Mexico
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Harry Jonas Lerner takes the reader on a tour of Mexico – home of
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many ancient Indian cultures. He covers topics such as the land,
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history and government, the people, and the economy. We discover
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that Mexico is a land of great cultural and physical diversity. Mountains
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cover much of the terrain of Mexico. The Central Plateau is Mexico’s
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agricultural region and contains the most dense population, especially
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in and around Mexico City. Low tropical plains surround the coastal
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areas of Mexico. Early civilizations such as the Olmecs, the Maya,
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the Toltecs, and the Aztecs leave behind evidence of their highly
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developed societies in artworks, statues and religious sites.
Week One – Day One
As an introduction to our unit, Friday (i.e. our classroom puppet) will help to introduce our Mexico cultural box. The Mexico box will be an integral part of our unit, bringing many items pertaining to our daily lessons. Today’s box contains an inflatable ball, which, we soon discover, turns into a globe. After helping the children find their home country and state, and the country of Mexico, Friday tells the children to bounce the ball around the circle. Those catching the ball have to find, first the United and States and their home state, Connecticut, and then the country of Mexico. Classmates on either side of the “catcher” make sure their neighbor has identified the areas correctly.
As we look at the pictures and read the information from Lerner’s book, we soon discover the sharp contrasts in family life throughout Mexico. Modern houses made of wood, or an apartment building made of steel could be home to some Mexicans living in the city. However, for most living in the city and in rural Mexico, houses are made of brown adobe. Adobe is a mixture made of mud, straw, and water.
The majority of Mexicans speak Spanish and belong to one of three major ethnic groups. For example, Indians who are direct descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, have substandard incomes and dwell in crowded neighborhoods with poor housing. A small portion of the population are descendants from the Spanish conquerors and colonists. However, the largest ethnic group consists of mestizos – resulting from intermarriage of both Indians and Spaniards.
We discover that most rural Mexicans cannot afford meat in their diets and live mostly on fruits and vegetables. Actually, the diet of most Mexicans is very similar to that of the original Aztecs. This includes foods such as maize (corn), beans and hot chili peppers. Many of foods in Mexico such as tortillas, tamales, and pozole (a corn chowder) can be dated to the days of the Aztec Empire.
Although the vast majority of Mexicans speak Spanish, many Indian groups speak only a dialect. With the growing population, the government finds it difficult to keep pace with the need for new schools and more teachers. Mexican law requires children who are between the ages of 6 and 14 to attend school. However, many children living in rural areas do not attend classes.
At this point the children will enter a “quick write” (i.e. a few lines about their lesson from the book, Mexico) in their log books for evaluation.
Two books, Postcards from Mexico and Colors of Mexico are great books written from a young child’s perspective. They will be read in class and then placed in our resource center in the classroom. The children will be able to take them to their seats and read them during quiet reading time. Colors of Mexico depicts various colors written in Spanish to describe cultural and historical events in Mexico. We will take these colors, write them on a chart and learn the Spanish words in class.
The Mayan
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McKissack gives a beautiful overview of the Mayan civilization
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known for its magnificent cities with elaborate temples and
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carvings. The Maya Indians are chiefly an agricultural people
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whose chief crop and primary food staple is corn. The Maya
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farmers are known as the common people and are responsible
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for supporting the minority population which consists of the noble
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clergy. The agriculture land surrounds the ceremonial centers
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where the priests live. Another Mayan group known as the
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craftsmen are responsible for serving the nobility, building
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their houses and making their clothes.
Week One – Day Two
The Mayan is introduced by Friday, and we soon discover that this ancient civilization that lived in the Yucatan Peninsula worshipped many gods. They sacrificed birds and small animals to their nature gods. Human sacrifices were also a vital part of their religious ceremonies just as their successors the Aztec did during their religious ceremonies.
The children of the nobility were the only ones who received a formal education. Mayan parents taught their children at home. It will be of interest to note that crossed eyes and a flattened head were considered beautiful to Mayan parents. Shortly after a baby was born a mother would strap her baby between two boards in order to flatten and lengthen the baby’s head. In order to cross a baby’s eyes, a mother would tie an object so that it would dangle at the tip of the baby’s nose. If a baby was born with crossed eyes it was felt that the gods blessed the baby.
