MEXICO

Capital | Mexico CityFLAG DESCRIPTION: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; Mexico's coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus) is centered in the white band; green signifies hope, joy, and love; white represents peace and honesty; red stands for hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor; the coat of arms is derived from a legend that the wandering Aztec people were to settle at a location where they would see an eagle on a catus eating a snake; the city they founded, Tenochtitlan, is now Mexico City note: similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter, uses lighter shades of red and green, and does not have anything in its white band

Population | 111,211,789 (July 2010 est.)

Area | 1,972,550 SQ KM

Official Language | Spanish

Holidays | Independence Day, 16 September (1810 declared - 1821 recognized by Spain)

Currency | Mexican pesos (MXN)

Time Zone |  UTC -6 *note Mexico is divided into three time zones

Best Time to Visit | October to May

Connecting with the Culture | Navigating your way through massive Mexico City, especially the Museo Nacional de Antropologia and the world’s largest open-air market; Eating fish tacos at sunset on the beach in Zipolite; Exploring the awe-inspiring ruins at Teotihuacan, Palenque and Monte Alban; Being immersed in the Mayan world of the Yucatan; Exploring Baja’s long coastline and rugged interior; Snorkeling at Isla Mujeres and Cozumel

Read | eyewitness accounts of the Spanish arrival in the ‘new world’ such as History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz del Castillio; The Labyrinth of Solitude by Octavio Paz is a poetic exploration of Mexican myths and identity 

Listen | to Vincente Fernandez’ ranchera ballads, Los Tigres del Norte and Café Tacuba – pioneers of rock en espanol

Watch | Mayen peasants fleeing north for a new life in El Norte; a taste of magical-realism romance in Like Water for Chocolate; the raw edge of Mexican cinema’s nuevo wave in Amores Perros

Eat | a comida corrida (the daily special set menu offered in the markets), chocolate mole, sweet tamales, with milky atole, staples like tortillias, beans and chillies, tunas (prickly pear cactus fruit) nopales (cactus leaves)  

Drink | jugos naturals, especially the bloodlike vampire fruit juice (beat and carrot); all three alcohols from the maguey plant; tequila, mescal, and the less alcoholic pulque; cerveza (beer); spicy Mexican hot chocolate

In a Word | Que le vaya bien! (May things go well for you)

Characteristics | Mariachis; beaches and coastal resorts; trying to get to the US; Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo; telenovelas; cliff divers in Alcapulco; the phrase manana; revolutionary heroes ( from Poncho Villa to Subcomandante Marcos); border towns; margaritas; Dia de los Muertos skeletons

Surprises | Seeing pre-Hispanic ruins in the metro stations; the Olmecs were the first people to extract chocolate from cocao beans – 3000 years before anyone else; the Cesar salad was invented in Tijuana.

NEWS ABOUT MEXICO:

Anonymous Targets Pope Prior to Mexico trip

(HN, 3/22/12) - The Anonymous hacker group crashed at least 2 websites in Mexico Thursday on the eve of Pope Benedict's visit to the heavily Catholic nation on Friday, claiming the papal visit is a political move to support the conservative National Action Party (PAN).  Samuel Najera, spokesman for the Mexican Episcopal Conference, said its web page on the papal visit was blocked by "a cyber attack."  The Anonymous IberoAmerica website said the site crashes were conducted by hackers "Pharisee" & "freeloader".  Anonymous Mexico said in a video that the pope's visit will "cost Mexicans money that could be better spent on the poor, & is meant to support the PAN in the July 1 presidential election."  (Read more at FN)

Mexico takes stock after major quake

(HN, 3/20/12) - Mexico is counting the cost of a major earthquake that damaged buildings & infrastructure but did not cause any fatalities. 11 people were injured.  The 7.4 magnitude tremor rocked the capital, Mexico City, for more than 1 minute sending thousands panicking onto the streets. The quake hit hardest in the southwestern state of Guerrero, where around 800 houses were damaged, officials said.  The tremor was one of the strongest to hit the country since the devastating 8.1-magnitude earthquake of 1985, which killed thousands in Mexico City. (Read more at Euronews)