Mexican Culture Change Over Time

All over the world there are many features that make up a culture. Culture can be defined as the characteristics, attitudes, knowledge and beliefs of a group of people, relating to language, cuisine, religion, interaction, lifestyle, and more which is learned through socialization. These aspects of cultures are what distinguishes it from others. It is interesting to explore and learn about new cultures. I will be focusing on the Mexican culture, their religion, death, family life, weddings and ….

Mesoamerica have been connected the North and South America culturally and geographically throughout the history. Mesoamerican culture and aspects heavily influenced southwestern United States, being the frontier borderline between North America and Mesoamerica. It is very important to study the relationship between the Mesoamerica and American Southwest because American Southwest contains various elements of Mesoamerican culture and this provides fundamental information about human behaviors, history, interactions, and tradition in America. Our group has selected Agriculture, Architecture, Religion, and Trade as our categories to analyze the relationship between American southwest and Mesoamerica. Fair trade, we will focus on scarlet macaws and how it got traded from Mesoamerica in the American southwest and its significance. For architecture, we will compare the ball courts of Hohokam and that of Mesoamerica. Significance of ball courts and how it got introduced into the American southwest from Mesoamerica will be discussed as well. Religion will be analyzed by focusing on the cosmological beliefs of both groups and the similarities and differences between Mesoamerican cosmology and American southwest cosmology.

In our society today, culture is not what it used to be hundreds of years ago. There is no more “pure” culture. Our culture today is enriched with many different traditions and customs that are being shared and adopted. Due to emigration and immigration, a variety of diverse customs, beliefs, and knowledge moved with every exiting and entering human being. Thus, changing and shaping the culture of many. Throughout the world, the beliefs and religious views of culture are dissimilar around the world. By taking the time to read, listen and learn about certain people’s culture, there will be knowledge and understanding that will be gained.

Colombian art has been going on for 3,000 years of history that involves pottery, goldwork, and stone. It covers a wide range of media and styles ranging from Spanish Baroque to Quimbaya gold craftwork to ¨lyrical americanism¨.

After the Mexican Revolution, which took place from 1910 - 1920, Mexican art saw a change in the type of art being created. Although the focus of creating art with an indigenous and Mexican theme continued, the country saw a shift to art presenting socialist ideals. The government saw value in working with local artist and commissioning them to create murals that would influence their political agendas. However, what these murals mostly did was strengthen the Mexican culture and bring pride to the indigenous heritage. Although this time period has come and gone, its influence over Mexican art and culture is still very apparent today and can even be seen in Mexican American communities today.

The Mesoamerican and North American societies were more advanced than the Europeans thought. Agriculture and specialization were booming among the societies, which created surplus and merchandise. Before these advances in the indigenous societies, nomadic groups roamed the region and these groups had a lifestyle of migrating to areas where food was abundant. These groups were known as the Paleo-Indians, who which spread throughout the Americas, creating many culturally distinct societies. Some of these societies might have had the same language and appearance between them; however, their cultures were different and this was due to their environment. For instance, some of these societies had to experience a region that was not adequate for farming; therefore, they had to invent other ways to farm. Along with these inventions, the indigenous people were busy with other things. Pyramids were being built, trading was occurring between the different regions, calendars were being designed, and several writing systems were being created.

For the Maya the social system was from highest authority to lowest. First came the rulers, then came the nobles and priests, then the merchants and craftsmen, then the peasant and last but not least the slaves. The warriors were special so they didn’t fit into any class. The Aztec social system was similar to the Maya. They had a very strict social system. First came the nobles, then the commoners, then the serfs or slaves. The noble class consisted of government and military, leaders, high level priests, and lords. The Maya had a class just for the rulers, while the Aztec had the rulers fit into the noble class. The Incas’ social structure was divided into four levels. The Sapa Inca, royalty, nobility and then the ayllu. The Sapa Inca was the most powerful person in the entire empire. All three civilizations had rulers, nobles, and commoners or peasants. The Maya has more classes than the Inca and Aztec.

