DOCUMENT RESUME SO 028 864 ED 419 751 Dombrowski, Teresa Turnbow AUTHOR Activities toward Understanding Mexico's Transition to TITLE Democracy. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1996 (Mexico). Center for International Education (ED), Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY PUB DATE 1996-00-00 29p.; For other Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1996 NOTE reports, see SO 028 863-874. Some pages may not reproduce well. Non-Classroom (055) Guides PUB TYPE EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. Area Studies; Cultural Awareness; Foreign Countries; DESCRIPTORS Geography; High Schools; Instructional Materials; *Latin American Culture; *Latin American History; Latin Americans; *Mexicans; Multicultural Education; Social Studies *Mexico IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This unit for high school social studies and Spanish language students deals with Mexico's transition toward democracy. Lesson "What Is An Early Democratic Family Incident That You activities include: (1) "Locating the Five Nations of "What is Democracy?"; Remember?"; (3) (2) "Profiling Party "Scenes from the Five Nations of Mexico"; Mexico"; (5) (4) "Economic Integration: "Identifying Party Membership"; Members"; (7) (6) NAFTA, Maquilas, and the 50 Billion Dollar U.S.-IMF Loan"; "Immigration: (8) "El Grito de la Independencia." (EH) Myths and Realities"; and (9) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** Activities Toward Understanding Mexico's Transition to Democracy. Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminar Abroad 1996 (Mexico). by Teresa Turnbow Dombrowski U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) IThis document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality, Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Center for International Education (ED), Washington, DC. Published: 1996 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 2 Mexico's Transition To Democracy Activities Toward Understanding Dombrowski by Teresa Tumbow Spanish Teacher Thomas Dale High School Chester, Virginia Abstract dealing with social studies and Spanish students This is a unit for high school 1996 Fulbright-Hays which was developed from the Mexico's transtion toward democracy activities on cultural in Mexico. It contains geography Summer Seminar Abroad Program political parties, and the definition of democracy, diversity, poltical science activities on Independencia. cultural activity on El Grito de la Mexican-U.S. relations, plus a Introduction Fulbright-Hays educators who participated in the 1996 I was one of 16 U.S. Reform and Change Into the Transition Toward Democratic Summer Seminar "Mexico: A about Mexico, starting with weeks travelling and studying 21st Century." We spent five continuing through Cuidad Juarez, University of Texas at El Paso and an orientation at the Morelia, Erongaricuaro, Divisadero, Los Mochis, Guadalajara, Casas Grandes,Chihualiva, Casas,Villahermosa, and San Cristobal de las Guanajuato, Mexico, Tuxtla Gutierrez, of public transportation save listed). We used every means Cancun (some side trips not in Divisadero). We talked those who choose to ride horses livestock (with the exception of democracy in Mexico. We encountered about the state of to every willing Mexican we before we reached Mexico City. have one half ton of luggage collected enough materials to continued collecting until the materials from Mexico City and Then many of us shipped Exchange, Commission for Educational and Cultural end of our trip. The US-Mexico Director, and Carmen Vivian Antaki, U.S. Program under the leadership of Dr. of speakers, including provided us with an impressive array Hernandez, Seminar Director, each politics. From this experience, prominent names in current Mexican many of the classroom and curriculum project to use within his/her seminar participant is developing a is a result of my "Fulbright The unit on Mexico which follows to share with colleagues. Encounter" with Mexico. Mexico, U. S. Fulbright-Hayes Summer Seminar in When participating in a We cannot deny thrown into a different cultural context. educators are immediately consuming tortillas and Mexican and U.S. lifestyles while significant differences between transactions in Nuevos Pesos, and loaf-bread, struggling with bolillos instead of slices of into our reactions to U.S. cultural biases did creep communicating in Spanish. However, formulating questions beginning with would catch ourselves what we saw and heard. We Mexico, students about contemporary they...?" When teaching the judgmental "Why don't from difficulty in separating themselves students have an even greater we realize that many 3 BEST COPY AVAILABLE -2- is often termed Anything outside of the United States their own cultural perspectives. lesson objectives with the with Mexico seems to cloud our "over there." Anything dealing the official language