Culture is the main subject of this student material for a quarter or one-semester course on a comparative study of Mexico and the United States. The ongoing processes of continuity and change in culture and their relationship are emphasized. The first chapter is devoted to the concept of culture, the total way of life of a people from language and games to work and housing. The next chapter examines the processes involved in cultural change and the reasons why cultures do not remain the same, including their stability and lag. Spanish, Indian, and English cultural heritages are discussed in the third chapter. Heritage refers to the fact that modern-day Americans and Mexicans are what they are because of their past. Subsequent chapters deal with language, religion, land tenure and labor, and political institutions. These particular aspects of culture show how cultures remain stable while change occurs. Each chapter contains an organization section that precedes the chapter's text and provides an overview of main ideas discussed. The first three chapters can be used as supplementary material in courses on religion, geography, or political science. (Author/ND)