, cultural and linguistic diversity is a part of world heritage that Mexico shares with the international community.