in 1981, a letter written by Father Cosme Santa Ana to the archbishop was discovered in the archives of a church, where he complains about the noise of the "mariachis" and dated in 1848, long before the French occupation. Nevertheless, the influence of French culture in Mexico goes back well before the Invasion by Napoleon III's troops. Since the 18th century and until recently, France was considered a major trend setter in decorative arts, music, architecture, perfumery and gastronomy. During all this time and for lack of suitable translation, many French words related to the arts were adopted by countries as diverse as Sweden, England, Germany, Spain or Russia. The Americas, and in particularly Mexico did not escape this strong cultural influence. The French language is still considered in Mexico a mark of the highest education and distinction and French schools abound throughout the country. Mexican president Porfirio Diaz (1830-1915), a hardcore francophile, championed French culture during all his last term and even modeled the center of Mexico city after Paris, the French capital.