40 Important Facts About Mexico
December 6, 2021
Mexico
By guy yefet
Planning a trip to Mexico? Here you will find 40 interesting facts about Mexico that you should know before you visit Mexico.
Mexico is the largest country in Central America, but some associate it with North American countries.
It borders the United States to the north, Guatemala, and Belize to the south. Between it and Cuba, which lies east of it, separates the Yucatan Canal named after the Yucatan Peninsula, above which lies the Gulf of Mexico.
Along with the western canopy, it borders the Pacific Ocean.
Many areas in Mexico are tourist attractions - in the center and mountain area live the descendants of natives, who have lived there for thousands of years, and they maintain diverse, fascinating, and colorful cultures.
The name Mexico is derived from the name Mashika, the name of the tribe that invaded the area before the Spanish takeover in the 16th century.
Mexico is a federation located in Central America.
Area: 1,964,375 square kilometers
Population: 115 million people.
Mexico is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the south.
The capital of Mexico is Mexico City and has a population of about 22 million, it is the largest city in Mexico.
The most populous in the world, after it you will find Guadalajara with a population of about 4 million.
Currency: Mexican peso.
Economy: The economic system used in Mexico is a free economy. It is a mixture of modernization and outdated equipment and technologies in both industry and agriculture. , Remittances of Mexicans from abroad, tourism, and industry.
The food in Mexico is known for its spiciness, mainly thanks to Habanero, the Mexican chili grown on the Yucatan Peninsula. The great variety of traditional dishes, and the way they are prepared in each city or village, provide a rich culinary experience.
Culture: For 3000 years some of the most developed Native American cultures existed in Mexico. These include the Olmecs, Toltecs, Mayans, and Aztecs. The Spaniards who arrived in the 16th century (1521) halted these cultures and marked the beginning of the colonial period for 300 years.
1/ The capital, Mexico City, drowns a little each year. The city was built on a lake and is drowning at a rate of 15-20 cm per year. The city's infrastructure, water supply, and unique architecture are in real danger.
2/ Mexico ranks 11th on the list of the most populous countries in the world, with over 121 million inhabitants.
3/ In addition to Spanish, there are 67 official languages in Mexico.
4/ Chocolate, corn, and chili have been exposed to the wider world thanks to Mexico.
5/ Artists can pay state taxes with their artwork.
6/ The largest pyramid in the world is in Mexico, and not in Egypt as is commonly thought. A rifle is covered in vegetation and it looks like a hill.
7/ Mexico's 34th president, Pedro Lescourine, was in office less than an hour before retiring.
8/ Mexico City has the largest taxi fleet in the world, with over 100,000 active taxis every day.
9/ There is a town in Mexico where residents participate in mass boxing to ask the rainforest for a rainy and successful season.
10/ The rich Mexican culture is a multi-layered structure that contains the ancient, pre-Columbian cultures like the culture of the Olmecs, Maya, and Aztecs, as well as the modern cultures in which there is a very strong Spanish influence. It takes a lot of time and effort to get to know the culture in all its shades but one visit to Sokalo - the main square of Mexico City is enough to enjoy its musicality and joy.
11/ The most impressive structures in Mexico are divided into two periods - the amazing Mayan pyramids are considered one of the wonders of the world. They are interesting and built according to celestial bodies and the directions of sunrise and sunset. The second most impressive group are the buildings from the Spanish period - including the National Palace in central Mexico City - which display colonial construction at its best.
12/ Mexican food sometimes has a slightly dubious reputation, but in fact, it is incredibly delicious and interesting cuisine. The most prominent ingredients are corn and beans, both of which make countless delicious dishes. It is also important to mention the hot pepper (chili), oregano, and cinnamon that are used in many dishes. Mexican-born chocolate is of course another important ingredient in Mexican cuisine. Many claims that turkey cream in sauce (Mole Poblano de Guajalote) is the national dish.
13/ Tequila is the official drink of Mexico. To prepare it, the thorny agave plants are distilled. All tequila production is concentrated in Mexico in the Jalisco region.
