World Geography Today
Mexico
Preview
Section 1: Natural Environments
Section 2: History and Culture
Section 3: Mexico Today
Chapter Wrap-Up
Chapter 10
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 1: Natural Environments
Read to Discover
• What are the main landforms of Mexico?
• What climates, biomes, and natural
resources does Mexico have?
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 1: Natural Environments
Mexico’s Landforms
• The Mexican Plateau makes up most of the
country.
• Three mountain ranges border the plateau.
• Coastal plains lie between mountains and the
sea.
• The Valley of Mexico is high and broad; Mexico
City is located there.
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 1: Natural Environments
Mexico’s Landforms (continued)
• Mountains southeast of Mexico City include great
volcanoes.
• Rugged, varied terrain in southern Mexico
• The Isthmus of Tehuantepec forms narrow strip of
land in the south.
• The Yucatán Peninsula, a flat, limestone-based
region, is located in the southeast.
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 1: Natural Environments
Climates and Biomes
• North and Northwest—Arid and semiarid; scrub
vegetation, desert plants, and grasslands
• East and Southeast—Humid, subtropical;
forests.
• Southern Valleys—Mild; subtropical
• Mexican Plateau—Cool highland climates
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 1: Natural Environments
Climates and Biomes (continued)
• Pacific subtropical high-pressure cell creates dry
weather dominating two-thirds of Mexico’s land
• Northeast tradewinds bring humid air from the
east and southeast, especially in summer
• Elevation affects climate: rain shadows on
western slopes; subtropical climates in some
mountain valleys; cool highland climates at higher
elevations
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 1: Natural Environments
Natural Resources
• Mexico has few major rivers, but some provide
irrigation and hydroelectric power.
• Mexico is rich in minerals, including silver, gold,
iron, lead, and mercury.
• Oil is the country’s most valuable resource.
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 2: History and Culture
Read to Discover
• What were the cultures of Mexico like
before the Spanish arrived?
• How did Spanish control change Mexico?
• What has Mexico’s history been like since
independence?
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 2: History and Culture
Early Cultures of Mexico
• Many cultures existed, each with its own
language and customs.
• Farmers grew beans, corn, peppers, and squash.
• Complex civilizations—Maya, Olmec, Toltec,
Zapotec—had large city centers.
• The Aztecs created an empire and a great capital
city, Tenochtitlán, in south central Mexico.
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 2: History and Culture
Question
What changes occurred in Mexico during
the colonial period?
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 2: History and Culture
Disease
Many indigenous people were killed by European diseases.
Farming
Small communal ejidos were replaced by large haciendas.
Government
Population
Religion
Aztec Empire was replaced by a Spanish colonial
government.
Mestizos became the largest segment of the population.
Most people were converted to Roman Catholicism.
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 2: History and Culture
Mexico since Independence
• After independence (1821), powerful families still in control
• Northern territory lost in 1848 after war with United States
• Late 1800s—Foreign investment fueled economic growth, inequality
• Mexican Revolution (1910–1920)—Some reform, but power remained
in few hands
• Modern economy open to foreign business
• Increasingly urban and industrial, with large tourist industry
• Society changing rapidly; more democratic politics
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 3: Mexico Today
Read to Discover
• What are the economic and cultural regions
of Mexico?
• What challenges face Mexico?
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 3: Mexico Today
Mexico’s Regions
• Greater Mexico City—cultural, economic, political center
• Central Mexico—fertile farm area; Guadalajara secondlargest city
• Gulf Lowlands—hot and humid; economy based on
farming, ranching, trade, oil production
• Southern Mexico—Yucatán and Chiapas highlands; Mayan
areas, subsistence farming
• Northern Mexico—more prosperous; industry centered in
Monterrey; commercial agriculture, tourism
World Geography Today
Section 3: Mexico Today
Question
What are some challenges
for the future of Mexico?
Chapter 10
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Section 3: Mexico Today
Challenges for the Future
Resolving
Economic
Inequality
• Poverty
• Wealth in the hands
of a few people
• Few opportunities
for Mexican Indians
• Loss of skilled
laborers through
migration
Reducing
Crime
Improving
Infrastructure
• Result of widespread
poverty
• Main route for drug
smuggling into the
United States
• Government
corruption
• Lack of clean water
and modern sewers
• Many roads and
railways out of date
• Difficult to move
goods to market
World Geography Today
Chapter 10
Chapter Wrap-Up Understanding the Main Ideas
1. Why does northwestern Mexico have dry weather?
2. What peoples ruled Mexico before the arrival of
Spaniards?
3. Why is Roman Catholicism the most common
religion in Mexico?
4. In what ways is Greater Mexico City important to the
entire country?
5. How have Mexican politics changed in recent
years?