THE MEXICAN MIND! - Understanding & Appreciating Mexican Culture!

by Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Author Boyé Lafayette De Mente [known internationally known for his books on the business practices, customs and languages of China, Japan, Korea and Mexico] asserts that most people are ignorant of the amazing cultural heritage and character of the Mexican people. He says that when most people think of great cultural accomplishments they think of Europe and when they think of the exotic and perhaps the erotic they think of the Orient, while unknown to them they have overlooked one of the most unusual and fascinating countries on earth. De Mente uses key words in the Mexican language to identify and explain the contradictions and paradoxes of Mexico—the omnipresent trappings of Catholicism, the macho-cult of Mexican males, the conflicting treatment of females, the savage brutality of the criminal and the rogue cop, the gentle humility of the poor farmer, the warmth, kindness and compassion of the average city dweller and the extreme sensuality of the Mexican mindset. The book also explains why Mexicans are so attached to the culture and why so many foreigners find it so seductive and so satisfying that they prefer to live in Mexico.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2011

About the author

Boyé Lafayette De Mente was an author, journalist, and adventurer. He wrote more than 100 books, most of them about the culture and language of Japan, East Asia, and Mexico.

De Mente joined the U.S. Navy and began his career as a cryptographer based in Washington, D.C. In 1948, he joined the U.S. Army Security Agency and was a decoding technician stationed in Tokyo. While there, he he founded and edited the agency's newspaper, The ASA Star.

De Mente wrote the first English guides to the Japanese way of doing business ("Japanese Etiquette and Ethics in Business" in 1959 and "How to Do Business in Japan" in 1962). His other books run the gamut from language learning to the night-time "pink" trades in Japan, the sensual nature of Oriental cultures, male-female relations, and understanding and coping with the Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Mexican mindset in business and social situations. He has also written extensively about Mexico and his home state of Arizona.

Reviews

[Bryan Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of useful information for foreigners planning to live or do business in Mexico here. Unfortunately, it's interspersed with a somewhat paranoid, exhaustive obsession with the "lechery" and "voracious sexuality" of the Mexican male, which can be either read with amusement, offense, or consternation. However, even if the stereotypes now read as somewhat outdated (I read this in 2020), the cultural antecedents upon which they are based did exist, so there is use in understanding how Mexico the nation has developed and evolved into what it is today.

I think this book would be more relevant for someone intending to do business in Mexico, because the attitudes towards work/time/responsibility/etc. are all quite important to understand beforehand, and somewhat less useful for the traveler, because you aren't likely to be affected in the same way by the idiosyncrasies and customs of Mexican everyday life if you are just passing through.

[Heather Holter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative. I learned so much about this culture. Much was disturbing and much was inspiring!

[SuZanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's taking me a long time to read this little book on Kindle, not because it's boring, but quite the contrary. Presented in the form of a dictionary of Mexican-Spanish terms, it includes origins of the words and socio-political background of using them in the past and present, for both native speakers and foreigners.

One theme running through the book is revelations about the damage three hundred years of Catholic Church dominance and Spanish patriarchy has done to the indigenous culture.

I vow to finish reading it this second year of COVID and I have nearly reached the halfwlay mark.

More later

[marvin carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME.

I knew there was a lot most people like me that didn't know much about Mexico. Plus nearly all that I read in this book confirmed lots of my suspicions. As A trucker, I've worked around Mexican people for years now. But not speaking or even studying any Spanish until the last few years, only now, and with the help of this book am I even beginning to understand that there's another whole world of unexplored consciousness about this marvelous people. This book did it. And I've told lots of people about it on my facebook blog, and now internet radio show.

[Damon Dworak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful reading; a true vision of Mexico.

Well worth the time to get to know the behind the scenes thoughts and lives of a truly wonderful country.