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Mexico
Origins of Modern Day
Mexico
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1200BCE-1521CE- Olmec
the Maya and the Aztecs
dominate Mexican region
1519-Spanish arrive in
Mexico
1521- Aztec Capital Falls
to Hernan Cortez and his
Native allies
1521-1810- Mexico
becomes the Largest
Spanish colony in the
World
An Independent Mexico
 1810- Father Miguel Hidalgo
Declares Mexican
Independence
 1821- Mexico is officially
recognized as an independent
nation
 1821- 1836- Unstable
government marked by
constant turmoil
 1848- Santa Ana led forces
loose Mexican-American War
 1860’s- Military occupation by
the French
Modern Mexico
 1860’s- Military
occupation by the French
 1867- The French are
expelled
 1913- Civil wars end, and
Venustiano Carranza
takes power
Geography
-Mexico is bound to the north by the
US(California, Arizona, New Mexico
and Texas)
-Bound to south and west by the Pacific
Ocean
-Bound to the east by the Gulf of Mexico
-Bound by the southeast by Belize,
Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea
-shares a border of 3,141 km with the US
Geography
Mexico is divided into multiple regions
according to landscape and
elevation. These include the central
plateau, Pacific Lowlands, Gulf Coast
plains, Yucatan Peninsula, Southern
Highland, Chiapas Highlands and the
Baja California Peninsula.
The central plateau is characterized by
Sierra Madre Occidental in the west
and the Sierra Madre Oriental in the
east.
Physical Features
Terrain- rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus;
desert
The Grande de Santiago and the Lerma rivers together form
the the largest and most important river system and are an
important source of hydroelectric power
The Rio Bravo(known as the Rio Grande in the US) is the
border between the US and Mexico and provide water for
irrigation for both countries
Physical Features
- Lowest point is Laguna Salada at
-10 Meters
- Highest point is Pico de Orizaba
at 5,700 Meters (3rd highest
peak in North America)
- 9,330 km of coast line and 4,353
km of land boundaries
Natural Hazards
Mexico is located on top of 3 tectonic
plates causing it to experience a high
degree of seismic activity
Tsunamis- located along the pacific coast
Volcanoes & Earthquakes- located in the
center and south
Hurricanes- located in the gulf of Mexico
and Caribbean coasts.
Language
Because Spain had the most control over
Mexico, Spanish became the dominant
language of the country
80 percent speak both Spanish and
another indigenous language
Different Languages
 Spanish is not the only language spoken
 Many indigenous languages still spoken
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Nahuatl
Maya
Mixteco
Zapoteco
Percentages
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Maya- 13%
Mixteco and Zapoteco – 7%
Other- less than 5%
Spanish- more than 80%
Nahuatl-spoken by millions of Mexicans
Mexico’s Economy
Income per Capita: $7,130 USD.
GDP: 1.134 Trilion USD (Purchase Power
Parity)
Gini Index: 49.5
Human Development Index: 82.1
Currency: Peso
 The economy of Mexico is considered
reasonably well-developed.
 The main engines of the economy are:
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Industry
Agriculture
Tourism
Mining
Remittances
 Mexican industry has been supported by
Free Trade agreements, most notably,
NAFTA
 This led to the rise of Maquiladoras
 Today, Mexico boasts varied heavy
industry, mostly in Northern Mexico.
Agriculture
 Agriculture accounts for 3.9% of GDP
 Birthplace of Corn
 Advocados, Lime/Lemons, Papaya,
chilis/peppers
 Increased Mechanization
Tourism
Drug Tourism
Experience Tourism
“Me” Tourism
Mineral Resources
 Mexico is ranked 5th globally in oil
production, 10th in oil export.
 Mexico also produces silver.
Remittances
 Remittances contribute $18 billion to the
Mexican economy.
 Uno por Dos program
 Mixed Blessing
 There remains wildly uneven economic
development in Mexico.
 While Northern Mexico is industrialized,
Southern Mexico, not so much.
 N. Mexico= HDI of .8
 S. Mexico= .4
Politics and Government
Executive Branch
 President is elected through popular vote
every 6 years with no re-election
 President controls who his Party chooses
to run for national offices (like Congress)
 Executive branch initiates 90% of all
legislation
 President chooses cabinet members
Legislative Branch
 Bicameral (2 houses)
 Chamber of Deputies
*500 members
*3 year terms
 Senate
*128 members
*6 year terms
 Not very powerful
 lobbyists, interest groups not common
Judiciary
 Centered around the Supreme Court
 Judges appointed by President
 Must be approved by 2/3 Senate vote
 Rarely evaluates new laws through judicial
precedent
Ability to change laws is limited
 Very little influence
Local Government
 31 states + federal district of Mexico City
(nation’s capitol)
 Governors elected to 6 year terms
 Organization: state municipality city
 Local governments have little power
 Because most revenue comes from federal,
not local, tax collection
Local Government (cont.)
