The Mexican people are the most loving, genuine, giving people you will ever meet, but be prepared to let that in. They do kiss you on the cheek when you give them a hug, they won't take a no for an answer if they ask if you're hungry, and they will give you anything. So if you compliment them, make sure to say, hey, I love it, it looks great on you, or else they will give it to you as a gift, and you will end up with their stuff.
Some tips about the culture. The people there are super kind, super friendly, willing to invite you into their home. If you're not a touchy person, that was something that I kind of had to get over because the women especially will come up and they'll hug you, they'll give you a kiss on the cheek, and that's just something that's pretty regular. Everybody is very touchy, very friendly, and loving, and so that's something that I got used to was hugging, even giving a kiss on the cheek, and that was pretty normal for the people.
So one thing I love about the Mexican people is they're super chill, super relaxed. It's really easy to get to know them and they're just really real with you and that can be a good thing or a bad thing. Like they're going to be real with you and they're going to tell you what's up and so you definitely can't get offended by that. You've got to be able to take it and you've also got to be able to dish it out too if you're going to like be friends with them. So really just use that to your advantage and just really get close to the people, love the people, and just let them be close to you and be friends with you.
When you're knocking doors, don't do the whole That's really bad like That if if someone answers to the door, they're gonna be super mad like that's just like that's a very big insult But like just try to be cautious about Certain things that you do always always ask there are some funny things though Like if if you want to say thanks to someone without like saying things all you have to do is like just do this Just so show the back of your palm and that like that's basically going like I could ask yes
So one thing about the Mexican people is that they have their culture extremely ingrained, which is awesome in a lot of regards. They have a lot of family values, a lot of them have a good idea of what things should, I guess, be like.
The people in Mexico are very loving. They really like showing their love and affection. They'll let you in and they'll be very kind for the most part. Everyone is very, they're very, a lot more like touchy than we are in the United States. Like for example, like the guys will always like, after you shake your hand you'll just, you'll give a hug and like the girls do like to each other like the half like cheeky kiss and stuff. Which is a little different, but it's really cool. It's just a cool warm culture. Like on the Mexican Independence Day and things like that, you'll be able, you're able to have some really cool experiences experiencing the culture. If you just get involved and really let yourself go into the culture, that's when you'll have the most success. Because first of all, they'll realize that you love them and then second of all, you'll be able to just really connect and you'll be way happier. So just kind of let yourself immerse into the culture, learn about it, live it, everything that's good about it and just let it be part of you.
Accept that Mexicans are going to point out every flaw that they notice. So if you have a zit on your face they're gonna say that. If you've got food in your teeth they're gonna tell you that. So there's a lot of honesty that happens and they also get in your business. It's a way of showing that they care, that they want to know what's going on in your life and that they want to give you advice. So sometimes it's annoying but sometimes it's really helpful and they just help you be more honest with yourself and more honest with them too. They dish it and they can take it.
Something about Mexico is that some of the gestures and the little things that they have there are very different than the ones we have in the United States. And a lot of times, things that we might consider normal are just obscene or off color over there. A really good example is that little rhythm for shaving a haircut, you know, that the rhyme for that in is basically all swear words. So you should never do that. Don't knock a door that way. And if you hear somebody honking it, it means that they're upset with whoever's in front of them. Other ones that are like that is that kind of gangster thing here. I don't know gangster, but in Mexico, that means gay. And if you're ever shaking up a bottle, you should always do it side to side and never back and forth. Just little things like that, they will always latch onto it and they will notice it.
In Mexico, people greet each other with a kiss on one cheek. People in Juarez are generally very welcoming. The way they talk sounds angry sometimes, so you kind of have to get used to that and realize that that's just how they are talking and they're not angry. They're actually really welcoming people, so just be open and accept their openness as well.
They love their family. The family is the most important part of what they do. They don't want to disappoint anyone in their family. Honestly, the best culture tip is just to love everyone and really get to know them. People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care. And honestly, they have so much love and they're so kind that if you love them, they're going to love you back. And they usually love you more before you love them. They're just such awesome people that live there.
The men wear the pants in the house, but the women wield the, uh, wield the sandals. And they, uh, they wield them well. So usually the man will, uh, kind of act like he has the power in the house, but the woman will, uh, will rule with an iron fist kind of behind the curtains. And with the children, um, will rule with an iron fist, literally. And, uh, usually smack around the kids a little bit with the chancla. Um, pretty much exactly like you see in Coco when she takes off her, uh, her sandal and starts throwing it around. It's really funny. But, um, I love the culture in Mexico and it is, like everyone tells you, they will try to feed you until you feel like you're going to throw up. So, uh, get used to that.
Northern Mexico has so many strange culture things. I think what I'll start with though are the hand signals because in Spanish they love to talk with their hands and they have a lot of hand signs that mean certain things so the one that was probably most often used was um just this so they like it's almost like they're tipping a hat I don't know but that means thank you there's also differences between you use this to show how tall a person is this to show how tall a plant is or something and this to show I don't I don't know all the differences I guess I didn't really learn it very well but um you'll definitely notice that so get ready to learn that
People are going to love you, absolutely love you, and for a lot of Americans it was really hard to accept the things they wanted to give you because you can see some of them are just in really sad, poor conditions, really impoverished in a lot of places, but part of loving them is accepting the love they give you. If they offer you something, take it, give them a hug, let them know that you appreciate it and don't be bashful about it, just accept the love they have because they are the most loving people that you'll ever meet, they are great, and so, yeah, just accept their love because they give it so freely.
