J.R.R. Tolkien once said, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world”. 
Maybe Mexico’s high regard for food explains it merry character and its unique UNESCO’S recognition as Intangible Cutural Heritage for humanity should also be seen as a lesson to follow. In any case, Mexico is definitely more than “what meets the eye” and therefore the America’s Champion for Cultural Heritage.

When it comes to choices, enjoying and learning might transform into a solo word that would describe the touristic experience in Mexico, maybe a joy-learning thing. Where else could you experience long beautiful beaches by the mountain, by the desert, by the jungle, by archaeological ruins, or by medieval fortresses? All reachable by first class touristic infrastructure, while enjoying a first-world envy type of service and the joy of the Mexican food and its wine.

On November of 2010, UNESCO granted both the Mexican and the French cuisine, its recognition as Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity. About the Mexican cuisine, UNESCO asserts that it is a comprehensive cultural model comprising farming, ritual practices, age-old skills, culinary techniques and ancestral community customs and manners. It is made possible by collective participation in the entire traditional food chain: from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating. It involves, unique farming methods such as milpas (rotating swidden fields of corn and other crops) and chinampas (man-made farming islets in lake areas); cooking processes such as nixtamalization (lime-hulling maize, which increases its nutritional value); and singular utensils including grinding stones and stone mortars. Of course, it considers the role of native ingredients such as varieties of tomatoes, squashes, avocados, cocoa and vanilla, which augment the basic staples. Mexican cuisine is elaborate and symbol-laden, and its knowledge and techniques express community identity, reinforce social bonds, and build stronger local, regional and national identities.

The culture of appreciating food and making it a whole nourishment experience goes from street food to famous restaurant filled streets and beyond Mexico’s own cuisine. So, not only you can find places like President Masaryk’s famous Mexico City street where you can choose Mexican food from its various regions, but also see how this country’s love for food has enriched its relationship with other cuisines and has made it possible to find in a single street, a first world class experience of almost all cuisines in the world.

But its street food is world famous. From North to South, all through its 1,969 miles long, you can eat like a god regardless of your budget. You could find yourself at the middle of the CNN Travel recommended Baja’s Ensenada market and you join the masses at the city’s fish market for fish tacos; corn tortillas piled high with battered fried halibut, shredded cabbage, pickled onions, avocado, jalapeños, and sweet-tangy crema-mayonnaise sauce. A trip stop at Guadalajara could give you the opportunity of having a shot of tequila and trying the local fast food; tortas ahogadas, with its homemade salsas and freshly prepared corn tortillas will make you forget the idea you previously had about the fast food concept. Or choose between the world of options that Mexico City offers;  from tubes of fried dough powdered with cinnamon called churros to roasted corn to carnitas and freshly squeezed fruit juices. Maybe making your mind and having some of its ubiquituous tacos al pastor, made of hunks of marinated pork topped with pineapple that are cooked gyro-style on a spit until tender, sliced off and served atop two-bite corn tortillas. Cilantro, chopped onion and a squeeze of lime make a perfect garnish.  Or find yourself at the heart of Cancun, in its fantastic food market, enjoying shrimp, marlin or huachinango’s tostadas with a Mexican beer.

So truth be told, after having a taste of a tostada with guacamole, a “dry noodle with three chilis”, a “fillet au huitlacoche”, and the original, exquisitely organic vanilla icecream, wouldn’t you be merrier?

Mexico is world know by the quality of the drinks that go with its food. Whereas we talk about unmistakable tequila or the extraordinary mexican beer. In the case of Mexican wine, though not as world reknown as those drinks, follows the same path of world quality and acknowledgement. Mexico has always had excellent natural conditions for grape growing and wine production is not a novelty. It started since the Colony, but was forbidden by Felipe II, King of Spain in 1595, given that its quality and quantity threatened the wine producers and distributors of the old world. So, during centuries, wine production was limited.

