What do Mexicans look like? How the middle class lives in Mexico - a report on everyday life
Mexicans are the seventh largest (156 million) people in the world. Mexicans call the entire population of Mexico (121 million people), also part of the Mexican people are 34.6 million Mexicans living in the United States.
The modern population of Mexico is divided by origin into three groups. 68% of the country's population are mestizos, i.e. descendants of mixed marriages between whites and Indians, 20% are descendants of Europeans, 11% are Indians, of which the most numerous are the descendants of the Aztecs - Nahua (3.4 million), as well as Maya (2.5 million) and Zapotec (1, 8 million). In total, there are more than 50 indigenous Indian peoples in Mexico. The Indians of Mexico profess Catholicism, but retain their own languages, which they use along with Spanish.
30th place. Elizabeth Cervantes / Elizabeth Cervantes(born August 1, 1975, Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican actress.
29th place. Maite Perroni / Maite Perroni(b. March 9, 1983, Mexico City) - Mexican actress, model, singer. She has Italian roots.
28th place. Marlene Favela / Marlene Favela(born August 5, 1976, Santiago Papaschiaro, Mexico) is a Mexican actress and model.
27th place. Perla Beltrán / Perla Beltrán(born September 30, 1986, Culiacan, Mexico) - First Vice-Miss World 2009.
26th place. Rosa Maria Ojeda(born October 15, 1986, Culiacan) - Miss Mexico 2006, represented the country at Miss Universe 2007, where she entered the top 10.
15th place. Arianny Celeste / Arianny Celeste(born November 12, 1985, Las Vegas, USA) is an American ring girl and model. Her real name is Penelope Lopez. She is Mexican American and also has Filipino roots.
14th place. Alma Rosa Aguirre / Alma Rosa Aguirre(born February 19, 1929, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) is a Mexican actress.
13th place. Elsa Aguirre / Elsa Aguirre(born September 25, 1930, Chihuahua, Mexico) - an outstanding actress of the golden age of Mexican cinema, the younger sister of another famous Mexican actress Alma Rosa Aguirre.
12th place. Miroslava Sternova, better known as Miroslava Stern or simply Miroslava is a Mexican actress. She was born on February 26, 1926 in Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia. Her adoptive father was Jewish, which forced the family to flee the Nazis to Mexico in 1940. Miroslava was a successful actress in Mexico, starred in several Hollywood films, however, she committed suicide at the age of 29 on March 9, 1955, shortly after the release of her most famous film, Attempted Crime (dir. L. Buñuel). Her friends said that she did it because of the unrequited love for the matador Luis Miguel Dominguin, who married another.
11th place. Victoria Ruffo / Victoria Ruffo(born May 31, 1962, Mexico City) is a Mexican actress and TV presenter. In Russia, she became famous thanks to leading role in the TV series "Just Maria" (1989).
10th place. Frida Kahlo(July 6, 1907, Mexico City - July 13, 1954) - world famous Mexican artist. Her father was the photographer Guillermo Kahlo. Frida said that her father was descended from Hungarian Jews, but studies have disproved this and proved that he was a German descended from a Lutheran family. Frida's mother, Matilda Calderon, was a Mexican with Indian roots.
9th place. Patricia Navidad / Patricia Navidad(born May 20, 1973, Culiacan) is a Mexican actress and singer.
8th place. Ana de la Reguera / Ana de la Reguera(born April 8, 1977, Veracruz, Mexico) is a Mexican actress.
7th place. Columba Dominguez / Columba Dominguez(March 4, 1929, Guaymas, Mexico - August 13, 2014) - an outstanding actress of the golden age of Mexican cinema.
6th place. Jacqueline Andere / Jacqueline Andere(born August 20, 1938, Mexico City) - Mexican actress. She played the role of Yesenia in the 1971 film of the same name. In 1975, the film "Yesenia" was released in Soviet cinemas and was an incredible success, each of the two episodes of the film was watched by an average of 91.4 million viewers. This is an absolute record for Soviet distribution among both foreign and domestic films.