A Mayan house contained one room made of four stucco walls and a thatched roof. Today as one travels throughout the rural areas of southern Mexico, very little has changed. Houses made of stucco walls and thatched roofs still dot the countryside and villages of modern day Mexico.
There are many theories surrounding the demise of this ancient civilization. However, their history and legacy can be seen through the archaeological explorations throughout the Yucatan Peninsula. Detailed carvings in the temples and ruins give the historian remarkable knowledge of this ancient civilization and their way of life.
Our “quick write” will include several sentences about what we gleaned from our study of the Mayan civilization.
The Spirit of the Maya: A Boy Explores His People’s Mysterious Past
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In his book, Garcia explores the ruins of Palenque through the eyes of
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a twelve-year-old Lacando’n Indian boy. The family is trying to preserve
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their Mayan traditions, and Kin is particularly intrigued by Pacal, a boy-king
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who is buried at Palenque. We are taken on an exploratory journey
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surrounding the ruins near Palenque.
Week One – Days Three and Four
Friday finds Garcia’s book, The Spirit of the Maya: A Boy Explores His People’s Mysterious Past in his Mexico book and begins to tell the story to the class while showing the colorful photographs surrounding the story of Kin and his Mayan ancestors. We find that Kin can speak the Mayan language but prefers Spanish. In the story, Kin goes along with the idea of making clay figures, but prefers to play soccer. As we visit the ruins with Kin, we try to identify with his conflicting emotions ranging from pride to sadness, from excitement to loneliness. We also discuss possibilities for Kin’s emotions. Why do you think Kin preferred Spanish instead of the Mayan language? Do you think people living in the United States today who can speak both Spanish and English prefer English? Why? Why does Kin prefer soccer instead of making clay figures? Would it have anything to do with the fact that soccer is a national sport in Mexico? Would that make Kin more popular with his classmates if he chose soccer? Why? The ancient Mayan people played a game similar to soccer. The winning team lost their lives. Their culture was synonymous with their religious way of life. Why would a winning team lose their lives?
Friday brings our resource book, Colors of Mexico to class, and we reread about the tomb of Lord Pacal that Kin explored. Actually his body was just discovered in the jungles of Mexico in 1952. When discovered, they found his body surrounded by jade. He even wore a jade mask and jade rings on each finger.
We want to explore our past too. Our homework assignment for today will involve an interview of an older family member (i.e. mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, etc.) We will brainstorm ideas and questions that we can ask of our family member. Where did our ancestors come from? What did our parents or grandparents do for entertainment? Was there any special heirloom that they passed on from generation to generation? Could we bring it to class or would an older family member bring something to class and share with our classmates? Did any of our ancestors risk their lives (e.g. in coming to the United States?)?
The Aztec
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Patricia McKissack’s book captures the life and times of early
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Aztec family life. McKissack explores the rise and fall of the
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Aztec in Mexican history, including the tale of the eagle holding
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a snake while sitting on a prickly pear cactus on a swamp island.
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This tale reportedly gave the Aztec direction in settling on Lake
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Texcoco.
Week One – Day Five
Friday helps to introduce the book, The Aztec to the class as we look at the colorful pictures and read the information about these early ancient people’s way of life. He also finds a Mexican flag in his Mexico box. On the flag we discover the eagle holding the snake in his mouth.
We soon discover that the Aztec had three social classes in their civilization. The nobility stood at the top, the merchants and craftsmen in the middle, and the peasants at the bottom.
The family unit consisted of a close-knit bond. When a baby was born, it was a joyful occasion. Extended family members of the clan brought gifts. Children began school at the age of three. Each clan had two schools – one for the boys, and one for the girls. Each school had their distinct curriculum. The boys were taught citizenship, religion, dance, music, crafts, history, and warfare. Girls were taught crafts, songs, music, dance, and history.
It will be interesting to note that many of the common foods that we eat today originated from early ancient Aztec times. For example, foods such as corn cakes, beans, sweet potatoes, avocados, squash, peppers, fish, fowl, deer, turkey, and even popcorn were all popular in ancient days. Most of the foods were grown by the peasants and traded for other necessities at the marketplaces. Colorful markets were a daily part of everyday life, and can be seen throughout modern day Mexico as well. Today Aztec Indians can be seen weaving and selling all kinds of wares made in much the same fashion as ancient days. Actually little has changed from early times to our own present day markets in the United States. One only has to travel a short distance to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where markets are plentiful throughout the rural countryside. Farmers and craftsmen display vegetables and fruits, along with brightly colored hand-made crafts. Larger markets contain buildings with rows of booths exhibiting crafts and foods from the local area.
