Narrative Essay On Mexico

Growing up in an area with a large Mexican community I never really understood how much my culture means to me. I grew up with the stories my dad and grandfather would tell me about my ancestors. My people were the raiders from the hills of Mexico City and that we were a family of warriors. I never held much weight to the warrior part of my grandfather’s stories but I did know that my great grandfather was a fighter. He left Mexico and rode the train up to Denton Texas and sold tamales on the square his entire life. He fought to give my grandfather a better life here. I don’t talk about my dad’s side of the family much, in this day in age being seen as white has more advantages than being seen as Mexican. This thought changed as I came to

Do you ever wonder how people label you? I would always think myself as a Latina; I never knew there was a difference between Latino and Hispanic. Now I know I’m Hispanic, a Spanish speaker. I consider myself Mexican-America; i believe that being Mexican doesn't come from a place of belonging to some predetermined cultural / ethnic/ racial category. It comes from a huge family and feeling at home. It comes from my mother freshly fried pinto beans and homemade tortilla. From my father stories when he was young .Instead of playing pin the tail on the donkey I destroy piñatas and play musical chairs.

Waving goodbye from the backseat of the car, as we pull out of my parent’s driveway. Looking out the window at the oddly, white shaped clouds. Thinking, I had never been away from my parents and my younger sister for so long, even though it was only for two weeks. I was excited and scared all at once, but I wasn’t too thrilled about the whole 29-hour drive there. Hoping that the trip would go well and nothing bad will happen to us.

a city where an eagle with a snake in its beak rested on a cactus. This

This year’s election cycle brought heated debates and discussions about many things; “the wall”, free trade, NAFTA, immigration issues, borders security and policy issues. Regardless of which side of the political isle you stand, which way the political winds sway in Washington D.C., one thing is certain not to change with the election cycle, and that is, the actual physical border between The United States and Mexico. Therefore, if we can’t change that, and we can’t, then there needs to be solutions to problems that continue to exist between the two sovereign countries. Trade and Security are two of the most important factors for neighboring countries and they must not be ignored. Beyond just good political, diplomatic, and strategic vision it is important to understand there are cultural, education and diversity complexities which takes tremendous and often times delicate maneuvering to come together for the greater good of both economies and governments, as millions of people rely on successful trade agreements and security.

From January 20 to 23, I went to Santa Fe and San Ildefonso in New Mexico with Dr. Laughlin and my classmates. I was totally surprised by the architecture of the housing and the rich collection of Native American cultures. I expected to see traditional suburbs but instead I found almost everyone has built houses resembling traditional adobe homes which I had never seen. Houses, businesses, government buildings including museums are almost built in this style. The colors seem to blend in with the desert. One of the most exciting events I attended in New Mexico was the museum presentation of the Zuni tribe. Although we actually did not meet the Zuni tribe, we learned a lot about them because Dawn Kaufmann who is a guide at the Museum of

Many of us Mexican immigrants believe in a better life, Where there is hope, Where there is a chance to start a new life. But many of us will never be able to experience that “American dream”. Luckily, I am one of few who escaped from the life of depression and desperation. I remember my mom telling me every day, “Ivan you have to work hard to get what you want in life. Usted tiene que trabajar duro para conseguir lo que quiere en la vida mijo”. When I would listen to the misfortune of the people from my city, it would motivate me even more into reaching my goal. I was tired of living a life where there was people with broken hearts everywhere I go. Tired of the disappointment. I couldn’t take it anymore. At the point, I had to leave.

Mexican, Filipino, and Thai these are just a few of the diverse cultures in this group. To begin with, some interesting aspects of the Mexican culture is that the primary language of the culture is Spanish, the primary religion is Catholicism, and in Mexico one of the popular celebrations are The Day of the Dead. To begin with the primary language of the Mexican culture is Spanish. Approximately 92.7 percent of the Mexican population Speaks spanish. The lesser used dialects in Mexico include such as Mayan, and Nahuatl. Another interesting aspect of the Mexican culture is the primary religion is Catholicism. 82% of the Mexican population identifies as Catholic. There are also very few Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists. Last but not least, Day of the dead is celebrated in Mexico. It is celebrated on November 2. This day is set aside to remember and honor those who died.

