Traditional Hacienda in Mexico
I recently received a very intellectual, well thought-out and explained response to my frustrations in Mexico from one “Fernando” (which, by the way, is supposedly the name of my personal angel … but that´s another story!). Thank you, Fernando!
This particular comment got me thinking about how the history of Mexico has influenced the culture and society here today. As Fernando pointed out, Mexico is really not like a US or Chile, in that the Europeans who came to Mexico did not practically eliminate the native peoples, as occurred in the history of many countries in “the new world.” Yet it is also not quite like a Bolivia, for instance, where the native populations remain in the majority and still maintain a strong cultural identity/language/customs. No, Mexico is unique.
An interesting POV on Latin American History
As Eduardo Galeano described in his book “Las Venas Abiertas a America Latina,” in Mexico it was the native Aztecs who enabled the Spaniards to take over and control the land, and it was the Spanish-blood Criollos who in turn freed Mexico. A bit of a twist from the classic “Colonizer – Native” story. Mexico was built from a mixed population with cultural, genetic and geographic influence from a wide variety of native peoples, several groups of Spaniards with varied interests in business, religion and the search for a better life, and more recently from the capitalist, consumer-driven culture of the USA. These varied cultural influences converge in Mexico, a nation that never really settled on a singular identity and has had a long history of drastic social class differences that constantly pulled the country and culture apart.
Of course, we can ask if there is really any country that has a singular identity today. Probably not. But still, it seems to me, as an outsider, that Mexico struggles to find the common principles on which to base their cultural beliefs. I could say that in the US, the idea of “you can do/be anything” is a unifying cultural belief. Even Switzerland, a country with several different languages and distinct cultures has some unifying cultural identities. But what are Mexico´s unifying cultural identities? What is Mexico known for around the world, and what do they want to be known for? (No, tequila and tacos do not count as unifying cultural beliefs, in my opinion.)
Perhaps if Mexico could continue this self-exploration and develop a unified point of view on what the country and people should stand for, they could more easily overcome the sociocultural issues that everyone here seems to complain about but no one seems willing to change. Or is this unified vision just a silly daydream? Can profound sociocultural evolution come without a vision of where Mexico wants to go and who it wants to be?
Ideas/thoughts dear readers?
CulturVista 
October 10, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Uh, no, no… I beg to differ! I think Fernando is right. Mexico and its problems are the result of the combination of two cultures, the Spanish and the Prehispanic. However, I think your interpretation might be a little wrong.
Believe me, Mexico has a very strong singular identity, I have never doubted that. Hard to pin point what it is, even for us natives, but it is there, you can sniff the Mexican-ess in each other. You have to know someone somewhere in order to get a good job. The Mexican woman, is suffering but stoic, a martyr, tolerating ungrateful children, bad amigas, unfaithful husbands, pero eso sí, with her dingnity intact! These believes among, many, maaany others are common to all. Unfortunately. Black-mexicans, jewish-mexicans, the poor and the fresas, they all share the same ideals, the same expectations in life, they all behave in a similar way.
The reason I feel so sure about Mexico’s strong cultural identity is because I am totally shocked to observe how important are regional identities here in Europe. There isn’t that much of an indentification with the whole nation as you can find in Mexico. Let me explain myself: in Germany, someone from Hamburg would be deeply offended if you even dare to suggest that Lederhosen, white sausages and Oktoberfest are Germans staples – they are not, they are Bavarian and they don’t even speak German down there, it is something else that no else understands; someone from Barcelona speaks Catalan and someone from Valencia, speaks Valenciá (even though the two languages are practically the same), oh, and Spanish is not Spanish, it is Castillian (this, without even going into the discussion of whether Cataluna or the Basque country should be independent or not); popular saying in the city of Liverpool:„I’m not English, I am a Scouser“, enough said. See what I mean? Compared to all of these, Mexico and Mexicans seem, at least to me, to be an extremly homogenous folk, where someone from Chiapas can totally share the same cultural mindset with someone from Monterrey or Aguascalientes, or have you ever heard someone say „I am a Nayaritan, not a Mexican“?
But coming back to what Fernando said, the cultural clash that took place during the early years of the colony shaped the Mexico we know today. For example, Mexico was never a place where you could upgrade your social status through your own merit. There were very clearly defined social classes during the prehispanic time, and the castas systems imposed by the Spaniards didn’t make it any better. Is it any wonder that Mexico has a huge corruption problem, that our democracy is in diapers, that we can’t talk to each other without screaming „Revolución!!!“ if we don’t get our way? The tlatoanis were never elected based on merit. Prehispanic socities weren’t exactly known for their democratic ways. And during the colony, if you were a criollo and not a Spaniard born in the motherland, you simply could not access certain jobs or political positions, no matter how smart and prepared you were. Unless, of course, you happen to know someone that would accidentally overlook the fact that you were born in Mexico City and not in Seville. (The „palancas“ and the „mordida“ during the 17th century!).
I don’t think these problems stemm out of „indecision“ or out of „youth“. Yes, we are a young nation and a rather young culture, but I don’t think that has much to do with our current problems, to be honest with you. Take for instance Iceland. They became an independent nation in 1947. However, they have always based themselves in democratic institutions, in fact they have one of the oldest parliamentary institutions in the world. As a viking society, that relied heavily on fishing and, uhm, raiding other territories, so women and men shared equal positions of power, since women ruled the country while the men were gone. Due to the harsh natural conditions in the island, a strong sense of communal work ensured the survival of the entire community during the harsh winters. The result: Iceland is one of the most egalitarian countries in the world, a solid democracy with an extensive welfare state, much like their viking cousins, Norway, Denmark and Sweden.
The fact is, Mexico has many wonderful things to owe to its mestizaje, but as well a lot of crap that we are carrying in our backs. Mexicans have to see what is in our best interest and what is not, but you know, old habits die hard. Our culture, I think, is so strong and so well rooted that it makes changes harder to achieve than in othre countries. As Fernando pointed out correctly, change can happen (and has happened) but in a slower pace.
Phew!! Sorry for the long rant, but you brought up quite an interesting topic! Oh, and by the way… cool blog!! 😉
October 14, 2009 at 7:41 am
A,
I think Octavio Paz’ “El laberinto de la soledad” can help you to understand more about “mexiqueness”.
“…en el ser mexicano está presente, aún después de muchas generaciones, el hecho de que se trata de un pueblo surgido de una violación”
Saludos,
f