with illegal immigration, English as burning issues of today: concerns of the U.S., and drug trafficking. school students avoiding cultural biases of high Because of my concerns about identify student sought to develop a unit of activities to when studying Mexico, I have role play and analyze activities that require students to biases and then continue with because there are many cultural contexts. Secondly, situations according to Mexican several I have tried to deal with Mexico's transition to democracy, aspects to understanding and the current parties , cultural diversity, current political elements that must considered: be used individually, several Any of these activities can influences of the U.S. in Mexico. formal investigations. None All can be a starting point for require knowledge of Spanish. be revised to suit needs of word on any topic. Most will should be considered the final changing realities. specific students and to adapt to Biases About Democracy Activities to Identify Cultural of Michoacan. She writer who lives in the state Maria Luisa Puga is a Mexican for children and in organizing writing workshops collaborates with Peter Smith Kander El Molino in Servicios Educativos, A.C., at adults at the Centro de Actividades y second is one she participated in the first activity; the Erongaricuaro. Our Fulbright group suggested. Activity #1 remember? family incident that you What is an early democractic live. Our shaped by the culture in which we Our beliefs about democracy are Take a few minutes to write began within our own families. earliest political socialization within your family. When we memories of democracy at work down one of your early his/her memory to the group. finish, everyone will read Spanish), let have finished writing (in English or When most of the group volunteer. Some telling , rather in the order in which they participants read their memories question about what the should respond somehow to the than reading, is allowed. All last should read his/her memory democracy. The group leader incident taught them about much a personal as an intellectual understanding democracy is as and should comment that to person and culture democracy vary widely from person pursuit. Experiences involving to culture. -3- Activity #2 What Is Democracy? than one definition. Before we can Democracy and democratization have more need to have a clearer idea about what discuss Mexico's transtition toward democracy, we and even students of other foreign Social studies students, Spanish students, democracy is. and should bring in definitions of democracy languages are needed for this activity. Each students that dictionaries. Warn foreign language democratization that have been found in dictionaries. their target languages, not bilingual they must use dictionaries containing only definitions in small groups and then report to Have students share, translate, and compare discovered. the whole class differences they have model this small group activity: These are two samples that could be used to people, esp: rule of the majority b : a government 1. democracy la government by the directly or in the people and exercies by them in which the supreme power is vested involving periodically held free indirectly through a system of representation usu. Dictionary, tenth edition) elections (from Merriam Webster's Collegiate ejerce la soberania // Las clases populares: democracla gobierno en que el pueblo Pequeno Larousse Dustrado) las aspiraciones de la democracia (from de todas las clues sociales (from Pequeno 3. democratizar // poner al alcance Larousse Dustrado) Mexico Activities on Cultural Diversity in about the five nations of Louis B. Casagrande and Sylvia A. Johnson wrote who live Metropolitan Mexico, the 20 million people Mexico. They called the first nation This is the cultural, political, and in the Federal District and its metropolitan area. rapid growth, pollution, a small privileged economic center of Mexico characterized by second nation is Borderland, the 25 million class, and a large class of urban poor. The extending into Southwestern U.S. These desert people who live in Northern Mexico and for their independence, self-reliance, and inhabitants include large industrial cities noted the 15 million States. The third nation is South Mexico, strong connections to the United is about half indigenous and lives in people who border Central America. This group and remote villages and earn their living diverse climatic zones. Many live in small towns Heartland, the 30 artisans. The fourth nation is the Colonial as subsistence fanners or as colonists first settled. This area is still the million inhabitants that live where Spanish and lacking jobs. Many young people breadbasket of Mexico, but it is overpopulated The fifth nation is Club Mex, the 1.5 immigrate to the United States from this region. work in the profitable tourtist industry. million people on the Mexican