Mexico

• メキシコ

関

Mexican

　 　

WordNet

1. a republic in southern North America; became independent from Spain in 1810 (同)United Mexican States
2. of or relating to Mexico or its inhabitants; "Mexican food is hot"
3. a native or inhabitant of Mexico
4. the capital and largest city of Mexico is a political and cultural and commercial and industrial center; one of the worlds largest cities (同)Ciudad de Mexico, Mexican capital, capital of Mexico
5. an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico (同)Golfo de Mexico
6. a state in southwestern United States on the Mexican border (同)Land of Enchantment, NM

PrepTutorEJDIC

1. メキシコ合衆国
2. メキシコの;メキシコ人の;メキシコ語の;メキシコ文化の / メキシコ人

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出典(authority):フリー百科事典『ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』「2017/08/17 20:54:59」(JST)

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メキシコ合衆国

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

（国旗）	(国章)

国の標語：なし

国歌：メキシコ国歌

公用語	なし スペイン語（事実上） および68の先住民諸言語
首都	メキシコシティ
最大の都市	メキシコシティ
政府 大統領 エンリケ・ペーニャ・ニエト 首相 なし 面積 総計 1,972,550km2（13位） 水面積率 2.5% 人口 総計（2016年） 128,632,000人（10位） 人口密度 65人/km2 GDP（自国通貨表示） 合計（2013年） 16兆1,044億メキシコ・ペソ (ヌエボ・ペソ) GDP (MER) 合計（2013年） 1兆2,609億ドル（15位） GDP (PPP) 合計（2013年） 2兆589億ドル（11位） 1人あたり 17,390ドル
独立  - 宣言  - 承認	スペインより 1810年9月16日 1821年9月27日
通貨	メキシコ・ペソ (ヌエボ・ペソ) (MXN)
時間帯	UTC -5 から -8（DST：-5 から -7）
ISO 3166-1	MX / MEX
ccTLD	.mx
国際電話番号	52

メキシコ合衆国（メキシコがっしゅうこく、スペイン語: Estados Unidos Mexicanos）、通称メキシコは、北アメリカ南部に位置する連邦共和制国家である。北にアメリカ合衆国と、南東にグアテマラ、ベリーズと国境を接し、西は太平洋、東はメキシコ湾とカリブ海に面する。首都はメキシコシティ。法令上の公用語は存在しないが、スペイン語が事実上の公用語（共通語）として使用されており、68の先住民諸言語が連邦政府に承認されている。総人口は約1億3千万人（2016年現在）。スペイン語圏においては最も人口の多い国である。

国名

正式名称は Estados Unidos Mexicanos  発音（エスタドス・ウニドス・メヒカーノス）、略称は、México [ˈmexiko] ( 聞く)（メヒコ）。

公式の英語表記は、The United Mexican States、略称は、Mexico（メキシコ）。スペイン語の国名を英語読みしたものである。

日本語訳はメキシコ合衆国で、通称はメキシコである。漢字と中国語の表記は墨西哥で、略して墨。日本語の「合衆国」という表記の由来や意味については、合衆国を参照のこと。

国名のメキシコは、独立戦争の最中の1821年に決定したものであり、アステカの言語ナワトル語で「メシトリの地」を意味する Mēxihco [meːˈʃiʔko]に由来する。メシトリ（メヒクトリとも表記される）は、アステカ族の守護神であり、太陽と戦いと狩猟の神であるウィツィロポチトリの別名で、「神に選ばれし者」という意味がある。アステカで最も信仰されたこの神の名に、場所を表す接尾語「コ」をつけて、この地における国家の独立と繁栄に対する願いを込めた。

なお「合衆国」という政体を示す名称について、同じ合衆国を名乗るアメリカ合衆国が強大に過ぎ、場合によっては「合衆国 (the United States)」を表す言葉だけでアメリカ合衆国を指すことも少なくない。そのせいでメキシコがアメリカの弟分に見られてしまうとの不満がメキシコ国民の一部には存在し、国名を単なる「メキシコ」に変更する動きがある。この意識は、19世紀末、米墨戦争の敗戦直後から特に見られるようになり、長年、メキシコ内で議論が繰り返されている。

歴史

詳細は「メキシコの歴史」を参照

先コロンブス期

パレンケのマヤ時代のピラミッド。

アステカの神ケツァルコアトルとテスカトリポカ。

アステカのジャガーの戦士。

この地域は、紀元前2万年頃の人間が居住した形跡があるといわれ、先古典期中期の紀元前1300年頃、メキシコ湾岸を中心にオルメカ文明が興った。オルメカ文明は、彼らの支配者の容貌を刻んだとされているネグロイド的風貌の巨石人頭像で知られる。

先古典期の終わりごろ、メキシコ中央高原のテスココ湖の南方に、円形の大ピラミッドで知られるクィクィルコ、東方にテオティワカンの巨大都市が築かれた。その後も後期マヤおよびアステカのような複数の高度な先住民文明の拠点として繁栄を極めた。

アステカ帝国

詳細は「アステカ」を参照

14世紀後半、テスココ湖の西岸にあったテパネカ族の国家アスカポツァルコにテソソモクという英傑があらわれ、その傭兵部隊だったアステカ族は、テソソモク没後、15世紀前半、テスココ、トラコパンとともにアステカ三国同盟を築き、テスココの名君ネサワルコヨトルの死後は、完全にリーダーシップを握って周辺諸国を征服し、アステカの湖上の都テノチティトランを中心にアステカ帝国を形成した。アステカの守護神にして太陽と戦いの神ウィツィロポチトリと雨の神トラロックを祀る高さ45メートルの大神殿「テンプロ・マヨール」がメキシコ市の歴史地区ソカロ広場（憲法広場）に立っている。アステカ帝国は比類なき軍事国家であり、現コスタ・リカにまで隆盛を轟かせていた。