Another factor that, according to specialists, influenced the limited development of the industry, has been the particular characteristics of the mexican cuisine. Having a strong base of spices and peppers, makes it necessary to wash the tongue with more frequency so it has open a natural path to the development of the beer industry. In this sense, one of the challenges of the grape and wine industries in Mexico has been to follow and accompany the reknown Mexican cuisine, today considered intangible world heritage. A worthy challenge, creating wines that pair extraordinarily with wonderful traditional dishes as the mole and the cochinita pibil.

Today, the thriving grape and wine production industry consists of more than 50 companies and producers located mainly along five regions; Baja California, Coahuila, Querétaro, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas. Here, climatic conditions are perfect for wine grape growing. Altogether, Mexican producers offer more than 300 different wine labels, between whites, reds, rosés and sparkling. They are produced with up-to-the-minute technology and by expert oenologists. In total, Mexican wineries export their products to more than 30 countries and national market grows at an annual 12 per cent pace.

Mexico participates successfully and stands out in the worlds’ best competitions: France’s Chardonnay du Monde, Vienalies Internationales en Paris, Switzerland’s Expovine, US Intervin International Award, Spain’s Monde Selection, England’s Monde Selection, France’s Challenger International du Vin, Argentina’s Viñandino , Concours Mondiale du Bruxelles and Wines of the Americas.  The Mexican wine’s prestige is the result of more than 400 international awards that, in the last few years talk about its world-class quality.

Lately, result of a clear example of teamwork in this industry, the Bicentennary Wines were presented to the public. With the authorization of the Presidency and the Grape and Wine Mexican Council, twenty-one wineries; L. A. Cetto, Casa Pedro Domecq, Monte Xanic, Casa Madero, Adobe Guadalupe, La Redonda, Cavas Freixenet, Tanamá, Roganto, Santo Tomás y Camou, came together and created three conmemorative wines.

And to celebrate the quality of Mexican wine, Viñedos La Redonda along with more than 35 prestigious Mexican wineries, get together at the 100 Mexican Wines Festival where on February of this 2011, they all share with the public the quality of Mexican wine, having beautiful vineyards as back scenery.

The Mexican Grape and Wine industry is an example of success and of what is possible when we aim at something. What better thing to do than to pair a cochinita pibil with a Mexican harvested Sauvignon Blanc, or a mole from Puebla and a rosé cultivated under the Sun of Guadalupe Valley, toasting always at the end with a semi-sec sparkling from Querétaro?

Mexico is known for its great cultural contribution to the world, considered by UNESCO as one of the largest contributor worldwide in terms of cultural heritage and the importance of culture´s value in national economy. Added to this, Mexico also offers great human talent, as is the case of Umberto Veloz, undoubtedly the most beautiful male voice of the Latin American Folk music and the most important discovery of this artistic genre in recent years.

Mexico is worldknown as a birthplace of great tenors. Umberto broadens this group even more, reaching farther horizons. In a world where technology is the rule, he has dared to challenge it, neglecting electronic rhythms, instruments and other virtues digital device. Inspired by Black and Latino roots, the Voice of Umberto was born mixing the origins of drums and guitars.

This Mexican tenor has performed in countries like Spain, the USA, Mexico, Venezuela, among others, receiving excellent reviews from the press and the world of international culture. His concert is full of Latin rhythms such as the Cuban son, the chacarera, and Venezuelan joropo, the Peruvian celebration, the famous bolero, and trova, which combined with the afro jazz and lyrical singing creates a rich mix of music and folk-Latin. The result is a night of excellent fusion achieved by the charisma and incredible interpretation that Umberto does with his powerful and velvety voice. Notwithstanding the excellent array of musicians, all of them demonstrating a nuanced musical virtuosity, taking the spectator from the most sensual and romantic mood, to the strength and flavor of Afro-Latin rhythms, indulging in talent and allowing an unforgettable ecstasy of art and music.

Mexico is a country with an endless supply of natural and cultural resources, as well as rich source of human talent. Why not experience this country as what it really is, leaving aside the opinions and judgments that we could have regarding it? Mexico is a country that enjoys the privilege of providing the world with natural and artistic beauty, live in Mexico as the country really is.

