Culture and nature: how biodiversity shapes our traditions

Our worldviews and traditions originate to give meaning to the world. Mexico has immense biodiversity, which informs all our social perceptions: natural wealth also means cultural wealth.

Those of us who grew up in temperate climates, listening to the sound of cicadas and playing with chicatanas, know that when a cicada sings, it means " it's going to rain ," and we know that with the first rains of the year, the chicatanas appear for the first time.

We were taught to measure seasons based on the animals around us.

Chicarra sound on the Papaya tree

The synchronization of the life cycles of cicadas and cicadas with the seasons allows them to maximize their chances of survival and reproduction: with the warm season, the soil warms up, and the cicadas "know" it's time to emerge from the ground and begin their song, in order to reproduce during the rainy season. When the rains begin, the soil loosens, making it easier for the nymphs to return to the ground. This is what helps the cicadas emerge. The rains also provide a humid and favorable environment for the cicadas during their mating flight and facilitate their return to the ground to form their new colonies.

The arrival of these two insects marks a natural-social calendar, in which we attribute meanings, to relate to our environment .

We believe that we build and modify the world, but it is also our environment that shapes us.

Chicatanas

Our worldviews, beliefs, and traditions are intrinsically linked to the natural world: everything we experience and observe nourishes our perception and shapes us socially and individually. This is how the stories that help us explain what surrounds us originate.

Cicada with rain boots

I grew up listening to the chirping of cicadas during the warmer months, hearing my dad say, "It's going to rain soon, they're calling for rain." Since childhood, I've developed a calendar of animals and seasons: Spring begins with the Willis beetles and butterflies. As the weather warms, the cicadas arrive, announcing that the rainy season is near. With the first rains, the cicadas appear, and at night, the frogs and crickets sing. As summer approaches, the water butterflies—the largest and whitest—arrive, and the ladybugs and ladybugs appear. By autumn, the spiders begin to appear—they are present year-round, but now they are much larger—and the monarch butterflies.

Wildlife Calendar in Cuernavaca

Worldviews and traditions connect us to the natural environment. Mexico's natural wealth is intertwined with our culture, forming a synergy that defines and guides us. Recognizing and celebrating this connection is essential to maintaining and valuing both our natural and cultural heritage. By protecting our environment, we are also protecting our cultural heritage.