San Antonio

I just got back from San Antonio with my girlfriend, Nichole.  We left Lewisville and arrived in San Antonio on Thursday, and we just got back in town a couple hours ago.  The trip was really more of a little get away for the two of us than a project, but that didn't keep us from experiencing the Hispanic culture.
First of all, we stayed at El Tropicana Riverwalk Hotel.  It was a very nice hotel with an interesting lay out.  Behind the front desk, hanging on the wall were a bunch of masks.  They were really neat and seemed to be carved out of wood.  They were painted elaborately and none of them were exactly the same.  Some seemed animalistic while others resembled people and even demons or monsters.

Outside of the hotel, which was located right on the Riverwalk just a short walk from the main riverside restaurants, we walked EVERYWHERE!!  First we made a full lap around the Riverwalk taking a break for lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe San Antonio where I had The Local which was a burger that had fried jalapenos on it along with a spread made with jalapenos in it. It was really spicey!!  Nichole had a steak...nothing fancy.
After lunch, we kept walking.  Our goal was to go shopping, unfortunately we didn't realize that there really weren't any shops on the Riverwalk...except for the Riverwalk Mall which was much farther down than from where we stayed.  Before the mall though, we went topside and walked to the Market Square.  We were looking for souvenirs and I wanted to buy her a new dress and myself a new shirt for dinner on Friday night.  The market was really cool! It was very similar to markets in Mexico that I've been to before.  There were just a bunch of little shops with all sorts of nic-nacks and not a lot of variety from store to store. It was really like a treasure hunt, though, trying to find something that just called out to us through all the repition.
In the stores, there were all sorts of products and goods from the Hispanic culture.  Lots of artwork with anything from paintings of Mother Mary (a prominant Catholic figure) to wrestling masks to pottery/terracotta sculptures.  We also saw a lot of clothing including dresses and jewelry.  It was all very colorful!

Well anyways...we're back now, and it's time for dinner. More updates soon.

Mexican cultural facts

Here are some fun facts about the Mexican culture!!

• People of the Mexican culture predominately practice the Catholic culture. (this is something I already had an idea about...)
• Families are important to the Mexican culture and families are typically large.  (this is also something I thought would be true. I've heard racial slurs and jokes that indicate this)
• Sense of family is also much stronger than in American culture as extended family typically has greater significance in the Mexican culture than in the American culture.
• Mothers are respected in terms of family but women typically aren't in terms of society.
• Mexican culture is largely dominated by men.
• Men are the head of the family and leaders. Important decisions go through them.
• For small gatherings, the host makes the introductions
• For larger gatherings, it's acceptable for people to introduce themselves.
• Gifts of some sort are customary as well, such as going to someone's house for dinner or a party.
• Flowers or food are typical gifts for such casual occasions.
• Gifts are opened immediately.

This is some of the information I found on just ONE particular sight:
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/mexico-country-profile.html

Choice

In my Bilingual & Multicultural class, I have to do in depth research on a different culture to my own.  For this assignment, I've chosen the Mexican culture. I've chosen this culture due to the fact that it is one of the fastest growing cultures there is.  It'll be a prominent culture in my classroom and it's also easily accessible for me to complete this project with.  I've always wanted to learn more about the Mexican culture.  I really enjoy their dancing.