Mexico
by: Mary Jane McConnell, Katie Moore, & Abigail Cameron
Background of Country
Religion:
- Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Mexico
- Protestants and Evangelicals were the second largest religious group, accounting fo apporximately 5 percent of the population
- Religion percentatges
- Roman Catholic Christianity 82.7%
-Other Evangelical Churchehs 5%
-Unspecified 2.7%
- none 4.7%
-Other 1.9%
-Pentecostal hristianity 1.6%
-Jehovahh's Witnesses 1.4%
Population:
- 128,549,265 Current population
- 63,369,372 Current male population (49.3%)
- 65,152,894 Current female population (50.7%)
- 876,086 Births this years
- 216, 183 Deaths this year
- 621,299 Population growdth this year
- To the year 2016 the population for Mexico is 127,927,966; and the growth rate is 1.37% from 2015.
Government:
- Form of Government- Federal Republic with 2 Legislative houses
- Head of state and governmnt- President (Enrique Pena Nieto)
Geogaphical Setting:
- Mexico is bordered by the United States. It is about one-fith the size of the U.S.
- MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES- Sierra Madre
- MAJOR RIVERS- Rio Grande, Yaqui
- Mexico is a land of extremes, with high mountains and deep canyons in the center of the country, sweeping deserts in the north, and dense rain forests in the south and east.
Flag:
- It is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coast of armscharged in the center of the white strip.
- The colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War of Independence.
- It was adopted in 1968
- Red, white, and green are the colors of the national liberaton army in Mexico.
Art & Literature in Mexico
Art:
- The Olmecs & The Mayans started striking stone to make sculptures into animals, humans, etc.
- They mainly made pottery, basketmaking and weaving.
Literature:
- The Mexican literature is international reowned.
- The Mexican population created their own system of writing.
- They relyed on oral narration
- The Spanish & Mexican literature developed Mestizaje, they blended thheir common languages.
Music & Dance
Music:
- Mexico's music is very diverse and has a wide range of musical genres & performance styles.
- The Mexican music is influenced by many cultures and is known worldwide.
- There is 2 types of Traditional Folk Music: Musical forms & styles and types of ensembles.
- Examples: Musical Forms: Son, Rachera, & Corrido
- Examples: Ensembles: Conjunto jarocho, conjunto hudesteco, conjunto de marimba, & mariachi.
Dance:
- Mexican Folk Dances: intergral part of Mexican history (traditional dances still performed today)
- The Mexican Folk dances are shaped and influenced by the countries history.
- These folk dances are rooted for celebrations, festivals, parties, and relgious ceremonies.
- The folk dances orgin in Mexico (found in Mesoamerican times).
- Types of dances: Jarabe Tapatio, La Danza del Venado, El Baile de Los Veidjiots, Concheros & Danza de Los Voladores.
Clothing
- They were designed to keep people cool in the hot climate.
- Woman wore clothing which was normally very simple with garnishes of color.
- The dresses were made from cotton but silks and wool's started to become more popular.
- The clothing includes a lot of ornate embroidery, images and patterns that have symbolic meaning.
- Men's clothing is not as colorful as the woman's. .
- Pre - Columbian clothing is hard to find today.
- Men usually went with little or no clothing using a serape in certain areas of Mexico.
- The 1st thing they did when the Spanish arrived in Mexico is they dressed the men.
Attire
- The Mexican clothing wwas desgined to keep people cool in the hot climate.
- The woman wore clothing which was normally very simple with garnishes of color.
- The womans dresses were made from cotton but silks & wools started to become more popular.
- The Mexican clothing includes a lot of ornate embroldery images & patterns that have symbolic meanings.
- The mens clothing is not as colorful as the womans.
- Pre-columbian clothing is hard to find today.
- Men usually wemt with little or no clothing using a sarape in certain areas of Mexico.
- The 1st thing they did when the Spanish arrived in Mexico is they dressed the men.
Traditional Food Dishes
- Popular Dishes: Chilaquiles (popular breakfast meal), Polzole and Tacos al pastor
- Mexcican foods are earthy, humble and rich in flavors. Also they are natural and flavorful foods.
Mexican food is mainly classified by its food region:
- North Region: meat & cheese
- North Pacific Coast: fruit & veggies
- Bajio Region: rice, pork & sausage
- South Pacific Coast: chili pepper, chicken & cheese
- South Region: corn & spices
- Gulf Regions: corn & vanilla
Dessert
Sopaipilla:
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups warm milk
(approximate)
Vegetable Oil
(for frying
1. In a large bowl, blend together the flour baking powder, and salt. 2. With a pastry cutter (unless you are one of those, like my teachers, who always used their hands) cut in the lard or shortening.
3. Add the milk all at once, and mix the dough quickly with a fork or by hand until the dough forms a mass.
4.
Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and begin to knead the dough by folding it in half, pushing it down, and folding again.
It should take about a dozen folds to form a soft dough that is no longer sticky.
5. Cover the dough with a towel or plastic wrap to let it rest for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Divide the dough in 1/2, keeping the 1/2 you are not working with covered with plastic wrap or a towel so it does not dry out.
7. Roll the dough half you have chosen on a floured board with gentle strokes. Roll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
The more you work the dough, the tougher your sopapilla will turn out. However, to keep a sopapilla well puffed after cooking, you may want to work the dough a minute or so longer.
8. Cut the dough into rectangles that are about 10-inch by 5-inch. Divide the triangle into a 5-inch squares, and then cut this into a triangle.
NOTE: If you find the dough beginning to dry as you work with the remainder, cover this loosely with a some plastic wrap.
Do not attempt to reform and roll the leftover dough scraps. They do not roll out well on the second try. You can cook these dough scraps along with the others, and they taste just as good.
NOTE: Check the temperature of the oil with your digital cooking thermometer
10. Carefully slide the first sopapilla into the hot oil. Submerge the sopapilla under the oil. It should begin to puff immediately.
NOTE: Sopapillas - They either puff or they don’t puff. Their puff is what makes it a sopapilla - but don’t despair as both can be eaten. If your sopapillas are not puffing properly, the temperature of the oil may need to be increased or decreased. Environmental changes in temperature and altitude can make setting the temperature tricky at times.
11. Using a slotted spoon, turn the sopapilla over to brown the other side.
Sometimes this can be difficult, as the sopapilla will want to stay on the side it was on. A little coaxing with your slotted spatula will help this. Hold it for only a moment, and it will adjust to the side it is on.
Once both sides, approximately 2 minutes per side, are browned, remove the sopapilla to a surface to drain (paper towels or a draining rack will both work).
Sopapillas can be kept warm in a 200 degree F. oven for up to 1 hour. They refrigerate well and can be reheated in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Makes approximately 2 dozen Sopapillas.
Sources
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/mexico/art/
http://www.donquijote.org/culture/mexico/literature/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Mexico
http://dance.lovetoknow.com/types-dance/mexican-folk-dance
http://www.facts-about-mexico.com/mexican-food.htmlhttp://whatscookingamerica.net/CynthiaPineda/Sopapillas/Sopapillas.htm
http://countrymeters.info/en/Mexico
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/mexico/religion.htm
http://www.religionfacts.com/mexico
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mexico
http://www.britannica.com/place/Mexico/Government-and-society