Political Parties
 Institutional Revolutionary Party
 Dominated National Government 1929-2000
 National Action Party (PAN)
 Founded 1939
 Right-leaning: privatization, minimize spending on
social services
 Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD)
 Founded 1989
 Left-leaning
 Usually opposes NAFTA (1994)
Post-PRI Politics
 Vicente Fox (PAN) wins 2000 election
 PRI lost control of Congress and
presidency for first time in decades
 2006 Election: Felipe Calderon (PAN)
narrowly beats Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador (PRD)
 Many protests and claims of election fraud
Vicente Fox
Lopez Obrador
Calderon
Protests after the 2006 election in support of Lopez Obrador
Comparison with USA
 Major Differences: In Mexico…
 Local governments less powerful than in USA
 Executive is much more powerful than other 2
branches
 Lobbyists/interest groups are uncommon
 Presidential elections by popular vote
 Existed period of long domination by one Party
Comparison With USA
 Major Similarities: Both countries…
 Are federal republics (national AND local
governments)
 Have universal suffrage 18 and older
 Have 3 branches of government
 Have a 2-house legislature
 Have a Supreme Court
Mexican Religion
Ancient Mexican Religion
 Nahua, religion of the Nahuatl, main
religion of ancient Mexico
 Mixture of many different Mexican
religions including Mayans, Toltecs, and
Olmecs
 Worshipped many deities
 Tonatiuh, sun deity of the
Nahua faith
Ancient Mexican Religion
 Practiced ritualistic cannibalism and
performed human sacrifices for many
reasons
 Appease the gods
 Prevent drought, famine, earthquakes, etc.
 Guarantee their existence
Ancient Mexican Religion
 Arrival of Spaniards in the 1500s changed
religion drastically
 Spaniards introduced Catholicism to Mexican
natives
 Now favor one God as opposed to many
 Some deities were, however, incorporated to
create a unique Catholic faith
 San La Muerte worshipped on “Dia de los
Muertos”
Modern Religion
 Mexico is currently
 89% Roman Catholic
 6% Protestant
 5% Other
 The most important symbol
of Mexico is “Nuestra
Senora de Guadlupe,”
who first appeared in 1531.
Modern Religion
 The 5% of Other contains Mormons,
Jews, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Tibetan
Buddhists
 Most Mexicans are able to find a place to
worship, although there are not any
mosques for Muslims.
 Mexico even holds one of only six “Tibet
Houses” in the world.
Modern Religion
 Mexicans have many religious customs and festivals
that are still practiced to date.
 Every Mexican city holds yearly fiestas to show honor
to its local patron saint.
 Las Posadas begins on December 16th and lasts until
the 24th.
 Traditionally acted out the journey of Mary and Joseph
to Bethlehem.
 Now usually nine parties celebrated in different friends’
homes before Christmas.
 Guadalupe Day, December 12th, is the most important
day.
Mexican Food
 Basics
 Rice
 Beans
 refried or de la olla
 Corn
 Chilies
 Used to liven up what
would be rather bland
food
Rice
 Spanish Rice – red in
color
 sauce of tomatoes,
cilantro, onions, garlic
and chicken bouillon.
 Yellow Rice - made
with saffron

a spice used in Spain
mainly.
 White rice
 cooked only with water
and a little bit of
milk and salt.
Meats
 A lot of fish
 Pacific and Gulf of
Mexico close
 Beef
 Pork
 Chicken
Unique Produce
 Guanabana
 a very sweet fruit
of white meat with
lots of black
seeds,
 Chayotes
 green vegetable,
has lots of spines
on the skin. These
are removed when
cooked
Breakfast
 Glass of fresh orange
juice
 Followed by 2 huevos
rancheros (2 sunny
side up eggs on a
fried tortilla with any
kind of salsa on top)
 Cup of hot chocolate
or coffee.
Lunch
 Torta – sandwich with
a special kind of
white bread with
refried beans, ham,
cheese, lettuce,
tomato, avocado,
onions and sweet
cream
 Lemonade or
 Agua de Horchata.
(this is rice water
with vanilla, sugar
and cinnamon)
Dinner
 Chiles Rellenos,
 A poblano pepper
stuffed with cheese
dressed with a batter
of eggs and fried until
it is brown.
 Then put in a sauce
made of tomatoes,
garlic, onion, cilantro
and chicken bouillon
 Cooked in the sauce
for about ten minutes