Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera immediately come to mind. A friend wrote and performed a one-woman play on Frida. Also... I've visited her Blue House in Coyoacan. I have heard of José Clemente Orozco.

"Como agua para chocolate" (Like Water for Chocolate, 1991) and "Doña Herlinda y su hijo" (1985) are two films I remember well. I may have watched "Amores perros."

History? Hernán Cortes, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Pancho Villa. American p.o.v. is skewed towards military not cultural icons or internal political figures.

I decline to write an essay at this point. All of the above have been overdone. When I walked the streets of Mexico City, Coyoacan and Puebla I was impressed by the weight of history. The Aztec stones are 'light' and mostly shades of black, grey and red tuff in CDMX; they were reused as the early Spaniards were 'canabalistic' in their efforts to wipe away local culture and history. The remains of the temple in Mexico city are still impressive.

The real heroes of Mexico are the indigenous people who survived the onslaught of colonialism and still practice aspects of their culture that have influenced the world without any 'awards' for over 500 years. Most know the agricultural gifts of corn, tomatoes and cacao, but a trip to local restaurants and markets reveals foods never talked about north of the Rio Grande or south of Chiapas, like armadillo and deep fried scorpions. Like China... anything edible is eaten.

Me? I'm happy with dozens of different pastries at Ideal on Calle Uruguay in CDMX or a pollo con mole poblano in Puebla. I wasn't there long enough to do more than a taste test.