Yup Mexican, following your examples, I can also say I didn't wake up in the Guadalajara Altepetl, and went to study at the local Calmecac just in time for the noon sacrifices. Yes there is a lot of indigenous influences in Mexican culture, there's also tons of Spanish, Arabic, African and even Chinese, That's because since colonial times New Spain and then Mexico, has been a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. My point is that Mexico has had a lot of time to develop it's own culture and identity by using all of those influences. example...Juarez, Huerta, Diaz, and Zapata, all of indigenous origin, yet they were all distinctively Mexican.
Because of that I give the French example, I think the culture can change a lot and still being the same nation.
Actually it's totally impossible to have a right answer to a complex question as that, that depends how the mexican want to undertand they self, and I guess the idea mexican just born after the independence is way more popular (I know that because I asked to many mexican this simple question, how old is Mexico? and ~80% answer ~200 years old). Despite that, I still enjoying the idea as Mexico are ~700 years old, but in truth your argues don't be better or worst than my, they just reflect your understanding of the world
Now again, when I say Mexican I'm talking about modern, not Mexica, Spanish culture is what homogenized new Spain they didn't export "Mexicanish culture" to the rest of the country. Mexican culture arose from complex origins, yes one of those is indegenous and european roots, but it developed It's own American identity that ended up culminating in independence. The Mexican identity came first (American), independence later, they key here being that "Mexico" is the label at at the end was adopted to enshrine that American identity.
In my understanding the Mexican culture start to be formed when Teotihucan was settle, because even Mayas, Zapotecs, Olmecs and Toltecs are togethers in this city. That means, almost all pre-hispanic civilization of Mexico was together in a same place at same time and anyone know well how that happens.
But history never has one true, we always choice one version of the history we like the most, and the oficial mexican history focus in the independence as the birth-moment of Mexico, and also your oficial history like to focus and how a mix-race nation was born after the Spaniards, it's just one interpretation that the mexicans choice to follow, that don't means it's right or wrong, it's just one way to understand your own life.
Of all American neighbors who don't have another option than think about their own history as starting in the independence, the Mexican actually would can think about the foundation of Mexico-city as the beginning of their civilization, but for some reason they choice be as everybody else.
And this all comes from Mexico developing on a culture pot, yes Mexican culture has roots on many indigenous cultures, also, Spanish, and therefor Roman, so I could consider my culture to root on both Greco Roman and indigenous? yes, am I Roman and Olmec? pfft not at all. Is Mexican culture It's own thing that has roots on a culture pot? yeah pretty much.
As the emperor who conquer Mexico, Carlos V and his son Filipe II, was the West-Roman Emperor, actually the Mexico also could think in they self as a continuation of Rome, but I guess be the continuantion of the Aztec have more appeal.
would Mexico make a cool civ in game with cool looking leaders, music and units? I think it would.
Now don't get the idea that I think Mexico is the only candidate, the thing I want to see is a latin American post colonial in civ, even more when we already have 3 english speaking ones, and still not a French or Spanish one, I think the game is sorely lacking there. I would love to see Toussaint Liberteur or Simon Bolivar just as well. I guess It's up to Firaxis, I just imagine Mexico would sell a lot better in the North American market and is overall very recognizable.
As I said to the Texan friend, I guess have many other civilization who are better to come before a Mexican civilization, acctually I would like to see more native-mexican civilization in this game as the Toltecs, Zapotecs, Mixtecs, Olmecs, Mayas, Terascos and Tlaxcaltecas. But the Mexico it self I don't want to see that much, speaking about modern states of Latin America, Colombia and Argentina are the best options.
For example, I would like to see a Scenario in this game about The Latin America War of Independence, to set this scenario the Aztecs can be the Mexican, Incas the Peruans, and the Mapuche the Chileans. But who can be the Colombians or the Argentinians?