スペイン植民地時代

詳細は「ヌエバ・エスパーニャ」を参照

「スペインによるアメリカ大陸の植民地化」も参照

モクテスマ2世（中央）とエルナン・コルテス（右）の会見の様子。コルテスの隣の女性は通訳のマリンチェ。

1492年のクリストファー・コロンブスのアメリカ大陸到達後、16世紀初頭の1519年にスペイン人エルナン・コルテスがメキシコに上陸した。コルテスら征服者達は、アステカの内紛や、神話の伝承を有利に利用して執拗な大虐殺を繰り返し行った末に、テノチティトランを破壊し、1521年に皇帝クアウテモックを惨殺してアステカ帝国を滅ぼした。そののちスペイン人達は、この地にヌエバ・エスパーニャ（新スペイン）副王領を創設。ペルー副王領と並ぶインディアス植民地の中心として、破壊されたテノチティトランの上にメキシコシティが築かれた。

メキシコ独立革命

詳細は「メキシコ独立革命」を参照

独立の父 ミゲル・イダルゴ。イダルゴは破れたが、志はホセ・マリア・モレーロスに引き継がれた。

スペインによる支配は300年続いたが、18世紀を迎えるとアメリカ独立戦争やフランス革命、ナポレオン戦争に影響され、土着のクリオーリョたちの間に独立の気運が高まった。

1808年、ナポレオン・ボナパルトが兄のジョゼフをスペイン王ホセ1世として即位させた。それに反発するスペイン民衆の蜂起を契機としてスペイン独立戦争が始まると、インディアス植民地は偽王への忠誠を拒否。1809年から1810年にかけて、キト、ラパス、サンティアゴ、カラカス、ボゴタ、ブエノスアイレスとインディアス各地でクリオーリョ達の蜂起が始まる中、メキシコでも 1810年9月15日にミゲル・イダルゴ神父らにより、スペイン打倒を叫ぶメキシコ独立革命が始まり、長い戦いの火蓋が切られた。

メキシコのクリオーリョはペルーのクリオーリョと同様に先住民大衆の反乱を恐れたため、独立運動には消極的であり、イダルゴも、反乱を継いだメスティーソのホセ・マリア・モレーロス神父もアグスティン・デ・イトゥルビデ率いる王党派軍に敗れたが、モレーロスの乱が鎮圧された後の1820年頃には南部のシモン・ボリーバルとホセ・デ・サン＝マルティンらに率いられた解放軍が各地を解放し、インディアスに残る植民地は島嶼部とブラジルを除けばペルー、中米、メキシコのみとなっていた。

スペイン本国で自由派が政権を握ると（リエゴ革命）、1821年9月15日に保守派クリオーリョを代表した独立の指導者アグスティン・デ・イトゥルビデがメキシコシティに入城し、反自由主義の立場から独立を宣言した。しかし、イトゥルビデがメキシコ王に推戴したかった反動派の元スペイン王フェルナンド7世はメキシコ入国を断ったため、イトゥルビデ自身が皇帝に即位する形で第一次メキシコ帝国が建国され、中央アメリカを併合した。

相次ぐ対外戦争

メキシコ・アメリカ戦争により、メキシコは国土の半分近いカリフォルニアをアメリカ合衆国に奪われた。

詳細は「テキサス独立戦争」および「米墨戦争」を参照

「近代における世界の一体化#ラテンアメリカ諸国の独立」も参照

独立後は混乱が続き、1823年には帝政が崩壊して連邦共和国のメキシコ合衆国 (19世紀)となり、この時に中米連邦が独立した。独立後は内戦による農業生産力の低下、鉱山の生産力低下、カウディーリョの群雄割拠、流通の混乱など問題が多発し、政治的には不安定な時代が続き、1835年10月23日から1846年8月22日まで中央集権国家であるメキシコ共和国となっていた。

また、コアウイラ・イ・テハス州にアメリカ合衆国人の入植を認めると、1835年にはアングロサクソン系入植者が反乱を起こし、1836年にメキシコ領テハスはテキサス共和国として独立した。その後、アメリカ合衆国が1845年にテキサスを併合すると、1846年にはテキサスを巡りアメリカ合衆国と米墨戦争を争ったものの、メキシコシティを占領されて1848年に敗北すると、テキサスのみならずカリフォルニアなどリオ・ブラーボ川以北の領土（いわゆるメキシコ割譲地）を喪失した。

領土喪失の経緯からアメリカとの対立は深まっていたが、1861年にアメリカの南北戦争勃発とともにフランス第二帝国のナポレオン3世がメキシコ出兵を開始。1863年にはメキシコシティが失陥、フランスの傀儡政権である第二次メキシコ帝国が建国される状況となった。

インディオ出身のベニート・フアレス大統領はアメリカの支援を得て、フランス軍に対して対抗し1866年に主権を取り戻すものの、このことは後々までアメリカ合衆国の影響力が高まるきっかけとなった。フアレスは自由主義者としてレフォルマ（改革）を推進するも、1872年に心臓発作で死去した。フアレスの後を継いだテハーダ大統領は自由主義政策を進めたが、この時代になると指導力が揺らぐことになった。

ディアスの独裁とメキシコ革命

農地改革の先導者であり、サパティスタの由来ともなっているエミリアーノ・サパタ。クエルナバカ市にて （1911年4月）。

詳細は「メキシコ革命」を参照

「米西戦争」および「米比戦争」も参照

この隙を突いて1876年に、フランス干渉戦争の英雄ポルフィリオ・ディアスがクーデター（Revolución de Tuxtepec）を起こし、大統領に就任した。ディアスは30年以上に亘る強権的な独裁体制を敷き、外資が導入されて経済は拡大したものの、非民主的な政体は国内各地に不満を引き起こした。

