9781422286944

MEX I CO Leading the Southern Hemisphere

Mexican Facts and Figures

Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. More than 21 million people live in the city and its suburbs.

MEX I CO Leading the Southern Hemisphere

Mexican Facts and Figures

Mason Crest Philadelphia

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

©2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #M2014. For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book. First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file at the Library of Congress

ISBN: 978-1-4222-3229-3 (hc) ISBN: 978-1-4222-8694-4 (ebook)

Mexico: Leading the Southern Hemisphere series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3213-2

Table of Contents

Timeline

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1. Mexico Today

11 17 23 54 59 60 61 62

2. The History of Mexico 3. The States of Mexico

Appendix: Maps of Mexico

Series Glossary Further Reading Internet Resources

Index

MEX I CO Leading the Southern Hemisphere

Beautiful Diversity: The Geography of Mexico Famous People of Mexican History Spirit of a Nation: The People of Mexico Fiesta! The Festivals of Mexico Ancient Land with a Fascinating Past: The History of Mexico Vital and Creative: The Art and Architecture of Mexico Victoria! The Sports of Mexico Finding a Financial Balance: The Economy of Mexico Zesty and Colorful Cuisine: The Food of Mexico

Meeting Future Challenges: The Government of Mexico Mexico’s Gulf States Mexico’s Pacific North States Mexico’s Pacific South States Mexico’s Northern States Mexico’s Central States Mexican Facts and Figures

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Text-dependent questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Words to understand: ;OLZL ^VYKZ ^P[O [OLPY LHZ` [V \UKLYZ[HUK KLÄUP[PVUZ ^PSS increase the reader's understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Series glossary of key terms: This back-of-the book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader's HIPSP[` [V YLHK HUK JVTWYLOLUK OPNOLY SL]LS IVVRZ HUK HY[PJSLZ PU [OPZ ÄLSK Research projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives.

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Mexican Facts and Figures

Timeline 1000 B . C .

The Olmec civilization becomes a leader in development of writing, numbering, and astronomy.

400 B . C . 150 B . C . A . D . 750 300-900 900-1200

Olmec civilization disappears.

Teotihuacán is built.

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Teotihuacán is abandoned.

Peak cultural growth of the Maya. Toltecs control much of Mexico.

1200 1325 1500 1517 1521 1810 1821

Aztecs begin to conquer other tribes for control of Mexico.

Aztecs build Tenochtitlán.

Aztecs control all land in central Mexico.

Córdoba and Grijalva explore the coast of Mexico.

Spanish take control of Mexico.

Grito de Dolores calls for Mexico’s independence from Spain.

The Treaty of Córdoba grants Mexico its independence. 1810–1821 Mexican War of Independence is fought against Spain. 1862 France invades Mexico. 1867

Benito Juárez triumphs over the French, executes the Emperor Maximilian, and resumes his presidency.

1876 1910 1921

Porfirio Díaz begins his period of dictatorship.

The Mexican Revolution begins.

The end of the Revolution and the beginning of modern-day Mexico.

Timeline

1938

President Cárdenas nationalizes the petroleum industry and takes control of Mexico’s oil reserves. The Mexican government launches the Border Industrialization Program, which encourages the creation of small factories called maquiladoras. Mexico hosts the Summer Olympic Games, and violence breaks out during a student protest. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect in January. The United States begins to construct a controversial fence along the border to reduce drug smuggling and illegal immigration. In December, Mexican president Felipe Calderón orders federal soldiers and police to intervene in turf wars among powerful drug cartels, beginning a period of violence known as the narco war. The Mexican government reports that more than 6,500 people were killed in drug-related incidents during the year, making it the deadliest year of the narco war. Enrique Peña Nieto is elected president of Mexico, receiving 38 percent of the vote. His election returns the PRI to power after 12 years of PAN rule. He is sworn in as president on December 1. Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, leader of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel, is arrested by the Mexican military; in June and July, Mexico’s national soccer team participates in the World Cup tournament in Brazil. Vicente Fox, a PAN candidate, is elected president.

