Information on Mexican Culture

Hello! I wanted to request some help with writing my character. I have an Afro Mexican main character and even if he does live in America and was born in it, his parents were both born in Mexico (both are Afro mexicans) and are immigrants. I want to know the specifics of Mexican culture to religion, dialect, slang, formalities, cuisine, traditions, etc. I want to represent my character correctly and it’ll be great to get the help I can get. :revolving_hearts: Please and thank you!

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@anon80318563 May be able to help! :eyes:

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:eyes:

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I can help! :sunflower: :coffee: :sparkles: :yellow_heart:

  • Religion. The most predominant religion in Mexico is Roman Catholicism, though there is a large Protestant Christian community as well. There are also a few Mormons and Jehovah’s witnesses here. You will also find people who are not religious and may be either atheists or agnostics. I’ve even met people who are Buddhists but it isn’t very common.

  • Holidays. Christmas is a major holiday that almost everyone celebrates. Most households put up a tree, decorations, and buy presents for family. The week before Christmas, we begin having las posadas. These are gatherings where traditional drinks such as ponche (a hot fruit cider) and atole or champurrado (hot chocolate thickened with corn flour) are normally served. The tradition of las posadas is reminiscent to when Mary and Joseph went around asking for a place to stay before Jesus was born, so it’s basically a way of hosting people in your house for the evening. In some posadas, piñatas filled with mostly candy (or fruit) are broken.

The day of the dead (Día de los muertos) is also a popular Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st-2nd, in order to remember loved ones that have passed on. People put up altars with pictures of their loved ones and decorate it with ‘papel picada’ (a decorative type of tissue paper with intricate designs cut out of it) and sometimes even foods the deceased person loved. A delicious bread called ‘pan de muerto’ (bread of the dead) is eaten during this time. Some protestant Christian families do not celebrate the Day of the Dead, claiming that it idolizes death. I myself am a protestant Christian but I see it more as a cultural holiday than a religious one and I think it’s a nice way to remember those who have passed on.

We also celebrate American holidays like Valentine’s Day and Halloween here, but Thanksgiving is only celebrated in bilingual schools where English and American culture is taught.

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  • Avoiding stereotypes. I’ve seen a lot of people (even here in Mexico) stereotype Mexicans. Some of the most common stereotypes are:

-Drinking tequila and beer. Though many people here enjoy those drinks, I know many people who do not drink alcohol at all, and some who prefer wine over tequila or beer.
-Music. Although ‘banda’ and ‘reggaeton’ are popular among people of all ages, not everyone likes it. Many people here listen to pop in both English and Spanish, rock, metal, classical music, electronic, folk, and hip hop.
-Dark skin and black hair. There are also light-skinned Mexicans with blonde hair and light eyes. People from the northern part of the country are usually taller and with lighter hair and skin than people from the southern states but there are definitely exceptions.
-‘Sombreros’ and ponchos. ‘Sombrero’ literally means ‘hat’ in Spanish and it refers to any type of hat, not just the wide brimmed ones that are seen often on TV. People don’t just go around wearing those hats here. Some people might wear ponchos when it’s cold or rainy but it’s not too common.
Independence Day. It is NOT Cinco de Mayo. That’s the day of the battle of Puebla, and it’s hardly celebrated here, but we do get a day off from work or school. Our real independence day is September 16th, and the festivities usually start on September 15th at night (and in schools there is almost always a festival or picnic). Many people wear the colors of the flag— red, white, and green.

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Arabs in Mexico. There is also a large Arab community in many parts of Mexico, mostly Lebanese. My cousin is married to a man from Lebanon, and my nephews are half Mexican and half Lebanese. The oldest one has very prominent Lebanese features. There are a number of dishes that we eat in Mexico that come from the Middle East. Like labneh (called jocoque here), hummus, tacos al pastor, tabbule, and more.

Swearing. Like in all countries, you will find that many people swear, but there are many others that don’t. This depends on factors such as personality, upbringing, and religious beliefs.

Food.
Typical foods include:
Pozole
Tacos
Gorditas
Chicken in mole sauce
Tamales
Pancita
Aguas de sabor (flavored water)
Romeritos (a dish eaten during the Christmas season)

It also depends on what region you’re from. Each state has their own typical dishes.

Popular names.
Of course, everyone knows about Pedro, Juan, Maria, and José. But here are a few names that are popular in Mexico:
-Sofía
-Alejandra / Alejandro
-Silvia
-Luis
-Emiliano (my nephew’s name)
-Daniela or Daniel (pronounced Dan-YEL)
-Mariana (my name, except that mine has 2 'n’s)
-Angel (a boy’s name, pronounced AHN- hel)
-Rodrigo
-Santiago
-Diego
-María Fernanda / María José
-Valentina
-Valeria
-Frida

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Is there anything you can tell me on Mexican households accustom? Like how you address your elders, your parents, and guests?

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And thanks for all this information! This is so helpful.

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  • In general when greeting others, it’s natural to kiss both cheeks, mainly between two females as a way of greeting.

  • There’s the basic never use “tu” in Spanish with elders, instead in equal uses Usted (plural: Ustedes)

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:eye::lips::eye:
we dont do that

we kiss opposite sex cheeks and only hug same sexes

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:eyes: Are you serious? Oof, scratch that then I swear that was how it worked :confused: Ah, I must’ve gotten it confused or smthn.

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… That’s how my Spanish teacher said it worked in some countries?

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i thought that was just the french lmao
do you not member :pleading_face:? aw

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That’s how my mother and Spanish teacher told me…

Oh well, we may be thinking of of Spain instead or other countries

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dont trust your spanish teacher!!
i will say it 1000 times

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But I mean… she went to study abroad and actually learned Spanish in a Spanish speaking country, both of my Spanish teachers did. But I mean, hey, yeah maybe it’s wrong.
Maybe I’m thinking of a Spanish speaking country and not Mexican- lol I’m dumb.

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i mean, it also might just be my little community

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i feel like we do that, but its not the norm
like it’s more formal for certain lil occasions

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Ok I’m pretty sure my teacher did not learn Spanish in Mexico lol sorry, moving on. It might be custom in another country but probably not in Mexico lol. :see_no_evil:

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Yeah, norms do differ in different places, and then Spain is weird in general, you know what I mean? :joy::sneezing_face: Don’t stress :two_hearts:

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