Mexico The Brite Star Kids Learn About World Cultures Copyright © 2020 by The Brite Star Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c)3 All rights reserved. Published by The Brite Star Foundation, Inc. 11411 Southern Highlands Parkway Suite 338 Las Vegas, Nevada 89141 Vincent W. Goett, Publisher ISBN:
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“Good morning,” said Ms. Betty. “Today Maria will share with us about her home country of Mexico.” The Brite Star kids were excited because they loved Mexico, their neighbor to the south. They knew that Maria and her dad, Chief Mike were from Mexico. Maria was excited to talk about her family’s country.
Map andFlag “My little brother, Junior, and I were born in Mexico. We lived there before we came to live in Brite Star,” said Maria. “The flag of Mexico was first used after Mexico gained independence from Spain following the War of Independence.” The Mexican flag is vertical stripes of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms in the center of the white stripe.” “It’s been our national symbol since 1821,but was changed to the flag you see today in 1968,” said Maria.
Land “Mexico is located just below the United States in southern North America and is near Brazil and Argentina in Latin America. Mexico has lots of mountains and, best of all, beautiful beaches. The Pacific Ocean is to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the east.” “My family went to Cabo for Christmas last year and the beaches are great for sure,” saidAlexander. “We call that area Baja Mexico, Alexander,”said Maria.
Climate “Mexico is very big so it has different climates. In northern Mexico are deserts so it’s very dry. Near the ocean the weather is tropical and sometimes there are hurricanes,” said Maria. “Mostly Mexico has great weather. That’s why so many people come to Mexico to enjoy the weather and beaches,” she continued. “It sounds like it might be perfect for Alexander and me with surfing and sun,” saidMiles. “Just wait until I tell you about the food, Miles,” replied Maria.
People “Over 128,000,000 people live in Mexico. That seems like a lot but there are over 350,000,000 in the United States so Mexico has a lot less people for sure,” Maria said. “Mexico is divided into 10 traditional cultural regions: the North, Northeast, Northwest, Baja California peninsula, Central, West, Balsas,Gulf Coast, Southern Highlands, and the Yucatán Peninsula,” explained Maria. “Alexander, you were in the Baja Peninsula which includes Baja California. If you drive south from San Diego you enter the BajaPeninsula.”
Language “Spanish is the official national language of Mexico and the language used in schools. Spanish is spoken by the majority of the population,” said Maria. “We study Spanish in Brite Star School. Do the kids in Mexico study English?” askedJimmy. “Yes, many kids in Mexico study English. That’s where Junior and I learned English,” replied Maria.
Religions “Mexico has lots of beautiful churches, and many of them are very old,” Maria said. “There is no official religion in Mexico. However, more than 80% of the people are Roman Catholic. The Basilica of Guadalupe, the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint, is located in Mexico City.” “It’s beautiful,” said Cynthia. “Yes, and hundreds of thousands of people go there every year to pray. Many of them are very poor,” replied Maria. “Throughout Mexico there are thousands of Catholic churches, convents, and shrines.”
Currency “The peso is the currency of Mexico. The peso is the 15th most traded currency in the world,” said Maria. “The peso is subdivided into 100 centavos,”she continued. “What’s a centavos?” asked Jeremy. “Well, it’s similar to the coins used in the United States. One centavos is like one of our pennies,” replied Maria. “So, 100 centavos equals one dollar,” said Jeremy. “That’s right,” replied Maria. “There were a lot of tourists spending pesos in Cabo,” said Alexander. “Yes, tourism is a big part of the economy in Mexico,” said Maria. “Everybody, grab a peso from the jar because we have a surprise later,” said Maria. Everyone took a peso.
Government “Mexico is a federal republic composed of 31 states and the Federal District. The government is made up of the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The states each have their own separate governments with their own powers.” “The president selects a cabinet, attorney general, diplomats, high-ranking military officers and Supreme Court justices. The president also issues executive orders just like in the U. S.” “So, the president is like our president,” said Jimmy. “Yes, but in Mexico the president has one six-year term and our president, if elected twice, has an eight-year term,” said Maria. “The big decisions in Mexico happen at the National Palace where the president lives,” Maria explained. “That’s like our White House,” said Jimmy. “Yes, in fact some people refer to it as the Mexican White House.”
Food “Mexican people love their food,” said Maria. “A favorite dish is the Chilaquiles. This popular traditional breakfast dish features lightly fried corn tortillas cut into quarters and topped with green or red salsa. The spicier the better my dad always says,” Maria said with asmile. “My own favorite Mexican foods are tacos, tostadas and enchiladas,” she continued. “The best tacos in Brite Star are on Maria’s uncle’s Taco Truck,” Miles said. Everyone agreed with that!
Just then Chef Lou came in but . . . he didn’t bring any food. The class was surprised because there was always food after a country presentation. “Where’s the food?” askedMiles. “Oh, we have a special treat today,” said Chef Lou. “Take out the peso you got earlier from Maria and follow me and Chef Lou outside,” Said Ms. Betty. “You all know Maria’s Uncle Jose and his TacoTruck,” said Chef Lou. “Hi kids,” said Jose. “Today you get all the tacos you can eat for the peso Maria gave you.” The students gave a loud cheer! The class lined up to enjoy tacos and, of course, Miles was first in line.
Think About It 1. What country did Mexico gain independence from? 2. What are the colors on Mexico’s flag? 3. How long is the president’s term? 4. What’s another name for the National Palace? 5. What is Mexico’s money called?
Let’s Work Together! Mexico is easy to learn about because it’s so close to the United States. What topic would you like to know more about? Do some online research to find out more.
I will . . . • • •
Learn about places in Mexico like The Basilica of Guadalupe and other historical places. Try some new Mexican foods. Learn to say Spanish words.
It’s fun to learn some of the practices of other countries. Doing so gives you a broader understanding of a world that is bigger than just your own country. You may know people who used to live in Mexico. Talk with them and learn more about their country.