In the year 2002 Mexico splashes onto the world scene with people donning colorful costumes and swirling to the beats of drummers so different that a visitor would find it hard to equate them as being from the same country.
Most of its people have varying mixes of Indian and Spanish ancestry, a reminder almost 500 years later of the conquest of Mexico by the Spanish in 1521.
Plazas, an idea contributed by the Spanish, become places of festivals, sometimes with Mexicans dancing their national dance Jarabe Tapatio, otherwise known as the Mexican Hat Dance.
But Mexicans are about so much more than their instantly recognizable dance. Ruled by Spain for 300 years, by 1821 they earned their independence and in 1824 became a republic. Today this federal republic of 31 states and one federal district is a competitor in international trade.
Yet their culture is still deep-seated in their Indian and Hispanic ancestry.
The majority of Mexicans — 60 percent — are known as Mestizos, an Amerindian-Spanish mix. Thirty percent are Amerindian or mostly Amerindian, while 9 percent are Caucasian and 1 percent are classified in other categories. Amerindian is the anthropological term that refers to indigenous or native tribes, rather than to races or cultures of people.
About the time of the Spanish conquest, hundreds of Indian tribes wandered its vast area.
It was one of those tribes, the Mexica, for which Mexico is named.
Though Spanish is the dominant language spoken in the 761,600-square-mile country, indigenous languages are also common in certain areas. Among these languages are various Mayan, Nahuatl and other regional indigenous languages.
Mexico has several high population centers. Mexico City, its capital, is the largest with some estimates placing its metropolitan population at 22 million people. Five other cities in the country have more than 1 million people. These cities are, in order of size, Guadalajara, Netzahualcoyotl, Ecatepec, Monterrey and Puebla. Approximately 45 other cities in Mexico have populations that exceed 200,000, according to World Book 2001.
But large cities don’t always mean wealth for all. According to the CIA World Fact Book, income distribution is very unequal. The top 20 percent of income earners in Mexico account for 55 percent of all income. Twenty-seven percent of the country’s population is below poverty level, based on 1998 figures.
Mexico takes its place on the world stage, being the most prolific signer of free trade agreements. These agreements encompass 32 countries and account for more than 60 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product, according to Miguel Diaz in United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce’s NAFTA Forum series.
Yet amid the capacity for economic growth, the great beauty of the land and the growing potential of its people, ungodliness displays itself through crime.
Abuse against women and children in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, demonstrates the need for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the establishment of churches to permeate Mexican society.
This year Ciudad Juarez authorities turned in 250 allegations of abuse to the assistant state attorney general. Since 1993, 260 young women have been murdered in Ciudad Juarez, The News reported March 11. The News is Mexico’s national English language newspaper.
High crime rates in Mexico City stem in part from selling black market guns. Legislators from the region say there are an estimated 500,000 unregistered guns in the nation’s capital, according to The News.
Southern Baptists have had missionaries serving in Mexico for 100 years — not a long time in the Mexican odyssey, considering that the Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan, or modern-day Mexico City, in 1325.
Many Christian groups are at work in the country even though the job is huge and, in some respects, is just beginning.
Share with others: