***MEXICO***Sayda Vega

History 141

Class #50587

NATION OF THE AMERICAS: A

COUNTRY REPORTPart 1

GEOGRAPHY (1)**Mexico is located in Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the U.S. and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the U.S.**Mexico counts with a total area of 1,972,550 sq km. including 49, 510 sq km. of water**It also counts with several terrain types such as rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus and desert**It has two mountain ranges: Sierra Madre Oriental & Sierra Madre Occidental**Mexico’s land is rich in petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, & natural gas**Mexico’s climate varies from tropical to desert

GEOGRAPHY (2)**NORTHERN MEXICO: Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte y Sur, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas**CENTRAL MEXICO: Colima, Federal District, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico , Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Puebla, Queretaro, Tlaxcala y Veracruz**SOUTHERN MEXICO: Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatan.**FACT: Corn is thought to be originated in Mexico, it’s one of the world’s major grains crops

GEOGRAPHY (3)**IMPORTANT RIVERS, BEACHES, AND LAKES.-Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Los Cabos, La Rivera Maya, Bahias de Huatulco, Manzanillo.-Rio Colorado, Rio Balsas, Rio Sonora, Rio Fuerte, Rio Nazas, Rio de Grijalva, Rio Coatzacoalcos, Rio Panuco, Rio Bravo-Lake Alchichica, Lake Arareco, Lake Chapala, Lake Cuitzeo, Lake Patzcuaro, Lake Texcoco, Lake Xoximilco, Lake Zirahuen.

**IMPORTANT PLACES-Yucatan Peninsula, Mayan Ruins and Pyramids, Chapultepec Casttle, Cathedrals, Historical Museums, Colonial City of Guadalajara, Plaza de los Toros Mexico, Moctezuma’s Palace, Mexican National Palace.

PEOPLE (1)**Mexico has a population of more than 112, 322,757

**Nationality: Mexican

**Language: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages

**Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (Ameridian Spanish) 60%, Ameridian or predominantly Ameridian 30%, white 9%, other 5%.

**Mexicans are descendants from native Indians of Aztecs

PEOPLE (2)WHAT IS MESTIZO??“Is the term traditionally used in Latin America and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent. It was in use during the Spanish Empire. It was used to describe those who had one European-born parent and one who was member of an indigenous American population”.

“Mestizos usually had fewer rights than European born persons called, ‘Peninsular’, and ‘Criollos’ who were persons born in the New World of two European- born parents, but more right than ‘Indios’ and ‘Negros’.

PEOPLE (3)

**Education-Mexico has one of the highest student-to teaching staff ratio in the world.-”Mexican students came in 4th in problem solving, 3rd in science and technology, and 8th in mathematics.-Preschool education was made mandatory in 2001

**Gender Roles-Men are seen as chiefs of family.-Women play an important role in the family as caretakers of morality. *In most of the cases just males work to support their family while females stay home.

** Crimes-Total crimes per capita average 12 per 1,000 in Mexico-Drug-traffic and narco-related activities are a major concern in Mexico-President Felipe Calderon has tried to confront those problems, but it seems like it’s getting worse

HISTORY (1)**The Olmecs, Mayas, Toltecs and Aztecs existed before the Spanish conquest.

**1521-1810 The Spanish Conquest

** Sep 16, 1810 Miguel Hidalgo helped to reach Mexico’s Independence from Spain

**Feb 24, 1821 General Agustin Iturbide signed the Plan de Iguala to establish the new nation

**1823 General Santa Anna deposed Iturbide and declared a Republic. Struggle between conservatives and liberals begun

HISTORY (2)** Dec, 29 18745 Annexation of Texas to the United States

**1846-1848 Mexican-American War

**Feb 2, 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends War. The U.S. pays $15 million for Mexico Cession including New Mexico, California, Texas, etc.

**1861 European intervention during the American Civil War by Great Britain

**French Army captured Mexico City and Archduke Maximilian of Austria

HISTORY (3)** 1910-1920 The Mexican Revolution. Important people in this event: Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and Victoriano Huerta**1917 New Mexican constitution adopted

**1934 Lazaro Cardenas elected president and revived social revolution, organized labor, instituted land reform.

** 1992 Mexico joined the U.S. and Canada in NAFTA.

**1994 Ernersto Zedillo was elected president of Mexico

**2000-2006 Vicente Fox, first non PRI president**Current president: Felipe Calderon

http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Mexico.html

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico

http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcmexico.htm

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/3148-mexico-history-time-line-overview-resource-page

http://mexicanhistory.org/timeline.htm

SOURCES