Zisi Gunsburg

Course 671-Winter 2014

April 24, 2014

Professor Grun
Culture Research-Mexico

Mexico has been inhabited for thousands of years. Early on, inhabitants served many different
kinds of gods including their rulers whom they worshiped. (New Internationalist Organization,
1994). It was occupied by many civilizations, including the Mayas, Olmecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs.
In the 1500s, Mexico was conquered by Spain and became a New Spain Colony. Mexico was
governed by Spain for about 300 years until the Mexicans revolted in the 1800s and won their
independence. During Spanish rule, Spanish culture infiltrated into Mexican society. (Pearson
Education, 2011). After Mexicans gained their independence from Spain, they had many
emperors and dictators rule over them until the early 1900s when the last dictator was
overthrown. At that point, a constitution was written, which is the basis of todays Mexican
constitution. Throughout the 1900s, there was tremendous industrial growth. In the 1980s, the oil
wealth model collapsed under a mountain of debt. It has steadied somewhat since then (New
Internationalist Organization, 1994). More recently, Mexican presidents together with the United
States have been working to fight astronomically high rates of violence and drugs. There has not
been much improvement as of yet (Pearson Education, 2011).
Although there are many cultures and languages in Mexico, the primary and official language is
Spanish (Culture Crossing Organization, 2014). Mexico has introduced chocolate, corn, and chili
peppers to the world. They use these foods in many of their dishes. Tacos are also a common
food there, as well as guacamole, an avocado salad (Random History Organization, 2009).
Based on Toledanos research (2011), The family is at the center of the social structure.
Outside of the major cosmopolitan cities, families are still generally large. The extended

family is as important as the nuclear family since it provides a sense of stability.

Mexicans consider it their duty and responsibility to help family members. Most Mexican
families are extremely traditional, society and business are highly stratified and vertically
structured. Rank is important, and those above you in rank must always be treated with
respect. This makes it important to know which person is in charge, and leads to an
authoritarian approach to decision-making and problem- solving. It would be
disrespectful to break the chain of hierarchy (p.17-19).
When a Mexican greets another person usually he shakes the other partys hand. They prefer
indirect communication over direct communication. Mexicans tend to stand closer to
communication partners than Americans are used to. In certain parts of Mexico, it is considered
disrespectful to look at someone in their eyes. When children are in trouble, it is considered
disrespectful and challenging to look at the adult in the eyes. Mexican are not so set around
schedules and do not care for punctuality to social events however, business events need to start
on time. Many women are expected to be homemakers and do not work. They are expected to be
obedient to their husbands. In cities it is more common for women to work, and many hold
professional positions there, however wages are lower for Mexican women. Crime is common in
Mexico with high rates of robberies, carjacking, kidnapping (Culture Crossing Organization,
2014).
When showing the height for something, Mexicans hold the palm down for animals and
sideways for people. Burping is not polite there. It shows they are angry when they hold their
hands on their hips. It is deemed impolite for them to hold their hands in their pockets (Culture
Crossing Organization, 2014).

Since the 1950s, the number of students attending elementary school has grown tremendously
from 3,000,000 in the 1950s to 32,000,000 at the present time, due to incredible population
growth. Although most students attend primary school, only 62% attend secondary school, and
half of those who attend, drop out of school. Students read fewer than 3 books a year due to
poverty and low education levels. Students perform poorly on state tests. The education system is
very corrupt, involving bribes and poor quality education. In spite of these statistics, in urban
areas there are many educated doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. (Rama, 2011). Schools
run from August until June with a 2 month break at the end of the school year. Dress in school is
casual, commonly long jeans and a t-shirt. Some schools have uniforms. Lecture is the most
common style of teaching, although group work and discussions are also used. Students are
graded using a 0-10 grading scale (Culture Crossing Organization, 2014). Coming to the U.S.
and attending school here, may pose great difficulties to Mexican children. General classroom
routines and schedules in America are foreign to Mexican students. Mexican students are not
used to many signs, posters, and visuals around the classroom and may suffer from sensory
overload in the U.S. classrooms. They may not be used to computers and other technology here.
These students may be used to living closer to the school than here in America. In Mexico,
teachers change classrooms instead of students. Since school is only mandatory in Mexico until
age 14, parents do not know or realize the importance of mandatory attendance to school every
day and importance of completion of high school. Children may also have difficulty adjusting to
a new American schools due to the fact that many Mexican parents are illiterate (Cors, 2014).
Many Mexicans come to the United States both legally and illegally to receive better paying jobs
to support their families. Despite better paying jobs, most Mexicans face social and economic
challenges. 39% of Mexicans in United States do not have health insurance due to poverty which

lends itself to fewer doctor visits and more emergency room visits. Many Mexicans tend to
mainstream themselves and their children into North American culture (Center of Disease
Control and Prevention Organization). Many Mexican immigrants move in with or near their
families to form co-ethnic communities in the United States. In America, Mexicans may suffer
from culture shock due to gender, education, diet, education, and family value differences (Cors,
2014).

References
Center of Disease Control and Prevention Organization. (n.d.). Overview of Mexican Culture.
Retrieved April 25, 2014, from Center of Disease Control and Prevention Web Site:
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/guidestoolkits/ethnographicguides/Mexico/chapters/c
hapter2.pdf
Cors, M. F. (2014). Bridging the differences: Cultural background of Mexican students entering
U.S. schools. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from Learn NC Web Site:
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/brdglangbarriers/4486
Culture Crossing Organization. (2014). Mexico. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from Culture Crossing
Web Site: http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=134
New Internationalist Organization. (1994, January 5). Simply... A Brief History of Mexico.
Retrieved April 24, 2014, from New Internationalist Magazine:
http://newint.org/features/1994/01/05/simply/
Pearson Education. (2011). World. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from Fact Monster:
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0107779.html
Rama, A. (2011, April 13). Factbox: Facts about Mexico's education system. Retrieved April 24,
2014, from Reuters Web Site: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/13/us-mexicoeducation-factbox-idUSTRE73C4UY20110413
Random History Organization. (2009, January 19). 46 Interesting Facts About.... Mexico.
Retrieved April 24, 2014, from Random History Web Site:
http://facts.randomhistory.com/2008/11/25_mexico.html
Toledano, P. (2011, October 20). All about Mexico - interesting facts about society and culture.
Retrieved April 24, 2014, from Slide Share Web Site:

http://www.slideshare.net/Prisyonce/all-about-mexico-interesting-facts-about-societyand-culture