So Your Character is From Mexico 2 … Featuring Ana Sofia

So Your Character is … is back for a time after a long hiatus! In this series, I interview lovely volunteers from around the world to give you a firsthand account of being a citizen of their respective country or having a disability. I’m hoping to encourage international diversity, break stereotypes, and give writers a crash course on how to write a character from these different places on our planet. If you haven’t checked out last time’s So Your Character is from Malta … be sure to hop on over there and give it a read!

Disclaimer: The content below may be culturally shocking to some. Each of these posts is as uncensored as possible to preserve the authenticity of the cultures of each of the interviewees.

(None of the Images are Mine)

My name is Ana Sofía, I am a Leo. I live in Torreón, a city in the north of México. Growing up, I went to camp in Texas and lived for a while in Vancouver, Canada. I graduated in 2015 majoring in finance and I have been working ever since at Grupo Modelo which is the biggest, most important brewer company in México; we produce, distribute and sell beer brands such as Corona, Modelo, Victoria, Pacífico and distribute Bud Light, Stella Artois, Michelob Ultra, among others.

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What do you feel is unique to your country? Landmarks? Celebrations?

Honestly, everything! When you live in México it seems like there is always some sort of fiesta, whether it’s a holiday, a civic celebration, neighborhood gathering, or just friends getting together. You hear mariachi music anywhere you go!

My favorite celebration has to be the Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead, which is the day we celebrate and remember our friends and relatives who passed away. We build an altar or ofrenda including pictures and food the deceased enjoyed and other symbolic objects. Also, the Day of the Dead, Mexico City parade is incredible!

Tell me about your country’s environment. What are some of your favorite places?

First, consider just how big México is. At 758,400 square miles, it’s a bit less than three times the size of Texas. In that vast territory, stretching from the Caribbean and Gulf of México to the Pacific, you have a wide variety of climates, cuisines, cultures, landscapes, and lifestyles.

From the white – sand beaches in the Caribbean to the narrow cobblestoned streets, colonial homes, and grand cathedrals of San Miguel de Allende you will find great restaurants, great entertainment, and great people!

I love the ancient Mayan cities, located near Cancún and Mérida, the most. The pyramids, the history, and the views are just indescribable.

Tell me about your country’s food. What are some of your favorite dishes?

México’s food is spicy and colorful! We have specific dishes characteristic to certain regions, towns, and even seasons! In the north we love our carne asada, in Puebla, the traditional dish is the chiles en nogada, which is a dish of poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo (a mixture usually containing shredded meat, aromatics, fruits and spices) topped with a walnut-based cream sauce, called nogada, pomegranate seeds and parsley; and in Mérida, you can find cochinita pibil, which is roast pork marinated in citrus juice and achiote, a recipe that has its origins in the ancient Maya culture. And of course, TACOS! You can find good tacos anywhere in the country.

My favorite dishes are camarones aguachile, which is shrimp marinated in a lime juice with chiles and cilantro; and mole, which is a dark red or brown sauce served over chicken. The dish has become a culinary symbol of Mexico’s mestizaje, or mixed indigenous and European heritage.

Tell me about any different speech patterns in your country. Slang? Idioms? Words for things such as “biscuits” instead of “cookies”?

It is funny because if you hear someone speak you can actually guess which party of México, they´re from. The voice tone of people in México City is as if they are singing, very different from us in the north (it is said we speak as if we are mad, lol).

We also have different words for the same things. In central and south México, the word for “car” is “coche” and in the north we use the word “carro”.

Describe briefly a regular day in your country.

A full-time job here is also 8 hours per day, usually starting at 9:00 am with a two hours lunch break at 2:00 pm. Then we return to the office at 4:00 and leave by 7:00 pm.

After that, we do the same as everyone! We meet friends for drinks or dinner or to watch soccer or American football games.

How does your country compare to others, especially the States since my audience is primarily American? Environmentally? Politically? Culturally?

Given our location in the map, we are very influenced by American culture. We use this weird Spanglish while talking and even though we have different festivities, we celebrate some Americans too.

People in México love American football almost as much as soccer. The most popular teams are: Steelers, Seahawks, and Patriots. For me, it’s either the Patriots (my dad went to school in Boston and he has been a Patriots fan for 30 years!) and the Dolphins (My bf is from Florida).

What are some stereotypes about your country that irk you? What media portrays your country badly be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?

I think there is a misconception on the way México is portrayed. In movies, you usually see México as this dusty – brown old town, when that is very far from reality. We have tall fancy buildings and busy streets where you can see the world’s most luxurious cars driving around.

We have shopping malls with every brand and store you know, and you can find Cineplex’s showing movies in English. And there are stores like Walmart and Home Depot that have brands you know on the shelves.

Of course, we do have smaller towns or pueblos but not all of México is like that.

What media portrays your country well be it a movie, a book, or a TV show?

I absolutely adore the Disney movie Coco. It is set on one of those pueblos I wrote about before portraying the real México. From the mariachi music, the Day of the Dead celebration and the importance of the extended family to the funny interpretation of the abuela with her chancla (shoe).
I also love how they portrayed mamá Imelda, because unfortunately in México’s pueblos is not uncommon for the dad to leave the family and the mom is the one working and fighting to keep her family well – with no time to cry about the ex… just like in the movie.

Who are your top three favorite fictional characters native to your country in books, movies, or shows?

I love Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) from Desperate Housewives: determined, intelligent, sexy; Mamá Imelda from Coco: a brave woman working to keep her family well; and Rogelio de la Vega (Jaime Camil) from Jane The Virgen: he shows the ways Latinos work to fit into American culture, while also maintaining their own.

Are you interested in participating in this project? Check out the tips archive to see which countries have been filled and if you’re from a different country, shoot me an email at howellvictoriagrace(a)gmail(dot)com. I’m especially looking for Cuba, Venezuela, Belarus, Zimbabwe, and Iraq.

Do you have any characters from Mongolia? Did this inspire you to write a Mongolian character or set a book in Mongolia? Are from this or been to this country and you have further input? Feel free to share! Do you have any questions for Jenny? Be sure to thank her!