Culture is valued differently according to each country, and its people’s beliefs, although it is not always clear how one could measure this. According to Ernesto Piedras, in his book “¿What is the value of Culture? Economic Contribution of Copyright Protected Industries” the value of culture considers activities which are developed upon artistic and literary original creations, which are subject to copyright. Ernesto Piedras implies that cultural industries are by themselves, a sector of economic activity that shares similar characteristics to other economic activity sectors.

Although Mexico is known for its cultural heritage around the world, culture is sometimes not given the importance that it really has based on its contribution to the economy. This shows how culture is esteemed in the country. Cultural industries in Mexico, which will be shortly explained, have an above the average value when compared to the rest of the world. This sector is of great economic importance given its contribution to GDP, high productivity and, ultimately, to the extent that provides the country with competitive advantages in commercial interaction with the rest of the world.

To perform this study, Piedras followed the guidelines of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which classifies the companies into five main categories, namely:

a) Base Industry: press and literature, music, film and video, radio and television, photography, visual and graphic arts, advertising and collective societies
b) Independent Industry: TV sets, radios, VCRs, CD players, DVD players, video games and similar devices, computers and equipment, musical instruments, photographic and cinematographic instruments, photocopiers and paper
c) Partly related industries: textiles clothing and shoes, jewelry, other types of art, furniture designs collection for music in nightclubs and discos, design of household goods, china and glassware collection for music in bars and restaurants, architecture, engineering and interior design museums
d) Not engaged Industries: wholesale and retail, general transport, libraries, and internet
e) Illegal and informal economy Industries: production and sale of works of art without registration, production and marketing of illegal discs, videos and books, printing and marketing illegal posters, pictures and photographs and public communication unregistered music.

It is important to note that WIPO takes into account both the legal and illegal economic spillover, which allows to realistically approach the actual value of culture in a country.

Mexico, in a comparison with 12 countries, holds the third place on the list on the value of cultural industries in relation to the total GDP of the country, just below the United Kingdom and United States, both with 8 per cent contribution to GDP. Mexico´s cultural industries contribute 6.5 per cent of GDP, while the average in Latin America, including Brazil, is just over 3 per cent. Spain’s contribution of culture to the GDP is about 4 per cent, below Mexico.

In some cases, like in Mexico, culture had more weight in the country’s GDP than the construction sector, with 5 per cent or telecommunications, with 4.2 per cent.

So we must ask ourselves, what are we telling ourselves about the cultural impact and level of the country? What do figures tell us about the actual level of Mexico’s culture? We must learn to see Mexico as the country it really is, allowing us to acknowledge it and its people in a powerful way.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded in 1945 with the aim of contributing peace and security to the world through education, science, culture and communications. The Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was founded in 1972 merging from two separate movements, the first focusing on the preservation of cultural sites, and the other dealing with the conservation of nature.

Every year the UNESCO publishes the World Heritage List, which lists objects (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is a catalogue of sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.

In the 2010 classification, Mexico is ranked on top six along with Spain, France, Italy, Germany and China out of the 148 countries participating in the UNESCO list, followed by the United Kingdom and India, with 28 and 27, respectively. Of these 29, only four are natural heritage, so the 25 remaining are cultural heritage –not natural beauty-, which speaks of the worldwide importance of Mexican culture. However, when it comes to the Americas Mexico has the honor of being on with more objects that any other country are considered heritage for humanity.

In the list of objects that are considered heritage for humanity in Mexico we can point out the historic centers of cities such as Morelia, Puebla, Zacatecas and Guanajuato, as well as impressive Mexico City with its Aztec-Spanish unique cultural syncretism. Even though San Miguel de Allende, still remains a small town, it is considered an important heritage to humanity because of the wealth of its colonial art. More recently we can find the Agave Landscape and Ancient Industrial Facilities of Tequila, another small town in western Mexico, home of Mexico’s most famous liquor and one of the most popular in the world.

