México
Cecilia Salazar Cantú
679511
Location and size
Mexico is a country located
in North America and is
bordered by the United
States to the north, Belize
and Guatemala to its south,
the Gulf of Mexico to its
east and the North Pacific
Ocean to its west.
Important facts about Mexico:
•Oficial Name: The United Mexican States
•Size: 1.958.201 km². Mexico covers almost two million square
kilometers. It is the fourteenth largest country in the world,and the
fifth largest in the Americas
•Population: Mexico has a population of about one hundred and five
million people.
•Political Division: Mexico consists of a federation of thirty one states
and one federal district. The district, Mexico City, is one of the most
populated
cities
on
a
global
level.
•President: Felipe Calderon
•Capital: México, D. F.
•
Monetary Unit: mexican peso
•Official language: The primary language spoken
by Mexican people is Spanish, brought to the
region by Hernán Cortéz and his men when they
arrived from Spain to conquer the land in the
name of the Spanish Crown. However, more than
sixty two different native languages are still
spoken by several Mexican people, mainly in rural
areas. (náhuatl, otomí, maya, zapoteca, mixteca
and others 61)
This is our flag:
The Mexican Flag is a green, white and red banner whose center contains an eagle
eating a rattlesnake while standing with its left claw upon a nopal cactus, and a half
circle of green oak on the left (symbolizing strength) and laurel branches on the right
(symbolizing victory). The green symbolizes the fertility of the earth., the white
symbolizes purity, and the red symbolizes the blood that was shed during the battles
for Independence.
The eagle eating a snake while perched upon a cactus is from an ancient Aztec legend
in which the Aztec people were told by Huitzilopochtli (their God) that to find their
promised land, they were to find the place where an eagle landed on a nopal cactus
while eating a snake. After wandering for hundreds of years, they found the eagle on a
small swampy island in Lake Texcoco. This new Aztec home was named Tenochtitlan
(meaning "Place of the Nopal Cactus"), and in 1325, they built what is now called
Mexico City.
El Día de la Bandera or the Fiesta of the Mexican Flag is celebrated on February 24.
Interesting facts about Mexico
Mexican bio-diversity. It is known for
its flora and fauna and is one of the
seventeen mega-diverse countries in
the world. It has a host of mammals,
reptiles, amphibians and flora. It is
therefore ranked second, first,
fourth and fourth respectively.
Good old tequila: One of the most well known facts about Mexico is that Tequila
is the national drink. What is not so well known is that this drink exists from
before Mexico became a nation.
Pyramid: Fans of archaeology who fly to Mexico will spend entire days visiting
the ancient pyramids and temples once built by the powerful Aztec warriors and
the skilled Mayas, and be amazed by the impressive achievements they made.
Mayan ruins are scattered throughout the Mexican jungle.
Volcanoes in Mexico: n the Central Highlands region of Mexico there are many
volcanoes. Two volcanoes can be seen from Mexico City. These are
Popocatépetl and Ixtacíhuatl. Both of these are quiet, although Popocatépetl
sends up steam and smoke occasionally.
Ixtacíhuatl
Popocatépetl
The national sport of Mexico is the masculine Bull fighting. All the large cities in
Mexico have bullrings. The largest bullring in the world is La Monumental in Mexico
City. Apart from the national sport, the favorite sport of Mexico is football. It has
two National First Division Leagues. Baseball comes a close second in the list of
popular sport of Mexico.
Bull fighting
Football team
Monterrey
Baseball team
These are the most
important football
teams in Monterrey,
Mexico
Tigres
Rayados
Mexico is one of the best
countries of the world that
attracts tourists across the
globe; the reason of being
unique is - as you can see
on the given map of
Mexico that the country's
eastern side is flanked by
Atlantic Ocean (Gulf of
Mexico) and Pacific Ocean
lies on the western side.
Cancun
Los Cabos San Lucas
Puerto Vallarta
Manzanillo
Huatulco
History
Before the arrival of the first Europeans to the Americas, the civilizations of ancient
Mexico achieved important advances in military strategy, architecture, mathematics and
agriculture. The Olmec culture was the mother of all Mesoamerican civilizations. They
lived between 1200 BC and 800 BC, and among their achievements is a complex system
of numbers, which is the predecessor of the Maya Calendar.
