Para Empezar Cultura

Social Relations Social relations are somewhat different in Spanish-

speaking countries than in the United States.

In some ways, they are equally formal, since new acquaintances greet each other with a handshake.

However, friends greet each other with a hug or a kiss on the cheek.

There is also a difference in the idea of a “personal bubble” in Spanish-speaking countries.

What’s in a name?

In Spain, a newborn is oftentimes given 3 names. However, these three names are not a first, middle, and last name like in most American cultures.

The child is given a first name, no middle name, and two surnames – one from each parent.

Usually, the father’s last name is first and the mother’s is second. Sometimes in America, these two surnames are hyphenated because they are recognized as two last names.

Mayans The Mayan people were

an indigenous civilization native to the Yucatan Peninsula and parts of

present day Guatemala, Belize, Honduras,

and El Salvador.

They were one of the dominant civilizations to inhabit Mesoamerica

(Mexico and Central America prior to the Spanish conquest).

Mayans Unlike most other Indian

civilizations, the Maya were not nomadic, largely staying in a central geographic area.

They were an agricultural people, growing crops such as corn, beans, and squash.

The Maya are known for many of their accomplishments, including the creation of a number system, calendar, writing system, and building techniques.

Mayans The Maya were

polytheistic, with many “high people” who believed they were a go-between for the people and the gods.

They were considered very advanced for their time, creating books from tree bark, known as codices, and making significant mathematical and astronomical advances.

Mayans Unlike the Aztec and Inca, the

Maya were not conquered by the invading Spanish conquistadors. Their decline was a result of the

abandonment of the Mayan cities.

No one knows why the Mayans abandoned their cities. Some speculate they exhausted the environment, or warfare or drought caused their decline.

Descendants of the Mayan people still live in the same regions today, having mixed bloodlines with other native people of the region. Other than the ruins, they are all that is left of this civilization.

Aztec Similar to the Mayans, the

Aztec were a Mesoamerican civilization that lived in

present-day Mexico.

The Aztec were believed to originally be a nomadic hunter-gatherer

tribe, whose name came from their homeland,

Atzlan.

They believed one of their gods told them to settle where they saw an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its talons, which led to the Aztec settling on Lake Texcoco, building their capital city of Tenochtitlán.

Aztec Highly structured civilization with a strict caste system.

Religion was similar to that of the Mayans, with similar gods and emphasis on sacrificial

rites.

A great deal of the Aztec culture comes from the Toltec and Maya civilizations, including the return of Quetzalcoatl.

The Aztec civilization fell with the arrival of Hernán Cortes, with the help of a woman

named Malinche.

Cinco de Mayo Contrary to popular belief,

Cinco de Mayo is NOT Mexican independence day, which is celebrated on September 16th.

The 5th of May signifies the victory of Mexico’s army over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Today it is a day of mass celebration in Mexico and America.

Los sanfermines Los sanfermines, also known

as the Running of the Bulls, is a two week long festival in

Pamplona, Spain.

The festival is named for the town’s patron saint, San Fermín, who is commemorated on July 7 every year.

The celebration includes daily bullfights, preceded by the release of the bulls into the streets of Pamplona.

As the bulls run, many people run alongside the bulls, sometimes ending in goring accidents. This has also resulted in the prohibition of cellphones from the runners, after one nearly injured himself and countless others by trying to take a selfie with the bulls while running.