UNDERSTANDING MEXICO’S DIVERSITY OF CULTURES DISTRICT 4110 A VAST AND RICH CULTURE A great opportunity for Youth Exchange By: Raul A. Herrera H, D-4110 Mexico Youth Exchange Program Country Correspondant Club Rotario de Chihuahua, A.C.

The purpose of this presentation is to briefly explain the different cultures Mexico has inside its territory and how we all get along just fine. Due to the big gap between each ethnia that live inside Mexico, the difference in ways of living, thinking, acting, etc, it makes Mexico a very rich country in culture learning. The exchange student has the chance to learn the reason why there are differences in Mexico with respect to any other first world country. Give yourself a chance to learn about Mexico's “Mi Casa es su casa” (My house is your house). As our friend Dennis White said: Cultures are behavior…s, take a look at this presentation. Here is why. Raul (Chito) Herrera With all my love to all youth exchange that has had the courage to learn and is now bicultural. To Luis Mario, my Chairman whom gave me the opportunity to participate in this great endeavor. For all of you (Extrangers) Mal, Rosanna, Anna, Chantel, Anne, Iris, Rikka, Julianna, Chrille, Diego, Mochelini.

THE SPANISH CONQUEST (1519-1521) 1519 - The year which marked the opening of a short but decisive chapter in Mexico's history. On February, a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons sailing along the eastern gulf coast dropped anchor just off the wind-swept beach on the island of San Juan de Ulúa. 550 Spanish soldiers and sailors landed upon the shores of Meso-America in February of the year 1519, in the area of Vera Cruz. By November of that year, the Spanish fleet, commanded by Hernan Cortez, entered into Tenochtitlan and simply arrested the Emperor of the Aztec, Montezuma. Within the time span of two years, Cortez dismantled the Aztec monarchy and gained control of all of Tenochtitlan, and many of it's surrounding territories.

UNDERSTANDING MEXICOS DIVERSITY OF CULTURES Before the Spanish conquered Mexico, there were more than 170 known spoken languages in the vast territory of Mexico, mostly spoken by Indian tribes located in small communities along the territory.

Culture: Its an integrated system of behaviors that are characteristic to one determined society. Dennis White in One World Too Many It refers to the total ways of life, ways of thinking and ways of act of one society

62 LANGUAGES Spoken in México LANGUAGE POPULATION 16. Mepha 145,000 Tarahumara 122,000 Zogue 118,000 Mayo o Yoreme 78,000 Tojolabal 74,000 Chontal 72,000 Popoluca 69,000 Chatino 66,000 Amuzgo 63,000 Huichol 55,000 Tepehuan 44,000 Triqui 36,000 Popoloca 28,000 Cora o Naayeri 27,000 Kanjobal 27,000 LANGUAGE POPULATION Spanish 90,000,000 Nahuatl 2,563,000 Maya 1,490,000 Zapoteco o diidzaj 785,000 Mixteco o Ñuu Savi 764,000 Otomi o Ñahñú 566,000 Tzeltal o K`op 547,000 Tzotzil o Batzil 514,000 Totonaca o Tachihuiin 410,000 Mazateco 339,000 Chol 274,000 Mazahua 254,000 Huasteco 247,000 Purepeche o Tarasco 204,000 Mixe o Ayook 188,000

LANGUAGES THAT ARE STILL ALIVE AROUND THE WORLD INDIA 65 LANGUAGES MEXICO 62 LANGUAGES CHINA 54 LANGUAGES Languages are not just sets of symbols. They also contain a grammar, or system of rules, used to manipulate the symbols. While a set of symbols may be used for expression or communication, it is primitive and relatively unexpressive, because there are no clear or regular relationships between the symbols. Because a language also has a grammar, it can manipulate its symbols to express clear and regular relationships between them.

WHERE THEY LIVE

MAYAS The Mayas live in the Península of Yucatan located in the Mexican states of Quintana Roo, Campeche y Yucatán.

Exchange Students in the Mayan Chichen Itza Pyramid in the Yucatan Penninsula

From left to right: Anna, Christian, Rosanna, Anna, Chantel, Julianna, Sirkku and Ligia, exchange students 2003-2004

ZAPOTECAS The Zapotecas lived in Central Itzmo of Tehuantepec including the states of Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas.

Palenque the Zapotecas region in Chiapas

TARAHUMARAS / RARAMURI Tarahumara or Raramuri Indians live in the Sierra Madre Occidental which include the states of Chihuahua and south east of Durango and Sonora

EXCHANGE STUDENTS GIVING CLOTHES TO THE TARAHUMARAS

EXCHANGE STUDENTS INTERACTING WITH TARAHUMARA INDIAN CHILDREN DURING INBOUND ORIENTATION CAMP

Exchange students 2003-2004 Rosanna, from Germany and Anna, from Switzerland with a Tarahumara Indian woman in a typical Indian cave.

Exchange students group 2003-2004 in a Cave where the Tarahumara Indian live. Exchange students have the chance to see the way they live.

Exchange students 2005-2006 bringing food to the Tarahumara during their Inbound Orientation three day camp in the city of Creel, heart of the Tarahumara Indian land.

TARAHUMARA INDIAN LAND IN THE SIERRA MADRE

OTOMI HÑA HÑU Otomies which lived north of Thenochtitlan in the states of Queretaro, Hidalgo and Michoacan

TEPEHUANES / O'DAM DEL SUR The Tepehuanes / O'dams live in the extreme south of the state of Durango, and north part of the states of Nayarit and Zacatecas.

MEXICO`S DIVERSITY OF CULTURES Tarahumara Indian House

ACUEDUCT

FAST FOODS RESTAURANTS

HOSPITAL BUILDING

From México to the World A Contrast of many cultures Raúl Herrera H, raulherrerah@infosel.net.mx