History UsefulNotes / Mexico

After this, comes the Texan conflict at which point Mexicans become {{Red Shirt}}s to attack The Alamo. By the way, don't bring this up in the company of polite Mexicans unless you want to hear an earful about how the US supported Texas' independence only to annex it and use it as a ''casus belli'' once Mexico attacked. Bring it up in the company of impolite Mexicans and, well... let's just say they can hold a grudge for centuries (just ask Spain). Worth noting is how Antonio de Padua Marí­a Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón (try to say that without stopping to breath), mostly known as Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna or just Santa Anna, went from Independence hero to eleven times president/dictator to national traitor, first class, due to the loss of the war and secession of almost half of their land to the victorious United States. It's because of his merry-go-round presidencies that Mexicans, ''to this day,'' distrust re-election on principle [[note]]Although after Santa Anna at least three more presidents (Juárez, Díaz and Obregón) got themselves reelected in the 70 years that followed[[/note]]. Funnily enough, though Mexican's distrust their government as a rule, they always believe the history that said government wrote for them, and thus, hate Santa Anna with a passion, even though he is in fact not responsible, either for the loss of Texas or for the loss of half of México's territory (which came 10 years later, so don't mix the two conflicts, please). Santa Anna got cocky in Texas and was surprise as his 700-man force was resting. Decimated, Santa Anna was soon captured, and forced to sign a document wherein he ordered Mexican forces to withdraw. See, Santa Anna had split his army in 3, and the other two groups combined were over 2000 strong, better trained, equipped and much more than a match for Houston's forces. General Urrea, third in command (who became second in command after Santa Anna's capture) wanted to attack the Texans, but Vicente Filisola, promoted to first in command, failed to use his advantage and eventually chose to obey Santa Anna even if he, as a captured man, no longer had any political power. In fact, though Mexico withdrew, the opinion in México for the next 10 years was that Texas was still its territory, and that eventually they'll send forces to bring it back in... it didn't quite happen like that. Santa Anna went on to tour the U.S, meet the president, and surprisingly, being hailed as a hero by minorities such as blacks because of México's novel approach to slavery, namely, abolishing it. Oh, and he also was partly responsible for the creation of chewing gum.

Mexico used to be a very usual film location for local and American Western movies. Other works filmed on location in Mexico include the original ''Film/{{Predator}}'' and ''Film/{{Spectre}}''. They also filmed TheMovie of ''[[Manga/DragonBall DragonBall Z]]'' in UsefulNotes/MexicoCity and Durango. Considering [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff how insanely popular]] the anime was (and still is) in Mexico, hooray! [[BrokenBase Or Not!]]. However, the recent wave of scandalous crime and violence has affected Mexico reputation as a viable location for Hollywood films.

Officially known as Los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (The United Mexican States), Mexico is a North American country[[note]]Geologically speaking, the border between Central America and North America proper (also known as Northern America) lies in Mexico, but Central America is usually considered part of North America. People mistaking Mexico for "South America" is probably due to the fact that most Mexicans speak Spanish[[/note]] and home of WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales, [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Bumblebee Man]], and Creator/GuillermoDelToro, Mexico can stir up more emotion in three syllables than can be wrought from a {{Wangst}} filled RomanticPlotTumor. Whether it's love or hate depends entirely on the person.

A coastal city in the southern state of Guerrero, famous both across the country and worldwide as a popular tourist destination. Once well known as an important port for the trans-Pacific galleon trade which had exchanged goods to and from UsefulNotes/{{Manila}}, THE beach destination, and in vogue among the wealthy for their beach homes, it has increasingly become less popular as drug cartels (who, ironically, profit mainly from local tourism) escalated violence in its streets, making it one of the most dangerous cities ''worldwide''. Most Mexicans now see it as a WretchedHive with dirty, crowded beaches (lots of them also go anyway because it's closer to home than say, Cancún, that is really not close to anywhere else). Speaking of which...

A coastal city in the southern state of Guerrero, famous both across the country and worldwide as a popular tourist destination. Once well known as THE beach destination, and in vogue among the wealthy for their beach homes, it has increasingly become less popular as drug cartels (who, ironically, profit mainly from local tourism) escalated violence in its streets, making it one of the most dangerous cities ''worldwide''. Most Mexicans now see it as a WretchedHive with dirty, crowded beaches (lots of them also go anyway because it's closer to home than say, Cancún, that is really not close to anywhere else). Speaking of which...