14/ Football is the most popular sport. The Mexican team usually manages to qualify for the finals of the World Cup although it is not good enough to win important tournaments.
15/ The Blue House, the home of the painter Frida Kahlo in Mexico City, is interesting and intriguing even for non-art lovers. It does not have many paintings by Kahlo, but it has photographs, documentation of her life, and especially a fascinating glimpse into the painter's private life. Kahlo was born in this house that belonged to her family, lived there most of her life, lived there for a long time with Diego Rivera, and died in it. There is now a cozy cafe in the courtyard, which allows visitors who do not yet want to leave the place to stay in the Blue House until the closing moments. Address: 247 Londres corner of Allende Street in the Coyoacan district, southwest of the city.
16/ On the beach stands one of the most famous, popular, and beautiful Mayan sites. Tulum is located about 140 km south of Cancun and many visitors visit it on day tours. The uniqueness of the site lies in the fact that it is located on a cliff overlooking the sea. The place served in the 13th century as an important trading port and was well preserved. A circular walking route revolves around it with an impressive sight. There are some wonderful views of the beaches from here. A short drive north (about an hour and a half) leads back to Cancun.
17/ The Huichol Art Market in Puerto Vallarta: The Huichol is one of the last unique ethnic groups to meet in Mexico. They piously preserve the costumes, language, customs, and traditions of their ancient culture. The Huichol descend from the Sierra Madera to sell their artifacts and artwork in the Puerto Vallarta market. The city is located on the west coast of Mexico, west of Guadalajara. The most typical works of the Witchol are composed of many-colored beads, which are pressed into a surface smeared with wax. This creates shapes and textures with many beautiful shades.
18/ In the El Rosario Reserve you can see in the best and most comfortable way the wonderful monarch butterflies. The reserve is located in the mountains of the Michoacan region, which are covered with a thick target. Between November and March, these forests are filled with millions of large, orange monarch butterflies. The sight is considered one of the most beautiful natural spectacles in the world and the dream of many travelers. The Michoacan region is located on the western coast of Mexico, just west of Mexico City.
19/ The Puuc Road leads to some of the most beautiful Mayan sites. "Fook" in the Mayan language means hill or low ridge. The inhabitants of this area operated in about 800 AD at several sites, Umshal being the main one among them. The road also leads to four small sites that visit a different, much more isolated experience, which is several times more appropriate for Indiana Jones-style fantasies about visiting mysterious and almost abandoned places. The sites are Kabah, Labna, Xalpak and Sayil. In some, the entrance is free, and in others at a very low price.
20/ Mexico has given birth to chocolate, many of the varieties of corn we eat, and the widespread use of hot chili in stews. All of these were discovered in Europe and the rest of the world after the Spanish conquest in the early 16th century.
21/ The National University of Mexico was founded in 1551. It was founded by Charles V of Spain. This fact makes this university the oldest in the Americas.
22/ Millions of Monarch butterflies make their way from the United States from Canada to Mexico every year. The amazing sight of migratory butterflies and their colonies is considered among the most beautiful in the natural world. Special reserves allow visitors comfortable viewing of butterflies, although excision and construction operations destroy extensive parts of the butterflies natural environment.
23/ The border between Mexico and the United States is the second-longest in the world only the border between the United States and Canada is longer. Because of many attempts to cross the border to find more comfortable work and livelihoods in the United States, this border is considered particularly problematic and huge sums are invested each year to protect it and prevent smuggling and illegal crossing.
24/ Mexico is the country with the second-largest Catholic population in the world. Only in Brazil do more Catholics live. In all, more than 90 million Catholics live in Mexico.
25/ The city of Mexico City is built on the ruins of the ancient Aztec site of Tenochtitlan. The city is built over an underground lake and it sinks every year by 18 inches. The researchers assume that the subsidence of the city is due to the increased pumping of water from the underground reservoir.
26/ Snakes often appear in the ancient mythology of the inhabitants of Mexico. They are found on buildings, in ancient paintings, and works of art. The most famous is the god Kokulkan snake carved on the side of the famous pyramid at Chichen Itza and the winged snake Kochalkotel which appears on many sites.
