Mexican Culture for Kids

Tlaxcala is a small state located just a few hours outside of Mexico City. Tlaxcala has a rich history and a strong tradition of folk art. Due to the state’s proximity to the state of Puebla, it is no surprise that they are producers of Talavera pottery and tiles. Additionally, the community of San Sebastian Atlahapa is famous for these elaborate and beautiful works of red clay (pictured above).

Tlaxcala also produces fanciful and unusual alebrijes, which are surreal sculptures of fantastical animals. Wooden alebrijes from the state of Oaxaca are perhaps better known than those from Tlaxcala, which are typically made from papier-mâché. The best place to find this unusual folk art is in the community of Popocatla. Please see these resources for more information on the history, culture, and folk art of the Mexican state of Tlaxcala.

Houston Culture Website on the History of the state of Tlaxcala.

Mexico Desconocido Article on Popocatla.

Check out this great recipe for Alegrías. This is a popular snack in Mexico, especially in Mexico City. This is a simple and healthy snack that you and your kids can make at home or for a school project to explore the ancient cultures of Mexico. Amaranth has been around since the time of the Aztecs, and is still popular today. Read more about amaranth here.

5 cups of toasted amaranth seeds
¾ cup honey

Amaranth seeds, once toasted, resemble tiny popcorn. Warm the honey over low heat. Mix the amaranth with the warm honey until the amaranth is well coated. Press the mixture into a lightly greased square pan, about 1 inch deep. Make sure the mixture is an even thickness. Cut the alegrias into small squares while the mixture is still warm. Let cool.

You can also add other seeds to this mixture including peanuts and walnuts. Dried fruits such as raisins also work well.

(Recipe courtesy of Aztec Gardens, a Guide to the Foods and Spices of Mexico)

The Aztecs, whose empire was located in central Mexico where Mexico City is now, ate a variety of foods that we would consider weird. Here, we present a list of some of the common foods that they consumed. Remember that what we define as “weird” and “unusual” is all a matter of perspective. Try and think of the foods that you eat that people in other countries would find strange. I once lived in Honduras, Central America, and the community I lived in thought that eating canned vegetables was pretty strange.

Here is the list of unusual foods from the time of the Aztecs. Note that some of these foods are consumed in Mexico, even today!

Cactus Pads (Nopal):
Nopal (oputia ficus-indica) is an edible cactus that was consumed throughout ancient Mesoamerica. The tender cactus pads make an easy and quick meal, as they can be harvested and eaten raw or cooked. Nopal was also prized because it is associated with cochineal, an insect that is used as a natural red dye.

Chia:
Chia is a seed that forms a sort of slimy coating when soaked in water. It is highly nutritious and is now used in various beverages in Mexico.

Escamoles (Ant Eggs):
Escamoles are the larva of black ants and are consumed cooked with spices.

Huitlacoche (Cuitlacoche):
Huitlachoce is a Nahuatl word that translates roughly to “excrement of the Gods.” This rather unappetizing name is strangely appropriate for this odd but delicious food of pre-Hispanic origin.

Maguey Cactus Worms:
These insect larvae make their home on the maguey cactus. They are fried up and eaten with chile, salt, and lime in the state of Oaxaca.

Xoloitzcuintli:
This is a breed of dog that is native to Mexico. It was sacred to the Aztecs, and it was also consumed as food. It is an extremely rare breed today and is definitely NOT used as food.

Please see this site for more information on the ancient foods of Mesoamerica.

The San Diego Museum of Art offers this excellent PDF file written by Dalia D’Rozario which details a Mexican mask project for students. The project includes a little about the history of the use of masks in Mexico, and a photo of a basic Mexican Mask.

The home-made mask uses very simple materials including papier mâché, plastic bowls, water, glue, paint, pipe cleaners, paper, scissors, yarn, sequins, etc. This is a great project for students and should take about a day or two to complete.

Today, the tradition of masks in Mexico is a mixture of indigenous and Spanish traditions. There are some excellent museums in Mexico where you can see examples of the diversity of Mexican masks. The National Mask Museum in San Luis Potosi is probably the most famous. The Museum of Rafael Coronel, located in Zacatecas, Mexico holds another outstanding collection of Mexican masks.

