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The States of Mexico

The city is the nation’s cultural and economic center as well. Built on the foundations of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán, the Federal District contains Aztec ruins, the enormous Metropolitan Cathedral, the Palace of Fine Arts, and many spectacular murals and mosaics by world-renowned artists like Rivera, Orozco, and Siqueiros. Despite its beauty, the Federal District has its problems as well, just as the rest of Mexico does. Air pollution is a growing hazard over the city’s ancient foundations and modern walls; overcrowding is a real problem as well, as more and more people come to the Federal District, seeking work in the growing industrial areas; and poverty is an ever-present tragedy here, as it is throughout the rest of the country. But like the rest of Mexico, the Federal District is full of vitality and hope. Its people use the triumphs of the past as a foundation as they struggle to build a better future.

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Text-Dependent Questions Where do the Tarahumara people live? What Mexican presidents were born in the state of Coahuila? Which Mexican states are known for production of oil?

Research Project Learn more about the Mexican Revolution, a period of turmoil from 1910 to 1921 during which approximately 900,000 Mexicans lost their lives. What were the causes of the Revolution? What major social and political reforms occurred in Mexico as a result of the Revolution? Did these changes affect the lives of most Mexicans, and if so, how?

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