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There a great number of languages in Mexico, and while Spanish is Mexico’s most widely spoken language, the government also recognizes 68 Mexican indigenous languages as official national languages.

While 68 indigenous languages may seem like a large number, in fact over 130 indigenous languages, along with their unique customs and culture, have vanished. As such, the government has placed a heavy emphasis on the preservation and promotion of the native languages. The Law of Linguistic Rights was created in 2002 to protect the native Mexican languages, and encourage bilingual and intercultural education.

The 1917 constitution that was drawn up after the Revolution also had a strong focus on the preserving the languages of Mexico and the country’s multicultural identity. The constitution stated that every indigenous group had the right to protect and enrich their own Mexican language.

Nowadays, there are over 6 million speakers of indigenous languages in Mexico. While 10-14% of the population identify themselves with an indigenous group, only 6% of them speak an indigenous language of Mexico.

Some of the most widely spoken languages in Mexico, aside from Spanish, are Nahuatl, which has almost 1.4 million speakers, Yucatec Maya, spoken by over three quarters of a million people, and Mixtec, whose speakers amount to about half a million.

Interestingly, while Spanish is of course the dominant language in Mexico, it is not defined as the official language in Mexican legislation. This allows for more rights to be given to the remainder of Mexico’s languages, including the right to use indigenous languages in governmental communication and official documents.

If you want to learn more about the interesting variety of languages in Mexico, or the unique qualities of Mexican Spanish then this section will provide you with all the information you need!

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The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is celebrated on Dec. 12, is a major Mexican holiday celebrating the appearance of the Virgin Mary to an Indian man in the first years of Spanish rule. She is the patron saint of the country.

The Day of the Dead, celebrated on Nov. 2, is a day set aside to remember and honor those who have died, according to the University of New Mexico. Carnival is also celebrated in many communities throughout Mexico to mark the period before Lent.

Independence Day, marking the country’s separation from Spain in 1810, is celebrated on Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo, which marks a Mexican military victory over the French in 1862, is more widely celebrated in the United States (as a beer promotion) than it is in Mexico.

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Although Mexican clothes nowadays do not differ much from what we wear here in Europe and North America, their traditional dress is quite different. Traditional Mexican clothes were designed to keep people cool in the hot climate that can be found in the deserts to the north to the jungles in the south.

Traditionally Mexican women wore clothing which was normally very simple with garnishes of color. The Huipil, a tunic-like dress, and other types of enredos were very typical pre-Columbian garb. Originally, more often than not, these dresses were made mostly from cotton however following the Spanish colonization of Mexico, silks and wools started to become more popular as clothing material. Traditional Mexican women´s clothing regularly includes lots of ornate embroidery, often including images and patterns that have symbolic meaning attached to them.

Typically men´s clothing is not as colorful as women´s. In fact, typical pre-Columbian clothing is hard to find today. This is because men often went with little or no clothing using mainly a sarape in the certain areas of Mexico. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, one of the first things they did was to clothe men and getting them to wear pants and shirts.

The impact on indigenous clothing by Spanish conquistadores would change everything and what we know today as typical Mexican clothing has much to do with this influence.

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Although Mexican clothes nowadays do not differ much from what we wear here in Europe and North America, their traditional dress is quite different. Traditional Mexican clothes were designed to keep people cool in the hot climate that can be found in the deserts to the north to the jungles in the south.

Traditionally Mexican women wore clothing which was normally very simple with garnishes of color. The Huipil, a tunic-like dress, and other types of enredos were very typical pre-Columbian garb. Originally, more often than not, these dresses were made mostly from cotton however following the Spanish colonization of Mexico, silks and wools started to become more popular as clothing material. Traditional Mexican women´s clothing regularly includes lots of ornate embroidery, often including images and patterns that have symbolic meaning attached to them.

Typically men´s clothing is not as colorful as women´s. In fact, typical pre-Columbian clothing is hard to find today. This is because men often went with little or no clothing using mainly a sarape in the certain areas of Mexico. When the Spanish arrived in Mexico, one of the first things they did was to clothe men and getting them to wear pants and shirts.

