9781422286944

Mexico Today

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

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.