Exam topic 9 of 10
Music, traditions and food, for the exam.
The culture questions. They look like the easy ones until you are asked which state a dish comes from.
What this topic gets asked about
Dates of the fiestas, the origin of the music, and which state each dish belongs to. Origins are where this topic catches people out.
Mariachi originated in Jalisco. UNESCO inscribed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.
Regional music by origin: son jarocho from Veracruz, banda from Sinaloa, norteño from the north, marimba from Chiapas, huapango from the Huasteca.
The jarabe tapatío is the national dance, also from Jalisco.
Día de Muertos, on 1 and 2 November, is also UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The ofrenda with cempasúchil marigolds, pan de muerto and photographs of the dead is its central practice.
La Catrina, by José Guadalupe Posada, is its best-known image.
The Grito de Independencia is given on the night of 15 September, and 16 September is the national holiday.
Other fixed holidays: 1 January, 5 February (Constitution), 21 March (Benito Juárez’s birth), 1 May (Labour), 20 November (Revolution), 25 December.
Las Posadas run from 16 to 24 December; Día de Reyes is 6 January, when the rosca de reyes is eaten; Día de la Candelaria on 2 February is when whoever found the figure in the rosca provides the tamales.
Mexican cuisine was inscribed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010 — the first national cuisine to be recognised that way.
Mole poblano is from Puebla; cochinita pibil from Yucatán; pozole and birria from Jalisco; tlayudas and the seven moles from Oaxaca; cabrito from Nuevo León.
Maize, beans, chilli, squash, cacao, tomato, avocado, vanilla and turkey are Mexico’s contributions to world food.
Tequila comes from the blue agave of Jalisco; mezcal is made in several states, notably Oaxaca; pulque is the fermented agave drink of central Mexico.
Charrería, the Mexican horsemanship tradition, is the national sport and also UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Voladores de Papantla, from Veracruz, and the Guelaguetza in Oaxaca are the ceremonies and festivals most often named.
Mexico has 68 recognised Indigenous languages with many variants; Náhuatl and Maya have the most speakers, and words like chocolate, tomate, aguacate and chile came into Spanish from Náhuatl.
A practice question from this topic
In Spanish, like the real exam. Open the answer to read the Contexto, or pick an option first.
Question 1 of 1 · Music, Traditions & Food
¿En qué estado se celebra la Guelaguetza?
Show the answer
Answer
Oaxaca
Contexto
Estado del sur con enorme diversidad indígena y cultural; se asocia con Monte Albán, la Guelaguetza, moles y mezcal.
The other 626, with an explanation each.
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Questions people ask
Where is mariachi from?
Jalisco. It is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, inscribed in 2011.
When is Día de Muertos?
1 and 2 November. The Grito on 15 September and the national day on 16 September are the other dates this topic asks about.
Does the exam ask which state a dish comes from?
Yes, and that is the part people miss. Knowing what mole is does not help if the question asks which state it comes from.