27/ When the Spanish conqueror Hernan Cortez arrived in the area of Mexico in 1519, the Aztecs believed he was the god Catzalquatel who had returned home. They offered him the drink of the gods - hot and liquid chocolate.
28/ After three hundred years of Spanish conquest, the Rev. Father Hidalgo led the revolt that began in September 1810. Hidalgo is now considered the father of the modern Mexican nation and the local Independence Day was celebrated on September 15th.
29/ Although Mexicans do not have an official language, they do have an official drink and more. Tequila is a world-famous alcoholic beverage, and its main production house is undoubtedly Mexico, which proudly boasts it. Tequila is made from the leaves of a plant called 'blue agave', whose spectacular color is - of course - bright blue.
30/ Mexico has several impressive successes in the field of cuisine, which it has managed to market to the world. At their head is the beloved chocolate, which was imported from it only about 600 years ago to Europe and has become a popular dish. Mexican cuisine also loves corn, and various corn snacks we are familiar with coming straight from it.
31/ In the state of sombrero and hot chili, there has been a real employment problem for many years. According to US government estimates, about half of Mexico residents are not employed. This fact is followed by a sad reality of poverty prevailing in many parts of the country.
32/ Cancun is well-suited for visiting millions of tourists a year because it was pre-built as a resort town for tourists in the early 1970s. The roads are good, the public transport in the area is efficient, the tourist services are friendly and accessible and the signage is clear. Of course, there are also countless hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, shopping sites, and golf courses.
33/ Cancun is a gateway to the Mayan world - the ancient culture of Native Americans who lived on the Yucatan Peninsula. Near the resort are important archeological sites such as Chichén Itzá which is one of the most impressive Mayan sites, or the city of Tulum. These are world heritage sites not to be missed and are worth a day trip.
34/ Since the Mayans still live in Mexico, it is possible to visit the village of the people on the way to Chichen Itza or Tulum. Good food, straw huts, local alcohol, and folk dances will welcome you. At the Mayan Museum in Cancun, you can learn more about this culture.
35/ Isla Mujeres ("Island of the Women") is 13 km on a ferry ride from Cancun. It has a reputation for being a sleepy place (after all, it is an island in the Caribbean), but it does not lack interesting places like Hacienda Mundaca, its estate The ruined and mysterious slave trader from the 19th century, or a site where you can meet a lot of sea turtles. The beaches of the island of women are beautiful - the recommended one is Playa del Norte in the north.
36/ Mexico is home to no less than 1,041 species of birds, 439 species of mammals, 989 species of reptiles and amphibians, and about 27,000 species of plants. About ten percent of the world's animal and plant species are found in 1.4 percent of the earth's soil.
37/ Gringo is a nickname for a resident of the United States, and basically for any foreigner not born in Mexico.
38/ Color television is a Mexican invention
In 1940, at the age of 22, Guillermo González Camarena developed a color television transmission system: the STSC system.
He funded it with royalties paid to him for a song he wrote: "Rio Colorado." In 1942 he obtained the patent, and four years later he made the first distribution in color, from certain offices in Mexico City.
39/ Every year on November 2, a special event is held throughout Mexico: the Day of the Dead where Mexico celebrates with those who have passed away. On the morning of the event, the family members bother about the graves and altars of their loved ones. They clean the tombs, light candles and incense, decorate the tombs with large and bright flowers, pray, reminisce about the dead, sing, eat and drink in a sort of morbid picnic. The food intended for the event is based on spicy meat, chocolate, and sugar cookies in the shapes of human and animal skulls. At six in the afternoon, the bells ring every thirty seconds to summon the dead. They will ring all night long, and at sunrise the next day the ringing will stop and the family and celebrants will return to their homes. The source of the festivities is the native peoples of Mexico who believed that the souls of the dead return every year to visit their relatives to eat, drink and rejoice.
40/ Chihuahua, considered the smallest dog breed, is named after the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico after American tourists first saw it there about a century ago.
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