Saturday Market, written by Patricia Grossman is a beautiful story about a typical Mexican market. The children will discover through pictures and text that getting ready for the market is hard work. They also find out about many of the foods and goods that are sold in the local markets of Mexico.
Although the Spaniards defeated the Aztec in 1521 as a nation, we continue to see Aztec influence in the arts, sciences and culture of Mexico and the world. We will discuss these influences in class, and try to understand why culture cannot be stamped out even though a nation is defeated. Why do you think we see Aztec influence in our world today? Why is it important to pass memories and heirlooms unto succeeding generations? Does our way of life and the way we do things as a family make us special?
Friday will help close this lesson by showing several craft items from his Mexico box that show influences from early ancient times. These will include pottery, dolls, and tapestry. He will also help the children with their “quick write” evaluation.
Week Two – Days One and Two
We want to visit a local Mexican restaurant. On The Boarder (a local restaurant) will allow us to make our own tocos and give us a tour of their facility.
In addition to our visit to a restaurant, we want to try quesadillas in our classroom. Quesadillas (tortillas with cheese) are like little Mexican pizzas. Cheese is spread over a warm tortilla and baked until melted. Then toppings are added such as tomatoes, onion, pitted olives, peppers, etc.
Today, tortillas are eaten all over the world, and in our own country they can be found in most local supermarkets.
Week Two – Day Three
Mexico is well known for its many wall paintings and murals depicting stories from both the past and present. Mural paintings and carvings were especially popular among the ancient Maya and Aztec Indians. After reviewing the information on ancient Mexico, we will make our own mural showing scenes from Mexico’s heritage.
Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico
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Although written more than thirty years ago, this delightful book
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gives us beautiful insight into a family tradition still carried on
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today throughout Mexico. Ceci, a kindergarten student experiences
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her first posadas – a special Christmas party. Her mother takes her
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to the colorful market where all of the pi–atas become alive within
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the little girl’s imagination and want Ceci to pick them. But it is the
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big star that captures the girl’s heart and becomes Ceci’s pi–ata for
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the Christmas party.
Week Two – Days Four and Five
To the delight of the children, Friday pulls out a pi–ata from his Mexico box today and then discovers the book, Nine Days to Christmas: A Story of Mexico. As we read this book and share in the emotions with Ceci as she becomes sad because her beautiful star pi–ata was broken, we wonder if we dare try our hand at making our own. Phyllis Shalant gives step-by-step directions for making a star pi–ata in her book, Look What we’ve Brought You From Mexico. Of Course, after we make our pi–ata, we march through the hallways of our school, knocking on nine doors. At the first eight doors, we are turned away just like the story of Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn where the birth of Jesus took place around 2,000 years ago. Posada in Spanish means inn and the procession is called posadas. At the ninth door, it is opened and the fiesta begins. Songs, food and dancing become a part of our celebration. Now it is time for the pi–ata game and collecting our treasures inside.
Aztec influence blends into the colorful fiestas – before the Indians went into war, they would use colorful paint and brightly colored feathers to adorn themselves, and participate in a celebration surrounding the preparation for battle. Bright colors are used in all of the Mexican fiestas today. Many Indian groups still adorn themselves with brightly colored feathers also. We will try our hand at painting these warriors – using watercolor to recreate a scene of preparation for war.
Christmas in Mexico is another book filled with colorful pictures and ideas for making crafts that will be used as a reference book and placed in our resource center for the children to take to their seats and enjoy.
The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb
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The little red ant in Chirley Climo’s book finds a crumb cake.
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The crumb cake is very tasty and sweet, and it is big enough to
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last all winter. But the ant is not strong enough to carry it back
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to her home. Maybe the lizard, spider or coyote are strong
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enough. As she is going from one to another and hears their
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excuses, she discovers that she is strong enough and carries
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the crumb cake to her anthill.
