The Historic Cultural Heritage of the Spanish Colony in Mexico: Promotion of Religious Nationalism

Mexican tangible and intangible cultural heritage (including paleontology and archeology, and historical customs and traditions) is protected by the Mexican government to strengthen national identity and historical memory, thereby strengthening national nationalism. Mexico s cultural heritage can be divided into three categories according to the history of Mexico, and they have different cultural characteristics. The first is the cultural heritage of mankind, which first lived in Central America, including Mexico, before the letter emerged. The second is that which comes from the original ethnic groups -that already had an important technological, scientific and artistic development- before the arrival of the Spaniards in America at the end of the 15th century including Azteca, Maya, and Inca culture. Finally, the third is the period after Spain and Portugal occupy the Latin American continent, including religious traditions and various cultural properties (including architecture, painting, sculpture, and books). The purpose of this paper is to analyze Mexican historical and cultural heritage included in the third colonial period, and describe how it relates to the formation of Mexican national identity and nationalism. During the Spanish colonial period, Spain has made considerable efforts to convert many indigenous into Catholicism, and what has been propagated in this process is the fusion of religion.Fusion religious attention, such as Virgen de Guadalupe, but in fact the two of indigenous beliefs and Catholicism combined. From a Mexican history, Virgen de Guadalupe served as a new identity in Mexico represent a "mestizo culture”, newly created after the colony. On the contrary, there are many religious buildings in Mexico, such as many cathedrals and monasteries built by the Spanish forces during the colonial period, which are only colonial heritage, but are now treated as cultural heritage by the Mexican government. This paper discusses how Spanish cultural heritage in Mexico can be identified as a cultural heritage in Mexico.