After the Mexican Revolution of 1910, a nationalistic sentiment spread throughout Mexico as they sought to form a unified identity under its new constitution. Under the new organization of the country, Mexico underwent many political and social changes, many of them violent. At the turn of the 20th century, Mexican nationalism was of the utmost importance. Finally, the masses of Mexican poor began to have a voice in their own destiny and began to seek out a national identity. In order to be fully immersed in an identity that seemed ambiguous due to centuries of colonization, Mexico looked to the arts to help mold Mexico’s new character as a country. Muralists like Rivera, Siqueiros, Orozco and Khalo portrayed the struggle for freedom and democracy against the oligarchs that had exploited the poor for decades. Music also played a pivotal role in expressing nationalistic views and ideas through movements such as the traditional and the “indigenismo”. One of the composers who was at the forefront of the “indigenismo” movement was Carlos Chávez. Chávez strived to distance himself from romantic influences and practices, and searched for new methods to create pieces that were for everyone, not just the elite. Chavez’s investigation of indigenous Indian cultures, native folk elements, and dance forms brought an unprecedented vigor and visibility to 20th century Mexican Music. Chávez traveled to Europe and the United States to gain recognition beyond Mexico’s border, thus catapulting his influence on Mexico’s musical style and cultures.

The technology that Mesoamerica was famous for came when humans fist discovered and entered the Americas. They had their tools with them which quickly spread across the land and were often found in the ancient people’s graves. After the tools spread, they began to improve. For example, they were used for agriculture in document 7, the Indians were using tools to plant and harvest corn. Soon, Mesoamerica began to improve even more

Art was used by the Aztecs upper class to set them apart from the lower class. They adorned themselves with feathers, jewelry and fancy clothes. The rich also owned paintings, statues and music to honor and praise their gods. Most of the lower class, however, could make art but only to sell to the rich. The Aztec empire had an appreciation and fascination with birds, bugs and animals. These animals were praised and admired and as a result, they were popular subjects in the Aztec art. Aztecs believed that their gods took the forms of animals. Paintings of them were always brightly colored. The Emperor received art as tribute. The Aztecs considered art as a tool to reinforce their dominance.

Every culture has their own unique and distinguishing characteristics. One’s cultural identity defines who they are as an individual, group, and community. Their cultural identity may be reflected in numerous ways such as: language, communication styles, religion, beliefs, values, clothing, or other types of aesthetic markers. Cultural identity is formed by many of these traits but is not limited to these specifically. This essay will provide detailed information on Mexican Americans, and their ancestry and heritage. I will also explain about this cultures central beliefs and values, while incorporating information on Mexican Americans, cultural patterns, cultural identity, and their cultures communication characteristics and styles.

When asking everyday people about what do they think about the era when Mesoamerica was at its strongest, people will always mention about the kings and elites that came and created cities and monuments that would still be remembered thousands of years later. What people seem to forget is that kings and elites only exist when they have people who are their subjects and follow them. These subjects are the common or ordinary people of Mesoamerica. It is interesting that these commoners live similarly and differently from today’s common people. In Mesoamerica, there exists sites that had commoners living in near equality and better living conditions, commoners could change their own lives and the people around them through the gambling in Mesoamerican

The ancient world of Mesoamerica entered a long period of change that soon led to the development a mammoth city that would serve as a regional center for more than 600 years. Beginning in about 1000 B.C. the majority of the people in the Valley of Mexico relocated to one of two primary sites, that of Cuicuilco in the southwest corner and Teotihuacan in the northeast. By about 300 B.C., Cuicuilco dominated the region, but its heyday would soon diminish. (Sabloff 2000, p 60)

The awareness of the idea of giving art its proper freedom of expression, only came into being in the 1900s. During the pre-Hispanic time pottery, tattoos, textiles, ornaments, etc. were the art works considered by most as art forms but were actually objects of utility and convenience. The creation of these objects was a way of life rather than just something made for the pleasure of viewing or admiring.

After the disappearance of the Olmec in 100 BCE many Mesoamerican complex societies arose and continued to carry on many of the things of the Olmec culture. The ceremonial centers that were now being established brought about large populations of residents to the area. Trade networks linked the new areas and extended across Mesoamerica. They developed similar to those in the eastern hemisphere.