In case you can't tell, there also is a bit of an ongoing sore spot with the "Mexican-ness" of Mexican immigrants to the United States. While they're cut from the same cloth and are, in theory, "on the same side", Mexicans tend to dislike Latinos living in the U.S. for being "[[TheQuisling traitors]]" who: left their country (even if forced by necessity), are forsaking their heritage to become like the ever loathed "gringo" (just like Mexicans in Mexico), and in general "aren't mexican" (see Tex-Mex food). To be fair, polls usually show a lot of Mexicans willing to leave their country if they had the chance (in fact, Mexico has the highest emigration rate of any country in the world). Chicanos for their part, (particularly those born in the States) tend to view Mexicans as snobby, stuck up, and generally all too proud with very little to be proud ''of'' (in other words, ''[[OurElvesAreBetter elves]]''). Generally, considering that most Mexicans place a high importance on personal relationships in general, this is ignored in families and constitutes one of the reasons why ''remesas'' (money orders) are sent by immigrants to families back home and ties are maintained despite the distance -- to the point that entire towns live exclusively off money sent from abroad, and money orders are Mexico's second largest income after oil imports. Chicanos or "Pochos" in all honesty deserve their own UsefulNotes page, but for now their search for an "identity" that doesn't compromise heritage and nationality is an ongoing issue for them as with other immigrant groups.

[[index]]

'''LiveActionTelevision'''
* ''Series/ElChapulinColorado''
* ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho''
* ''Series/LaRosaDeGuadalupe''
[[/index]]

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'''ComicBooks'''
* Creator/{{Rius}}.
* ''ComicBook/LosMiserables''
* ''Franchise/ElSantos''
* ''ComicBook/MeminPinguin''

'''{{Literature}}'''
* ''Literature/TheEyesOfMyPrincess''
* ''Literature/LikeWaterForChocolate''
* ''Literature/PedroParamo''
* ''Literature/PopolVuh''
* ''Literature/YouthInSexualEcstasy''
* ''Literature/ElZarcoTheBlueEyedBandit''

'''LiveActionTelevision'''
* ''Series/ElChapulinColorado''
* ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho''
* ''Series/LaRosaDeGuadalupe''

'''VideoGames'''
* ''VideoGame/ArmyOfTwo: The Devil's Cartel''
* ''VideoGame/CallOfJuarezTheCartel''
* ''VideoGame/GhostRecon: Advanced Warfighter 2''
* ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram''
* ''VideoGame/OutToLunch'': The fourth stage takes place here.
* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption''
* ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Double Agent''
** ''Splinter Cell: Blacklist''

'''Webcomics:'''
* ''WebComics/PilliAdventure''

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'''Western Animation:'''
* WesternAnimation/LasLeyendas
[[/index]]

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!!Works about Mexico and Mexicans:

* ''Film/{{Apocalypto}}''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife''
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coco}}''
* ''Film/ADayWithoutAMexican''
* ''Film/{{Desiertos}}''
* ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars''
* ''Film/AFistfulOfDynamite''
* ''Film/{{Frida}}''
* ''Film/{{Machete}}''
* ''Film/ElMariachi''
* ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro''
* ''Film/TheMexican''
* ''Film/OnceUponATimeInMexico''
* ''Film/TheProfessionals''
* ''Film/ThreeAmigos''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros'': The third present Donald opens is about this country.
* ''Film/{{Traffic}}''
* ''Film/TheWildBunch''
* ''WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales'' cartoons; both ones with Sylvester the cat and those with WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck

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!!Commonly associated tropes:
* BananaRepublic
* {{Bandito}}
* {{Calacas}}
* GratuitousMariachiBand
* GratuitousSpanish
* TheIllegal
* LatinLand
* MagnificentMoustachesOfMexico
* MaskedLuchador
* {{Mayincatec}}
* MexicanStandoff
* MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales
* MexicoCalledTheyWantTexasBack
* RunForTheBorder
* SoapOpera
* SouthOfTheBorder
* SpaghettiWestern
* {{Spexico}}
* {{Telenovela}}