5th place. Veronica Castro / Veronica Castro(b. October 19, 1952, Mexico City) - Mexican actress, singer and TV presenter. In Russia, she is known for her leading roles in the TV series The Rich Also Cry (1979-80) and Wild Rose (1987-88).
4th place. Laura Harring / Laura Harring(originally spelled Herring) is an American actress. She was born in the Mexican city of Los Mochis on March 3, 1964. Her father was of Austrian origin. When Laura was 10 years old, she and her mother moved to the USA. In 1985, she became the first Hispanic woman to be crowned Miss USA. She is best known as an actress in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive (2001).
3rd place. Jessica Alba / Jessica Alba(born April 28, 1981, Pomona, California, USA) is an American actress. Her father is of Mexican descent.
2nd place. Maria Felix / Maria Felix(April 8, 1914, Alamos, Mexico - April 8, 2002) - an outstanding actress of the golden age of Mexican cinema. Her father came from the Yaqui Indian people, her mother is a Mexican with Basque roots.
1 place. Salma Hayek / Salma Hayek(born September 2, 1966, Coatzacoalcos, Mexico) is a Mexican and American actress. Salma's father is of Arab (Lebanese) origin, her mother is of Spanish descent. In 2002, Salma Hayek played her famous compatriot Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.
However, fans are sure that the beauty of an extravagant brunette is not at all natural data, but the result of plastic surgery and numerous trips to a beautician. We decided to find out from a professional what Mexico does with itself and how much its beauty costs.
Plastic surgeon, chief surgeon of the clinic "Sharm"
Rhinoplasty
Mexico has repeatedly admitted that it is unhappy with its large nose. After rhinoplasty, the girl's nose became much thinner and neater, but it looks a little "unnatural". It seems to me that Marina is becoming more and more like an artificial doll, but that's her business, it's not for me to judge her.
Lip contouring
By nature, Marina has thin, slightly pursed lips. Now we see broken proportions, this suggests that the girl pumped up her lips with fillers. Mexican lips look unnatural and are very conspicuous. In my opinion, this is too much, the girl's lips should be slightly puffy, but not huge.
Mammoplasty
With a high degree of probability, Mexico has increased her breasts. This is confirmed by the beach pictures of the girl. Both the shape and size of the breasts have changed. Without surgical intervention such change is simply not possible.
Contour plastic of the cheekbones
The girl's cheekbones became more expressive and emphasized, and the nasolabial fold disappeared altogether. All this suggests that Mexico has set itself mesothreads. For what? After all, by nature Marina is a bright and beautiful girl, and the mesothreads made her face “model-stereotypical”.
Forehead plastic surgery
If you compare old photos of Marina with new pictures, you can see that the girl has changed her hairline. Perhaps the girl did not like the slightly overhanging upper eyelid, which, after the hairline rose, pulled up.
beauty injections
I can say for sure that with the injections of beauty Mexico on "you". This can be seen in her almost perfect face without a single wrinkle. So I can say with confidence that Marina has been going to the beautician for a long time and regularly.
Now let's move on to our favorite part. Some six months ago, Marina Mexico claimed that she had never laid down under a surgeon's scalpel. However, we found out that the girl is a little disingenuous. The point is small, to calculate how much an extravagant brunette spends on her appearance.
Mammoplasty - pleasure is not cheap. If you want to increase your breasts by a couple of sizes, get ready to shell out about 250,000 rubles.
Change the shape and increase the volume of the lips it is not so expensive - from 15,000 rubles for the procedure (however, it will have to be repeated a couple of times a year).
Rhinoplasty depending on the category of complexity, it will cost from 120,000 to 260,000 rubles.
Price for contour plastic cheekbones starts from 30,000 rubles. There are several ways to achieve chiseled cheekbones. The easiest is filling with fillers (the procedure will have to be repeated twice a year). Another option is the installation of zygomatic implants (it costs more, but it is done once and for all). The chiseled cheekbones of Mexico are the result of tightening with mesothreads. One procedure costs about 15,000 rubles.