In Chihuahua, people are really friendly, so basically you can talk to anyone on the streets. So a culture tip would be don't be afraid to talk to people because they'll always be really friendly to you most of the time. Another culture tip is to, when you're offered food, accept it because it's a way for them to reach out to you and connect with you. And so if you reject food, they don't really... it's not really the most polite thing.
If you're a girl, and you're not a hugger, you will become a hugger, because everybody greets each other with a hug and a kiss, and it can get kind of hard to get used to, but it's awesome. You're going to greet everybody with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
There's hand signals for almost everything. So, like, caro, this is very expensive, like, but two things in Mexican Sign Language that they actually always use is si y no. When you're eating food, a lot of times, like, you'll still be talking with people, and so you'll just be like, mm-hmm, mm-mm, like, while you're chewing food, but you're also nodding and shaking your head at the same time. So that's a fun fact. Also, they point with their lips a lot, so just like, like over there. They say pointing's rude, and I mean, I'm not sure why pointing with your lips is less rude. I don't know. I'm not sure why, but it's what they do a lot, so. The people are very blunt and honest, but they're also, like, the sweetest, most loving people. Very complimentary. When they mean something, they mean it, and I just think that's great, so.
In the big cities, in Cancun and the other big cities, they're just people from all over the world. I've met people from France, Japan, Venezuela, and so you pretty much just have to be ready for anything, be open to everything. It's kind of like America in that there's just people from everywhere, they still all speak Spanish, and they all have their different opinions, and it's super cool and awesome to learn. But then in the little smaller villages, you have a lot of people who are of Mayan ancestry, so they speak Mayan, and they're just a little different, but they're really shy, and they don't want to talk to people, but once you start talking to them in their own language, or you'll just help them out and show them that you're not some big scary person, because they're all really short, they'll really open up to you, and they just love everyone. They have the biggest hearts.
Everyone is super Catholic. I'd say Querétaro and Guanajuato. Guanajuato more than Querétaro is just super super Catholic and like all of Mexico is Catholic but they actually like practice it in Guanajuato.
I mean, Mexicans are just so kind, so nice, you know, they're just happy people. So, um, my recommendation for, as far as the culture goes, is just to be yourself, be happy, try to speak Spanish to them, they'll love that.
The people in Chiapas are incredible. They are always, always so kind.
You're going to absolutely love them. They're so kind, they're loving, they will give you literally anything. Like if you say I like something, they will give it to you. So just be careful what you say you like or not, unless you really want it, then you could kind of hint at it. On top of that, just the food is always super super good. However, they usually give you three courses, so you got to watch out with how much you eat because you will get full pretty fast.
The Mexican culture, they're very very friendly and they love sharing their culture with you. So one thing that I'd recommend is just trying to learn and understand as much as you can about their culture. Just ask them questions. They love that you love Mexico, which is just really fun.
There is a lot of variety in the people. The people in the city are nice, but they're a little bit more reserved, and so don't be offended if they don't want to talk to you as much as the people in the coast or in Nelizmo, but also something else is that throughout Oaxaca, mostly everyone speaks Spanish, but a lot of people have different dialects of Spanish that they speak. For example, when I was in an area called Wichita, they spoke a dialect of Spanish called Zapoteco, and I was freaked out when I first heard it because I was trying to learn Spanish, and then they started speaking a different language, so don't worry about that. You probably won't understand it, and you probably won't pick it up.
Out on the Oaxaca coast, people are really chill. You can say hi to everybody and they'll say hi back. In the city, it's a different story. People usually work like seven days a week and then get one day off like every two weeks. So they're super busy and they may not be as friendly. But you can say like buenas tardes to most anybody and they'll say hi back. It doesn't matter who you are. With the older people, they do this salute. It's like this. And it's like, God bless you. You don't have to do that, but it's pretty cool.
Okay, so cultural tips. Depends the place you go. I'm from Mexico City, so there is kind of crazy because we got too much traffic over there, too much people, so I recommend you to enjoy. If you're going to Mexico City, try to be so close to the places you want to visit. So, also I recommend you try different places. For example, Puerto Vallarta is at the beach side on the on the west. Also, we got Veracruz. Veracruz is really nice in the malecon. But we got something, for example, in the south we got Oaxaca, Chiapas, Merida, Cancun. Cancun is one of the most visited places, so those are cultural tips I give you.
You gain this intense affinity for the people, the culture that's so family-centered and they love their soccer, they love to eat. These are people that have had to work for everything that they have, okay? These are very hard-working people that have always kind of put their shoulder to the grind. The other thing I would recommend is getting to learn the language specific to Mexico. So there's a lot of words, a lot of phrases that they use that aren't really used in other parts of the country. And if you can throw those into casual conversation, it really helps them to gain an affinity for you and feel like, wow, this American really values my culture and really cares about me as an individual. So that would definitely be a tip I'd give.
They'll shake your hand and then lean forward and give you a kiss. They'll put their cheek next to yours and give you a little kissing sound.
The family is very important to everyone, everyone out there, and they have a lot of respect for older, older members of society. There is a lot of different culture throughout Mexico, very heavily influenced by the Catholic culture, so you're going to need to be able to get used to that, to their beliefs, and be able to comprehend them and respect them. And another culture that is different in Oaxaca especially is all the different dialects that are spoken there. You're going to learn a little bit of a different language even other than Spanish, so just get prepared to get out of your comfort zone. If you can learn the dialects, the old dialects like Zapoteco and Mixteco that are present and still spoken in Oaxaca, you can get really far with the people that you're talking to and showing that you respect them, their culture, and that you want to be a part of it.