The fascinating cultural nuances of Mexico reflect the complexity of Mexico’s History.  It is a blend of mysterious Amero-Indian civilizations that flourished for thousands of years, the influence of Spain’s colonization from the 16th   to the 18th century, the formative years of the country after it’s revolution for independence and the inevitable process of change in the modern world. 

Spain’s control of Mexico led to the official language of Spanish, there are close to 100 Native American languages/dialects still spoken in Mexico today.  While none of these dominate Mexican society, over 1 million people speak Nahuatl and another 200,000 speak Maya considering these their first language. Strong family ties are important and it is common to find 3 and sometimes 4 generations living under the same roof, often involved in the same family trade or business. 

Mexicans take great pride in their country, their culture, their ethnicity.  A national pride for anyone and anything Mexican is palpable and is never more evident than during an Olympic year.  Mexico has developed its own unique culinary, musical and artesian repertoire with many contributions to each discipline known the world over.  Famous contribution and/or contibutors include:   Artists: Diego Rivera & Frida Kalo; Actors: Salma Hayek, Raquel Welch, Anthony Quinn and Ricardo Montelban; Astronaut - Rodolfo Neri Vela; Singers/Musicians: Carlos Santana, Luis Miguel and Mariachi Bands. In fact, during the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic games in China – one of only a handful of representative world music played during the athletes procession was Mariachi music.  Sports enthusiasts will recognize names like MLB players: Fernando Valenzuela Dodgers; NFL Players: Rafiel Septien – Dallas Cowboys, Raul Allegro New York Giants; World Soccer: Luis Garcia Soccer - Mexico; Rafael Maquez – Barcelona; NBA: Eduardo Najera - Denver Nuggets & Dallas Maveriks.  Almost everyone on the planet has at least tried Tacos, Tortillas, Tamales, Mole and of course Tequila!!!

Perhaps the most well-known aspect of Mexico’s culture is its generous hospitality. The people of Mexico are genuinely warm-hearted and the Spanish phrase Mi casa es tu casa, ("my house is your house") is not just an over used cliche, but a true sentiment.