By using forehead plastic surgery you can raise or lower the hairline (Kim Kardashian was one of the first to do this operation). The operation is not cheap, the prices for it start from 120,000 rubles.
Do you want to get rid of wrinkles and get a perfectly smooth face? Botulinum toxin injections to help you. Depending on the number of units, the procedure will cost from 8,000 to 20,000 rubles. The effect will last for 3-6 months.
Mexicans. How they look can be found in Sheboldasik's article “Women and men of Mexico - what are they? (photo selection) ”, but I’ll tell you about what kind of people they are, what I like about them and what I can’t stand.
What I like about Mexicans:
1. Say hello . When entering a store or just walking down the street, Mexicans always say hello. Of course, if you are walking around the city center or sitting somewhere on a bench, then no one bothers you with their greetings, but if, for example, you are standing at a bus stop and waiting for a bus or you see someone walking on a not crowded street, then say hello and say goodbye — is a common thing.
2. Smile . Mexicans seem to be very friendly people and their faces are not malicious. They smile not like Americans - widely and for any reason, but sincerely, friendly, predisposing. Mostly women, of course. The men are somehow drier and more serious here, well, that's why they are men.
3. Friendly to gringos . I always thought that Mexicans do not like Americans, and other white tourists, they despise and test others. negative emotions. But all this turned out to be another one of the myths, and people in Mexico are very pleasant and treat foreigners exactly the same as their relatives.
4. Do not waste time . If the seller does not have change when buying or the buyer does not have enough money, they may offer to pay later or even “forgive”.
5. Raised. They always give up their seat on the bus. Of course, not for healthy men, but for mothers with children and the elderly. It's very cool and enjoyable. I can get on a crowded bus and they will definitely give me a seat, because I have Sierra on my hands.
6. Polite . Always "thank you - please - see you - to your health", and everyone is so friendly and sincere. I remember in California we went to the Chick Fillet fast food, so there all the employees were cloyingly polite and always answered the same type of “My pleasure!” Thank you! So they were trained. And everything is natural with the Mexicans, so it's very pleasant to communicate.
7. Don't fool around . Don't try to raise prices because you're a gringo. Living in the states, I was sure that in Mexico they would definitely cheat and deceive me at every step. Fortunately, I was wrong! And although, in the markets, for example, prices are not indicated, but having lived for some time in one place, you already know what it costs, and different sellers have the same prices. So you don’t have to worry about inflated prices (it’s another matter how your goods will be weighed).
8. Traded . It's not a sin to bargain a bit with the Mexicans. Not that they love this business, as in the East, for example, but they never mind dropping a few pesos. Even taxi drivers drop the price.
9. Do not make noise . Surprisingly quiet and calm people! I have never heard Mexicans swear loudly, make noise, turn on loud music. In general, this fact was a complete surprise for me - I always thought that the Mexicans were very noisy, but then it turned out that they were not at all. Or maybe I just have not yet met such merry fellows who hang out until dawn?
10. Cooking . I don’t know what to tell you - Mexicans love to eat well and they know how to cook. In almost any cafe, the food will be delicious. I don't know how they do it, maybe there is some secret ingredient?! Only here I was disappointed in tacos - upon arrival we only ate them, because they are sold everywhere and are inexpensive, but then we already discovered other, more refined dishes (my favorites are milanesa, fajitas, chicken soup, cake) and stopped eat tacos, now they seem to me quite primitive food for the poor.
What I don't like about Mexicans:
1. Litter . This is what I really, really dislike, even infuriates me! They litter everything, all the time and everywhere! Yesterday, for example, a father-mother-child family was walking down the street and then mom threw a bag of chips right on the road! And they go on! And children from childhood see all this and then do it themselves - candy wrappers, ice cream sticks - all this flies to the ground.
