Mexico

A giant of culture and liveliness

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Descendants of the Aztecs and the Mayas, Mexicans enjoy a rich tradition of native legends, artistic expressions and diverse cultures.  The land of deserts, jungles, mountains and beaches also offers some notable modern architecture. Also, check out the lively conversations at local town squares featuring food and craft markets.

Family time, school and sports are important to Mexican teens. And friends go in town for movies, dancing and hanging out.

The Republic of Mexico is vast, extending through nearly two million square miles of coastline, desert, rain forest, mountains, and fertile plains. From the American borderlands of the wide, agriculturally rich north, the country narrows gently as it sweeps south and east.

People & Community

You can live anywhere in Mexico—from rural to urban areas.Families are usually the center of social life for many people. Some are quite large, including the extended family and unmarried children living at home. Parents can be protective, especially with girls, so please keep them informed about your activities. Actively helping people in need is important to local communities. Spanish is the main language spoken in Mexico. Having a basic knowledge of Spanish or English will be helpful.

Mexico is one of the countries with one of the most diverse climate systems in the world. One of the contributing factors is the geographic location of the country, situated in an area crossed by the Tropic of Cancer.

Language

As you probably know the official language is Spanish. There are lots of indigenous dialects that are spoken throughout the country in
different indigenous communities.

Sometimes these populations don’t speak Spanish or at least that not all the people in the community do. Keep in mind that many
Spanish words have different meanings, depending on the situation or the inflection they have.

Food

Mexican food is varied, flavorful and sometimes spicy. Tortillas, rice, beans, tacos, and quesadillas are staples. Don’t forget to taste the mole, a thick, rich sauce from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, and some of the delicious homemade fruit drinks.

Fun facts: Chewing gum originated in Mexico. The Mayans (native
Mexicans) made chewing gum by extracting the sap from trees.
The gum responds quickly to temperature, so it softened when it
entered the mouth.

The Mexicans discovered hot chocolate. Ancient civilizations, such as the Mayans, Toltecs, Olmecs and Aztecs, cultivated cocoa plants many years ago. Cocoa was crucial in the Mesoamerican period, as it had many uses, as a drink and as a form of currency in its trade. Cocoa had more value than gold.

Día 290, 05/06/16 Still remember that dish ? #MiViajeAFS #México #love #mariscos #food #comida #seafood #playa

A photo posted by Luigi Ranieri (@luigiranieritorres) on

Let AFS guide your intercultural adventure

Go abroad with AFS to discover who you really are, make new lifetime friendships and immerse yourself in a fascinating intercultural experience.
TEEN PROGRAMS (UNDER 18 YEARS OLD)

Our learning program will prepare you for an amazing AFS intercultural experience. The program begins at your home country with a pre-departure orientation and continues with orientations and other supported learning activities and facilitated conversations will help you maximize your experience, cope the challenges of navigating a new culture and community and gain knowledge, skills, and a global understanding, throughout your time abroad, and as you return to you home country. AFS volunteers will be there to support and guide you and your host family through your learning journey abroad.

ADULT PROGRAMS (18 YEARS OR OLDER)

The Global Competence Certificate (GCC) program will support your intercultural learning experience. This state-of-the-art program prepares you to successfully navigate new cultural environments—during your AFSNext experience and long after you finish the program. Online intercultural learning modules combined with in-person sessions help you develop practical and global skills, knowledge and attitudes that employers need and mission-driven organizations believe will help achieve their social impact goals. You will receive your certification upon completion of the training program.

Explore the Programmes Available in Mexico

Canva – Pyramid in Mexico_edited

Mexico

  • DestinationMexico
  • DurationsMultiple durations
  • Program Dates
    • Aug 2024 - Jul 2025