About 12 years ago, I went to Mexico with my high school Spanish class. We went to Puerta Vallarta and Guadalajara for about two weeks. Because I was so young, I don't remember a lot about the trip. I do remember visiting old buildings, churches, and restaurants, but mostly, I remember the excellent beaches, beautiful colors, and the amazing shopping.
When I think of Mexico, or any of the Central American countries, I think of delicious food, bright colors, and close families. I absolutely love Mexican food, and enjoy trying foods from other countries as well. Anything from tacos, burritos, horchata, salsa, rice and beans, exotic cactus dishes to the many different desserts, I might have to admit that Mexican food is my favorite.
The fabrics and colors are bright and beautiful. I remember pinks, greens, blues, oranges, reds, and more. The clothing was decorated with floral designs, and I often think of dresses, hair pieces, and sombreros.
I also think of big family parties and gatherings, together celebrating different events. It is important to have big families, in their culture, and they usually live together, or at least in the same town. They work together and take care of each other. Family values seem very strong.
I look forward to learning more about their art and ancient civilizations.
So true! Mexican food is the best! I love how you bring up big family gatherings. This is such a part of their culture and how they live life! So awesome. I posted about bright colors on my blog as well. Everything seems to be brighter, louder, and taste much better there!
ReplyDeleteI've also witnessed how family structure is very important in Latin American culture, I've definitely known families who are deeply invested in the lives of all their family members. I loved building houses for families in Tijuana because it was always really obvious how close the family is already, and neat for them to share in the experience together. Mexican food is my favorite, too.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your Spanish class gave you some great experiences and a good look into some very traditional clothing from what you describe. I agree with you about the food, it's delicious! Probably one of the main reasons I keep going back.
ReplyDeleteHi Sallie, I also love Mexican food and I very much appreciate that Mexican families have such strong family values. Family is a very important part of my life also and I know that if I am in trouble I can always depend on my family.
ReplyDeleteI was born in Mexico and came to the US at the age of ten. I can relate to the big family parties I remember being a kid and going to family gatherings and there was always at least 30 family members there. Most of us lived in the same city Puebla, Mexico, even now that a lot of my family members live here in the US most of us live in South Lake Tahoe. I'm related to about 60 people in SLT, if you live in SLT you probably know someone from my family.
ReplyDeleteHi Sallie, I agree with you in your description of Mexico; it is full of vibrant colors. One of my favorite memories of my grandparents home is that their bedrooms were painted 1/3 one color and the other part a different color. I have never looked into the reason for that but your description of the colors brought that memory back. My grandparents bedroom was the brightest pink for the majority of the wall and then a light blue at the bottom. Funny but it looked beautiful. Maria
ReplyDeleteI too was very young when I went to Mexico and yes, I have to agree the sights, the food and the shopping was amazing! I really like how you mentioned close families because I feel the same way. The people there seem very family oriented and close showing lots of love for one another. Also the colors are a huge thing that just sparked my memory. I have a poncho that is multicolored and definitely nothing like anything you would find around here. It is very bright with a crazy design that caught my eye and was a must have in my book.
ReplyDeleteI was also fairly young during my first visit to mexico. But the things I do remember are so vivid it seems like I was just there. The amazing aquatic life. The street vendors at night. The colors of the building, the clothing, and the wildlife were so vibrant. And mexican food is the greatest. I find is so unusual that as Americans we have almost lost our family connection. Everyone is just so busy all the time they never set aside time for what and who are really important.
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