9781422275764

Introduction

7 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): A free trade agreement be- tween Mexico, the United States, and Canada, enacted in 1994 and designed to remove various economic barriers between the three nations. Plateau: A geographic area of relatively high ground, typically found between mountain ranges or between a lower plains region and a mountain range. Words to Understand Amerindian: A term for an American Indian, one of the native peoples to inhabit the continents of the Americas prior to European conquest. Conquistador: A Spanish conqueror in the sixteenth century, specifically of Mexico and Peru. Indigenous: Referring to the native peoples of a region. T he third-largest country in North America, Mexico stretches from the southwestern border of the United States in the north to the borders of Guatemala and Belize in the south, with coastlines on the Pacific Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. The numerous latitudes of this major Latin American nation create climate zones that vary from deserts in the north to tropical rain forests in the south. Low coastal plains rise quickly inland to the Mexican Plateau , and the central part of the country holds the rugged terrain of the Sierra Madres. Mexico’s history has been one of conquest, revolution, development, and conflict.The many iterations of government, coupled with various pe- riods of social and political upheaval, have allowed for the development of corruption in multiple national institutions. Social mobility and economic opportunities are inequitably distributed, and Mexico experiences a high level of poverty, almost 50 percent nationwide. Pre-Columbian Mexico and European Conquest Mexico has seen the rise and fall of empires since before the first Europe- ans stepped foot in what is now the state of Veracruz. Vast Amerindian empires controlled the land, often vying against each other for domination. Advanced Mexican civilizations began with the Olmecs, which gave way

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