7 REPRESENTATIVE CULTURAL MANIFESTATIONS OF MEXICO - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The cultural manifestations of Mexico have placed this nation among one of the richest and most culturally diverse in the world.

Mexican culture is closely marked by the union of millennial practices and traditions with others from Europe, which consolidated cultural development towards a common point.

Many entities and communities participate in the development and continuity of the most popular cultural manifestations in Mexico.

These have kept the flame alive and increasingly reinforce the sense of identity and belonging that culture can come to represent for its people.

Political and social participation (Church and other institutions), ethnic groups and tribal identities, the Spanish conquest and its vestiges, modernity or the condition of Latin Americans have shaped Mexican culture.

This has been materializing in acts and ceremonies that today are still present in the Mexican regions as a way of exalting cultural sovereignty.

Cultural manifestations are not limited only to the celebration of specific dates during a calendar year, but also to the phenomena and forms of expression that arise in the different regions of Mexico, different in form, but similar in substance.

Many of the original cultural activities of Mexico have been recognized by UNESCO as heritage.

Most interesting cultural manifestations of Mexico

1- Day of the Dead

It is one of the most popular festivities and one of the most recognized worldwide, instantly identifying it with the Mexican nation.

The Day of the Dead is celebrated between November 1 and 2 of each year, it is part of the Mexican religious traditions, along with others of a global nature such as Christmas or Holy Week.

Also known as All Saints Day is a celebration dedicated to honoring the deceased.

It is celebrated by entire families, who leave offerings to their deceased relatives so that when they arrive, they can re-experience what they felt when they lived.

You may be interested in 60 Phrases of the Day of the Dead.

2- The Guelaguetza of Oaxaca

This regional celebration encompasses the cultural qualities of several adjacent provinces and cities, which meet in Oaxaca in commemoration of the Virgen del Carmen, and is usually celebrated from the third Monday in July to the fourth.

Folkloric and popular music groups from regions adjacent to the state of Oaxaca participate.

La Guelaguetza is a celebration that has its origins in Oaxacan tribal customs and the veneration of deities related to corn and cultivation.

The passage of time and history have made it evolve and expand its activities and connotations. Today it is considered a traditional festival that encompasses multiple branches of Mexican culture.

3- Cinco de mayo

The commemoration of dates that marked the course of the political and military history of the country has a great weight in its culture.

The first time that Mexico was able to face and defeat the army of a foreign power (France) is more than enough reason for every year citizens to celebrate in their streets.

It is such a popular international festival that it has even been considered that it is celebrated to a greater extent in countries like the United States, both by Mexican citizens and by complete foreigners.

4- Rite of the flyers

It is a religious celebration considered Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

It consists of a series of aerial dance rites performed by four dancers, with connotations and tributes to the gods, the cardinal points and fertility. The dancers swing on ropes and descend while performing movements.

It is a Mesoamerican tradition that began in the regions of Jalisco and Nayarit, and later expanded to other parts of Mexico. Today it remains latent in areas such as Puebla and Veracruz.

5- The Mariachi

Popular music is one of the pillars of cultures around the world. A colorful and musical genre originated in Mexico that is today considered a globalized manifestation.

The mariachi, music made mainly with string instruments, is a musical variant that exalts, through its themes and the indigenousness of its performers, the deepest Mexican values.

Mariachis are capable of covering, in their own way, different traditional and modern musical genres, adapting to new times and audiences without losing their essence. The documented origin of the mariachi is located in the lands of Cocula, in the state of Jalisco.

6- La Pirekua

Also considered Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, this musical genre is originally from the P'urhépecha ethnic group, in Michoacán.

This musical manifestation consists of a string orchestra that accompanies particular and traditional songs made with one, two and even three voices.

The pirekua has a function of mediation in integration in the social environment. Their songs provide a family message that encourages reconciliation and understanding. Its practice has remained within the P'urhépecha people since its origin.

7- Gastronomy and festivals

Mexico has proven to be the cradle of the most varied and picturesque gastronomy, which has been emulated around the world.

However, there are regions that still preserve some of their culinary practices intact, and that these are considered a cultural manifestation in themselves, as well as participants in other celebrations.

The Mexican gastronomic festivals are the headquarters to know everything that Mexico has to offer at the culinary level. Some of these are international in character; others promote and encourage local production in certain regions.

Events such as the Chile Festival, the Strawberry Fair, the National Mole Fair, are some of the activities that annually bring Mexicans together in a gastronomic environment.

In them the most traditional culinary values ​​are shared, together with the innovations provided by the avant-garde of the kitchen.

In the same way, the typical gastronomy of Mexico has been part and complement of other larger celebrations, such as the Day of the Dead, through the altars that they prepare with food and fruits and that will later be offered to the deceased honored.

References

1. Alonso, IV, & Márquez, EZ (2012). Intangible cultural heritage or the patrimonialization of culture. Culture and social representations.
2. Bartolomé, MA (1997). People of habit and people of reason: ethnic identities in Mexico. XXI century.
3. Battle, GB, Carlón, JC, C., DG, Garibay, X., Ungerleider, DL, Luna, JM,… Monsivais, C. (1995). Popular cultures and cultural politics. México, DF: National Council for Culture and the Arts.
4. Canclini, NG (1999). The social uses of Cultural Heritage. In A. Criado, Encarnación (pp. 16-33). Junta de Andalucía.