Mexican Culture and Art Notes

Viva Mexico

Tortillas

  • An essential part of Mexican gastronomy.
  • Types:
    • White flour tortillas.
    • Yellow corn tortillas (or white corn).

Platos Tipicos con Tortillas (Typical dishes with tortillas)

  • Tacos
  • Quesadillas
  • Flautas/taquitos
  • Enchiladas

Refrescos y Más (Refreshments and More)

  • Horchata: Cold rice and cinnamon drink.
  • Elotes: Corn with cream and cotija cheese.
  • Conchas: Sweet bread with sugar on top.

Guacamole Ingredients

  • Avocado (aguacate)
  • Cilantro
  • Salt (sal)
  • Jalapeño
  • Red onion (cebolla roja)
  • Lime (lima)

Mariachi

  • A group of traveling musicians that sing ranchera music.
  • Wear the charro, the traditional suit with a sombrero.
  • Use instruments like guitars, trumpets, and violins.

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (1971-1995)

  • Singer and designer.
  • Mexican American from Texas.
  • Sang in Spanish and English.
  • Was murdered at 23 years old.
  • Song mentioned: "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" from the album "Amor Prohibido".

Selena Movie (1997)

  • Starring Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos.
  • A story of a girl who had the spirit to believe in a dream and the courage to make it come true.

Mexican Holidays

  • 5 de Mayo (May 5th):
    • Batalla de Puebla (Battle of Puebla), the victory of the Mexicans against the French.
    • Celebrated mainly in the state of Puebla; not a national celebration.
  • 16 de Septiembre (September 16th):
    • Día de Independencia nacional (National Independence Day), celebrating independence from Spain.

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) - November 1st & 2nd

  • The idea: the spirits of the dead return to the world of the living.
  • Ofrendas (Offerings): Altars with their favorite food, flowers, photos, candles.
  • Traditions: Decorated calaveras (skulls), papel picado (cut paper), cempasúchiles (marigolds), velas (candles), visit the tombs.

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

  • A painter.
  • Painted self-portraits (autorretratos).
  • Wife of Diego Rivera.
  • Had a tragic bus accident at 18.
  • Identified by flowers in her hair and her unibrow.

Frida's Art and Life

  • Pintó de cama (painted from bed):
    • Underwent more than 30 operations.
  • Relationship with Diego:
    • Diego's infidelity: She felt strangled by the situation, as depicted in "Diego y Yo".
    • Frida's obsessive love: Diego on her forehead indicates Frida's obsessive love.
    • Wore traditional Tehuana dresses to attract Diego.
    • Roots depicted as a spider web to trap Diego, representing "Pensando en Diego" (Thinking of Diego).
  • "Las Dos Fridas" (The Two Fridas):
    • One Frida dressed in European dresses (left).
    • The other in traditional Mexican attire (right).
    • Represents her two identities: with Diego and without Diego.
  • "Autorretrato con Pelo Corto" (Self-Portrait with Short Hair):
    • After her divorce, she cut the long hair that Diego liked.
    • She renounced the feminine image, cutting her hair and wearing masculine clothing, seeking independence from men.

Frida's Death & Legacy

  • Died in 1954 at 47 years old.
  • Painted 200 works of art.
  • The Casa Azul (Blue House) in Mexico City was turned into a museum.

Diego Rivera (1886-1957)

  • A painter and muralist.
  • Painted Mexican life and the struggles of the classes.
  • Husband of Frida Kahlo.

Diego's Art

  • "Cargador de Flores" (Flower carrier):
    • The peasant carries flowers instead of food.
    • Flowers are seen as having no value to the peasant; they are decoration for the rich.
    • A way for Rivera to express how the life of the rich oppresses the poor.
  • Emiliano Zapata:
    • Mural shows Emiliano Zapata as a defender of the reform and the Mexican Revolution.
    • Rivera immortalized him as a hero and glorified the triumph of the Revolution.
  • Tenochtitlán:
    • Diego was fascinated with the indigenous life and history of Mexico.
  • Historia de México (History of Mexico) Mural in the Palacio Nacional (Mexico City):
    • Diego worked with the fresco style to make murals.
    • Fresco is painting on walls with wet plaster.
  • "Un sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central":
    • The mural is a fresco that contains all the characters from the painter's childhood.