詳細は「棍棒外交」および「[[::en:Border War (1910–19)|:en:Border War (1910–19)]]」を参照

「アメリカ合衆国のベラクルス占領」および「パンチョ・ビリャ遠征」も参照

1907年恐慌の影響がメキシコに及び始め労働争議が頻発する中で1910年の大統領選が行なわれ、ポルフィリオ・ディアスが対立候補フランシスコ・マデロを逮捕監禁したことがきっかけになって、メキシコ革命が始まった。パンチョ・ビリャ、エミリアーノ・サパタ、ベヌスティアーノ・カランサ、アルバロ・オブレゴンらの率いた革命軍は、路線の違いもありながらも最終的に政府軍を敗北させ、1917年に革命憲法が発布されたことで革命は終息した。革命は終わったものの指導者間の路線の対立からしばらく政情不安定な状態が続いた。

詳細は「ツィンメルマン電報」、「第一次世界大戦」、「[[::en:Battle of Ambos Nogales|:en:Battle of Ambos Nogales]]」、および「バナナ戦争」を参照

PRIの一党独裁

ラサロ・カルデナス大統領。メキシコ革命の精神を尊重し、農地改革や石油国有化を推進したが、彼の辞任後の制度的革命党は自ら革命の理念を裏切る腐敗政党と化していった。

1929年には国内の様々な革命勢力を一つにまとめ国民革命党（PNR）が結成され、71年間の事実上の一党独裁体制が樹立。1934年に成立したラサロ・カルデナス政権は油田国有化事業や土地改革を行い、国内の経済構造は安定した。その後与党の制度的革命党（PRI）が第二次世界大戦を挟み、一党独裁の下に国家の開発を進めた。PRIは国内では一党独裁を進め、アメリカ合衆国や西側の資本により経済を拡大したが、その一方で外交面ではキューバなどのラテンアメリカ内の左翼政権との結びつきも強く、政策が矛盾した体制ながらも冷戦が終結した20世紀の終わりまで与党として政治を支配した。

また、20世紀の前半から中盤にかけては石油や銀の産出とその輸出が大きな富をもたらしたものの、それと同時に進んだ近代工業化の過程で莫大な対外負債を抱え、20世紀中盤に工業化には成功したものの、慢性的なインフレと富の一部富裕層への集中、さらには資源価格の暴落による経済危機など、現代に至るまで国民を苦しめる結果となった。

EZLN

サパティスタ国民解放軍（EZLN）のマルコス副司令官（中央）。NAFTA発効の日に最貧州のチアパス州から蜂起し、マヤ系インディオの生活するための空間を求めて反資本主義を掲げ、自治運動を行っている。

なお、最南部グアテマラ国境地帯のチアパス州は、北米自由貿易協定（NAFTA）が発効された1994年1月1日に武装蜂起したサパティスタ国民解放軍による統治が続いている。 1994年に発効したNAFTAはアメリカ合衆国、カナダとの貿易を拡大する一方で貧富の格差を一時的に拡大し、伝統的な共同体に住むインディオの共有地を解体し、さらにはアメリカ産のトウモロコシに競争で敗北する農民の権利を侵害するものであったため、同年1月1日にマルコス副司令官らの率いるサパティスタ国民解放軍（EZLN）が最貧州のチアパス州から蜂起した。サパティスタは戦闘を挟んだ後、チアパス州の支配を確立して反グローバリゼーションの筆頭的存在として内外の支援を受け、現在も政府軍とのにらみ合いが続いている。その後2000年にPRIは蔓延する汚職や停滞する経済失策の責任、サパティスタ民族解放軍の蜂起などの責任を問われて総選挙で敗退し、国民行動党の勝利によって71年の独裁に終止符が打たれた。しかし現在も強力な政党として大きな影響力を維持し現在にいたる。

メキシコ麻薬戦争

55代大統領ビセンテ・フォックス・ケサーダ（左）。

1980年代以降は麻薬カルテルの抗争により治安が悪化する。前政権のカルデロン政権は、麻薬カルテルと癒着した警察幹部や州知事すらも逮捕するという強硬姿勢で臨み、軍を導入して麻薬犯罪組織を取り締まっている。これに伴い、カルテルの暴力による死者が激増、2010年には毎年1万5千人以上の死者を出す事態になっている（メキシコ麻薬戦争）。

一方、原油価格の高騰やNAFTA締結後の輸出量の増加、さらに内需拡大傾向を受けて中流層が増加し、「ネクスト11」の一国に挙げられている。経済政策では原油価格高騰に伴いガソリン価格を連続して値上げして、国民から不満の声が上がっている。

2009年に入ってからはカナダやアメリカ合衆国とともに、新型インフルエンザ（H1N1）の発祥地とされている。

2010年7月4日、全国32州のうち14州で地方選挙が実施された。2000年まで政権党だった野党の制度的革命党（PRI）が前進（知事選が実施された12州のうち10州でほぼ当選）した。

PRI政権

詳細は「メキシコ総選挙 (2012年)」、「ジョ・ソイ・132」、および「エンリケ・ペーニャ・ニエト」を参照

2012年7月、大統領選挙が実施され、当日投開票された。保守系制度的革命党 (PRI)のエンリケ・ペーニャ・ニエト（任期：2012年12月1日 - 2018年11月30日）が選出され、同年12月から大統領に就任した。