Mexico is bordered by the United States on the north, the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east, and Guatemala and Belize on the south. It is characterized by an extraordinary diversity in topography and climate and is crossed by two major mountain chains, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. The high central plateau between these two mountain ranges historically funneled most of the human population toward the center of this region. Mexico features volcanic peaks, snow-capped mountains, tropical rain forests, and internationally famous beaches. Mexico City is an enormous metropolitan area and dominates the rest of the country's culture, economy, and politics. Nearly

During the summer my family and me went on vacation to mexico to see my grandma at her house it took us 2 days to get to her town is mexico when we got there is was 11 at night my uncle opened the garage door to let us in when we got off the car my grandma opened the door to let us in her house she gave everyone a hug the her and my mom started to cook food for everyone. After everyone got their suitcases out of the car and took them to there room my mom and dad slept in one room, my sister and her daughter slept in another room and my nephew and me slept in the living room. The next day my dad showed me around the town he grew up in where his other family members who lived there, and his aunt who owns a store on the corner of the street. When

Every year I go to Mexico, during spring break and summer. It's always relaxing laying on the beach or going on a nice refreshing swim in the 70 degree water. It was an average day down in mexico during the summer of 2017; I remember my family and I relaxing at home after a long day on the boat. I was feeding the street dog because I could tell she was either having puppies, or already had puppies. She was starving to death, her ribs were showing, I knew I had to help her. I started feeding her three times a day so she could start producing milk if she’s already had the puppies; or so she could keep the puppies healthy while she was still pregnant. A few days later I walked outside to feed her, and I hear whimpering like the sound newborn puppies

Narratives often provide the opportunity to hear personal experiences of certain individuals to better understand a struggle and finding of identity and purpose. This is especially true when being presented the stories of a marginalized group. Majoritarian stories, while valuable, may distort and silence the experiences of minority communities, often resulting in unfair assumptions made towards said communities. Being presented with counter-stories not only allows people of various backgrounds to hear a response towards more wide-spread claims, but also prevents the majoritarian narrative from dominating the discourse and understanding towards an experience or a group of individuals (Solorzano and Yosso, 2001).

In 1521, the fall of Tenochtitlan proved to be an integral piece in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. After months of devastating warfare between the Aztecs and the Spanish as well as the infection of smallpox into the Aztec population, the Spanish conquered New Spain (Mexico) as their own, resulting in the Spanish occupation and rebuilding of Tenochtitlan. The reshaping of the city was an arduous and complex feat to say the least, as Hernan Cortés faced many challenges following the satisfying victory of the conquest. In order to determine these various challenges involved in post-conquest Mexico, one must assess the various feats Cortés struggled through as well as Carlos I’s attempts to deal with the chaos in Mexico. The most decisive endeavours that the Spaniards faced included: fixing a city of ruins, incorporating the indigenous peoples into society, and creating a Christian basis throughout the land. Thus, post-conquest Mexico faced a magnitude of challenges based on the socio-political, religious, and economic values necessary to conceive their perfect image

     In 1519 Hernán Cortés led a couple hundred other Spaniards inland to the impressive Empire of the Mexica ruled by the Great Montezuma. Many historians today tell how quickly and almost effortlessly these Spaniards conquered the Empire. They paint an image of ignorant, helpless Indians practically giving up their land out of fear of this group because certainly the Spaniards must be gods since they have powerful weapons and strange animals. We know neither Cortés nor any of his men were gods, of course, but what was it that allowed Cortés to prevail over the inhabitants of the land?

Like an enormous living museum, Mexico City provides an extraordinary showplace for the thousands of years of human cultural achievement that Mexico has attained. It ranks as one of the world's great capitals and is a must for anyone craving to understand Mexico's complex past, its fast-paced present, and its ever challenging future. The size and grandeur of the city are staggering. It is not only the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere, but, by some accounts, has also become the largest city in the world. Before we look at present day Mexico City, let us look into it deep and storied past.