1965

1968

9

1994

2000 2006

2009

2012

2014

Words to Understand

illiteracy— the inability to read or write. immigrate— to move one’s residence from one nation or area to another. import— to bring a product into a country from another nation. export— to ship a product out of a country to markets in other nations.

1

The Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City is the largest and oldest cathedral in North America. The oldest part of the church was built in 1573, when Mexico was a Spanish colony.

Mexico Today T oday’s Mexico is a mixture of many things. Ancient traditions contrast with modern technology; Amerindian traditions and languages mingle with Spanish customs; Catholicism blends with native religions; and poverty and wealth live side by side. Even the people of Mexico represent a blend of European and Amerindian ancestors. Mexicans today are proud of their rich heritage and their beautiful land— but they also know that their nation has many problems. Wealth is not spread evenly among all members of the population; the rich are very rich, but the poor are very poor—and unfortunately, there are far more poor people in Mexico than there are rich people. Government corruption is a major problem, although there have been improvements in this area over the past decade. Corruption and economic instability have contributed to problems like shortages of health care, unemployment, illiteracy , and crime. And since the mid-2000s, Mexico has been torn apart by a nationwide conflict between various drug cartels—criminal organizations that are fighting for control of lucrative drug smuggling routes. Since 2006, the Mexican army and federal police have been waging the war against the drug cartels. More than 80,000 people have been

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Mexican Facts and Figures

killed in this vicious conflict, known as the narco war, yet the cartels continue to fight with each other, as well as with Mexican authorities. As the southernmost nation in North America, Mexico is located between the United States to the north and the Latin American countries to the south. Mexico shares the language, heritage, and customs of much of Latin America—but it also has strong emotional and economic bonds with its northern neighbor. Living so close to the United States, Mexicans see the wealth and opportunities enjoyed by many Americans. They want these same benefits for themselves. As a result, millions of Mexicans have opted to leave their homeland and immigrate to the United States, hoping to find a better life there. Many Mexicans follow legal channels when they come to the U.S. looking for work; however, some sneak across the border illegally. If they are caught, they will be sent back to Mexico.

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A homeless woman sleeps on a street in Mexico City. The gap between the wealthy and poor is a major problem in Mexico, as more than half of the population—over 60 million people—lives below the poverty line.

Mexico Today

A Mexican soldier checks vehicles for drugs at a checkpoint on the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez. At the height of the narco war in 2008-09, this city on the Rio Grande had the highest murder rate in the world.

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Due to their 2,000-mile-long shared border, Mexico’s problems affect the United States. The U.S. government estimates that more than 70 percent of the illegal drugs—including marijuana, cocaine, and heroin—that are smuggled into the United States each year comes from drug cartels operating in Mexico. Since 2008, under a plan called the Mérida Initiative, the U.S. government has provided more than $1.2 billion in financial assistance to help the Mexican government wage the narco war. Mexico

and the United States have also worked together to stop illegal immigration while enabling Mexican laborers to find jobs in the U.S., as well as on initiatives promoting clean air and water. Many people believe that improving the economy of Mexico would reduce poverty, which in turn would alleviate problems like drug smuggling and immigration. Over the past 20 years, Mexico has been a leading proponent of free trade—allowing the exchange of goods between countries without imposing

Mexican Facts and Figures

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taxes or other restrictions. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect in 1994, and it has helped Mexico’s economy to grow. This agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico removes trade restrictions between the participating countries. This means that the American and Canadian companies do not have to pay taxes when they buy or sell products in Mexico. It also allows them to operate their own manufacturing Mexican defenders Héctor Moreno (left) and Miguel Layún (right) move to stop Brazilian star Neymar during a first-round game during the 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil. Soccer ( fútbol ) is the most popular sport in Mexico, and the country has done well in international competitions, including a gold medal win in the 2012 Olympic Games.

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