Places to go
Hey guys what is the best place to go to learn about Spanish culture,Mexico or Spain and city / town? I heard Canún is a good place to go in Mexico and Madrid in Spain but I want to go some where were I can learn about it's history why i'm there.PS sorry I put my should it be allowed and is it fair question the wrong category,Kind of mad at myself for being so stupid.
2 Answers
There is no generic "Spanish" culture any more than there is Asian food. There are several kinds of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. You get the idea.
The only real "Spanish" culture is Spain. In Spain they don't eat tacos or burritos, and a "tortilla española" is an omelette.
Each country is different, the language is somewhat different as to vocabulary and accent. The racial makeup is extremely different among the countries. Ecuador for example has a very high Indian (indígena) population. Argentina on the other hand is very European, with a large amount of people of Italian and German heritage. Half the names you hear from Argentina are Italian. The current Pope is of Italian descent. (He's an Argentinian.)
I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Each country has it's own individuality. Mexico I find especially interesting. I'm Spanish, but I live among Mexicans, both from the old country and those of Mexican descent born in California.
I would recommend going to Google and Wikipedia to get some of your information. But I'm sure that many of the members of SD living in Spanish speaking countries will be happy to share some of their history with you. Crucesignatus, right now has a series going about his home country Peru.
Buena Suerte
I don't know why you want to go. I assume you are based in the USA. I don't know how long you have for a visit and your age and budget.
If you are from the USA then generally Mexico is quicker and easier to get to and in most places the cost of living is cheaper.
I have been to Mexico twice and for a number of years had a teacher who was Mexican though her husband was from Madrid and she tried to teach us vocabulary from Spain. A bit like the difference in vocabulary between the USA and the UK there are vocabulary differences between Mexico and Spain.
The first time I went I flew to Cancún as I didn't want to go to Mexico city. Cancún is good for the beach and parties. I stayed two nights then got a coach to Merida an old colonial town (many of the colonial towns take their names from cities in Spain) there I had a short guided tour of the town and the guide proudly spoke some Mayan to us I also went to Uxmal an ancient Mayan place. I then flew from Merida to Oaxaca. I had planned to return and visit chichen itza the famous Mayan ruins but had to change my travel plans.
Oaxaca is a fascinating place. It has a large indigenous population and the city is surrounded by small villages each famous for a particular craft eg carpets pottery or colourful wooden figures. There was a book fair and a festival while I was there and I saw some amazing regional costumes and dances. There were numerous galleries and a beautiful small museum of ancient artefacts. The various groups looked different. Many people in that area spoke zapatec. I remember going to an exhibition of letters written by Frieda Kahlo to her doctor. The food I liked best were tamales. There were some amazing markets. Overlooking Oaxaca is Monte Alban, which was Zapotec but influenced by the Aztecs and Mayans. Oaxaca is particularly well known for the celebrations for the day of the dead. I could give you more information about my second visit and of course Spain, but if you indicate what you hope to get out of a trip I can give you more information.