Sometimes they don't throw their garbage directly on the road, but on an empty lot where there is no house yet, or somewhere in the bushes where, like, you can't see. As a result, trash is everywhere! In some places there are constant janitors and cleaners who are constantly sweeping cigarette butts and wrappers, but most often, it is somewhere in the city center, where people, in principle, will not litter too much anyway and sometimes bother to bring their garbage to the bin. But outside the center - it's tough!
Our playground, for example - I rarely see children there, but adults and teenagers seem to like to hang out under the hill, because there are always bags with leftover chili sauce, candy wrappers, plastic cups lying around. It infuriates me so much that I can’t relax - constantly watch so that my child doesn’t pick up and put this muck in his mouth.
2. Late . Mexicans are a terribly unpunctual people! They are late all the time, sometimes for 40 minutes or even an hour, and at the same time they do not feel guilty, they do not even apologize. In general, this is normal for them. Here at Clarke's school periodically all sorts of meetings in the morning, so we are told to come at 7.50. Well, we came once at 7.50, so what? Nobody here. After about 20 minutes, the rest of the (Mexican) families began to catch up. Now, when they say to be at 7.50, we know that we must come at 8.20. :)
3. Irresponsible . Even if agreed in advance, they may simply not appear and not warn, or call at the last minute or right at the time when they should already be there. This happened to me all the time with my nanny - either she is constantly late, then she suddenly falls ill, or something else.
4. Hang up . Of course, I can’t say this with all confidence, but recently I had such a feeling. In the market I buy avocados and pay 30 pesos for 3 pieces, and in the supermarket I get 5 for the same money! How so? The suspicion crept in that in the markets and in small shops inaccurate scales are weighed down. After all, in the supermarket everything is weighed at the checkout, so I trust them more.
5. Trade. They love to shop here. They sell, basically, all sorts of rubbish - cheap clothes, cheap shoes, cheap toys. I don’t particularly like the last one - not so much a toy as the fact itself - here they roll their cart, hung with balloons, balls, inflatable horses on wheels and start blowing bubbles. And all this is somewhere on the square in the city center or right next to the playground in the park. Children, of course, look at all this and they need it all at once - and cheap balls, and horses, and everything! In general, this is a great temptation for children, and "kind" parents cannot refuse their children.
And I really don't like (I don't even know why I care so much) that everyone is trading the same thing! Why? For what? I can not understand! For example, in San Miguel there is one small market in the square near the Cathedral of St. Francis. And there they built rows of tents with merchants. I went there a couple of times - everyone sells the same type of souvenirs. And here on the nose is the Day of the Dead - all without exception on the trays of sweets in the form of skulls, skeletons and other attributes of this holiday! 20 or more people, as a team, are selling exactly the same product! And now none of them have those souvenirs that everyone had a week ago.
6. They try to help . Well, yes, the idea is to like it, but no - I noticed such a thing - Mexicans never say "I don't know", even when they really don't know, they will still make up something hard. As a result, how many times we went in the wrong direction, ended up in the wrong place, the bus left at the wrong time, and all because smart Mexicans “know everything”!
7. Eat . Mexicans are constantly chewing something, and almost always it is some kind of unhealthy food - chips, salty sticks, candy, sweet water, acid-colored ice cream. This, of course, affects the figures - almost all Mexicans are fat. So they always strive to feed my children with sweets - they treat them out of the kindness of their hearts, without even asking their parents.
For a long time I thought what else should I add to the list of what I don’t like so that the items are the same, but somehow nothing comes to mind. Or maybe it's better? Let there be more positive moments than negative ones, right?
Our regular readers Alexey and Maria Glazunov write: Almost a year has passed since our journey through North America, and today we decided to brush up on this trip by compiling 50 facts about Mexico based on our impressions. We do not pretend to be objective - this is only our vision of the country.
1. Burritos and tacos are national and very popular food here, based on corn, wheat and even cactus flour. The second component is meat, chicken or vegetables and, of course, beans or beans, all seasoned with hot chili sauce.
