Books on Getting to Know Mexico!

Ten of the Most Important Words in Mexico
Key Terms that Help Explain Why Mexicans
Think and Behave the Way They Do
Boyé Lafayette De Mente
PREFACE
All languages are reflections of the emotional, spiritual and intellectual character of the people who created them, and that the older, more structured and more exclusive a society and its language, the more terms it has that are pregnant with cultural nuances that control the attitudes and behavior of the people.
Here are brief introductions to 10 Mexican terms that fit this description.

1) Mexicanos (Meh-he-KAH-nohs) / MexicansIn another of my books—Why Mexicans Think & Behave They Way They Do!— I quote the popular Mexican saying: Como Mexico no hay dos! (Coh-moh MEH-he-coh no aye dohss!) – “There is no other country like Mexico!” – and this is true in a racial, ethnic and cultural sense.
To begin with, the character of Mexicans is made up of a blend of Indian, Moorish, and Spanish authoritarianism combined with medieval Catholicism, which produced a society steeped in religious rituals, personalism, machoism, a tendency for violence and—surprisingly perhaps—“an inherently sad-joyful nature that manifests in singing, dancing and art.”
As a result of this extraordinary mixture of cultures and spiritual cults Mexico’s traditional values and morals were forged in a caldron of aggressive religious intolerance, corruption, racism, male chauvinism, and an elitist political system that connived with the Church to keep ordinary people ignorant and powerless, and to deny them the most basic human rights.
This was the Mexico that existed from the early 1500s until the early 1900s when a
revolution by the poor and downtrodden people swept away the power of the Church, and initiated a very slow process of reforming the government that is still going on today.
Most of the inhuman social policies of discrimination that were characteristic of Mexico for so many generations have been dramatically changed. But economic inequalities and endemic corruption are still embedded in the culture.
On a personal basis, however, the positive elements in the character of Mexicans generally outweigh the negative factors, making the average Mexican thoughtful, generous, kind, given to the pleasures of life, and incredibly proud of being Mexican.
This pride is something that most Americans are either not aware of, or ignore—and few Americans are fully familiar with the early history of Mexican-American relations. In addition to having invaded Mexico twice and having seized over half of the country’s national territory, until relatively recent times Americans living along the U.S.-Mexico border typically treated Mexicans with arrogant disdain—if not outright contempt.
For most present-day Americans Mexico is still an “undiscovered country,” and it is not easy to know because, as Mexicans say, it is unique. It must be experienced over a period of time, without reservations or prejudices—and one must be intimately familiar with the history of the country—to fully understand and appreciate the richness of its unique culture; to truly know what it means to be Mexican, the good and the bad.
The following terms go a long way toward explaining why Mexicans think and behave the way they do—and why it is important for Americans and others to see beyond the negative image that has long been attached to the word “Mexican.”

2) Moralidad (Moh-rah-lee-dahd) / Circumstantial EthicsOne of the elements of Mexican culture that has traditionally caused a great deal of friction between Mexicans and Americans in particular is that morality in Mexico has never been a black-and-white proposition. It has, in fact, been situational, depending on the circumstances of the time and place.
The reason for this is because from its inception in the early 1520s the Mexico that we think of today had no laws—religious or secular—that protected the rights of ordinary people. Both the Church and all levels of government were predatory, using the people, taking from them, and often abusing them in terrible ways.
Because the people had no system of security they could depend upon they had to react to each situation that arose on the basis of what would be least likely to bring harm to them, and most likely to help them. They were forced to become experts at creating morality on the spot.
The heritage of this long history of religious and secular abuse has not fully disappeared from Mexico and continues to give business and social relations a unique Mexican color and tone. But, that is not to say there are no people in Mexico who behave in a truly moral manner. There are—especially in the poor classes and among women.
As in virtually all societies, Mexican women are generally more rational and moral than the men because they must deal with the realities of life on a daily basis, while the men tend to live in a virtual reality that they themselves create out of the legacy of their bastardized history.

3) Dignidad (Deeg-nee-DAHD) / The Importance of DignityDuring the nearly 400 years that the overwhelming majority of Indians and Mestizos (Mixed-bloods) of Mexico had few if any rights of full citizenship—and often not even the right to be treated as human beings—they had few choices in the way they behaved. One of these choices, which they gradually copied from their Spanish overlords, was an exaggerated sense of dignidad (deee-ne-DAHD) or dignity.
With their behavior almost totally controlled by the Church and their elite Spanish overlords from the 1520s until the early 1800s and from then until the early 1900s by imperial dictators and their henchmen, ordinary Mexicans began to compensate for their slave-like social and political status and their abject poverty by developed an extreme sense of pride and dignity.
For many generations this sense of pride and dignity resulted in Mexico being one of the most violent societies on the planet. Men carried guns and knives and used them at the slightest hint of an insult. It was not until well into the 20th century that the majority of Mexican men stopped carrying weapons at all times.
Personal dignidad is still one of the most important cultural factors in the lives of Mexicans, and men in particular often go to extraordinary lengths to protect their “face”—their image of themselves as men.
It is therefore important for foreigners visiting Mexico and dealing with Mexicans abroad to be aware of this special sensitivity and take pains not to insult the dignidad of Mexicans.