政治

詳細は「メキシコの政治」および「[[::en:Politics of Mexico|:en:Politics of Mexico]]」を参照

三権の長

大統領を国家元首とする連邦共和制国家であり、大統領は行政府の長である。国民の直接選挙によって選出され、任期は6年、再選は禁止されている。大統領の権限は絶大で、憲法は三権分立を規定するが、事実上、立法府も司法府も大統領の統制下にあり、イギリスのエコノミスト誌傘下の研究所エコノミスト・インテリジェンス・ユニットからは「欠陥のある民主主義」とされている(民主主義指数の項目を参照)。また、軍部も大統領の下でのシビリアンコントロールが制度的に確立している。

大統領は、行政各省の大臣を指名する。ただし、司法相のみは、上院の承認が必要である。各大臣は大統領直属の地位にあり、大統領に対し責任を負うのみで、議会や国民に対して責任は負わない。副大統領や首相という役職はなく、大統領が死亡などで欠ける場合は、議会が暫定大統領を選出する。

連邦議会は、両院制（二院制）。上院（元老院）は、全128議席で、そのうち4分の3にあたる96議席が連邦区と州の代表（各3議席）、残りが全国区の代表である。それぞれ比例代表制で選出され、任期は6年。下院（代議院）は、全500議席で、300議席は小選挙区制、200議席は比例代表制。任期は3年。両院とも連続再選は禁止されている。

主要政党には、中道右派の国民行動党 (PAN)、長らく支配政党だった制度的革命党 (PRI)、左派の民主革命党 (PRD) の3つが挙げられる。他にも、サパティスタ民族解放戦線や、労働党、メキシコ緑の環境党などの小政党が存在する。

法律

世界最多の憲法改正国で、建国以来2007年までに175回改正している。

2003年に、隣国・アメリカにおいて著作権の保護期間を死後70年・公表後95年に延長した法律が最高裁判所において合憲となったことを受けて、それまで「死後または公表後75年」であった規定を「100年」に延長した。この規定は、コートジボワールの99年を抜いて世界で最も長い保護期間である。

行政

詳細は「メキシコの行政機関」を参照

現在、メキシコ連邦政府には15の省が設けられ、各種行政を担っている。

治安

「メキシコ麻薬戦争」も参照

特に米国との北部国境地帯の治安悪化はマフィアなどの抗争も相まって顕著だが、首都として人の集まるメキシコシティや、それ以外の地域においても失業者の増加と社会的・経済的不安定要因が治安情勢の一層の悪化を招いており、強盗、窃盗、誘拐、レイプ、薬物などの犯罪は昼夜を問わず発生している。メキシコでは拳銃の携帯は国防省の許可が必要だが、許可を得ずに拳銃を所持している国民が多く、同国の犯罪のほとんどには拳銃が使用されている。

観光客が注意するべき事項として、交通機関においては、夜間のバス利用、地下鉄やメトロブスにおける窃盗やスリ、大都市における流しのタクシー（無認可タクシー）利用がある。さらに、両替所やATMにおける強盗被害も報告されており、メキシコシティ市内の国際空港「メキシコ・シティ国際空港（ベニート・フアレス国際空港）」においてはその被害が多発している。また、反政府ゲリラやその名を冠した集団が存在している地域には観光ツアーを利用せずに、行くことは危険である。

メキシコでは麻薬絡みの暴力事件が後を絶たない。麻薬組織の抗争などにより毎月約1000人が死亡しており、2007年から2013年10月現在までに約8万人が命を落としているという。麻薬組織は見せしめのために頭部や手足の切断など残虐手段で殺害を行うことも多い。

女性をレイプしたあとに四肢切断、被害者の頭部切断という事件や、カルト教団において生贄を捧げるため少年らを殺害するという事件も発生した。

軍事

メキシコ軍の装甲兵員輸送車 (VCR-TT)

詳細は「メキシコ軍」を参照

成人男子には一年間の選抜徴兵制が採用されている。現在、メキシコには大きな対外脅威はなく、主な敵は国内の麻薬カルテル（メキシコ麻薬戦争）、次いでサパティスタ民族解放軍である。

国際関係

多元外交

19世紀においては隣国のアメリカ合衆国によってテキサス、カリフォルニアを奪われる戦争を行ったものの、その後は同盟関係を結んだアメリカの強い影響下にありながら、歴史と文化を生かした多元外交を行っている。その一例として、第二次世界大戦後の冷戦当時から、隣国のアメリカとの深い関係を保ちつつも、ソビエト連邦やキューバなどの東側諸国との関係を維持してきた。特に隣国であるキューバとは、1959年のキューバ革命以降汎米主義に基づいて近隣のラテンアメリカ・カリブ海諸国がキューバとの関係を断絶した中、国交を継続していた。

スペインとの関係

スペインからの独立以降も元の宗主国であるスペインとの関係は、文化や経済面を中心に非常に強い。しかし、1975年9月にカレロ・ブランコ前首相の暗殺に関わったとされる活動家5人がフランシスコ・フランコ政権によって処刑された際に、抗議して一時国交を断絶したことがある。

日本との関係

詳細は「日墨関係」を参照

江戸時代の初めの1609年（慶長14年）、フィリピン総督ドン・ロドリゴの一行がマニラからの帰途に、大暴風の為房総の御宿海岸に座礁難破した。地元の漁民達に助けられ、時の大多喜藩主本多忠朝がこれら一行を歓待し、徳川家康が用意した帆船でメキシコへ送還したことから、日本とメキシコとの交流が始まった。

そして1613年（慶長18年）に仙台藩主伊達政宗の命を受けた支倉常長は、ローマ教皇に謁見すべくメキシコ、スペインを経由しイタリアのローマに向かった。支倉常長ら慶長遣欧使節団の乗ったサン・フアン・バウティスタ号は太平洋を横断しアカプルコへ、その後陸路メキシコシティを経由し大西洋岸のベラクルスからスペインへ至った。メキシコでは大変手厚いもてなしを受け、現在、記念碑や教会のフレスコ画などに当時を偲ぶことができる。