After the Olmecs disappeared, several other cultures raised. The
most known of those cultures were the Maya, unparalleled
architects, and the Aztecs, who greeted the Spanish Conquerors
on 1519.
Olmec statue
Aztec
Warrior
Maya Pyramid
The Spanish supremacy
At the arrival of Hernán Cortés and his men, the natives of Mexico thought the
Spaniards were sent by a God to help the Aztecs in their battles against other tribes.
However, Cortés showed his intentions soon, and the war between Aztecs and
Spaniards (the first big Mexican war) began. In 1521, Cortés defeated the Aztecs
and claimed the land for the Spanish Crown. Although the Aztecs were superior in
strategy and military organization, the Spaniards had more advanced weapons.
Forging the Mexican Independence
After hundreds of years of Spanish domination, the population of Mexico began to
dream about having a country of their own.
At those times, Mexican society was formed by a minority of pure native
descendants, by “Mestizos” (people with mixed Native-Spanish blood), by Spanish
immigrants who came to Mexico to accumulate wealth, and by a majority of
“Criollos” (people with pure Spanish descent who were born in Mexico). Tired of
the taxes imposed by the Spanish Crown, the Criollos initiated an insurrection that
resulted in the proclamation of the Mexican Independence in 1821. With the
Spanish out of the land, the Criollos became the ruling class in Mexico.
Mexican Food
The typical Mexican food is characterized by the intensity of its flavors. The
Mexican dishes are usually very well seasoned - the spicy is a very
distinctive flavor - and also tend to be abundant and colorful dishes.
The fact is that Mexican cuisine is famous worldwide, and this is because it
has great flavor dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, tamales and guacamole.
TACOS
GUACAMOLE
ENCHILADAS
TAMALES
People
Mexican people are known for their kindness
and hospitality. Descendants of the Aztecs and
Mayas, they show great artistic skills as well as
pride for their heritage.
Religiously, socially
and
culturally
diverse,
Mexican
people are always
ready
to
demonstrate their
good
will
by
offering their help
to whoever may
need it.
Maybe the most important characteristic
of the Mexican people is their festive
spirit. It may be hard to believe that
people who have suffered so much along
their history have such a strong
celebration mood. Every single holiday,
National, religious or local, has its
celebration.
• Mexican
people
have
preserved many of their
ancestors traditions. Many of
them are present in Mexican
music, which resembles the
music produced by the ancient
Aztec’s drums and ceremonies.
Culture
The foundation of Mexican music comes from its
indigenous sounds and heritage. The original inhabitants
of the land, used drums, flutes, maracas, sea shells and
voices to make music and dances. This ancient music is
still played in some parts of Mexico. However, much of
the traditional contemporary music of Mexico was
written during and after the Spanish colonial period,
using many European instruments. Some instruments
whose predecessors were brought from Europe, such as
the vihuela used in Mariachi music, are now strictly
Mexican.
Tequila, Mariachi and Tacos, are
considered symbols of mexican
culture.
A very important fact is that in
Mexico The family is the nucleus
of the society.
Dances
This includes the dances performed by
the indigenous groups such as the
Aztecs and Mayans, as well as dances
brought by the Spanish and other
Europeans beginning as early as the
fifteenth century. The early Amerindian
dances included ritual and secular
dances. The many European dance
influences included ballroom styles
such as the waltz, the shottishe, and
the polka.
Today, Mexican Folk Dance groups, or grupos
folkloricos, perform representative dances
from a variety of states and regions of Mexico.
One of the most famous dance troupes in
Mexico is El Ballet Folklorico de Mexico
We have holidays in almost every
month of the year:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
January: New year’s day.
February: Constitution Day and valentine’s day.
April: Children's Day
May: Labor Day and battle of Puebla.
June: Father's Day
SEPTEMBER: Independence Day.
October: halloween.
November: day of the dead.
December: Christmas Day
GRACIAS!