Mexico.
BEYOND YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Mexico is geographically located in North America between the Gulf of Mexico to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is bordered by the United States to the north and by Guatemala and Belize to the south. Mexico’s land is composed by 32 states that are truly diverse, its surface area extends 1,964,375 sq km, which is divided into six spot regions.
One of the most dynamic regions is central Mexico where Puebla is located. The Mexican heartland. Here you’ll find plenty of natural surroundings, picturesque towns full of life and color, and beautiful colonial cities, some of which have been declared World Heritage sites.
We hope to show you in the next pages, why Puebla is the perfect place to hold WorldMun 2008.
Mexico, a multicultural place through history
Mexico owns its name to one ancient story from Aztec times, and it means ‘in the belly of the moon’. In the Aztec mythology, it was believed that the capital city of the Aztec empire, Tenochtitlan –currently Mexico city- was in the center of the moon, and that governors, priests and warriors, must prevent the decay of the empire from the death of the fifth sun. There was believed that a foreign God were supposed to come to save the population from extermination. This belief coincided with the arrival of the Spaniards in 1510, and the discrepancies that the Aztecs had with other cultures favored the defeat of the Aztecs in 1521.
During the difficult times of colonization, Mexico acquired one of the most singular cultures in the world. The Spaniards, settled in a vast and rich territory, found in the ‘The New Spain’, a place to live and interact. The two cultures encountered –the original and the foreign- created the surreal Mexico: Death and life are blend in the colors of Mexico, that has given to Mexico the feature of constant evolution and renovation, the traditional spices and the arts of Europe gave birth to the most singular cuisine and architecture in the World, and finally, a character of laughter and maturity grown in the mixture of the cultures.
After the country achieved its independence in 1821. Mexico has experienced the change from the modern to the contemporary, becoming the point of reference in Latin America, as well as, the entrance to one of the most enriched culture in the globe.
Everything in Mexico is a mixture of its history
Architecture. From pyramids in the sea, historical monuments , and contemporary buildings, Mexico is world-wide known for the beauty of its architecture. Puebla’s historical center has, by itself, 2,600 historical buildings. From Teotihuacan in the center and the Mayans to the Aztecs and the Olmecs, Mexico preserves most of the ancient capital cities of those empires.
Natural sceneries. Waterfalls, flora, fauna, Everyday Mexico offers an astonishing landscape
Cuisine. Mexican cuisine varies from region to region, and it is as rich as its architecture, and it has a wide variety of flavors not necessarily spicy or strong: the extraordinary flavor of mole, the delicacy of the traditional candies, the popularity of tacos and chilaquiles, and the extravagance of nopales and huitlacoche, made the Mexican cuisine a basic fact of the national culture.
Music
Mariachi is a joyful music which mixes guitars, violins and flutes within a singular rhythm. The particularity is the costume of musicians, which is a national identity icon: a big sombrero with tight pants. Only the sombrero can weight more than 10 pounds.