また、日本が開国して諸外国と通商条約を結んだ中で、1888年（明治21年）メキシコと締結した日墨修好通商条約は日本にとって事実上初めての平等条約であり、諸外国の駐日大使館のうちでメキシコ大使館のみ東京都千代田区永田町にある。

19世紀末には榎本移民団によるメキシコへの移住が始まり、第二次世界大戦後まで続いた。移民者の数は総計10,000人余りに達し、その子孫が現在でも日系メキシコ人としてメキシコの各地に住んでいる。

現在

メキシコ市への進出は減っているが、日系企業が増えているのはアグアスカリエンテスを中心としたメキシコ中央高原都市である。日系の自動車3社（日産第二工場、本田、マツダ）が進出を決めた他、200社以上が自動車部品工場や大規模倉庫などを建設中である。日本からの投資の90%近くがこの地域に集中してきており一大進出ラッシュとなっている。 とりわけアグアスカリエンテスは、1982年から日産の工場が進出した事もあり、大規模な新工場が出来つつある。アメリカの平均よりも犯罪発生件数が少なく、真夜中にも多くの飲食店が開いており、日本人の家庭には人気の移動先になってきた。これは中国や韓国の反日活動に対する嫌中、嫌韓の動きとも連動し、親日国であるメキシコへの日系企業進出の遠因にもなっている。とりわけメキシコは犯罪の多いところであるが、地方都市や州では独自の軍隊、警察組織を駆使しているところもあり、進出には州単位、町単位での安全チェックが必須となる。

メキシコと日産自動車の関係

特に、日本企業としては最初期の1966年7月にメキシコ現地工場での自動車生産を開始した日産自動車は、同国日系自動車生産工場としても初でメキシコとの関わりも深くサッカー中継番組でもスポンサーになるほどの深さでもある。日産AD(現地名ツバメ)を生産していた時代は、日本への輸出(いわば逆輸入)も行っていた。ルノー傘下に入った後の2009年時点で販売台数ベースで同国市場最大手である。同社は現在アメリカとの国境地帯とメキシコシティとの中間点に位置するアグアスカリエンテスやメキシコシティ郊外のクエルナバカに工場を構えているが、NAFTA発効後はメキシコのみならずアメリカおよびカナダ向け車種の主要な生産拠点となっており、近隣のチリやアルゼンチン、さらにヨーロッパなどにも輸出が行われている。主な生産車種は「ティーダ(北米ではヴァーサ)」、「ツル」、「セントラ」、「NP300フロンティア」で日産自動車メキシコシティ事業所(日産メキシカーナS.A de C.V.)が取り扱う車種でもこのほかに「マキシマ」、「アルティマ」、「370Z(フェアレディZ)」、「エクストレイル」、「パスファインダー」、「アーバン(キャラバン)」、「キャブスター（アトラス）」と新たに「リーフ」も販売を開始した。また、ニューヨークのイエローキャブ向け仕様NV200もこの国で生産されている。以前は「サクラ(シルビア)」、「サムライ(スタンザ)」、「280C（後のセドリック）」も販売していた。さらには、メキシコ連邦警察専用向けとしてY30セドリックセダン(グレード的にはブロアム)をベースとしたセドリックパトロールも納めた程である。

フィエスタ・メヒカナ

メキシコの独立記念日の前日の9月15日に、大阪市のメキシコ総領事館の主催で、フィエスタ・メヒカナという祭を領事館の入居している梅田スカイビルのワンダースクエアで開催する。メキシコ政府が国外で行う文化交流としての祭事としての規模は最大のものである。

MIKTA

MIKTA（ミクタ）は、メキシコ (Mexico)、インドネシア (Indonesia)、大韓民国 (Korea, Republic of)、トルコ (Turkey)、オーストラリア (Australia) の5ヶ国によるパートナーシップである。詳細は該当ページへ。

地方行政区分

詳細は「メキシコの州」を参照

1つの連邦区（連邦直轄地区）と、31の州に分かれる。

首都メキシコシティの全域は、どの州にも属さない連邦区 (Distrito Federal) とされている。

各州と連邦区には、知事と一院制の議会があり、それぞれ住民の直接選挙によって選出される。任期は6年。

アグアスカリエンテス州 Aguascalientes バハ・カリフォルニア州 Baja California バハ・カリフォルニア・スル州 Baja California Sur カンペチェ州 Campeche チアパス州 Chiapas チワワ州 Chihuahua コアウィラ州 Coahuila コリマ州 Colima ドゥランゴ州 Durango メキシコ連邦区 Distrito Federal グアナファト州 Guanajuato

ゲレーロ州 Guerrero イダルゴ州 Hidalgo ハリスコ州 Jalisco メヒコ州 México ミチョアカン州 Michoacán モレーロス州 Morelos ナヤリット州 Nayarít ヌエボ・レオン州 Nuevo León オアハカ州 Oaxaca プエブラ州 Puebla ケレタロ州 Querétaro

キンタナ・ロー州 Quintana Roo サン・ルイス・ポトシ州 San Luis Potosí シナロア州 Sinaloa ソノラ州 Sonora タバスコ州 Tabasco タマウリパス州 Tamaulipas トラスカラ州 Tlaxcala ベラクルス州 Veracruz ユカタン州 Yucatán サカテカス州 Zacatecas