We can also find pre-Hispanic cities such as Teotihuacan, founded by the Mexicas, Chichen Itza and Palenque from the Mayan culture and El Tajin, from the Olmec culture. Likewise, more contemporary buildings, such as Hospicio Cabañas or the main campus of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM), are also considered to be of great importance and cultural value, and that for, world heritage.

Mexico´s cultural legacy to the world is, and has been, unique, powerful, and unmatched. The vast and outstanding contribution to architecture and the profound influence that its people have had with universal culture, in pre-Hispanic, colonial or present times, is an example of what Mexico is all about today. This is Mexico´s legacy to the world.

The 63rd edition of the International Film Festival Cannes was lived in a very Mexican way, demonstrating that Mexico is following close in the film industry. One of the first signs of this is that Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was elected to preside the jury, which is made up of experts, actors, directors, etc.

The award of the Golden Camera for Best Opera Prima was for the Mexican film Leap Year, directed by the Mexican director, Michael Rowe. As he handed over the award, Gael García Bernal said, “It was difficult to choose among 24 films, but we made an unanimous decision,” he said. He also stated that “It is a very special film that has been done with great love and is noted for his mastery.”

The director Michael Rowe thanked his production house (Machete Productions), his actors, Monica del Carmen and Gustavo Sánchez Parra, as well as the Mexican Institute of Cinematography and dedicated his gift to his daughter. “It’s for my daughter Ximena, who is Mexican.”

Michael Rowe was born in Australia and has been living for 16 years in Mexico, country whose nationality he adopted. Michael Rowe stated that the tape is completely Mexican. “I have something legitimate Mexican and this film was born from my Mexican soul, my love for this country,” said the director. The film tells the story of a couple who maintains a relationship of degrading sexual violence.

The director feels that the film will be successful in Mexico because “In Mexico, the public is mature, and the times when scenes with nudity provoked laughter or frightened people have now been passed.”

Besides the award for Leap Year, Biutiful, a film by Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu highlighted in the festival, and actor Javier Bardem, won the Palme d’Or prize for best actor. The Spanish actor took the opportunity to thank Gonzalez Inarritu for the prize. “This award is received on behalf of what the film Biutiful, by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, represents.. After my hard work under the direction of Iñarritu I have changed my attitude towards work. I have now more compassion and love for the art of interpreting. ”

These are some examples that show how Mexican cinema is coming up strong worldwide. Awards such as this, in addition to the awards received in Madrid, in the 7th Documenta Madrid Festival, to the Mexican documentary Presumed Guilty, demonstrate the growth and international recognition of our cinema. Presumed Guilty is a documentary of Mexican directors Layda Negrete and Roberto Hernandez and, who had to beat 22 other international films to win the prize for best documentary in Madrid.

Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion form Coldplay, a British alternative rock band that was formed in London in 1997. Being one of the world´s most popular bands, it is interesting to know that Coldplay’s lead vocalist, Chris Martin has very strong feelings for Mexico, which inspired the band in their last album’s name and led the group to close their Viva la Vida tour in Mexico.

Coldplay’s last album, Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends, is named after one of Frida Kahlo’s most famous paintings, and this was not by chance. Chris Martin was inspired by this painting in Coldplay’s last visit to Mexico, in early 2007, when they toured Latin America with their X & Y show. In this tour, they visited countries like Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. Not only is the name of the album inspired by Latin America, but also their music, as Chris Martin himself said, “…this album will likely reflect Hispanic influence.”

Coldplay has visited Mexico previously on two occasions. The first time they came here was in September 2003, with their A Rush of Blood to the Head tour, and the second time was in March 2007, when Martin also celebrated his 30th birthday and they were promoting their X & Y album. During their last stay in Mexico, one of their stops was Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s museum. In this museum, is where Chris Martin saw Frida Kahlo’s 20th century painting Viva la Vida, which is a painting of some watermelons with these words on it.