Sample mask designs from different regions in Mexico.

Nahuatl was the language of the Aztec empire, with many difference indigenous groups throughout central Mexico speaking versions of the language during the time of the Aztecs’ reign. To clarify, “Nahua” is the term we use to refer to the indigenous people of this region of Mexico, while the language itself is called “Nahuatl.”

Today, Nahuatl is still a living language, with over 1.5 million people throughout Mexico speaking the language today. Nahuatl is a sub-branch of the Uto-Aztecan language, which is native to Mexico. Today, the modern Nahuatl language has only a little to do with the language spoken by the Aztecs. The language has evolved and changed since the time of the Spanish conquest, and various dialects are spoken.

Interestingly, very few people are of aware of the fact that words from the Nahuatl language are present in various forms in our own languages. This is due mostly to the Spanish conquest, and the subsequent blending of the Spanish and Nahua cultures. Words from Nahuatl are especially present in words referring to fruits, vegetables, foods, and animals.

Nahuatl’s largest influence has been on the Spanish language for obvious reasons. However, Nahuatl also appears in the English language, most notably with the following words:

Avocado (ahuacatl)
Chile (chilli)
Chocolate (from xoco(l)atl)
Cacao (cacahuatl ’shell, rind’)
Coyote (coyotl)
Mesquite (mizquitl)
Tomato (from (xi)tomatl)
Ocelot (ocelotl)

Please see these links for more information on the Nahuatl language.

Spanish Nahuatl Dictionary: http://aulex.ohui.net/es-nah/?idioma=en
Wikipedia Articles about the Nahuatl language:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Nahuatl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nahuatl_language

For several generations, Mexican children have been raised on the music of Cri-Cri, El Grillo Cantor (The Singing Cricket). Cri Cri is the creation of Francisco Jose Gabilondo Soler of Veracruz, Mexico, a talented composer who is best known for his children’s music. Not only does he write wonderfully catchy tunes that will stick in your children’s heads, his songs are also whimsical stories. Each song features the adventures of insects, rabbits, goats, and all manner of colorful characters, sung to a variety of rhythms including danzon, tango, etc. Cri-Cri captures the innocence and wonder of childhood, but his themes also make adults crack up with laughter at the silliness of the lyrics. You can find Cri-Cri’s 100 classics on Amazon.com.

Check out this excellent site on Mexican textiles. This is a comprehensive site that has a wealth of information about Mexican textiles and indigenous artisans. I was also happy to note that it functions as a sort of non-profit that works to preserve the traditions of indigenous Mexican culture. Mexican textiles are some of the most beautiful and exotic in the world. Their website is definitely worth browsing. It has tons of information on indigenous culture and is a good source of information for teachers and students stuyding tradtional Mexican crafts.

Cut and Make Mexican Masks in Full Color (Cut-Out Masks) by Josie Hazen, A.G. Smith is a delightful book that features 7 authentic Mexican folk masks that you can make yourself. Each mask is authentic in its design, showing historic masks from different parts of Mexico. The designs include devil masks, a bat mask, a skull mask, and a tiger mask. This is a great book for children, teachers, and parents. Use this book as a way to educate children about the rich folk arts and traditions of Mexico. There are used copies available at Amazon.com for around $3.00, so it’s definitely not out of reach for families or teachers.

This site was created by a husband and wife team who have decided to share their love of Mexico through a series of informative websites.

Veronica Iglesias is originally from Mexico City. She holds a Master’s degree in Meso-American Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She has also studied alternative and traditional Mexican medicine through various experts in Mexico City.

Kent Swanson holds a Master’s degree in Natural Resources Planning from the University of New Mexico. He has spent over four years living and working in Mexico and Central America. He is also an artist working in the mediums of printmaking and paper making.

Kent and Veronica share their time between Albuquerque, New Mexico and Mexico City. They are the parents of one child.

To contact them, please cut and paste this “spam-free” email address and replace the “at” with an @ symbol:

kswanson55atyahoo.com

Saludos,

La Familia Swanson