A symbol for the connection between South America and North America, Mexico is today’s country.
MEXICO
- Name as written in its native language: México
- Language: Spanish
- Capital: Mexico City
- Currency: Mexican peso (BRL 0.26 – exchange rate on 10/05/2022)
- Main soccer player: Guillermo Ochoa
- Typical dish: Guacamole
Interesting Facts
It is the only Latin country located in North America, and this leads to some similarities shared with Brazil such as, for example, the connection with indigenous peoples who lived in the country prior to the colonization. Mexico exported to Brazil several famous cultural works, such as its soap operas and the sitcoms El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulín Colorado, which has hordes of fans in Brazil to this day.
Mexico is the cradle of the Aztec civilization, represented in its flag by the symbol of an eagle eating a snake over a cactus. The Aztec legend says that the image makes an allusion to a revelation of the God of war Huitzilopochtli in a dream of a leader of a nomadic tribe, that said that they should set up at the place where the tribe leader would found an eagle. This is how the city of Tenochtitlan, a territory where today is the Mexico City, was founded.
In Mexico, death has a different meaning. Mexicans see death as a passage, and on Día de los Muertos [Day of the Dead] a celebration is held, as it is believed that on this date the souls of their loved ones are authorized to come back to their families, so each family prepares an altar with the things their loved ones liked when they were alive, such as food and beverages.
The celebration also involves Mariachis music and many skulls decorated with clothes and adornments all over the country. The date is a national holiday, and is also considered by UNESCO an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Economy
Mexico has the second largest economy of Latin America, second only to Brazil. Its economy is diversified and consists in industrial, agricultural, mining, and touristic activities. The main export product is oil, which is exported on a large scale to the United States. Moreover, the country also produces and exports meat, corn, wheat, soy, among others.
Regarding language, Mexico has no official language in its constitution. However, the country has the largest number of native Spanish speakers in the world and, besides Spanish, it has 68 indigenous languages recognized, including Nahuatl. This allows indigenous peoples to have the right to access public services and receive documents in its native languages. Nevertheless, it is more common to have documents translated into Spanish for Mexico.
Chile peppers are strongly used in the Mexican cuisine. An essential dish is guacamole, a puree prepared with avocado, tomatoes, onions, and spices that is quite spicy and served with nachos, which are basically fried corn tortillas, cut into triangles. Fortunately for Brazilians, it is not hard to find Mexican restaurants that serve guacamole and other Mexican delicacies in big Brazilian cities.
Mexico Nacional Team
The star of the Mexican team is, without a doubt, the goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, which will play his 5th World Cup. An old acquaintance of Brazilian soccer fans, Ochoa performed miracles in the 0-0 tie between Brazil and Mexico in the 2014 World Cup and had another outstanding performance against the Brazilian national team in the 2018 World Cup, but that time Brazil won 2-0. Ochoa is known for standing out only in the World Cup, as his career playing in clubs has not fulfilled expectations.
Having played for minor teams in Spain, he came back to his former club, Mexico’s América, where in 2011 he was the leading star of his team in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 against Neymar’s Santos, but he ended up being eliminated after losing the first of two matches 1-0 and tying the second match at 0-0.
Ochoa’s mission is difficult. The goalkeeper will have to stop major soccer strikers from all over the world, such as Messi and Lewandowski. Only then Mexico will have a chance to advance in its group.
This was Eko’s in the World Cup – Mexico. If you liked this, follow us on our social media (Instagram: @ekostraducoes / LinkedIn: ekostraducoes) and come back tomorrow, because we will be talking about Poland.
