DOCUMENT RESUME ED 392 686 ( SO 025 807 AUTHOR Ruiz, Octavio Madigan; And Others TITLE Many Faces of Mexico. INSTITUTION Resource Center of the Americas, Minneapolis, MN. REPORT NO ISBN-0-9617743-6-3 PUB DATE 95 NOTE 358p. AVAILABLE FROM ResourceCenter of The Americas, 317 17th Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55414-2077 ($49.95; quantity discount up to 30%). PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher)(052) Books (010) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC15 Plus Postage. .DESCRIPTORS Cross Cultural Studies; Foreign Countries; *Latin American Culture; *Latin American History; *Latin Americans; *Mexicans; *Multicultural Education; Social Studies; United States History; Western Civilization IDENTIFIERS *Mexico ABSTRACT This resource book braids together the cultural, political and economic realities which together shape Mexican history. The guiding question for the book is that of: "What do we need to know about Mexico's past in order to understand its present and future?" To address the question, the interdisciplinary resource book addresses key themes including: (1) land and resources;(2) borders and boundaries;(3) migration;(4) basic needs and economic issues;(5) social organization and political participation; (6) popular culture and belief systems; and (7) perspective. The book is divided into five units with lessons for each unit. Units are: (1) "Mexico: Its Place in The Americas"; (2) "Pre-contact to the Spanish Invasion of 1521";(3) "Colonialism to Indeperience 1521-1810";(4) "Mexican/American War to the Revolution: 1810-1920"; and (5) "Revolutionary Mexico through the Present Day." Numerous handouts are include(' with a number of primary and secondary source materials from books and periodicals. A map of Mexico, a chronology, and a glossary are included in the appendices. (EH) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. i,i,,..A;,************************************************ REPRODUCE THIS U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERMISSION TO r)" , Howl 5 ,1,7 osr, rnl GRANTED BY 13EE ,9 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL HA CENTER (ERICI The, dot timer)! h.iheen reproduced as recolved 'fro the i rs41 or my reflation eriginahfro Minof t hanle h h.e beef, mad to 111plovP !opt, tI bon qualty TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES Pkm, vICY is orimoNsI it,I (ERIC) dot ufhold(1, liev .1 WV' INFORMATION CENTER OEM p, of poh, 2 Many Faces of Mexico 14( pc-tav AMA By Octavio IVIadigan Ruiz, Amy Sanders, Meredith Sommers Resource Center of The Americas 317 - 17th Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55414-2077 612 / 627-9445 Magy Faces of A hwieo lkiblished August 1995 by Resource Center of The Americas 3 I 7-I 7th Avenue Southeast Minneapolis. MN 55414-2077 li.slephone 612 / 627-9445 Fax 612 / 627-9450 E-mail: [email protected] ISBN 0-9617743-6-3 Ower design lw Ivett Lorenzano Authors: Octavio Madigan Ruiz, Amy Sanders, Meredith Sommers Other Materials Produced lw the Resource Center of The Americas File Nem' (;lobal Economy: A View from the Bottom Up (1995) ('entral America Children Speak: Our Lives and Our Dreams, Video and educators guidebook (1994) /he Cost of lino- Shirt (1993) Rigoberta A lowini: The Prize that Broke the Silerwe ( I 992) El Salvador: Conjlict and Change (1992) 5:00 Years: Exploring thc Past to Discover the Present (1991) Directory of (;ehtral America Classroom Resources K-12, Second Edition (1990) Annotated Bibliography of- Library Resources on Central Amoka (1990) Directory of Central America Classroom Resources, K-12, First Edition (1987) ( :opvright 1.,1()95 lw the Resource Center of The Americas. Portions of this book may be reproduced for study groups and classrooms use. Request fiir reproducing materials for purposes other than those stated above should be directed in writing to coiwright holder. Many Faces of Mexico Table of Contents Introduction 1 Acknowledgments and Credits 7 Unit 1 Mexico: It's Place in The Americas Lesson I Mapping Mexico: Perceptions and Reality 9 Lesson 2 Locating Mexico: Maps, Places and Relations 17 Lesson 3 Defining Mexico: What's in a Name? 23 Unit II Pre-contact to the Spanish Invasion of 1521 Lesson 4 Historical Imagining: Regions and People Before 1519 31 Lesson 5 Exploring TenochtitlAn: Reconstructing Aztec Daily Life An Exploring the Connections Lesson 55 Lesson 6 'rhe Spanish Invasion 69 Unit III Colonialism to Independence: 1521-1810 Lesson 7 Colonizing the Americas: Analyzing the Legacy An Exploring the Connections Lesson 89 Lesson 8 Colonizing New Spain: The New Economic and Social System 95 Lesson 9 Bringing History to Life: Stories from the Colonial Era 113 Lesson 10 The Struggle for Independence: Analyzing Interests and Alliances 125 Unit IV Mexican/American War to the Revolution: 1810 -1920 Lesson 11 Mexico's Loss of Land: Perspectives from Mexico and the United States An Exploring the Connections Lesson 133 Lesson 12 'Faking a Stand: Research and Debate on the Mexican Revolution An Exploring the Connections Lesson 