主要都市

メキシコシティはビジネス、文化、政治などを総合評価した世界都市格付けで35位の都市と評価された。

グアダラハラ市内

ヌエボ・レオン州

プエブラ

ティフアナ

詳細は「メキシコの都市の一覧」を参照

• メキシコ（通称 メキシコシティ） (México)
• グアダラハラ (Guadalajara)
• モンテレイ (Monterrey)
• プエブラ (Puebla)
• トルーカ (Toluca)
• ティフアナ (Tijuana)
• アカプルコ (Acapulco)
• シウダー・フアレス (Ciudad Juárez)
• トレオン (Torreón)
• サン・ルイス・ポトシ (San Luis Potosí)
• ケレタロ (Querétaro)
• メリダ (Mérida)
• メヒカリ (Mexicali)
• アグアスカリエンテス (Aguascalientes)
• クエルナバカ (Cuernavaca)

地理

メキシコの地形図

詳細は「メキシコの地理」および「[[::en:Geography of Mexico|:en:Geography of Mexico]]」を参照

ウスマシンタ川、メキシコの狭い川。

北米大陸の南部に位置し、約197万平方kmの面積（日本の約5倍）を持つ。海岸線の総延長距離は1万3868kmに達する。海外領土は持たないが、領土に含まれる島の面積は5073平方kmに及ぶ。

メキシコの地質構造は北に接するアメリカ合衆国とは異なり、クラトンが存在しない。アラスカから太平洋岸に沿って伸びるコルディレラ造山帯とアメリカ合衆国東岸に沿う古いアパラチア山脈に続くワシタ造山帯（メキシコ湾岸）がメキシコ国内で一つにまとまる。地向斜による膨大な堆積物がプレート運動により褶曲山脈を形成しているほか、第三紀以降の新しい火山が連なる。このため、メキシコは高原の国であり、北部は平均1000m前後、中央部では2000m前後である。標高5000mを超える火山も珍しくなく、メキシコ最高峰のピコ・デ・オリサバ山（シトラルテペトル山）の5689m（もしくは5610m）をはじめ、ポポカテペトル山 (5465m、もしくは5452m)、イスタシュワトル山 (5230m) などが連なる。最も頻繁に噴火を起こすのはコリマ山 (4100m) である。

最長の河川はアメリカ合衆国との国境を流れるリオ・ブラボ・デル・ノルテ川（リオ・グランデ川）であり、3057kmのうち2100kmが両国の国境を流れる。最大の湖はチャパラ湖（1680平方km）である。

気候

カリフォルニア半島の大部分と、メキシコ高原中央は、ケッペンの気候区分でいうBW であり、回帰線より北のほとんどの地域はステップ気候 BS に分類される。いずれも乾燥気候である。北部の高原地帯には大きなサボテンやリュウゼツランなどしか生育しない広大な不毛の土地が広がっている。リュウゼツランの一種であるマゲイは、テキーラの原料であり、輸出産品の一つである。中西部に広がっているリュウゼツラン生産地帯は世界遺産に登録された「テキーラ地帯」となっている。 北回帰線よりも南では、海岸線に沿って熱帯気候に分類されるサバナ気候 (Aw) が伸びる。ユカタン半島南部にのみ弱い乾期の存在する熱帯雨林気候 (Am) が見られる。熱帯雨林気候 (Af) はテワンテペク地峡北部にのみ存在する。メキシコ湾岸沿いの一部の地域には温帯気候である温暖湿潤気候 (Cfa) が、山岳部は温帯気候である温帯夏雨気候 (Cw) と高山気候 (H) が卓越する。首都メキシコシティの平均気温は、13.7℃（1月）、16.5℃（7月）。年平均降水量は1266mmである。メキシコシティの標高は2268mであり、典型的な高山気候である。亜寒帯気候にも似ている。

平均的には非常に温暖な気候で、沿岸部には世界的に有名なビーチリゾートがたくさんある。東部・カリブ海沿岸ではカンクンなど、太平洋沿岸の西南部ではアカプルコやイスタパなど、西端にあり太平洋に面する細長いバハカリフォルニア半島のカボ・サンルーカスやラパスなどがこれに該当し、世界中から観光客を引きつけるとともに、貴重な外貨の収入源となって多くの雇用をもたらしている。

地下資源

地下資源に恵まれた世界でも有数の国である。まず、銀の埋蔵量については、現在でも世界第2位であり、16～19世紀初期までの銀の埋蔵量は世界の生産量の半分を占めた。銀の他には銅の埋蔵量世界第3位、鉛と亜鉛は第6位、モリブデンは第8位、金が第11位であり、世界有数の生産量を誇っている。さらに鉄鉱石、石炭の他、マンガン、ストロンチウムなどの希少金属も産出する。そして、地下資源のなかでも石油がメキシコ経済を支えている。

経済

詳細は「メキシコの経済」を参照

ペメックスのガソリンスタンド

テオティワカン。考古学遺跡はメキシコの観光収入の大部分を占める

2013年のメキシコのGDPは1兆2,609億ドルであり、世界15位である。韓国とほぼ同じ経済規模であり、ラテンアメリカではブラジルに次いで2位である。一人当たりのGDPでは10,650ドルとなり、世界平均を若干上回る。メルコスールと南米共同体のオブザーバーであり、経済協力開発機構 (OECD) 、アジア太平洋経済協力 (APEC) 、北米自由貿易協定 (NAFTA) の加盟国でもある。

カリブ海沿岸地域を中心にして油田が多く、第二次世界大戦頃より国営石油会社のペメックスを中心とした石油が大きな外貨獲得源になっている。光物では銀やオパールの産地としても中世から世界的に有名である。電線に使える銅はグルポ・メヒコが採掘している。他にも水産業や観光業、製塩やビールなどが大きな外貨獲得源になっている。また、20世紀前半より工業化が進んでおり、自動車や製鉄、家電製品の生産などが盛んである。主な貿易相手国はアメリカ、カナダ、日本、スペインなど。

