knowing that their past heritage and spirit will remain alive3. Riding supports this notion in his essay as he states that “death is even mocked”(6)1 at times. He describes how, to Mexicans, birth and death are not interruptions, or important, to the continuation of life1. For this reason, Mexicans have a tendency not to plan ahead in life2. Insurance and retirement investment is not widespread, for example3. Mexicans believe that the future is already determined and that it cannot be affected2. There is no point in planning and concepts such as insurance are not widespread2. Although Mexican conceptions of death and fatalism are somewhat difficult to comprehend, it is interesting to see how a culture that is geographically so close can have such a differing concept. The theme of the Mexican mask is also a concept unfamiliar to the North American culture. It is something that encompasses the entire Mexican culture in different forms. The way Mexicans speak, act, and carry out their lives seems to be masked and hidden or made discreet in some way or another3. Mexicans tend not to be very expressive and do not exhibit their feelings or emotions3. The reality of life in Mexico is hidden behind masks or concealed in some manner. This is a strong theme of Mexican culture that influences many areas of life3. For example, one of the most popular sports of the country is professional wrestling3. There is strong support for the sport and its athletes as they are given great respect3. This may be due to the nature of the sport, how the wrestlers mask themselves to hide their identity and to fight as a mysterious character. The wrestlers don’t let their true emotions show and they are not expressive. They take on a new identity. The people of Mexico relate to this, as they too are not expressive; they find interest and amusement in the sport.The theme of the mask is yet another cultural aspect represented in ...
