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May 8, 2001 Mexican Culture: An Allegory of Influences For one month about three years ago, I was able to go on a trip that I had always dreamed about - a month long journey through Mexico. I had never been out of the country before, and was not sure if I was up to navigating my way through the countryside in a small Volkswagen beetle. I was a bit scared and a little apprehensive, but extremely excited. I spent months preparing for this trip, learning about Mexican history, researching information on the cities, and planning the places I wanted to visit. I was going to discover my Mexican roots while learning about a culture I had little experience with. My trip took me from Mexico City down throughout the countryside to Aculpulco, then up the coast (figure 1), to Zihuantanejo (figure 2), east to Guadalajara, and back to Mexico City. Travel time between each city took from eight to eleven hours driving over roads in disrepair through small villages perched high in the mountains (figures 3 and 4), through roadside towns in lowland agricultural areas, and finally through scattered settlements in the high desert plateau. I spent many days in each town, visiting historical places, ancient ruins, colonial buildings, m