特に1994年1月1日に北米自由貿易協定 (NAFTA) が発効した後は、その安価な労働力を生かしてアメリカやカナダ向けの自動車や家電製品の生産が増加している。しかし、その反面経済の対米依存度が以前にもまして増えたため、NAFTA加盟国以外との経済連携を進めており、2004年9月17日には日本との間で、関税・非関税障壁の除去・低減や最恵国待遇の付与を含む包括的経済連携「日本・メキシコ経済連携協定」について正式に合意した。

2008年1月から北米自由貿易協定のもとで全農作物が完全輸入自由化、つまり、最後まで残っていたトウモロコシなど農作物の関税がすべて撤廃された。これに対する農民等の抗議デモが2008年1月30日にメキシコシティ中心部の憲法広場で13万人が参加して行われた。デモの要求は、「NAFTAの農業条項について米、カナダと再交渉すべきだ」を掲げている。

二度の通貨危機

1982年メキシコ債務危機

1970年代、石油価格高騰を受け、メキシコで石油投資ブームが発生した。また、メキシコの賃金がアメリカよりも安いことから、製造業の工場移転による投資も増えていた。国際金融市場を行き交うマネーが急増し、利益を得るために発展途上国への融資をどんどん行っていた。ちょうど1995年前後、1ドル100円水準の円高を受け、日本から東南アジアへ工場が移転し、東南アジア諸国に投資が急増したのに似ている。メキシコへの投資は、アメリカの金融機関にとって、比較的安全なものと判断されていた。ドルとメキシコ・ペソは固定相場であり、当時、メキシコの石油公社や電力会社は国営であったため、メキシコ政府による債務保証が付けられていた。国家が破産するはずがないと信じられていた時代である。アメリカよりメキシコの金利が高いため、アメリカで資金を調達し、メキシコに投資をすれば、濡れ手に粟のように儲けることができた。そういう事情により、メキシコの対外債務は急増していった。債務の利払いは石油や輸出による代金で賄われていた。ところが、1980年代になるとアメリカの金利が上昇したため、対外債務の利払いが増大し、さらなる融資が必要となったが、財政負担能力を超えていた。1982年8月、メキシコは利払いの一時停止（モラトリアム）を宣言する羽目になり、メキシコ国民は急激なインフレーションと失業の増大によって苦しんだ。

当時のメキシコの対外債務は870億ドルであった。メキシコ危機が特にアメリカのメガバンクに与える影響が大きいため、IMFとアメリカ合衆国財務省、メガバンク・シンジケートにより救済措置がとられた。「大きすぎて潰せない」有名な事件となった。ネルソン・バンカー・ハントを破産させたばかりの出来事であった。 1982年の利払い分に相当する80億ドルを緊急融資が実行され、翌年には70億ドルの追加融資が行われた。さらに、債務を返済するため、厳しい措置がなされた。石油公社や電力会社の民営化はもちろん、貿易自由化などを強要する条件で、メキシコとIMFを始めとする国際金融機関との合意がなされた。このメキシコ債務危機以降に同様の措置が、発展途上国で債務危機の発生した場合に適用されることとなる。

危機脱出後はメキシコに再び資金が戻ってきたが、新規投資の資金ではなく、カルロス・スリム・ヘルのようなメキシコ人富裕層がアメリカに流出させたマネーであった。このマネーが民営化された国営企業や銀行の購入資金となった。売却された国営企業の資産価値は売却額よりもはるかに高かったため、メキシコ債務危機が終わって見ると、一部の富裕層がさらに裕福となり、大半の国民がより貧乏になるという結果をもたらした。ここで大もうけした人達が、メキシコの経済改革を徹底的に行い、再び、アメリカや日本などの外国から資金を集めることに成功し、再びメキシコの対外債務は増加していった。

1994年メキシコ通貨危機

メキシコは1986年関税および貿易に関する一般協定（通称：GATT）に参加した。外国から資金を呼ぶため、金利は高く設定され、ペソは過大評価されていた（この点、アジア通貨危機直前の状況と似ている）。その結果、輸入が急増し、輸出は不振となり、貿易赤字が増大していった。1990年の貿易赤字は1000億ドルに達し、さらに1992年12月、北米自由貿易協定が調印され、アメリカからメキシコへの投資ブームが起こった。1982年の債務危機のことは忘れ去られ、安い労働力を求めて、アメリカの製造業がメキシコに大挙して工場を建設した。メキシコは空前の好景気に沸いていた。

しかし、バブルの崩壊は突然であった。1994年2月、南部で先住民による武装反乱が発生。3 月には大統領選挙の候補が暗殺された。この事件をきっかけにして、メキシコへの信頼が一時失墜し、カントリーリスクの懸念が表面化。その結果、メキシコ・ペソが暴落し、ペソ売りドル買い圧力の増加に対抗するため、メキシコ政府はドル売りペソ買いで為替介入したが、力尽きて、国家は財政破綻。その結果、12月に固定相場から変動相場への移行を余儀なくされた。

その一方で、メキシコ通貨危機を防衛するために、メキシコ政府は額面がペソで元利金の支払いがドルで行う政府短期証券「テソボンド」を大量に発行した。この債権がメキシコ通貨危機が治まった後に事実上のドル建てで取り戻せたため、皮肉にもこれを購入した富裕層はたいへん儲かったという。1982年のメキシコ債務危機に続いて、1994年のメキシコ通貨危機でも、経済破綻を通して、富裕層がさらに富を増やしたが、メキシコに投資した投資家たちは巨額の損失を被り、メキシコ国民は急激なインフレと貧困に大量失業という苦しみを味わうことになった。

税制

企業への法人税は、毎年といっていいほど制度が変わる。また、ミニマムタックス制度を導入しているため、非常に煩雑なものとなっている。企業は税金を回避するために「新しい税制は憲法により保障された権利を侵している」として訴訟を起こすことが、毎年恒例となっている。この訴訟では、行政が敗訴となることがしばしばある。