4) Respeto (Ray-SPAY-toh) / RespectOver the years I have asked many Mexicans to tell me the most important word in the Mexican language. Most men have automatically said respeto (ray-SPAY-toh), “respect” without having to think about it.
The extraordinary importance of the role of respect in the lives of Mexicans today is a natural outgrowth of 400 years of history when ordinary Mexicans were shown no respect at all by the elite religious, government and military forces that ruled them.
Disrespectful treatment by the social, economic and political elite over the generations created an intense hunger for respect in the mindset of common Mexicans—and was passed on from one generation to the next.
This hunger for respect fueled the Mexican emphasis on dignified behavior that was also an integral part of their character. Still today there are few if any things that are more likely to upset Mexicans than failure to show them respect.
Being aware of the Mexican need for respect, and how to respond to it, is one of the first lessons that foreign businesspeople must learn if they want to succeed in Mexico.
This does not mean that foreigners need to flatter Mexicans in order to get along with them and work with them cooperatively. It simply means that they want and expect to be treated with courtesy and good will.

5) Cortesia (Cohr-tay-SEE-ah) / The Role of Courtesy The higher the social level of Mexicans the more courteous they tend to be—but even the poorest Mexicans typically behave in an exceptionally courteous manner—especially when compared to Americans.
The exceptional cortesia (cohr-tay-SEE-ah) of Mexicans had some of its roots in the
rituals of the Catholic Church brought to Mexico from the 1500s on, and in the dignified manners and customs of the early Spanish overlords who often imitated the etiquette of the Royal Court of Spain.
But long before the arrival of the conquistadors who conquered Mexico, the Aztecs and other Indians of Mexico had developed even more dignified societies than the Europeans, with sophisticated manners that were both prescribed and enforced.
These elements, again combined with the fact that for more than 400 years common Mexicans were forced to create a virtual reality for themselves, resulted in courtesy becoming a primary trait in the character of Mexicans.
Modern-day younger Mexicans, fed a diet of American and Mexican pop culture, are losing some of the legacy of cortesia, but among the general population it is still significant enough that it remains a distinguishing characteristic of Mexicans and adds a special charm to life in the country.

6) La Verdad (Lah-vahr-DAHD) / The TruthJust as there is Mexican time and American time, there is also Mexican truth and American truth. And again, this element in Mexican culture is a product of the history of the country.
As noted above, the common people of Mexico endured for some 400-plus years in a society in which they were not in control of their lives. Instead, they were subject to the will and the whims of religious leaders, dictatorial leaders, a ruthless military and a corrupt police force.
In this environment, la veradad (lah vahr-DAD) was whatever would protect them from the arbitrary and often brutal dictates of the people who ruled the country for their own benefit—not that of the common people.
It thus became automatic for the common people to stretch the truth or ignore it altogether in their relationships with others who had any kind of power over them—from the clergy to work bosses, and in particular representatives of local, regional and national authorities.
Still today common Mexicans will tell you that the laws of the country that are supposed to protect them are like rubber—always subject to being stretched by those charged with enforcing them.
Some Mexicans still today will automatically respond with the partial truth or no truth at all even when there is no immediate threat to them. But better education and more real personal freedom are slowly changing this built-in behavior.
For foreigners doing business with Mexicans the way to avoid having to deal with part-truth or no truth is to develop a solid relationship of respect and trust with the individuals concerned.

7) Responsabilidad (Ray-spon-sah-bee-lee-dahd) / ResponsibilityFor most of the 300-year reign of Spanish overlords in Mexico they treated Indians as if they were incapable of reasoning and therefore incapable of being personally responsible for anything.
And for the first 200 or so years of this strange time the overlords refused to allow the growing number of Mestizos (Spanish-Indian mixed-bloods) to have any significant degree of responsibility because they feared them. [The number of mix-bloods in Mexican ballooned exponentially after the Spanish conquered the country because it was official policy for the conquerors to impregnate as many Indian women as possible.]
This generations-long policy of denying Indians and Mestizos the opportunity to take responsibility left the bulk of Mexico’s population inexperienced in handling responsibility and extremely reluctant to do so.
It became natural for workmen to wait for precise orders from their bosses before doing anything—and often when something went wrong they would remain silent, waiting for the boss to discover the problem and give them new orders.
Freedom from Spain in 1821 did not significantly change the culture that the Spaniards had forged. Most Mexicans were to remain poverty-stricken and powerless for 100-plus more years, and subject to a degree of authoritarianism that prevented them from taking responsibility.
Still today foreign managers in Mexico must deal with the reluctance of workers to take personal responsibility for their actions, but this cultural factor is also changing rapidly with better education and the spread of American influence in the country.
As with la verdad, it is a matter of developing a good relationship based on trust and respect.