The impact on indigenous clothing by Spanish conquistadores would change everything and what we know today as typical Mexican clothing has much to do with this influence.

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Antojitos[edit]

Cemita with milanesa

Preparation of huaraches

Street food in Mexico, called antojitos (literally "little cravings"), is prepared by street vendors and at small traditional markets in Mexico. Most of them include corn as an ingredient.

Aguachile

Atepocate

Bolillos (salty bread)

Burrito

Calabaza (squash)

Camote (Mexican sweet potato)

Caviar de Carpa

Gorditas

Gringas

Cemitas sandwiches

Chalupa

Chapulines and escamoles

Charales, small fish, basically a type of smelt

Chicharrón

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles

Chiltomate

Chimichangas (Tex-Mex mostly)

Choriqueso

Chorizo

Churipo

Coachala

Ceviche

Cochinita pibil is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Península of Mayan origin

Cochinita pibil

Cocido

Cóctel de camarón and other seafood cocktails

Codzito

Cola de res con frijoles (beef tail with beans)

Corunda

Curtido

Elote

Enchilada (red or green)

Ensalada de fruta (fruit salad)

Enfrijoladas

Entomatadas

Filete de pescado al mojo de ajo

Filete de pescado empanizado

Flautas with guacamole

Flautas

Frijoles charros

Fritadas de camarón

Gorditas de carne

Huauzontles

Huaraches

Jicama

Jocoque

Lengua

Lentil soup (lentil beans)

Longaniza

Machaca

Mancha manteles

Memela

Menudo

Molotes

Menudo

Mixiotes

Mole de Olla

Mole poblano

Mole Poblano

Molletes

Molotes

Moronga

Mulitas

Nachos

Pambazos

Panucho

Papadzules

Parilladas

Pastel Azteca

Pejelagarto

Picadillo

Pozole

Quesadillas

Quesos artesanales, Cheeses of Mexico

Rajas con crema

Romeritos

Salbutes

Sincronizadas

Sopes

Sopes

Sopa de albondiga (meatball soup)

Tacos

Taco al pastor

Taco Sinaloa

Tamales

Taquitos

Tlacoyos

Tlayudas

Totopo

Tortas (sandwiches)

Tortas de.... – small omelettes similar to egg foo yung patties. See also romeritos.

Tortillas

Tostadas

Tripas

Venado (venison), particularly in the Yucatan.

Yuca (cassava)

Cheese dishes[edit]

Caldo de queso

Queso de cuajo

Queso flameado

Egg dishes[edit]

Huevos rancheros

Huevos divorciados

Huevos motuleños

Huevos rancheros

Meat dishes[edit]

Beef dishes[edit]

Bistec

Albóndigas, Mexican meatballs

Bistec

Carne asada, grilled beef

Carne guisada, stewed beef in spiced gravy

Carne a la tampiqueña, carne asada that is usually accompanied by a small portion of enchiladas (or chilaquiles), refried beans, fresh cheese, guacamole, and a vegetable (often rajas; grilled slices of Poblano peppers).

Cecina – In Mexico, most cecina is of two kinds: sheets of marinated beef, and a pork cut that is pounded thin and coated with chili pepper (this type is called cecina enchilada or carne enchilada).[1]

Goat dishes[edit]

Cabrito

Pork dishes[edit]

Carnitas

Chilorio

Chorizo

Poc Chuc

Poultry dishes[edit]

Pollo asado

Pollo Encacahuatado

Pollo motuleños

Pollo picado

Pollo rostizado

Other meat and protein dishes[edit]

Barbacoa

Ancas de Rana al Mojo de Ajo

Barbacoa

Birria – a spicy stew from the state of Jalisco traditionally made from goat meat or mutton

Chapulines – toasted grasshoppers seasoned with salt and lime.

Puntas

Queso de Puerco, head cheese prepared with vinegar, garlic, oregano and black pepper, among others. Wheels are often sold covered in paraffin wax. Non dairy.