Mexico’s Land and Water forms
Land Forms
Paracutin – volcano
South of United States
In North America
Baja California – western peninsula
Yucatan Peninsula – east
Water Forms
Pacific Ocean - west
Gulf of Mexico - east
Caribbean Sea - east
Rio Grande River – most polluted in NA
Lake Texcoco - Tenochtitlan – Aztec capital
‘floating gardens’
Sierra Madre – 3
El Popo - Popocatepetl
Ring of Fire
Plateau of Mexico
Coastal Lowlands – Pacific Coastal Plain - west
Gulf Coastal Plain - east
Tropic of Cancer 23 1/2 ‘N
Economy of Mexico
Northern (mts.) – herding, roping, branding cattle
Central – ½ the people of Mexico live here, fertile soil for
farming and ranching
Southern – poorest, grow sugar cane and bananas
Then TODAY
GROW – corn, beans, wheat and rice
EXPORT – coffee, cotton, vegetables, fruit, livestock, and tobacco
FACTORIES – cars, consumer goods and steel
DISCOVERIES – Petroleum and natural gas in Gulf of Mexico
SERVICE INDUSTRIES - Banking and Tourism
NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement – In 1994, free of tariffs or special taxes
between countries in NA (US, Mexico and Canada)
Date and Timeline
December 2000 – El Popo erupts
1500’s - Spaniards conquered Mexico
BC 1200 – AD 1500 - Olmec, Mayan, and Aztecs civilizations thrived
1200 BC – Olmecs – 1st civilization
400 BC Olmecs disappeared (died out)
AD 250-900 Mayan flourished
AD 900 – Maya civilization declined
1200AD – Mexica (Aztec)
moved into central Mexico from North
1519 – Spanish Army led my Hernan Cortes – landed on TEN looking for gold
600 Spaniards defeated 6 million – how?
1821 – Mexico gained independence from Spanish (Spain)
September 16 – Mexican Independence Day
November 2- Day of the Dead
1824 – set up republic of Mexico w/elected president
1862 – Cinco de Mayo, May 5, Mexicans defeated French
1910 – Emiliano Zapato – Mexican peasants revolted ‘robin hood’
Early 1900’s - murals
1994 – NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement – free of tariffs or special taxes
2000 – Vicente Fox elected President of Mexico from a different party (1st)
Until the 1990’s Mexican government did not allow foreign factories in Mexico. They do now
Cities
Mexico City – capital & one of the largest cities in the world
Monterrey –industrial – steel and cement – maquiladoras - factories
Tijuana – Border US
Ciudad Juarez – Border US
Guadalajara – Large industrial city
Acapulco – resort city, Pacific Ocean side - west
Puerto Vallarta - resort city, Pacific Ocean side - west
Cancun – resort city, East – Gulf of Mexico side
Tenochtitlan – Aztec capital – site of present day Mexico City
Famous People of Mexico
1519 – Spanish Army led my Hernan Cortes – landed on TEN looking for gold – How did 600
contain 6 Million?
Quetzlcoatl - horse and man one creature
2000 – Vicente Fox elected President of Mexico
Religion – Catholic
Language - Spanish
Emiliano Zapata – Mexican peasants revolted against Catholics and rich – ‘robin hood’
Francisco “Pancho” Villa – helped poor, mostly Indian peasants.
Olmec – 1st civilization in Mexico (jade and obsidian) 1st to grow maize (corn)
Maya – lived in rain forest of Yucatan Peninsula, temple Kukulcan 365 = 91X4+1,
Hieroglyphics and murals
Aztec – Tenochtitlan – floating gardens
Mexica – Aztecs call themselves, flag honors Aztec by eagle with snake in beak
Vaqueros – Mexican cowhands
Jose’ Clemente Orozco – mural painter
David Alfero Sequileros - mural painter
Diego Rivera - mural painter
Frida Kahlo –painter and wife of DR revealed inner feelings
Carlos Fuentes – writer that reflects value of Mexican people
Octavia Paz – Writer (above)
Native American foods – Corn, chocolate,
tomatoes, bean, squash, chili
Spaniards brought beef, chicken, cheese & olive oil
Tortilla
Party of Institutional Revolution (PRI)
For years, only one party in Mexico
Migrant Workers – travel from place to place to find work
Zapatista Army – Mayans rebelling in the Southern part of Mexico for their independence