8) Simpatico (Seem-PAH-tee-coh) / The Sympathy SyndromeMexicans invariable rank the word simpatico (seem-PAH-tee-coh) among the five most important words in the Mexican language—and most English-speaking people immediately assume that the words means “being sympathetic,” and let it go at that.
But in its Mexican context being simpatico means a lot more than just being sympathetic. That definition, in fact, hardly touches on the real cultural nuances of the term.
In my book Why Mexicans Think and Behave the Way They Do! I explain that the term goes way beyond the English connotation of the word; that it infers that a simpatico person is also loyal, trustworthy and supportive, and can be counted on in times of trouble to do everything possible to help family and friends.
A simpatico person is one who understands your situation and agrees with your viewpoint—a concept that Americans and other English-speaking people do not necessarily relate to being sympathetic.
We often take the position that we are sympathetic about a problem, but in many cases our reaction is it’s your problem, not ours, and you are on your own. That is not the Mexican way, and for this reason Mexicans feel that Americans are not as humane, not as generous, as we like to think we are.
To qualify for being described as simpatico in Mexican terms you have to be willing to go all the way.

9) Machismo (Mah-CHEES-moh) / The Cult of MasculinityMexican writers like the great Octavio Paz say that Mexico’s famous (or infamous) machismo (mah-CHEES-moh) cult of male masculinity was a direct result of the Spanish overlords exercising their power to have sexual relations with any Indian or Mestizo female that caught their eye.
Prevented from taking any action when they saw their daughters, girl friends and wives being sexually used by the overlords, the Mestizos in particular created a new world of hyper sexuality for themselves, taking their normal sexuality to the extremes and becoming more aggressive toward women and more demanding in their relationships.
This attitude typically resulted in men becoming intensely angry when any women rejected their advances and often mounting elaborate campaigns to have the women one way or the other. Another side of this fierce sexuality was that once the men had the women they had targeted their ardor often vanished and they walked away, resulting in huge numbers of children being born to young unmarried girls.
Most Mexican men are still caught up in their macho image of themselves, but it is now generally much less hyper than it was for so many generations, and the higher one goes up the social ladder the more it is cloaked in sophisticated etiquette and often elaborate courting rituals.
As in the past the machoism of Mexican men does not always lead to marriage, so there is still a disproportionate number of children born out of wedlock.

10) Chistes (Chees-tehs) / Sardonic JokesMexican men, particularly those in the poor classes, have traditionally had a sardonic sense of human that evolved from the helplessness of their social, economic and political situation under the smothering Church, the rapacious government, and the brutality of the law enforcement agencies.
This humor, in the form of chistes (chees-tehs) or jokes, was used to help the men put up with their situation and was invariable aimed at institutions and leaders that controlled their lives and made it difficult or impossible for them to realize their ambitions for a better life.
The Catholic Church was one of the institutions that was most often slammed by this humor because it exercised such pervasive control over the poor and disenfranchised—especially the women who generally speaking were the only ones deeply influenced by the precepts of the Church.
The next most popular subject for sardonic humor in recent times has been politicians and bureaucrats who are primarily out to enrich themselves and their families. As in the United States, lawyers in Mexico are also a favorite target of biting humor.
Much of the male humor in Mexico, among the poor as well as the middle and upper classes, is (not surprisingly) sexual in nature. It is also often self-deprecating, which takes out some of the sting.
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For a comprehensive analysis of the business-oriented Mexican character based on key words see my books, Why Mexican’s Think & Behave the Way They Do!, available from Amazon.com.
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Copyright © 2013 by Boyé Lafayette De Mente. All rights reserved.

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Boyé Lafayette De Mente has been involved with Asia since the late 1940s as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, journalist and editor. He is a graduate of Jōchi University in Tokyo, Japan and Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona, USA. In addition to books on the business practices, social behavior and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico he has written extensively about the plague of male dominance and the moral collapse of the U.S. and the Western world in general.

Recent books include: CHINA Understanding & Dealing with the Chinese Way of Doing Business; JAPAN Understanding & Dealing with the NEW Japanese Way of Doing Business; AMERICA’S FAMOUS HOPI INDIANS; ARIZONA’S LORDS OF THE LAND [the Navajos] and SPEAK JAPANESE TODAY – A Little Language Goes a Long Way! To see a full list of his 60-plus books go to: http://www.authorsonlinebookshop.com. All of his titles are available from Amazon.com.

This title is oriented toward both people with a general interest in Mexico and businesspeople.

Stories about Arizona, from the 20-plus Indian tribes who arrived thousands of years ago, the Spaniards in the early 1600s, the Mexicans soon after and finally European Americans in the 1830s [trappers looking for beaver pelts to send back east for hats!], cattlemen, cowboys, rustlers, gunslingers, homesteaders, etc. along with the state’s extraordinary attractions. An ideal handbook for visitors and residents alike. Available from Amazon.com.