quechquémitl

The quechquémitl can be compared to a poncho that women in Mexico wear for special occasions. It is made of two rectangular pieces of breathable cotton cloth and is decorated with colorful and exquisite hand-stitched embroidery.

huipile

Another garment Mexican women commonly wear is called a huipile which is a piece of clothing with lots of personality and is usually worn for everyday events. This piece of clothing is known for its highly decorated breastplate, which consists of a large portion of cloth that is woven in straight or downwards, zig-zag stitches, above which lie criss-crossed stitches.

Puebla dresses, worn for everyday use, are also commonly worn in Mexico and are becoming increasingly more popular in the United States. These lightweight, cotton dresses are usually short-sleeved, loose fitting and feature detailed, colorful embroidery patterns.

sombrero

The sombrero is perhaps one of the most commonly known Mexican garments in the United States, due to the countless Mexican-American restaurants that often use the bright colors of the sombrero to add some flare. This Mexican hat also serves a very practical purpose since its wide brim protects the wearer’s head, neck, shoulders, and upper torso from getting sunburned in the hot Mexican sun.

The serape, going in line with the previous clothing garments, is also very colorful but also serves a very functional purpose. Serapes, which are made of heavy wool or cotton, are used as shawls or blankets that can be wrapped around the body to protect the wearer from the cold.

The third major type of garment for men living in Mexico is the guayabera. This garment is a lightweight cotton, usually pastel-colored, shirt that is worn for casual or formal occasions. These shirts are commonly worn for their comfort in the Mexican heat and for their attractiveness because they are embroidered with beautiful designs.

One thing to remember while traveling to Mexico is to dress for hot weather. As we can see from these six most popular clothing items, comfort is essential in the Mexican heat, however, the people of Mexico will surely tell you to never sacrifice comfort for colorful flare.

To learn more about clothing styles in Mexico, copy and paste these links into your browser window:

http://www.uv.mx/popularte/flash/scriptphplen.php?sid=181&len=In

http://www.oaxacaoaxaca.com/stories-202.htm

http://www.themexicandress.com/puebla-dress-history.shtml

http://www.travels.com/destinations/mexico/history-mexican-sombreros/

http://www.stylemexican.com/mexican-serapes-blankets.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/traditional-mexican-clothes-and-costumes.html

Mexican Train is a domino game where the object is for one player to play all his dominoes onto the various chains that emanate from a central “station.” The first person to play all his/her dominoes wins a prize!

Breaking the Piñata

Breaking the Piñata is usually played at parties, and involves a group of blindfolded people who try to break open a Piñata one at a time, by hitting it with a stick, bat, or any other similar object. The Piñata is usually filled with candy or fruit, and once its contents have been expelled onto the ground, all the players scramble to grab as much candy as possible!

La Loteria

La Loteria is a board game, similar to Bingo, but instead of letters and numbers, it uses popular Mexican figures such as “El Catrin” (The Gentleman), “El Borracho” (The Drunk), and “La Calavera” (The Skeleton). The figures are called out by drawing the corresponding card from a deck of cards, and the person who calls out the cards will create a rhyme about the image that the players must get correct. The first one to fill up his/her chart wins and receives a prize!

Toma Todo

Toma Todo is also a game of chance, but uses a six-sided top and a pool of money or chips. Each player takes turns spinning the top and then follows the directions listed on the side showing when the top falls over. The person who takes all the money wins the game!

Stealing the Sombrero is another game usually played at parties and is more of a children’s game. Each child attaches a sombrero to his/her back and starts running when the music starts. The point is to grab as many other sombreros off the other players as possible, while keeping your own sombrero attached. When the music stops, every child without a sombrero sits out and the game continues until there are only two children left and both of them are the winners!

Whether its running around grabbing sombreros, sitting around a table playing with dominoes, or hitting a hollow cardboard object filled with candy, people in Mexico have developed cultural games that help bring their families and friends closer together.

To find out more about games in Mexico, copy and paste these links into your browser window:

http://www.traditional-mexican-culture.com/popular-mexican-games.html

http://www.traditional-mexican-culture.com/traditional-mexican-games.html

http://www.festivalofmexico.com/loterias.html

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hispanic/act_tomatodo.htm

Hacienda

“Hacienda-style homes evoke a south-of-the-border plantation feel.” These large, airy, homes feature high ceilings, tile floors, thick stone walls, and many windows. The high ceilings and thick walls help to keep the heat out and the tiles help to provide cool surfaces in the home. The tiles are often donned with colorful designs and the walls are painted with vibrant hues. Haciendas also feature large, secluded patios where the family cam enjoy the fresh air while avoiding the hot Mexican sun.

Adobe home

Residential Mexican architecture also reflects a more earthy, modest style in the form of Adobe homes. “Traditionally, lower income families lived in adobe style houses.” Adobe homes are built using clay-based soils, straw, and water with red terra cotta tile roofs. Although these homes are on a much smaller scale than the Haciendas, there are just as vibrantly colored and are built to withstand the heat.

Visitors can appreciate the variety of residential architecture found in Mexico because the spectrum ranges from grand, massive Haciendas to small, humble Adobe homes. However, regardless of the scale, every home across Mexico is sure to protect its inhabitants from the sun and heat, and provide a colorful and decorative flare.

To find out more about architecture in Mexico, copy and paste these links into your browser window:

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/mexican-style-house-decorating-1285.html

http://www.ehow.com/list_7417515_traditional-styles-mexican-homes.html

                Tacos, burritos, and salsa. What do you think of when you hear these words? Mexican food, of course! But are they really true Mexican dishes? Oftentimes the meals that Americans associate with Mexico are different from those actually served there.  Most Mexican entrees served in the United States have been given an American twist. While it is possible to get an authentic Mexican meal in the United States, most Mexican restaurants serve some type of Americanized Mexican. When most Americans think of Mexican food they immediately think of these common foods. While it is true that they can be found in Mexico, the look and taste of them will be completely different from what most people expect. One essential difference is in America, tortilla shells are often made from flour;  however, in Mexico most tortillas will be made with corn in the traditional-style.

