Mexico

Generally, Mexicans feel individuals are more important than schedules. The Mexican people are generally proud of their country. A wealthy person would be defined as somebody who lives in a big house in a nice neighborhood, their children attend expensive schools, drive the latest year cars, and women normally will not work but will socialize. The poorer people want money to buy expensive possessions and to buy any kind of real estate.

Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world and the second most populous country in Latin America, after Brazil, where Portuguese is spoken. About 70% of the inhabitants live in urban areas. Many Mexicans migrate from rural areas that do not offer employment opportunities, such as the underdeveloped southern states and the heavily populated central plateau, to industrialized urban centers and developed areas along the US border.

By some estimates, the population of the area surrounding Mexico City is 18 million, which is the largest concentration of inhabitants in the Western Hemisphere. Cities that border the United States, such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, and cities in the interior of the republic, such as Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Puebla, have experienced strong population growth in recent years.

The usual greeting is a handshake or a nod of the head, although a hug between friends is not uncommon. Mexicans typically stand close to each other while talking, sometimes touching their friend's clothing. Mexicans are generally very friendly and polite in their greetings. Women will often greet one another with a kiss on the cheek.

Mexicans Formally greet each other in the morning by saying “buenos dias”, at noon and before 7:p.m. “buenas tardes” and in the night they say “buenas noches”. Young people who are friends might say “que onda, wey?” Adults might say “quibole!”

To get someone's attention one might say “disculpa (excuse me)” When someone is leaving they might say “cuidate mucho!” (take care), “saludos a todos” (say hi to everyone else), or “ahi nos vemos”(see ya later!)

Items are handed, not tossed, to another person. Tossing an item shows a lack of manners and is offensive. Hand and arm gestures are often used in conversation.

Mexicans are very accommodating. Visitors are usually welcomed and served refreshments even though they arrive unannounced. It is impolite to refuse refreshments. Mexicans enjoy socializing with friends and relatives. First-time visitors usually receive a tour of the host's home.

Most Mexicans wear clothing that is also common in other Western countries, especially in urban areas. But there are also many types of traditional clothing worn in rural areas-either daily or for festivals. People from various regions of Mexico wear many different kinds of clothing, but color and beauty are two common features for all of them.

The Mexican sombrero, a recognizable icon of Mexican culture and labor, traces back to the vaquero who works with horses, the peasant farmer, and the mariachi musician. The sombrero is designed to protect the wearer from sunlight on long days of desert work. The sombrero has come to be associated, also, with the official folk dance of Mexico, the “jarabe tapatio” or the Mexican Hat dance.

A common accessory in women's clothing is the shawl. The shawl is a rectangular-shaped feminine garment that is made of cotton, wool, silk, or artisela. It is used as a scarf or as a shawl, however, women often use it to carry their children or to carry items to the market.

Staple foods include corn, beans, rice, and chillies. They are combined with spices, vegetables, and meats or fish in the daily meals. Tortillas (made from cornmeal or flour) are cooked on a skillet or hotplate, and are eaten everywhere. They are eaten as bread, or filled with beans, potatoes, meat and cheese (torta). Some popular foods include frijoles refritos (refried beans), and posole (white corn boiled with pork.

Children usually eat breakfast at school but they have their lunch time at 12:00 pm where they eat snacks or sandwiches. Workers, eat at factories or some stands where they sell burritos or lonches. Dinner it's often at home, depending of the family schedules. Normally, the father eats in the “head” of the table, but it's not always.

When eating, both hands are kept above the table. Guests do not leave directly after the meal, but stay for conversation. Lunch is usually the main meal of the day. Dinner might be light or heavy, depending on the family. It is inappropriate for adults to eat while walking on the street. Some foods are eaten with utensils, others with the hand. Tortillas are often used as scoops for sauces.

Staple foods include corn, beans, rice, and chillies. They are combined with spices, vegetables, and meats or fish in the daily meals. Tortillas (made from cornmeal or flour) are cooked on a skillet or hotplate, and are eaten everywhere. They are eaten as bread, or filled with beans, potatoes, meat and cheese (torta). Some popular foods include frijoles refritos (refried beans), and posole (white corn boiled with pork.

Breakfast is usually eaten by children at school. For lunch, at about 12 p.m., children eat snacks or sandwiches. Workers eat at the factories where they work, or at stands where they sell burritos or lonches. Dinner is often at home, depending on the family’s schedule. Normally, the father eats at the “head” of the table.

Mexican families are usually large (three or more children). Families that live in urban areas usually have smaller families. The family unit is very important to society. Divorce is relatively low compared to other countries, due in part to a significant portion of the population belonging to the Catholic religion. Traditionally, the father has been the leader of the family, while the mother runs the household. However, as women go out to work more, and sometimes fathers look after children, this is changing.

When dating, a young man frequently meets a young woman at a prearranged place, rather than at her home. Parental approval of the young man, however, is important to obtain. It is common for Mexican males to make "piropos" (flattering personal comments) to passing females, to which the females generally do not respond. Marriage customs follow Catholic traditions. The marriage is legally registered first with a civil ceremony, often followed by a church ceremony with many guests.

Children love to play Soccer (Futbol) and you can see them in schools, streets, and parks. Also, but to a lesser degree, basketball (schools and parks) and volleyball (schools and parks) are sports children enjoy.

A popular game among children is known as “lotería”. It is played in groups at fairs and in homes. Each player receives a sheet with 20 squares with illustrations and bean seeds or other objects to mark the squares of the illustrations that have been named. A person is selected to be in charge of saying or singing the name of the images as they come out. That person has a deck of 52 cards with all the images in the game, but it is not only a matter of saying the name of the image but also rhyming about each figure that comes out. Sometimes the rhymes are so clever that players have to guess which card it refers to. The first person to fill all the boxes in any direction (across, across, or diagonally) wins a prize.

