Mexicans in general are friendly, humorous and helpful to visitors - the more so if you address them in Spanish, however simple your language skills.

Traditional Culture

Roman Catholicism is one deep fount of traditional culture. Its calendar is filled with saints' days and major festivals including Semana Santa (Holy Week), Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead, November 2), Dia de la virgen de Guadalupe (December 12) and Christmas. These events lead people to gather for the same processions and rituals, dance the same dances in the same costumes and create the same special handicrafts year after year in traditions that evolve only slowly and in some cases go back hundreds of years.

Another vital thread of tradition predates the arrival of Catholicism with the Spanish. The ways of life of many of Mexico's surviving indigenous peoples are still governed, in varying degrees, by pre-hispanic traditions, ranging from colorful costumes and traditional crafts to the agricultural calendar and communalist social organization.

Mexican traditions often interweave indigenous and Hispanic influences. Dia de muertos, for instance, is in Catholic terms All Souls' Day, yet the manner in which it's celebrated in Mexico has strong overtones of ancestor worship.

The faith the so many Mexicans have in their traditional form of medicine (a mixture of charms, chants, herbs, candles, incense) is further evidence of the strength of pre-Hispanic tradition.

The Family & Machismo

Traditional family ties remain very strong in Mexico. Some have been observed that Mexicans only truly reveal themselves to their families. An invitation to a Mexican home is quite an honor for an outsider; as a guest you will probably be treated royally and enter a part of real Mexico to which few outsiders are admitted.

Connected with Mexican family dynamics is the phenomenon of machismo, an exaggerated masculinity aimed at impressing other males as well as women.

The strong mother-son bond also means that it's crucial for a Mexican wife to get along with her mother-in-law. And while the virtue of daughters and sisters has to be protected at all costs, other women - including foreign tourists without male companions - may be seen as fair game by Mexican men. The other side of the machismo coin is women who emphasize their femininty.

Such stereotyping, however, is not universal and is under pressure from more modern influences. Machismo is much less overt among many younger Mexicans today.

Dos & Don'ts

In many parts of Mexico, most tourists and travelers are assumed to be citizens of the USA. Away from tourist destinations, your presence may bring any reaction from curiosity to fear or, very occasionally, brusqueness. But any negative response will usually evaporate as soon as you show that you are friendly.

Language difficulties may be the biggest barrier to friendly contact. Some people just don't imagine a conversation is possible, and just a few words of Spanish will often bring smiles and warmth, probably followed by questions. Then someone who speaks a few words of English will pluck up the courage to try them out.

Some indigenous peoples adopt a cool attitude toward visitors: they have learned to mistrust outsiders and after five centuries of exploitation. They don't like being gawked at by tourists and can be very sensitive about cameras: if in doubt about whether it's OK to take a photo, always ask first.

In general, it;'s recommended that women dress conservatively in towns and off-the-beaten-track places; avoid shorts, sleveless tops, etc. Everyone should lean toward the more respectful end of the dress spectrum when visiting churches.

Time

The fabled Mexican attitude toward time - 'manana, manana...' - has probably become legendary simply from comparison with the USA. But it's still true. Especially outside the big cities, that the urgency Europeans and North Americans are used to is often lacking. most Mexicans value simpathia (congeniality) over promptness. If something is really worth doing, it gets done. If not, it can wait. Life should not be a succession of pressures and deadlines. According to many Mexicans, life in the 'businesslike' cultures has been de-sympathized. You may come away from Mexico convinced that the Mexicans are right!

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