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!!Useful Notes:
[[index]]
* UsefulNotes/MexicanFood
* MexicanMedia
* UsefulNotes/MexicanPolitics
* UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution
* UsefulNotes/MexicanAmericanWar
* UsefulNotes/MexicansWithMachineGuns
* UsefulNotes/MexicoCity
* Creator/{{Televisa}}
[[/index]]

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'''Films (Live Action)'''
* ''Film/AmoresPerros''
* ''Film/AmarTeDuele''
* ''Film/{{Belzebuth}}''
* ''Film/{{Biutiful}}''
* ''Film/{{Canoa}}''
* ''Film/CindyLaRegia''
* ''Film/TheDevilsBackbone'' (co-production with Spain)
* ''Film/ElCrimenDelPadreAmaro''
* ''Eréndira''
* ''Film/TheExterminatingAngel''
* ''Film/LaHabitacionAzul''
* ''Film/LettersFromMarusia''
* ''Film/LikeWaterForChocolate''
* ''Film/{{Mexico 2000}}''
* ''Film/MidaqAlley''
* ''Film/PansLabyrinth''
* ''Film/PorLaLibre''
* ''Film/QuieroSerIWantToBe''
* ''Film/{{Roma}}''
* ''Film/SalvandoAlSoldadoPerez''
* ''Film/SimonOfTheDesert''
* ''Film/YTuMamaTambien''

----

----
'''Films (Animated)'''

* ''WesternAnimation/DiaDeMuertos''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGuardiansOfTheLostCode''
* ''WesternAnimation/KatyLaOruga''
* ''Franchise/ElSantos''
* Movies by Creator/{{Huevocartoon}}’’
** ''WesternAnimation/UnaPeliculaDeHuevos''
** ''WesternAnimation/OtraPeliculaDeHuevosYUnPollo''
** WesternAnimation/UnGalloConMuchosHuevos
** WesternAnimation/MarcianosVsMexicanos
* ''Nikte''

'''Persons of interest (fictional and real):'''
* Miguel Alcubierre -- Theoretical physicist. Currently trying to make [[Franchise/StarTrek warp drive]] a reality.
* Creator/AlfonsoCuaron -- Film director. Some of his films include ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'', ''Film/YTuMamaTambien'' and ''Film/{{Gravity}}''.
* Creator/{{Cantinflas}} -- A famous comedian known for his unique style of speaking, made several movies in both Mexico and Hollywood.
* Creator/EugenioDerbez -- Another famous comedian. Has had various TV shows.
* Francisco Gabilondo Soler "{{Cri Cri}}" -- Beloved and acclaimed music composer of songs for children.
* Creator/SalmaHayek -- the apotheosis of SpicyLatina
* Creator/FridaKahlo -- Famous surrealist painter, subject of the film ''Film/{{Frida}}''.
* Creator/GuillermoDelToro -- Film director of ''Film/{{Hellboy|2004}}'', ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' and ''Film/PacificRim'' among others.
* Creator/OctavioPaz -- Poet and writer, 1990 Literature Nobel Prize winner.
* Creator/DiegoLuna -- Actor, known for his role as Cassian Andor on ''Film/RogueOne''.
* UsefulNotes/PanchoVilla -- [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Mexican Revolution]] general.
* Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu -- Film director, currently best known for directing ''Film/TheRevenant'', the movie that gave Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio his first Oscar.
* Wrestling/ElSanto -- Famous for his pulp MaskedLuchador movies. Genre maker.
* UsefulNotes/SorJuanaInesDeLaCruz -- A scholar poet nun born in the XVII century, considered also [[BornInTheWrongCentury as an early advocate of women's rights]].
* Creator/SaraRamirez -- Broadway and television actress best known as [[Theatre/{{Spamalot}} the Lady of the Lake]] or [[Series/GreysAnatomy Callie Torres]].

-->-- '''"Mexico"song in Disney/TheThreeCaballeros'''

* ''Disney/TheThreeCaballeros'': The third present Donald opens is about this country.