In the 19th century, bullfighting was the quintessential Mexican sport. Whether the matadors were Spanish or Mexican, large numbers of fans thronged the bullrings to cheer their exploits. Bullfighting remains part of Mexican culture, however, with the introduction of baseball at the turn of the century, many Mexicans switched their allegiance from bullfighting. Bullfighting has also become increasingly controversial over the years, as many activists strive to make the sport illegal due to animal welfare concerns. As of 2022, 5 of the 32 Mexican states have banned bullfighting, and a court in Mexico City ruled that no more bullfights may take place in the city - closing the largest bullring in the world, The Monumental Plaza de Toros de Mexico.

The main forest reserve is the Desierto de los Leones, which was declared a national park in 1917 by President Venustiano Carranza.

Breakfast will vary by family preferences and regional access to produce. A light breakfast will consist of a hot beverage and bread. A heavier breakfast might include any of the following: egg dishes (such as huevos rancheros), meats, beans, tortillas, pastries, fruit (such as bananas, oranges, pineapples, mangos, papayas, guava, and strawberries), vegetables (peppers, tomatoes, and beans), or menuido (a tripe stew).

Some children ride bikes to school or walk, some ride buses provided by the school, and others with more money will ride in taxi-type cars and pay for the ride (several families might hire together someone to drive the children to and from school).

Private schools tend to have lots of money for nice facilities and books. The buildings are in good shape, and the teachers have plenty of funding for support materials, including modern computers. Teachers in these schools also tend to emphasize bilingual instruction. Public schools can have much less funding, although government programs now provide free books to 90% of the public schools in Mexico. In poorer towns, it is not uncommon for schools to be missing windows and have bare cement floors. Supplies and other resources are also lacking. The average classroom size will vary between 22 and 32 students per teacher, with some indigenous community schools having as high as 40 or more students per teacher.

Schoolchildren are required to wear uniforms. Though many families buy their children’s uniforms, government programs are working to help provide the poorest families with free uniforms so their children can attend school. Private schools are more likely to have computers available for students than public schools, but the prevalence of Internet cafés allows almost all children sufficient access to computers to support their schooling. The school day lasts four hours. Mid-morning is a break to have a snack and play outside. Many children eat molletes at the break, which is a bread roll split in two and covered with beans and cheese. The classes tend to be more informal than classrooms in the United States, and much of the learning takes place with group activities. Despite the informality, students are expected to respect the teacher (maestro or maestra), and parents do not interfere in school matters for the most part. Children receive grades for their performance in class. The grading scale is usually 1-10. Teachers give exams five times a year, with a national exam at the end of the year. Students who score less than 6 on that exam do not move on to the next grade level. Kindergarten begins at age four and continues until age six. In kindergarten, children learn to color, sing songs, and play with other children. Toward the end of kindergarten and in the first grade, they will learn to count and learn the alphabet. Common courses taught in elementary school are math, social studies, grammar, writing, reading, and physical education. Some children begin learning English as early as the sixth grade. Learning English is getting more attention than ever before, and private language schools are available nearly everywhere. Growing numbers of students who finish elementary school progress on to middle school (grades 7-9) and then to high school (10-12). Although the government provides free texts to elementary students, those who progress past that point must buy their own books. Not all families can afford this, so many children do not advance. The latter years in high school require a student to choose classes that direct the student towards either business or a vocation. Mexico has a rich cultural tradition in the arts. The degree to which a school may support artistic education usually has more to do with the number of funds available than any established curriculum. Similarly, children of wealthier families tend to have more time for developing such talents than children of poorer families, who often must sacrifice personal wants in order to work for family survival. Because so much of Mexico is agricultural, it is not uncommon for a child to work in the fields, along with many of their friends.

Private schools tend to offer more for students to do after hours, when students may stay to work on the computers, play sports (such as soccer or basketball), or stay for private lessons in subjects that may be more difficult. The majority of the children, however, do not have the time or the means to support extracurricular commitments.

Outside of school time, children love to play soccer, or go boating or bicycling, even in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world. Unfortunately, for most of the poorer children in the country, there is little time for such activities as they must go to work right after school. As a result, it can be difficult to even find time to do their homework.

Families are close in Mexico and they gather together for their evening meals. Staples for these meals include chili, corn, tortillas, tamales, pozolel (corn chowder), fruits, and vegetables. For more information, see “Family” in the “Culture and Customs” information for Mexico.

The school year in Mexico runs from September to June. Social class and economic status determine the school that a child will attend. Children of wealthy families will likely go to private schools; others attend public schools. Children must attend school through the sixth grade, although many poorer families are forced to have their children work instead of going to school so that they can earn enough money to survive. The Mexican government is working to improve this situation. Nearly 25% of the budget is now being spent on educational support and reform. Because of these efforts to improve educational opportunities, the percentage of children starting school and making it through sixth grade improved from 74% in 1994 to approximately 90% today. Nine out of every 10 children in Mexico from age 6 to 14 is enrolled in school, a significant improvement. Further, more than 8 million students are enrolled in schools beyond the primary level. Although nearly 80% of all adults in Mexico between the ages of 25 and 34 have not received high school diplomas, that trend is for more young people to complete secondary education. Unfortunately, educational expenditures are growing faster than government budgets can handle. So while education is seen as very important to the country’s future, and much is being done to promote it, the growth rate cannot be sustained, and educational issues will be critical for years to come.