Mexico Host Communities

Global Volunteers' host communities are steeped in history - in English language classrooms, you can learn about their culture through the country's people, and in free time, you can explore the area's historical areas. The Historic Center of Queretaro is quite remarkable in maintaining the old colonial architecture and street plan side by side with the twisting alleys of Indian quarters. All this history is peppered with modern hotels, shops, and restaurants. The Otomi, the Tarasco, the Chichimeca and the Spanish settlers lived together harmoniously in the town, which stands out for the many ornate civil and religious Baroque monuments from its golden age in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Mexico's "Cradle of Independence - Delores Hidalgo - is a compact community that's retained it's "old world" feel. It was in this unassuming village in 1810, that Father Hildalgo roused residents to rise against the gachupines (the ruling class, born in Spain). He urged the crowd to follow him into battle. (The scene is reenacted yearly on September 15 throughout Mexico.) After "The Cry," the contingent marched 20 miles to San Miguel el Grande (now San Miguel de Allende), to join the forces of crillo military general, Ignacio Allende. About 1,000 troops strong, they marched toward Guanajuato (which is now the state capital). Within a week, their ranks swelled to 25,000 and ultimately to 80,000. Yet, it took another 11 years, and much bloodshed on both sides, before Mexico achieved independence from Spain.

This was only the last of the protracted battles and occupations that dominated Mexico's history. At least three great civilizations - the Mayas, the Olmecs, and the Toltecs - preceded the wealthy Aztec empire, conquered in 1519 by the Spanish under Hernando Cortes. This was the first stage in what would be lasting dominion of the Spanish on the history, government and culture of the newly forming country.

The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century soon led to widespread intermarriage and racial mixing between Spaniards and Native Americans. As late as the early 19th century, Native Americans accounted for nearly two-thirds of the population in the region. During that century, however, the racial composition of the country began to change from one that featured distinct European (Spanish) and indigenous populations, to one made up largely of mestizos-people of mixed Spanish and Native American descent. By the end of the 19th century, mestizos, who were discriminated against during three centuries of Spanish colonization, had become the largest population group in Mexico. Mestizos now account for about 60 percent of Mexicans. Read more about Mexico's culture and people.