Ambassador Alejandro Negrín (first from left) at the 4th Pacific Alliance Film Festival took place in Hanoi in December 2023 (Photo credit: Embassy of Mexico)

Bao Tram: Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for joining us on VOV24/7’s “Cultural Rendezvous”.  

Ambassador: Thank you very much for this interview to introduce my country, Mexico. I’d like to send my regards to all the VOV audience.

Bao Tram: Talking about Mexico’s culture, what do you consider to be the best things  to talk about?

Ambassador: Mexican culture is recognized in any part of the world because it has characteristic elements. The first of these is that it is a nation descended from ancient civilizations more than 3,000 years old; and this long history includes everything from the Olmec civilization to the Mayan and Aztec civilizations that existed when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico in 1517. These civilizations bequeathed a very deep cultural heritage to Mexico. Two examples are the pyramids of Chichen Itza in Yucatan, considered one of the great wonders of humanity, and the archaeological site of Calakmul in Campeche (from 2000 BC). Mexican culture is well reflected in 33 sites inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Another fundamental element of Mexican culture is its diversity. While Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups, Mexico has 68 indigenous peoples with their languages and traditions. An additional element is the great richness of its gastronomy, which we will talk about later.

For these reasons, Mexico is today the sixth largest tourism power in the world.

Bao Tram: Mexico has a rich history of indigenous traditions combined with Spanish influences. How do these cultural roots manifest in daily life and popular traditions in modern Mexico?

Ambassador: I’ve already said that Mexico is a country characterized by its diversity. We have indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples. We also have a mestizo population in which this combination of ancient indigenous traditions and Hispanic influences is expressed. And this is something that can be observed in all areas of social life.

In the first place, in language. The Spanish spoken in Mexico incorporates many words that come from our indigenous peoples.

Secondly, in our beliefs and traditions. Mexico is a mostly Catholic country that has a special adoration for the Virgin of Guadalupe, who is considered the spiritual mother of Mexicans. Every year, on December 12, millions of Mexicans go to pay tribute to this Virgin. The origin of this belief is clearly pre-Hispanic and originated with the worship of a pre-Hispanic goddess called Tonantzin.

Another clear expression of this mestizaje is in gastronomy, since the natural products with which the ancient Mexicans cooked were added to those that the Spaniards brought when they conquered Mexico, such as wheat and sugar cane, spices such as pepper and olive oil, and animals such as pork. In fashion we also observe a combination, where the artisanal techniques and the colorful indigenous textiles are combined with haute couture from Europe.

The mestizo cultural roots in Mexico, which include our indigenous and Spanish heritage, are very deep and can be observed in practically all areas of social life.

Ambassador Alejandro Negrín in an exchange activity with children at Hanoi-based Kidzania, a dynamic edutainment park, first founded in Mexico in 1997 (Photo credit: Embassy of Mexico)

Bao Tram: Mexico’s cuisine is renowned worldwide for its diversity of flavors. How would you describe the role of food in Mexican culture, and are there any particular dishes or culinary traditions that hold deep cultural significance?

Ambassador: As in Vietnam, in Mexico food has an essential role as a cultural practice, as an expression of social relationship and as a connection with our most ancient traditions and customs.

In 2010, Mexican gastronomy was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO, taking into account that it is a crucial element of national identity, a gastronomy with very ancient roots, and also for its creativity, diversity and transcendence.

I believe that the first element to understanding the enormous impact of Mexican gastronomy is its ingredients. There is a set of products of Mexican origin that not only are the basis of our dishes, but have transformed gastronomy around the world and have had a global impact. I’m referring to products such as chocolate, avocado, corn, tomatoes, vanilla, and a wide variety of chiles. All of these products, and many more, originated in Mexico.

A second element to understanding the great richness of Mexican gastronomy is its diversity. Each region has its own specialties and culinary techniques. It’s a diversity that reflects the geographical and cultural richness of the country.

And a third element is that since ancient times there have been drinks that characterize Mexican cuisine, such as hot and cold chocolate, but also tequila and mezcal, which are drinks produced using traditional techniques from a Mexican plant called the agave.

The basis of Mexican food is the corn tortilla. Perhaps that is why tacos are one of the most popular Mexican dishes around the world. A taco is a corn tortilla – a kind of crepe – that’s filled with many different types of meat and sauces. Here in Vietnam, in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang there are Mexican restaurants that serve very good tacos.

Another very characteristic Mexican dish is mole, a very old dish of pre-Hispanic origin, whose modern version dates back at least 300 years before the Spanish colonization of Mexico.

One more dish that I would also like to mention is a tamal that we prepare in the region where I’m from, Campeche, on the occasion of the Day of the Dead. It’s a tamal called pibipollo.  Tamales are very ancient dishes. They’re based on corn dough and are filled with a variety of ingredients. They’re cooked wrapped in corn or banana leaves.

Bao Tram: I know there are a lot more things to say about Mexico, a country of diverse culture. I hope we can have more talks like this in the future. Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, for spending some time with VOV24/7.

Ambassador: It's a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to talk with you and with the audience of VOV.