Week Three – Day One
Friday finds this delightful Mexican fable in his box along with an ear of corn. There are pictures of corn stalks in the book. After reading the story, he talks to the children about planting corn and how the corn grows on stalks.
Friday will help the children get started on their story mapping. The children will fill in a chart giving the title, setting, characters, problem in the story and the solution to the problem.
This will be a good time to introduce our ant project in class. We will look for information about ant colonies on the internet and in books at our library media center. Then we will set up an ant farm in class and watch the ants form tunnels and bring food into their colony.
The Hummingbirds’ Gift
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The story takes place a long time ago when a farmer named Isidro and his
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and wife, Consuelo, lived in the village of Tzintzuntzan. The town is
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famous for flowers that attract hundred of hummingbirds. But
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one year there isn’t any rain. Therefore, there isn’t any nectar
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from the flowers for the hummingbirds and no wheat on Isidro’s farm.
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Consuelo thinks of a plan to save the hummingbirds by mixing sugar
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into water and filling clay pots. In turn the hummingbirds think of a
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plan to help save Consuelo’s family. They gather straw and begin
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to weave tiny figures so that Consuelo can sell them and earn money
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for her family.
Week Three – Day Two
After Friday helps to read the story, he tells the children that Tzintzuntzan was the capital of a once powerful Tarascan empire. Today it is a small village near the ruins of the yacatas. These pre-Columbian pyramids were destroyed by the Spanish around 1520. At that time, the Spanish introduced wheat and the Tarascan Indians used straw to weave figures that could be used for various holidays.
We will discuss questions in class – Why was it important to preserve the weaving? Is it important to preserve our culture? How do we preserve our culture?
The book contains many brightly colored pictures of flowers and village life. Mexicans paint brightly colored flowers and birds onto bark and sell them to tourists. Friday’s box will contain a sample for the children to enjoy. We will try our hand at painting colorful flowers and birds onto brown wrapping paper. We will crumple our paper to resemble the bark used in Mexico.
Story mapping will be used again as Friday helps the children prepare for a final evaluation of this lesson.
Today is the Day
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Yesenia’s father is due home today. He’s been up north looking
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for work so he can support his family. Yesenia looks for her
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her father as each bus stops on the highway. But Papa never
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gets off the bus. Yesenia’s big sister, Yara doesn’t believe
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that he is ever coming back. As the last bus speeds past, the
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family experiences feelings of total despair. However, after
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walking only a short distance, a car races past them, then
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screeches to a stop. Papa jumps out and the family reunites.
Today is the Day is found in Friday’s Mexico box and read in class. Many of the children can identify with the girls in the story. There are times that parents have to go long distances to find work or travel within their jobs. Did you ever feel like Yara that mother or father would not return? How does it feel? How does one feel when parents return? Papa brought Yesenia a pair of shoes? Why were these important to her? Do your parents ever bring things home to you from their travels? How do you feel? Why?
We will look at the pictures in the book and see that many of the illustrations resemble the descriptions of the ancient Mayan way of life. For example, mother is making a tortilla on the outside veranda. The drawings depict houses with thatched roofs. Mother carries the baby on her back, and bathes the children in basins.
Today our “quick write” will be a written story telling of an event when our parents came home from an extended leave.
Today is the Day will be performed by our drama group, and can be found in the appendix section of the unit.
The Twenty-Five Mixtec Cats
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Gollub presents an original story based on folklore from Oaxaca,
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a mountain village south of Acapulco. The local healer of the village
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returns from market with a litter of kittens. No one in the village has
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seen a cat and begin to imagine wild things about them. Some believe
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that the cats will eat all of the cows. Others believe that they will set
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fire to the fields. The neighbors demand that the healer get rid of the
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cats. However, the cats help to break an evil spell in the village and
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win the hearts of the villagers.
Week Three – Day Three
Friday will help the children find the village of Oaxaca on a Mexican map. He will explain to the children that many folklore stories originated in Mexico just as we have many fairy tales and folklore stories from Europe (e.g. Cinderella) and Africa (e.g. Anansy the Spider.)
After the children have listened to the story, they will complete their final story mapping for their evaluation. In addition, they will fill in their own smiley face rubric. This is an assessment where the children will color in a face that shows how well they have done. For example, “terrific,” “good,” or “I can do better.”