                Most Mexican dishes share similar ingredients and tastes. While Mexican food is considered spicy to some, some dishes are not. Some of the most common ingredients found in true Mexican food are tortillas, frijoles, chilies, and guacamole. Tortillas are the bread of the Mexican diet. Most people will serve tortillas alongside many main dishes. Frijoles are a common type of bean served as either a garnish or as an ingredient in the dish. These beans will normally serve as the protein of the meal. Chiles are also an important staple in the Mexican diet. This is the aspect of the dish that will often cause many tourists to fear true Mexican food because some chilies, such as the habanero, can be extremely hot and spicy. Guacamole is another common item. This mix of mashed avocado, onions, chilies, and cilantro is  served with many Mexican dishes either as a dip or garnish.

                These common ingredients form many popular Mexican dishes. These include ceviche, huachinango, and chilaquiles.  Ceviche is a delicious dish and often served as an appetizer throughout Mexico. It is a dish made from raw fish marinated in either lemon or lime juice and seasoned with spices, such as chilies. Huachinango is another fish dish. It consists of a red snapper covered in a scrumptious tomato-based sauce that also contains jalapenos and other spices. The fish is then baked and served. Chilaquiles is a common breakfast time food and consists of tortillas, onions, spices, and cheese. They are stir fried and then topped with cheese and gravy.       

While many Americans love Mexican food, it is most often a form of Americanized Mexican. However, an authentic Mexican meal can normally be found after a little searching. For more information on popular Mexican food visit the site http://www.differentworld.com/mexico/food.htm.  To make the delicious food mentioned above in your own home, go to www.foodnetwork.com.

If you missed the lady mariachis playing violins, trumpet and bass guitar as they marched down the center of ArtsFest on historic Walnut Street, you can watch the video here.

The musicians didn’t miss a beat as they walked and smiled at the crowd, picking up more and more followers as they progressed towards the main stage for their noon performance.

Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan, our visiting all-female mariachi band for ArtsFiesta arrived in Springfield on Wednesday from Tlaquepaque, Mexico – via London. The world-traveling women are full of energy and immediately set about performing at venues throughout town.

On Thursday and Friday, the band performed at public schools including Boyd, Field, Weller, Bisset, Holland, and Willard Elementary schools. Also Drury and Missouri State Universities and the Boys and Girls Club.

They performed live on KY3 and taped ArtsFiesta! promotions for Ky3 and KSPR. Between all these events, the girls even had a chance to squeeze in a trip to Hammons Field for a Cardinals ballgame on Friday.

Thanks to all the host families and SSCA committees for coordinating performances and getting everyone to the right place at the right time.

Cross your fingers for good weather at ArtsFiesta! on Walnut Street tonight – it will be a grand performance!

An all-female Mariachi band, Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan, from Springfield’s sister city of Tlaquepaque, Mexico will be performing at ArtsFiesta! at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 1, 2010 at ArtsFest on Walnut Street.

Thursday, April 29 – the band will be performing for area public schools, Drury University, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Friday, April 30 – performances at area public schools and Missouri State University

Saturday, May 1, noon - performance at ArtsFest stage at Walnut and National

Saturday, May 1, 5 p.m. - ArtsFiesta! on the ArtsFiesta stage on Walnut Street

We weren’t quite sure Tlaquepaque was ready for The Garbonzos.

Springfield music fans have loved The Garbonzos for years, entertained by the band’s “hillbilly polka” music, crazy costumes and unpredictable antics. But when accordion player Chris Slatinsky showed up in a pink tutu for The Garbonzo’s on-stage preformance at Tlaquepaque’s Jardin Hidaldo, we wondered if the machismo culture of Mexico could handle such an affront.

As it turned out, Mexico was more than ready. Slatinsky’s graceful maneuvers in his tutu and mandolin player Michael “Supe” Granda’s Superman in flight imitation own over the crowd of more than 500 new fans. The highlight of the performance, however, was the clash of cultures that took place when The Garbonzos joined the 10-member Mariachi Femenil Tecalitlan on stage to close the evening of music after numerous calls for “otra” resulted in the encore.

Calling the entire experience “surreal,” members of The Garbonzos said they were please with the positive response they received in Mexico. In addition to Slatinsky and Granda, the band included John Ehlers on washboard and Tim White playing the guitar.

The Garbonzos were busy during their brief stay in Tlaquepaque. The performed four “on-stage” concerts even though it proved very difficult to keep the roving band on stage. They also played countless impromptu shows at the shops, restaurants and hotels of Tlaquepaque.

As the band walked to its first performance, playing their unique instruments along the way, they attracted much attention that quickly turned into a parade following them through the center of town. The Garbonzos also aroused curiosity as they entertained students at the CAI San Pedrito children’s center, teaching them how to play the child-sized washboards the band donated to the school.

The Garbonzos are veterans of Sister City music exchanges, having represented Springfield in Isesaki, Japan in 2005. In October, Springfield hosted Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan as they promoted Mexican culture through music by performing at elementary schools, universities and the community-wide ArtsFiesta! celebration.

Here’s a sample of The Garbonzo’s lively music at a Springfield, Missouri welcome party for the the all-female Mariachi Femenil Nuevo Tecalitlan band…

And another video clip of the two musical groups performing together at the 2009 ArtsFiesta! in downtown Springfield’s Founders Park…