2. Freshly squeezed juices, as well as various soft drinks sold on every corner, are very cheap, but be careful - ice is generously put there or diluted with water of unknown origin.
3. Fruits on the streets are sold already peeled and cut in plastic bags, before selling they are offered to be sprinkled with chili powder and sugar on top, for lovers of “hot”.
4. Homemade ice cream that you can find on sale is sold without packaging, and what appears to be chocolate chips may be chili peppers. Even when buying ice cream, you need to clarify - “but spicy pliz” =)
5. Tequila (full name Santiago de Tequila) is the name of the Mexican city in which the main production of the drink of the same name is located.
6. The blue agave is the plant from which Tequila is made, contrary to popular belief that it is made from cacti. The blue agave belongs to the asparagus family and looks like a small bush with thorns, which is probably why the stereotype about cacti appeared.
7. Tequilero is the name of a tequila specialist.
8. Popular local sweets: pastila from apple and other fruits - in the form of toffee and in the form of cubes; coconut candied in lime; sweet beans with chili peppers in the form of chuchkhela.
9. Boiled corn is also a popular delicacy here - you can buy the whole cob or already peeled in a glass. The seller, in addition to corn, adds salt and mayonnaise to the glass, sprinkles it with cheese and squeezes lime juice onto all this mess. And for the cob and for the cup the price is the same - a little more than a dollar.
10. Corn is generally a universal product here - it is eaten raw, boiled and grilled, it is used to make cakes, stew, yogurt and even corn ice cream with pieces of corn.
11. Meat in the villages is often sold without refrigerators - despite the heat, it just hangs on a hook.
12. In large supermarkets, sellers work in gauze bandages.
13. Mexican Groupon is very developed in large cities - interesting offers are often found, discount lovers will like promotions. We have repeatedly bought coupons in a cafe, booked a hotel room (3 nights for the price of two), paid for an “extreme tour” with a 75% discount, a visit to a crocodile farm for 50% and a Segway tour for 30% of the tour cost.
14. The sand on the Caribbean coast of coral origin is very fine, white and almost does not heat up. In 40-degree heat, you can safely walk on it barefoot
15. The water in the Caribbean Sea is very warm, around 25-28 degrees all year round.
16. An underwater museum with four hundred sculptures located at a depth of 2 to 10 meters is located near Cancun. It will surely appeal to divers who are bored with tropical fish and coral reefs.
17. The beaches of Cancun and Tulum are among the ten the best beaches world according to TripAdvisor.
18. Cenotes are natural wells or small lakes that the Mayans used as sources of water and places for sacrifices, they are sure to please snorkelers. Most of the cenotes are located in caves with many bizarre stalactites and stalagmites. The water there is crystal clear and pleasantly cool, good for relaxing from the heat outside.
19. Iguanas of different colors and sizes are very common in the villages and small towns of Mexico.
20. In official taxis in Mexico City, a state license with a photo of the driver is required to hang on the glass. To avoid misunderstandings, it is recommended to check the photo with the one who is driving.
21. Taxis in Mexico City vary by security class. The safer - the more expensive, but in general it is quite cheap. For 3 - 4 people, it is most often more profitable to take a taxi than to go by public transport.
22. The cost of local calls from a pay phone does not depend on the duration of the call. For example, an unlimited landline call will cost 3 pesos (25 cents).
23. Mexico City is located in the mountains, at an altitude of 2240 m, so if you are flying from the coast or lowlands, get ready to put on a sweater or jacket at the exit from the airport. During the day it is warm here, and in the morning and in the evening it is quite cool.
24. The metro in the capital of 20 million people, in comparison with St. Petersburg and Moscow, is relatively uncrowded, even at rush hour.
25. In addition to the name, each metro station has a picture designation - this is done specifically for those who cannot read.
26. There are parking lots for bicycles at some metro stations - many get to the station by bike, hang it on special handrails in the lobby in front of the turnstiles, and then go by metro.
