An Aussie in Mexico Trivia Quiz

Answer: Texas (USA)

The dish has roots in Mexico but become popular in Texas and it was introduced to a wider audience at a 1893 exhibition in Chicago by the San Antonio Chili Stand. The bases of the dish are chili peppers, meat, tomatoes and in many dishes also beans. In 1977 legislation was passed declaring "chili con carne" as a State Dish. In New Mexico (USA) the State Vegetables are Chili peppers and Frijoles (refried beans). Veracruz (Mexico) is the home of the tomato based "veracruz" sauce which includes green olives and pimientos. Durango (Mexico) has a traditional dish called Barbacoa which consists of various meats steamed underground over coals in a pit.

Answer: Horita

Horita literally means "soon", which can be hours, days, weeks or months. Ahorita means "in a moment" or "right now". Ahora means "now" and aproximo means "near" or "close". So when a Mexico says to you "horita", do not get over excited if you have to wait for quite sometime.
Maňana is another Spanish word that actually means tomorrow but can also be interpreted as sometime soon.

Answer: Blue agave

The plant is also known as "agave azul" it is primarily found around the city of Tequila which is about 65 kms northwest of Guadalajara. The plant is the base ingredient of tequila. Originally the Aztecs had used the plant to make a fermented beverage, however, it was not until the 1600s that it was mass produced by the Marquis of Altamira and it became one of North America's first indigenous distilled spirits. The organ pipe cactus is only found in the Sonoran Desert which covers southwest USA and northern Mexico.

The Saguaro plant also belongs to the cactus species and has a lifespan of about 150 years. The Cardon is the biggest cactus which can stand between 6-8 feet in height and is found in Baja and also on mainland Mexico.

Answer: Nachos

The wives of US servicemen stationed at Fort Duncan (Texas) which was just across the border from Piedras Negras (in the state of Coahuila) had finished their shopping and went to a restaurant for lunch. The restaurant was closed but the owner Ignacio Anaya went back to the kitchen and with left over tortillas which he cut into triangles, he then fried them and presented them with cheese and jalapenos. Ignacio came up with the word "nachos" and as word spread, the dish has become popular throughout the world.
Cemito are bread rolls or sandwich's originating in Puebla.
Papadzules is a dish from Mayan times and a traditional dish on the Yucatan Peninsula, similar to enchiladas.
Mixiotes are pit-barbequed meat dishes which are very common in central Mexico.

Answer: Green, White, Red

The three colours are equal in size and the green stripe stands for hope, the middle white stripe stands for purity and unity and the red stripe stands for the blood of the nation's heroes. The Coat of Arms in the middle of the flag depicts an eagle eating a snake which is based on Aztec legend.
Red, Yellow and Green represents the national flag of Guinea and the green, white and orange represents the national flag of Ireland. The green, gold and red represents the national flag of Mali.

Answer: September 16

September 16, represents the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence of 1810. It is known as "Grito de Dolores" (Cry of Dolores) and was led by the Roman Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in the small town of Dolores near the city of Guanajuato in central Mexico.
March 21, is Natalicio de Benito Juárez (Benito Juárez's birthday-1806-1872) who served as President of Mexico for five terms from the years 1858-1872. He resisted the French occupation of Mexico.
May 5, is El Dia de la Batalla de Puebla (Battle of Puebla Day) This day is celebrated regionally in Mexico but primarily in the state of Puebla. It commemorates the victory of the Mexican Army over the French forces in 1862. This day is also celebrated in the USA and is known as Cinco de Mayo (5th of May).
November 20, is Dia de la Revoluciόn (Revolution Day) This commemorates the start of the Mexican Revolution by Francisco I. Madero in 1910.
Note: Although not celebrated as a national holiday in Mexico, April 30, is celebrated annually by the French Foreign Legion due to the Battle of Camarόn (Bataille de Camarone) in 1863 in which the French Foreign Legion of 65 were outnumbered by over 3,000 Mexican infantry and cavalry and is synonymous with bravery and the fight to the death particularly by the FFL.

Answer: Emile Kuri

Emile Kuri (1907-2000) was born in Cuernavaca, Morales, Mexico and won the Academy award for Best Art Direction in 1949 for the movie "The Heiress". He won again in 1954 in the same category for "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". He received 8 nominations with 2 wins from 1942-1971.
Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in "Viva Zapata!" (1954) and "Lust for Life" (1956).
Katy Jurado (1924-2002) was born in Guadalajara, Mexico was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for "Broken Lance" (1954). She was the first Mexican born and Latin/Hispanic actress to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Lupita Nyong'o was born in Mexico City in 1983 and is a Mexican-Kenya actress who won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "12 Years a Slave" (2013).

Answer: Potatoes

The potato origins date from the prehistoric mountainous regions of Argentina. Caesar salad originates from an Italian-American restaurateur Caesar Cardini who invented the dish in Tijuana, Mexico in 1924.

Chocolate comes from the cacao tree which is a native of Mesoamerica and was served as an alcoholic beverage as far back as 1400 BC. The Aztecs believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the God of Wisdom. It was originally prepared as a drink and introduced to the Spaniards when they arrived in Mexico. Chili peppers were brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus in 1493. They had been grown and cultivated in Mexico since 3500 BC.

Also originating from Mexico are corn, avocado and vanilla.

Answer: Olmec

The Olmecs date from as early as 1500 BC and they lived in the tropical low-lands around present day Veracruz and Tabasco which is in south-central Mexico. Their artwork remains in the form of the "colossal heads". The Maya civilisation can be traced from 300 BC and the area of their civilisation stretched from Guatemala to the Yucatan Peninsula.

The Teotihuacans were established around 100 BC and are responsible for the large pyramid structures particular the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon outside Mexico City.

The Aztec Empire can be traced back to the 6th century AD but by 1325 had established the largest city in the world in Tenochtitlan. Today the ruins of Tenochtitlan can be seen in Mexico City. The Toltec Empire is another early civilisation in Mexico which was prior to the Aztecs.

Answer: 68

These 68 Mexican indigenous languages are official national languages and gives the rights to use indigenous languages in governmental communication and official documents. However, the majority of the population of more than 120 million speak Spanish, although there are over 6 million speakers of indigenous languages. About 10-14% of the population identify themselves as an indigenous group. Spanish is the de facto language of Mexico and although spoken by the vast majority of Mexicans it is not defined as an official language by legislation.

It is estimated that there are 130 indigenous languages in Mexico and there are 31 States plus the Federal District that make up the "United Mexican States" (Estados Unidos Mexicanos).