A North American country[[note]]Geologically speaking, the border between Central America and North America proper (also known as Northern America) lies in Mexico, but Central America is usually considered part of North America. People mistaking Mexico for "South America" is probably due to the fact that most Mexicans speak Spanish[[/note]] and home of WesternAnimation/SpeedyGonzales, [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Bumblebee Man]], and Creator/GuillermoDelToro, Mexico can stir up more emotion in three syllables than can be wrought from a {{Wangst}} filled RomanticPlotTumor. Whether it's love or hate depends entirely on the person.

Not to be confused with the city in California (that one is spelled with a single 'r'). Located in the Northern state of Nuevo León, they are famous for their bustling industry, their merciless desert heat, and for being ''the'' Northern Mexican city ("Norteños", as they are called in Spanish, are Mexico's [=CrossFitters=]: They won't miss a chance to remind you they're from ''el Norte''). ''Regiomontanos'' (the term for people from Monterrey) can be best described as Mexican Texans: Loud, conservative dudes that wear cowboy hats and boots, and love barbecues (indeed, if a ''Norteño'' invites you to a ''carne asada'', their version of a barbecue, you better go: their cattle yields amazing beef).

Monterrey hosts the country's largest building, as well as the HQs of several nation-wide companies, like ''Cuauhtemoc-Moctezuma'' (one of Mexico's largest breweries). It also earned some infamy as a hotbed of drug violence, but that has not stopped it from becoming an economic powerhouse for Mexico.

''Regiomontano'' culture is very recognizable across the country. Being in the north, they use a lot of English loanwords (they call trucks, usually called "camiones" or "camionetas" elsewhere, "trocas"), they love agricultural references (the city stands at the foot of a mountain that looks like a saddle, and they embrace it fully), and they drink a lot of light beer (to combat the extreme heat, since the lower alcohol content lets them drink more of them to stay cool without getting too drunk).

Once La Revolución ends, Mexico had some nice, long 70 years of [[strike:dictatorship]] democracy bordering on BananaRepublic under the PRI, founded by the people who won the Revolution. Thing is, while it was a single-party system, the presidents only served for six years apiece (originally 4 years, but Lázaro Cárdenas expanded the term), giving the illusion of change. All were corrupt, some were {{visionar|yVillain}}ies, a few went insane. The last one that tried to get reelected (some people never learn), Álvaro Obregón, Carranza's bff (who got his arm blown off by Villa himself) was murdered by a Catholic fanatic... so the next one who succeeded him, Plutarco Elías Calles A.K.A. "El Jefe (Máximo de la Revolución)" just decided that [[TheManBehindTheMan ruling from the shadows]] was way safer and more profitable, until Cárdenas exiled him.

Much bloodshed happens. Two massacres, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlatelolco_Massacre Tlatelolco Massacre]] and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi_Massacre Jueves de Corpus Massacre]] were indications that the regime was slowly starting to go to oblivion. 10 days after the Tlatelolco Massacre, Mexico had the Olympic games! It basically got to be an opportunity to whitewash the massacre, especially after Smith and Carlos raised their fists. Two years later, Mexico had her first World Cup tournament, and the president got a huge whistle from angry spectators because of his poor administration (not to mention killing more than 200 students). After these things, you'd think Mexico would have at least some decent governor right? Enter José López Portillo, A.K.A. the guy who caused 3 devaluations. His best friend Arturo "El Negro" Durazo got to be police chief and he'd end up in jail after discovering the extreme corruption his employees got on and the incredible wealth he received (he even built himself a palace on Ixtapa known as "El Partenón"!). After this, president Miguel de la Madrid got to be the boss. On September 19, 1985, Mexico suffered the most devastating earthquake in its history. And what did the president do? Hide in his house of course! Mexicans basically had to scrub the rubble by themselves and it gained De la Madrid some very loud whistles during the 1986 World Cup Opening Ceremony, just like the last time.