27. A lot of merchants can be found in the metropolitan subway - both spreading out their goods in the passages, and moving along the cars. With funny howling voices, similar to a church priest singing psalms, they offer to buy a variety of goods - food, clothes, shoes, souvenirs, etc. - often like ours "three times ten" =).
28. Music CD sellers are the most visible, or rather, the most heard. They enter the car with a backpack speaker on their backs and turn on a CD with hits in such a way that they can be heard at the next station.
29. Free bike rental - a special city program for tourists - operates in Mexico City. Bicycle points are located near many attractions.
30. Metrobus is special kind transport in the capital, something between the subway and the bus. Outwardly, this is a bus, but it consists of two parts and travels, most often, along a dedicated lane. The entrance to it is carried out through turnstiles at specially equipped stops.
31. For the disabled and women, the first car in the metrobus is intended. Such a division is a forced measure of the state to protect women from the harassment of hot Mexicans.
32. There are a lot of currency exchange points in tourist places, but it is best to change the currency in banks - the exchange rate is always better. You must have your passport with you.
33. Double names are the norm for locals (eg Addi Maria or Carlos Antonio). This has nothing to do with parents, just at birth they give not one name, but two at once.
34. Medical care for the population of Mexico is free, but, as the locals themselves say, it is of very poor quality, so if you want normal conditions and help, you need to go to a private clinic.
35. Education is also almost completely free. Students are provided with various social programs- up to free food and uniforms. Universities pay decent scholarships, but many still do not want to study - they go to work.
36. Quinceanera (Quinceañera) - one of the important events in the life of a Mexican girl, symbolizing the entry into adult life. Quinceañera is celebrated on the day of the 15th anniversary, and is usually celebrated on a grand scale - with a ceremony in the church, flowers, gifts, professional photo and video shooting, dancing and live music. Guests and the hero of the occasion dress in expensive outfits and jewelry, to match the wedding.
37. The numbering of streets and houses in cities is very curious - the streets are called by numbers: Calle 1, Calle 2. Moreover, the even ones go perpendicular to the odd ones, and the address is listed as “Calle 2, house 56, between Calle 1 and Calle 3”. This is very convenient and allows you to quickly find the desired street and the house on it, even without having a map at hand.
38. One-way traffic is organized in many cities due to the fact that most of the streets are narrow. Moreover, the direction of movement alternates - for example, on Calle 1 in one direction, and on Calle 3 - in the other. There is two-way traffic on wide streets, they are usually called Avenida - avenues.
39. Most small towns and villages are built according to the same principle: a square central square, on which the cathedral assembly and the police building are located, and in the middle - a park area.
40. The tricycle is the most common mode of transport in small villages. Moreover, one wheel is located at the back, and 2 - at the front and there is a large basket on them, in which they carry everything in a row - from firewood to people.
41. Residents of very poor villages live in thatched huts. Often inside such a hut, the only "piece of furniture" is a hammock.
42. Chips, cookies and Coca-Cola - a permanent set of products that is in every shop, in any most seedy village. The inscription Coca-Cola flaunts here on all stores.
43. Excess insurance is offered by most car rental companies. It takes a lot of hard work to find full coverage insurance.
44. The difference between "automatic" and "mechanical" when renting a car, as a rule, is not very significant - we overpaid only $ 12 per week.
45. License plates are missing on many cars - instead of them, “tech. passport".
46. Imprinting - this ancient procedure had to be subjected to a bank card to pay for a rented car. A few days later, the bank blocked the card due to the fact that it was “compromised”. Whether this is related to imprinting or simply spending in Mexico is unknown.
47. Heavy things, especially basins, women often wear on their heads.
48. Police officers patrolling the streets of the city, standing in the back of an SUV - a frequent occurrence in tourist cities.
49. Corruption is very common among the police - in case of any violation on the road, they begin to gently offer to "resolve the issue on the spot."
50. The Mayan city of Chichen Itza, which belongs to the list of "7 New Wonders of the World" is located on the Yucatan Peninsula.
Alexey and Maria Glazunov,
