Mexico's nearly 4,000 years of cultural history have seen huge shifts in the country's government, language and culture. The past few decades have seen Mexico grow economically and expand its international reach, so that today, it has a very promising future. The depth of its past combines with the excitement of Mexico's present and future to make it a fascinating place to learn about.
墨西哥近四千年的文化歷史,在政府、語言和文化上產生巨大變化。過去幾十年來,墨西哥經濟起飛,國際視野大開,未來展望可期。其歷史深度加上今日熱潮與未來欣欣向榮的願景,讓人想了解這個迷人的國家。
A closer look 說古論今
PHOTO: AFP
Although the main language of Mexico today is Spanish, the pre-Spanish part of Mexican history is much longer. There have been several different civilizations in Mexico since about 1800BC, which means that the culture of the Mexican people is almost 4,000 years old. These civilizations had their own gods, their own religions and their own types of food, music and art. They also made a very important gift to the modern world: chocolate. In ancient Mexico, the beans used to make chocolate were so important that they were even used as money sometimes.
In 1519, soldiers from Spain arrived in Mexico. By 1521, they had taken over the capital of the Aztecs, which was then called Tenochlitlan, and is known today as Mexico City. The Spanish killed many of Mexico's original population. By 1600, the number of native people in Mexico dropped from 8 million to 2 million. The soldiers killed many of the people in battles to conquer the rest of the country, which continued over the next 200 years. However, most of the people were killed by diseases brought over from Europe. Today, 99 percent of the people who live in Mexico are either Spanish, native Mexican or some combination of the two (60 percent). Native cultures are no longer the majority in Mexico, but they are important to the people. Altogether, there are 62 different languages spoken in Mexico. Some of the non-Spanish languages, like Mayan, have over 1.5 million speakers. Some of the languages, like Lacadon, have less than 100.
今日墨西哥的主要語言雖是西班牙語,但西班牙語進入前的歷史更長遠。自西元前約一千八百年,墨西哥境內就有不同的文明,顯示其文明約有四千年的歷史。這些文明有自己的神祇、宗教、飲食、音樂和藝術,並且賜給今日世界一件非常重要的禮物 -- 巧克力。製作巧克力的豆子在墨西哥古代極為重要,有時甚至還作為金錢使用。
西元一五一九年,西班牙軍隊抵達墨西哥,於西元一五二一年佔領阿玆提克首都(後來稱為「Tenochlitlan」,也就是今日的墨西哥城)。西班牙人屠殺許多墨西哥原住民,到西元一六○○年,墨西哥原住民人口從八百萬人驟降至兩百萬人,往後兩百年內,西班牙軍隊為征服其餘國土,在戰爭中屠殺許多民眾,不過多數人是死於歐洲傳入的疾病。墨西哥今日 99% 的居民,不是西班牙人,就是墨西哥原住民,或是兩者的混血(約佔 60%)。本土文化不再是墨西哥的文化主流,但對人民仍然重要。墨西哥境內共有六十二種語言,除了西班牙語外,超過一百五十萬人會說馬雅語,卻不到一百人會說萊卡頓語。 (翻譯:鄭湘儀)
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
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