Due a combination of the government ignoring them, poverty, and America's lax weapon laws, and the [[DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster high profit of selling drugs]], the [[GangBangers Gangs and Cholos]] became [[TheCartel Organized, resourceful, and very violent]], despite the fact that they were (and still are) in plain sight, recruiting young people because they're led to believe that, DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster, even gaining control of certain Cities and lots of small towns.
Daily shootings are reported on places like Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, and most people there can claim to know someone on the Drug's Business, but no one does anything, since it is, for the most part, [[PoliceAreUseless useless]]. To make things worse, denouncing narcos to anyone ''but'' the army is a guarantee for [[FateWorseThanDeath a horrible]] [[ColdBloodedTorture fate]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath for you]] and [[RevengeByProxy your family]] if you are ([[DirtyCop and you will be]]) discovered, or more simply, because being in [[TheCartel "El Negocio"]] (The Business) is not seen as a bad thing. Hell, you can hear songs (narcocorridos, "drug trafficker runs") describing a CruelAndUnusualDeath and the [[DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster life of a gangster]] on parties, taxis, karaokes and bars. The drug subculture became ingrained in lots of states, and many teenagers aspire to enter in the Business world or escape from Mexico (legally or [[TheIllegal otherwise]]).

* {{Telenovelas}}

Most newspapers in Mexico have been unprofitable for decades even before the internet, but survive thanks to bribes that local city or state governments or the drug cartels pay to keep them quiet on certain inconvenient issues and/or put a positive spin on those issues. Only a handful of papers (mostly those who enjoy national distribution or have a very large market) survive on their own. Mexico used to have a considerable comic book industry in TheForties and [[TheFifties Fifties]] but due to prolonged decay comics nowadays are almost an underground movement. Even the most successful are often unable to reach a true national distribution, be it on magazines or newspapers. There are, however, a few comics that in spite of being [[LongRunners very old]] still keep their fandoms, old and new, and some have become embedded in the national culture, like ''ComicBook/{{Kaliman}}'', ''ComicBook/LaFamiliaBurron'' and ''ComicBook/MeminPinguin'' (the latter being responsible for a minor diplomatic incident due to African-American groups viewing it as racist, see above for Mexican attitudes towards political correctness).

The film industry used to be the sixth in the country in terms of exports and it's also a victim of the widespread piracy in Mexico. Mexican film making reached its Golden Age roughly from 1935 until 1960. In the 70's however the government introduced its own brand of ExecutiveMeddling via financing schemes that ended up virtually ruining local film making for more than a decade. In spite of this, a few good films were made during this period, but they only got very limited commercial release. An alleged renaissance has been improving the quality, encouraging the rise of new talent like screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga, cinematographer Emanuel Lubezki, directors Creator/GuillermoDelToro, Creator/AlfonsoCuaron and Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu and actors such as Guillermo Luna, Demian Bichir and Gael García. Despite all this recovery, the film industry still depends heavily on government subsidies and only releases between 50 and 100 films a year.

In case you can't tell, there also is a bit of an ongoing sore spot with the "Mexican-ness" of Mexican immigrants to the United States. While they're cut from the same cloth and are, in theory, "on the same side", Mexicans tend to dislike Latinos for being "[[TheQuisling traitors]]" who: left their country (even if forced by necessity), are forsaking their heritage to become like the ever loathed "gringo" (just like Mexicans in Mexico), and in general "aren't mexican" (see Tex-Mex food). To be fair, polls usually show a lot of Mexicans willing to leave their country if they had the chance (in fact, Mexico has the highest emigration rate of any country in the world). Chicanos for their part, (particularly those born in the States) tend to view Mexicans as snobby, stuck up, and generally all too proud with very little to be proud ''of'' (in other words, ''[[OurElvesAreBetter elves]]''). Generally, considering that most Mexicans place a high importance on personal relationships in general, this is ignored in families and constitutes one of the reasons why ''remesas'' (money orders) are sent by immigrants to families back home and ties are maintained despite the distance -- to the point that entire towns live exclusively off money sent from abroad, and money orders are Mexico's second largest income after oil imports. Chicanos or "Pochos" in all honesty deserve their own UsefulNotes page, but for now their search for an "identity" that doesn't compromise heritage and nationality is an ongoing issue for them as with other immigrant groups.

* {{Telanovelas}}

* Creator/GuillermoDelToro -- Film director of ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'', ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' and ''Film/PacificRim'' among others.

* ''Film/{{Canoa}}''
* ''Eréndira''
* ''Film/{{Mexico 2000}}''
* ''Film/{{Roma}}''

!!Films about Mexico and Mexicans:

* ''Disney/TheThreeCaballeros''

* {{Telanovela}}