coast who 5 Activity #3 Locating the Five Nations of Mexico regions or "nations" of Mexico, use a To have a clearer idea about the different the following cities on the map world atlas or a detailed road map of Mexico to locate side to join the two halves of your provided. You will need to use clear tape on the reverse of ink or colored cities in the same region by using the same color map. Color code the pencil. Borderland (Blue) United States: Mexico: San Diego, California Tijuana, Baja California Norte Los Angeles, California La Paz, Baja California Sur Nogales, Arizona Nogales, Sonora El Paso, Texas Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Laredo, Texas Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Brownsville, Texas Matamoros, Tamaulipas Chihuahua, Chihuahua Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Saltillo, Coahuila Potosi San Luis Potosi, San Luis Metromex (Black) Colonial Heartland (Red) Mexico City, Federal District Guadalajara, Jalisco Cuernavaca, Morelos Guanajuato, Guanajuato Veracruz, Veracruz Queietaro, Querertaro Morelia, Michoacan Club Mex (Brown) South Mexico (Green) Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Oaxaca, Oaxaca Mazatlan, Sinaloa Villahermosa, Tabasco Acapulco, Guerrero Merida, Yucatan Canctin, Quinta Roo Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas San Cristobal de las Casas have created by identifying the cities and Finally, follow the indications of the patterns you shade in the approximate areas of states of the five different "nations" to lightly that Metromex is in a small, Borderland, South Mexico, and Heartland. Notice along beaches (several areas have not concentrated area and that Club Mex is scattered cities that are major crossing zones been included). Also notice the pairs of border between the U.S. and Mexico 6 -5- Activity #4 Mexico Scenes from the Five Nations of slides from the different regions of Mexico. As scenes from You are about to see about three general statements you could make each region are shone, write down at least shone, you will be asked to share your the region. After the slides of each region are have been discussion and evaluation. When all slide conclusions with the class for general regions share, characteristics that you have observed that all shown, write down at least two and the most commonly stated observations excluding Med Mex. We will make a list of discuss each. Borderland This Indians of El Paso doing the shawl dance. #1 El Paso, Texas: These are the Tigua of Northern Mexico. tribe has many similiarities to the indigenous which was ruins of a Gran Chichimeca trading center #2 Paquime, Chihuahua: These are Chihuahua. A.D.. It is near Casas Grandes, at its peak between 1210-1261 Plaza Mayor of the city. #3 Chiltuahua,Cluluahua: This is the factories established by foreigners in #4 Cuidad Juar,ez, Chihuahua: Maquiladoras are Marine de Mexico, a subsidiary of Outboard Mexico. This is a plant of OMEX, Outbroad Marine Corporation, Waukegan, Illinois. children are on a field trip to the Francisco #5 Chihuahua, Chihuahua: Sixth grade "Pancho" Villa Museum. dictatorship wealthy man for his sweetheart during the #6 A house built in Cuiltualma by a of Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911) region #7 State of Chihuahua: Houses in rural region #8 State of Chihuahua: Semi-arid rural Canyon which create part of the wall of Copper #9 Divisadero, Chihuahua: the mountains with his handmade instrument at Divisadero. #10 Divasadero: Tarahumara fiddler Colonial Heartland Jalisco's emblem: two lions extending a statue of the State of #11 Guadalajara, Jalisco: bear This is similiar to the statue of the their front paws upward on either side of a tree. the Puerta del Sol, Madrid, Spain. extending his front paws to the top of a tree in Cathedral Gobiemo. You can see the top of the #12 Guadalajara: Patio of the Palacio del above the roof line. shrinking lake in Mexico. It has been steadily #13 Lake Chapala, Jalisco: the largest showing colonial architecture. #14 Morelia, Nfichoacin: a street scene They boyfriend catchers woven from straw. #15 Pitzcuaro, Ivfichoacitt: a girl selling work like Chinese handcuffs. who (1470-1565, approximately), the priest #16 Palzcuaro: the statue of Padre Quiroga the people to help them earn a living. He was taught craft making skills to the indigenous first bishop of Michoacin 7 -6- saint's Erongarkuaro, Ivfichoacki: a rural church decorated with papel picado for a #17 day celebration. white Michoac;n: home of the delicious but quickly disappearing #18 Lake Pa'tzcuaro, fish. This lake is also shrinking. #19 Guanajuato, Guanajuato: Cathedral enough, It looks like a fortress. Strangely #20 Guanajuato: a silver mine outside of town. usual for Gothic cathedrals. it has flying buttresses, a support system more #21 Guanajuato: a view of the city. otherwise specified) Metromex (all slides are of the federal district, unless