Mexico: All the top brands

by Zeynep Tanıtkan

From its sprawling capital to the coasts, from the native past to the global present, Mexico is a law unto itself. It has preserved its inheritance and transformed all that it has acquired. In these pages, DIPLOMAT takes a tour of some of the key words that make the country special.

The Mayas and the Aztecs, deserts and cacti, Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and Frida Kahlo, Tortilla, Taco and Fajita, Tequila, and the traditional costumes of the guitar-strumming Mariachis singing away in bars and at weddings. Even for a country of almost 2m square metres and 105m people - of long beaches, giant cities and tropical forests - the United States of Mexico has more than its share of “unique selling points”. Many of these are ancient and authentic. Others, like football or the Volkswagen Beetle, have been introduced from elsewhere but have taken on peculiar Mexican traits.

Mexico City offers generous portions of the universal, the specific and the acquired. The world’s second most crowded conurbation is defined as much by its skyscrapers and shanty-town suburbs as by its characteristic colonial architecture. The sculptures of the Paseo de la Reforma Boulevard defy intense traffic, air pollution and the ever-present threat of an earthquake. Among the broad tree-lined avenues, named after European cities, winds the thin line which divides prosperity and poverty.

The colonias may not be the World’s safest place for a stroll. But to its admirers, the joys of this living, breathing giant of a city far outweigh its occasional tantrums. Its limbs reach out towards colonial towns, floating gardens, tiled churches, Atlantean stone statues, the great pyramids of Teotihuacán and the largest pyramid of all at Cholula. At its heart, lies the vast open space of Zocalo Square, centre of government and religion for as long as anybody cares to remember.

History and legend

By legend this site was a lake until the Aztecs spied a huge eagle there, perched on a large cactus and devouring a snake. It was the signal for the construction of their capital, Tenochtitlan. Today, the National Palace, adorned with Rivera’s murals, faces down the Metropolitan Cathedral and the ruins of its pre-Christian predecessor, the Templo Mayor.

One day, the monuments may subside back into the swamp, leaving the burden of history on the shoulders of the Chapultepec Park, or “Forest” - home of the world-famous National Museum of Anthropology and History and numerous other museums and attractions. Even then, Mexico City will offer more sights than the casual visitor can take in.

Aztec ceremonies

The people themselves form a magic, seamless blend. No country in the world has as many native speakers of Spanish. It is the language of the poetry of Octavio Paz and Alfonso Reyes, and of the prose of Jose Vasconcelos and Carlos Fuentes. Nevertheless, almost 50 other languages are in daily use.

Mexico has hosted many Mesoamerican civilizations: Aztec, Olmec, Toltec, Maya. The Aztecs established a great civilisation in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, setting up a confederation which bowed only to the Spanish occupation led by Hernan Cortes. With its city planning, water and sewerage system, Tenochtitlan was one of the most beautiful cities of the era. The Sun-worshipping Aztecs invented their own calendar and were masters of gold ornament. But they are also remembered as the cruelest of civilisations, eating human hearts by thousands, and washing the steps of their pyramids with the blood of the victims for days.

Modern fiestas

The modern Mexican calendar is replete with celebrations and fiestas which tell of a more recent history: the birthday of Benito Juarez, who resisted the French in the 19th century, on March 21; General Zaragoza’s Victory Day on May 5, the Dia de la Indipendencia on September 16, and the Mexican Revolution on November 20. September 15 is the Grito Fiesta when people gather in the squares at 11.00 p.m. and shout for an hour in commemoration of Miguel Hidalgo’s 1810 call to arms against the Spanish.

The Dia de los Muertos - the Day of the Dead - is celebrated like a carnival on November 1 and 2. Like other Mesoamerican societies, the Mexicans regard existence and death in a different way from other cultures. Unafraid of the dead, they honour them by remembering them. They commemorate the dead children on November 1 and adults on November 2.

They sing in the graveyards and place food, drink – even toys - on the graves. Skeletons and masks are entertaining decorations; unlike the Aztecs’ skull-racks, they give no cause for horror.

Spice trade mark

Avocados, chocolate, hazelnuts, beans, corn and vanilla – all of these were unknown to the Spanish 16th century conquistadores. The Aztecs in turn tasted cheese, wine and rice for the first time. Today, Mexico is a trade mark in cuisine, offering more than 50 corn dishes, beans of all colours from black to pink, renowned sauces and some sixty different types of hot pepper in yellow, red and green.

The spicier the tastier seems to be the Mexican motto. Tortilla dates back 1,200 years and it is believed to be initially made by a villager to satiate the King. Today’s young girls inherit the same ancient recipe and learn the same ancient skill. A less well-known fact is that Mexicans drink more soup than any other people except Russians. The most famous of the innumerable soups is gaspacho, a kind of tomato soup, served cold.

Tequila and cocoa

Tequila, named after its region of origin, is only one type of the drink called Mescal. Its peculiarity is that it is made after blue agave -  agave azul. It comes in three qualities: silver (blanca or plata), which is ready in not more than one month; reposado, which matures for nearly one year, and anejo , which must stand for between one and three years. Throughout the world, tequila is served in one-shot glasses with lemon and salt; in Mexico it is sipped at length.

The cocktail margarita is made using two measures of orange-flavoured liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier or Curacao can be used) to three measures of tequila and one measure of fresh lime juice. It was supposedly invented by the barman in whose arms the beautiful Margarita died after an accidental shooting.

What’s for dessert?

Centuries ago, Mexicans treated cocoa beans as a means of payment rather than a delicacy, and even today the people prefer fruit and vegetables to chocolate desserts. Dishes like bean soup with pineapple and rice with bananas somehow sum up the Mexican mix.

(DIPLOMAT  -  October 2005  -  Ankara)