145 Lesson 13 Identity and Stereotypes: A Guide to Understanding Cultures An Exploring the Connections Lesson 175 Lesson 14 Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Mexico Through the Artist's Eve 205 Lesson 15 Bringing History to Life: Stories from the Revolutionary Era 211 Unit V Revolutionary Mexico through the Present Day Lesson 16 Political Reform: Chronicling the 1968 Student Movement 221 Lesson 17 Uprising in Chiapas: Analyzing the Media An Exploring the Connections Lesson 239 Lesson 18 At What Price? A Simulation on Mexican Economic Culture 251 Lesson 19 Who is Being Fed? Food Pathways in North America An Exploring the Connections Lesson 261 Lesson 20 Casting a Vote: Simulating Mexico's Electoral System 273 Lesson 21 Mexicans on the Move: Case Studies on Migration and Debate on Immigration Policy An Exploring the Connections Lesson 285 Lesson 22 Bringing History to Life: Stories about Contemporary Mexicans 307 Lesson 23 Citizen Action: Working for Change An Exploring the Connections Lesson 317 Lesson 24 Mexico's Future: Tho ls for Understanding 325 Appendix AMap of Mexico 337 Appendix BChronology 338 Appendix CGkmary 340 Appendix DEvaluat ion Forms 342 Appendix EResources and Organizations 344 Bibliography 345 Introduction any Faces of Mexico braids together the cultural, political and economic realities which together shape Mexican history. As Jorge Castaneda wrote in an article comparing Mexico and the United States, "Mexican history appears to be one long continuum, with great and long constants and underlying continuities and only sporadic bursts of compressed, highly intense events." He goes on to say, "For the United States, history is folklore, plus the recent past; for Mexico, it is the essence of the present". Indeed, as we wrote Many Faces of Mexico, a guiding question was, "What do we need to know about Mexico's past in order to understand its present and future?" This question led us to an interdisciplinary approach which includes geography, history, economics, sociology, politics, literature and the arts. In the process of creating Many Faces of Mexico, we have identified key themes that help us understand the continuities in Mexican history from before the Spanish invasion to the present day. These themes include the following: Land and Resources - examining who controls or has access to land and resources and how they are used Borders and Boundaries understanding the nature of borders and how continuously changing boundaries affect people's lives Migration considering why people move, where they go and the consequences of migration Basic Needs and Economic Issues -.examining how people meet their need for housing, food, education and work Social Organization and Political Participation - analyzing how people and governmental systems are organized and reflecting on whose voices are heard or not heard Popular Culture and Belief Systems - considering how people express themselves through language, arts, literature, sports and games Perspective understanding how people view, interpret and react to issues and events in their lives, communities and nation We wrote Many Faces of Maico in response to numerous requests of the Resource Center of The Americas for curricula and other materials about Mexico. Despite the close geographical proximity of the US and Mexico, we \ vere able to locate few resources about Mexico. Those that did exist seemed to put their emphasis on "food, fiestas and famous people". The high quality lessons seemed to focus on ancient Mayan or Aztec jvilizations, or be limited to one or two concepts. We could find no up-to-date, comprehensive curriculum describing the reality of Mexico from past to present. Thus began our journey to create Many Faces of Mexico. Many Faces qf Mexico Goals and Objectives Our goal is to help learners in the US and Canada develop awareness and understanding of Mexican reality and an appreciation for the rich diversity of the Mexican people. Our guidelines state that the resource/study guide should: 1. Develop an attitude of respect for the dignity of all people. 2. Build a recognition of both differences ancr similarities among people. 3. Use the arts to help develop compassion and a sense of connection. 4. Arouse curiosity and teach analytical thinking. 5. Present multiple perspectives. 6. Acknowledge and discuss major inequalities of wealth and power within Mexico and the US and question why those inequalities exist. 7. Explore the wide diversity of the Mexican people, ethnically and culturally, and give special emphasis to the indigenous heritage of the nation. 8. Encourage a vision of a future which is more equitable and just, and to act upon that vision. Teaching Strategies and Techniques Mai!), Faces of Mexico helps participants identify perspectives and examine how differing perspectives influence a person's understanding of events. To bring Mexico's history to life, we incorporate several short narratives or stories about people from different social, economic and ethnic groups, who also live in different regions of the country.