Mexico conjures up a lot of stereotypical images for the American: mariachis, tacos, tortillas, Cancun, illegal immigration, construction and landscaping work, and so on. But these images are only the tip of the iceberg of a marvelous culture and a country that is unforgettable once you visit it. There are ample opportunities to see the manifestations of its rich indigenous heritage, among them the pyramids of places like Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza, and the living heritage of its hundreds of descendants of the Aztecs, Maya, and other cultures. Many of its painters, such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, are legendary. It has long been a center for intellectuals, including immigrants from other countries such as the Spanish movie director Luis Bunuel. The country is also a think tank where issues regarding democracy, economic development, and agrarian reform in Latin America are analyzed. Its television industry cranks out tons of comedies such as those featuring comedian Chespirito as well as the world-famous soap operas or telenovelas. It is also known for producing singers such as Luis Miguel, Cristian Castro, Alejandro Fernandez and many others. Actress Salma Hayek is a tireless ambassador for Mexico in the United States.
Mexico is also one of the economic powerhouses of all Latin America, with a hard-working population and explosive growth. It struggles to provide opportunity for all its people, creating all sorts of social issues that lead to some of the effects we see in the US. One of these is that people of Mexican descent are by far the largest percentage of Latinos in our country. What that means, among other things, that in many parts of the US, Mexican culture is readily accessible and is a great introduction to the richness of all Latin America.
My college semester in the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City in 1979 gave me my first opportunity to challenge the stereotypes. It didn't take long: Mexico was larger than the likes of any city I had seen at that time, dwarfing Philadelphia. It was modern; I was especially impressed with the size of the Metro (subway) and the way it shuttled people through the city. I also liked the Aztec ruins that you could see in some of the Metro stations, especially as the Spanish colonial city was built right on top of the Aztec ruins. I was told that each Metro station had its own picture symbol for the benefit of those passengers who could not read. One example is that of the station of Chapultepec, the Aztec word for "grasshopper hill," with an accompanying grasshopper picture.
For our semester we stayed at the house of a Mexican family, usually run by single moms with rooms to spare, as picked by the university. The Americans generally were separated from their counterparts to force us to speak Spanish, but in our case there were three American and three Mexican students staying in the same house. The housemother and the maids spoke little or no English, but it was a good thing that we had the other Americans and the Mexican students there to be able to revert to English because after a day of classes in Spanish my head would be throbbing.
The classes at the Universidad Iberoamericana that were designed for foreign students were conducted mostly in Spanish, but the teachers could generally go to English if needed or would speak Spanish slowly for our benefit. The courses ranged from Mexican history and political science to arts and crafts or dancing. The campus and the weather were beautiful: from November to April there is generally little rain to speak of, and in the other months there may be rain showers in the afternoon but they are predictable and short.
All in all, Mexico was a great place to begin my exploration of Latin America. When I studied in Colombia in 1980, I realized quickly that Mexico had more amenities for Americans than Colombia did at that time and that one could choose to isolate oneself in one's own culture while in Mexico, but it would have been a terrible waste of time if I had done that.
Maid in a middle-class home, Mexico City
Mexican Food
My experience with Mexican food confirmed some preconceived notions but shattered others. There were a lot of things about the food that I really liked. First, the varieties of fresh bread were great. We would walk to the panaderia or bakery to buy the bolillos or rolls, similar to some great sandwich rolls I've bought in South Philadelphia. There is also pan dulce or sweet bread, and other varieties.
No meal is complete without a hot stack of fresh tortillas. The local tortilla bakery was busy from early in the morning cranking them out, and the whole neighborhood smelled of fresh corn flour. Tacos in Mexico City were almost always made with soft corn tortillas. I recall eating the hard-shell tacos only once and didn't run into flour tortillas until I got to Saltillo, a city in the north of Mexico. A popular place to eat lunch is in the taquerias. Not only do you get the tacos, you also get the stack of tortillas to accompany these. They were invariably spicy, and the waiters were adept in replacing the sodas and tortillas very quickly so that you could quench the fire in your throat. It seemed like a ritual in which you set yourself on fire and put yourself out. Still, the tacos were delicious and I didn't mind setting my throat on fire.
I have some favorite memories of Mexican food, among them the fresh strawberry creamsicles at the Aurrerá supermarket (that name always was a tongue-twister for me). Others were the quesadillas (there were some filled with cheese and others with potato), the sweet tamales and the Sangria flavor of soft drinks. I also remember milk shakes with various fruit flavors; these were called licuados. There is also a sweet caramel made of goat's milk called cajeta, which we either ate out of the jar or spread on tortillas. One time I had a great meal in a restaurant that not only featured steak but also a sweet onion cooked right on the grill.
The picture below shows one of our Mexican roommates having a last binge before going on a diet. He is guzzling rompope, a vanilla-flavored liqueur.
Enjoying a bottle of rompope (liqueur)
Mexicans and American visitors to Mexico
One of the odd things about my semester in Mexico was that it was the first time that I saw the reaction of others to the presence of my fellow Americans overseas. There seemed to be a desperation to put whatever thing possible for sale in front of the American tourists, who were really numerous in places such as Acapulco and especially the ruins at Teotihuacán near Mexico City. I felt very strange to be numbered among all the others. At the ruins there were many vendors in and around the pyramids with things for sale. One of the souvenirs that has lasted the 30 years is an obsidian head that I halfheartedly purchased (see below). I am really glad in retrospect that I bought it, as I had no idea how much I would appreciate having it around to remind me of the trip.
Copyright 2011 by Michael Esposito. All rights reserved. Todos los derechos reservados. E-mail: meesposito@gmail.com This site updated October 9, 2011/Este sitio fue ampliado el 9 de octubre de 2011 Santa Fe Travel: a division of L & M Travel - Michael Esposito: IC Travel Specialist of L & M Travel - CST# 2043262-40 L & M Travel IC Agent