offices of with the Cathedral and administrative #22 ZOcalo, the main square of Mexico the government overlooking Reform. #23 View from the Castillo de Chapultepec, Ballet FolldOrico. #24 Palacio de Bellas Arter home of the in Mexico and one of the most important #25 Museo de Antropologia, the most extensive indigenous Mexican indigenous cultures and those in the world. It showcases artifacts of related to Mexican tribes. cultures of the U.S. Southwest that are Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. #26 The new Basilica de la Virgen de Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico) built for #27 Estadio ampico at UNAM (Universidad the 1968 Olympics of the coyotes, near UNAM #28 Plaza in Coyoacki, which means place office ruins, a colonial church, and modern #29 Plaza de Tres Culturas: where indigenous plaza buildings and apartment buildings meet in one its important for culture and religion. It was at #30 Teotihuacan: ruins of an Aztec City is from the Street of the Dead with the height between 300 and 650 A.D. The slide Pyramid of the Moon in the background. the plumed serpent #31 Teotilwacan: temple of Quetzalcoatl, South Mexico Plaza Mayor #32 San CristObal de las Casas, Chiapas: #33 San CristObal: Plaza de la Libertad dolls #34 San CristObal: Chamula girls selling House #35 Zinacatki, Chiapas: traditional Mayan the of the State of Chiapas. It is taken from #36 Chiapas: Scene that inspired the Emblem Chiapa or Mezcalapa River. cliffs overlooking the Mezcalapa River. #37 Chiapas: Shrine to the Virgin on the #38 Chiapan Highlands: rural home the which showcases regional animals, such as #39 Tuxtla Gutieirez, Chiapas: Tuxtla Zoo toucan 8 -7- flourished during the Classic ruins of an ancient city that #40 Palenque, Chiapas: Mayan This is a view of the palace complex. Maya Period (250 to 900 A.D.) Maya, along with Palenque, of an animal sacred to the #41 Jaguar, a craft purchased in Mesoarnerica. other indigenous civilizations of animals. The bright for its brightly painted fantastic #42 Oaxacan Cat, Oaxaca is known their historical books or Mixtec of that region in painting colors were also used by ancient codices. Med Mex filled with U.S-style malls three beach scenes from a place #43-45 Canctin, Quintana Roo: and over-priced recuerdos quoted in either pesos or dollars, and food franchises, prices from throughout Mexico. 9 -8- Mexico: Activities on Political Parties in PRI, PAN, AND PRD functions in solving both Mexico's common How well the current political system democracy in problems illustrates the status of problems and the "nations" regional Institucional (PRI) with by the Partido Revolucionario Mexico. The system is run mainly the Partido de la Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) and minority party influences from the describe summaries of the parties as they RevoluciOn Democraltica (PRD). Below are themselves in their own official literature: Mexico City. officials in their party headquarters in The Fulbright group met PRI and a video in complex. We each received a booklet The headquarters are a large office illustrated (1994). The materials are beautifully The PRI and Mexican Democracy English, colorful charts and graphs. historical party photographs, and with famous Mexican murals, Mexico's struggle for materals gives a brief history of the The introduction phase of the of the (1810-1917) which concludes on page 11 independence and social revolution booklet as follows: 1917, the Revolution After enacting a new Constitution in institution, the most original, created, in 1929, its primary political of its social evolution and the most authentic, the backbone (PNR), the National Revolutionary Parry economic development; the Party of the Mexican which in 1938 was transformed into of today's Institutional Revolution (PRIV!), both forerunners Revolutionary Party (PRI). being the party with the That is why in PRI, as well as has been the one that offered voters greatest historical tradition, ideological proposal throughout the most complete and realistic The year it was founded it its 65 years of political activity. The Party was born to competed with 60 registered parties. factions that came out of the unite the different groups and prevented Mexico from revolutionary movement; its creation falling into anarchy. revolution: highway PRI policies of continued social The materials continue by affirming Mexico, and the expropriation of foreign oil companies in and education programs, the placed on the the peasants. There is emphasis distribution of 20 million hectares of land to the 65 years of leadership as contrasted to political stably of Mexico under the PRI's remaining half of the of Latin America. Then the instability throughout much of the rest democratic PRI safeguards to maintain a booklet and video is devoted to explaining president of the republic. minority party society: no possible re-election of the 1 0