Viva la Vida translates into English as “Long live Life” or “Love the Life,” in any Spanish speaking country, but the local Mexican meaning of “Viva…” is to exclaim and celebrate. When asked about the album’s name Chris Martin referred to Frida Kahlo’s strength, she endured polio, a broken spine, and a decade of chronic pain., “She went through a lot of [things], of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said ‘Viva la Vida,’ I just loved the boldness of it,” he said.

Their third visit to our country will be this March, with four concerts, closing their Viva la Vida tour. Coldplay will be performing on March 6th and 7th in the “Palacio de los Deportes” in Mexico City, March 9th in the “Tres de Marzo” Stadium in Guadalajara, and March 11th in the “Estadio Universitario” in Monterrey. Chris Martin will once again celebrate his birthday in Mexico, it is Mexico’s turn to exclaim and celebrate with him. “Viva Coldplay, Viva México, Viva la Vida!”

Mexican writer Chloe Aridjis has received the French Mercure Award for her first book titled “Book of Clouds.”

“Book of Clouds” is a portrait of Berlin in the early twenty-first century through the eyes of Tatiana, a young Mexican who comes to the German capital on a scholarship, Aridjis explained.

The writer, daughter of Mexican poet and diplomat Homero Aridjis said she is pleased because the award coincides with the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. She vividly recalls how she lived those days, watching from the other side of the Atlantic how Berliners inaugurated a new chapter of modern history.

Aridjis is already preparing a second novel which will be set between London and Paris.

When president Obama visited Mexico earlier this year, he made reference to the parallelisms between two icons of Mexican and American history: Benito Juárez and Abraham Lincoln.

A few months later, the lives of these two extraordinary ex-presidents are celebrated with two exhibitions at Chicago’s History Museum as part of the commemoration of Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial.

The life of Benito Juarez (1806-1872) is legendary. Born in a small village in the Mexican southern state of Oaxaca and from very humble origins, he embarked in his pursuit to reform Mexico in the early 1840s following his ideals of the rule of law and self-government. His efforts, inspired by the principles of the European Enlightenment, were crucial in transforming Mexico into the modern republic it is today.

While Juárez was struggling to establish the basis of a modern Mexico, Lincoln also faced a critical situation that would forever change the future of his country: the Edict of Emancipation that led to the freedom for more than three million African American slaves.

The exhibition Benito Juárez and the Making of Modern Mexico has been co-curated with the National Museum of Mexican Art and depicts more than 25 national treasures from Mexico that have never been displayed in the USA before.

You can watch a slideshow of highlights from the exhibition here.

The exhibition opened on October 10 and will be on display until April 12, 2010.

Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler is an exhibition that opened only last week at the British Museum and it has already been reviewed by the British press as a blockbuster.

The exhibition, which runs until January 2010, explores the Aztec civilization through the role of its last elected ruler: Moctezuma II, who reigned from 1502 until the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1520AD.

Moctezuma was considered part-deity, chief army commander, commissioner of the arts, orator and had none less than 19 kids. While his life was indeed complex and semi-mythical, he became the consolidator of the Aztec Empire which stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific, and was centered on Tenochtitlán – a spectacular city probably larger than any western European capital of the time.

For those who know little about the history of Mexico, this exhibition is truly fascinating. It depicts rare and precious objects of Aztec craftsmanship, including works commissioned by Moctezuma himself.

During the period that the exhibition will be on display, visitors to the British Museum can also enjoy a full program of events consisting of lectures, workshops, documentaries, debates, and meals, all around the theme of Moctezuma and Mexico.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

• A superb turquoise mosaic mask
• The imposing stone monument known as the Teocalli of Sacred Warfare
• Gold work by artisans of the Aztec court
• Oil paintings on wooden panels with inlaid Mother of Pearl (Enconchados)
• Some idealized European portraits of Moctezuma
• Colonial Codices

The Aztec Empire might have disappeared many centuries ago, and yet, for the next four months, in London, Moctezuma will reign.