ただし、訴訟期間中は税金を払うことが望ましい。

格差社会

国の所得格差を表すジニ指数によるとメキシコは米国や中国・マレーシアと同じぐらい47.0の値で、ラテンアメリカの中では比較的に貧富の差の低い国である（国の所得格差順リスト）。そう言っても歴史的に建国以来メキシコは格差問題に喘いでいる。カルロス・スリム・ヘルという世界一の億万長者を産んだ国ではあるが、一方メキシコシティにおける世帯平均月収(手取り)は約4万円となっている（中国・タイ・ウクライナ等より多い）。

教育による社会階層移動の可能性 (エリート優遇策)

その一方、自助努力による成功のチャンスも存在する。メキシコ政府は出身階級に基づく格差の継承を解消するために教育を通しての機会の平等を実現させようと試みている。政府は国公立大学へは潤沢な財政援助を行っており授業料もほとんどかからない。特に貧困層出身者に対する手厚い支援制度があり、奨学金制度、夜間授業、食堂の補助金制度等などを充実させている。したがって、たとえ貧困層出身者であっても努力してこれらの難関大学に進学できた場合にはこの後様々な機会に恵まれ、社会階層を上昇移動することは可能である。

交通

アエロメヒコ航空のボーイング767型機。

南北アメリカ間、太平洋とカリブ海を結ぶラテンアメリカの交通の要所として、メキシコシティが航空の要所として、ベラクルス港やアカプルコ港が海運の要所として、また、国土を縦断するパンアメリカン・ハイウェイや国土を網羅する鉄道網が陸運の要として機能している。沿岸部の主要港には多くのクルーズ船が寄港する。

また、国内には格安航空会社を含む航空網と高速道路網が整備されているほか、貨物を含む鉄道も整備されている。メキシコシティやグアダラハラなどの大都市には充実した地下鉄網が整備されている他、ベラクルスやアグスカリエンテス、アカプルコなどの中規模の都市には市バス網が完備されている。

国民

詳細は「メキシコの人口統計」および「[[::en:Demographics of Mexico|:en:Demographics of Mexico]]」を参照

インディヘナの一つであるChichimeca Jonaz族の人間による儀式の踊りのパフォーマンス（グアナフアト州ミネラル・デ・ポソス）

グアダルーペの聖母

• 人口：1億778万人（2006年）
• 人口増加率： 1.18%（年率）

メキシコの人種はメスティーソ（スペイン人とインディヘナの混血）が60%、先住民族（インディオ）が25%、白人が14%とされており、その他にも日系メキシコ人やフィリピン系メキシコ人などアジア系の移民の子孫や、アフリカ系メキシコ人も総人口の1%程存在する。

ヨーロッパ系メキシコ人は、主に植民地時代に移住したスペイン人と、他にも独立後移民したイタリア人やフランス人、ドイツ人、ポルトガル人、バスク人、アイルランド人、イギリス人、アメリカ人などの子孫である。そのほかにも1930年代のスペイン内戦の際にメキシコのカルデナス政権は共和派を支持したため、戦後共和派のスペイン人が一万人単位で流入した。

現在は緩やかに増加しているが、隣国であるアメリカへの移住(ヒスパニック)や、治安の悪化による殺人も多く、徐々に人口減少するという予測も既にされている。

言語

詳細は「メキシコの言語」および「[[::en:Languages of Mexico|:en:Languages of Mexico]]」を参照

公用語は定められていないが、事実上の公用語はスペイン語（メキシコ・スペイン語）であり、先住民族の65言語（ナワトル語、サポテカ語、マヤ語など）も政府が認めている。メキシコは世界最大のスペイン語人口を擁する国家である。

宗教

詳細は「メキシコの宗教」および「[[::en:Religion in Mexico|:en:Religion in Mexico]]」を参照

宗教はローマ・カトリックが82.7%、プロテスタントが9%、その他（ユダヤ教、仏教、イスラーム教など）が5%である。

メキシコはブラジルに次いで世界で二番目にカトリック人口が多い国である。また、メキシコのカトリックは、もともとメキシコに存在していた先住民の土着信仰と融合したカトリックとしても知られる。

メキシコで活動するプロテスタントの宗派にはペンテコステ派、セブンスデー・アドベンチスト教会などが挙げられる。

新宗教としては、末日聖徒イエス・キリスト教会（モルモン教）の信者が存在する。

結婚

2012年より、同性同士の結婚（同性婚）が認められるようになった。

教育

詳細は「メキシコの教育」および「[[::en:Education in Mexico|:en:Education in Mexico]]」を参照

6歳から15歳までの9年間の初等教育と前期中等教育が義務教育の期間となっている。2004年の推計によれば、15歳以上の国民の識字率は91%である。

主な高等教育機関としては、メキシコ国立自治大学（1551年）、グアダラハラ大学（1792年）、モンテレイ工科大学（1943年）などが挙げられる。 メキシコ政府は国公立大学へは手厚い財政補助を行っており、貧困層出身者を対象とした様々な支援制度を充実させている。メキシコにおいては高等教育機関が機会の平等をもたらす機能を担い、社会上昇の手段として重要視されている。

文化

詳細は「メキシコの文化」を参照

フリーダ・カーロとディエゴ・リベラ（1932年）。

マリアッチ。

タコス。

死者の日の奉納品。

メキシコの文化は先スペイン期のアステカ族やマヤ族の文化に根を持ち、16世紀のスペイン人による征服後はスペイン文化と融合して築き上げられている。独立後暫くはヨーロッパの文化の模倣に終始したが、革命後の1920年代から1930年代にかけてインディヘナに国民文化の根源を求めて先住民文化の再評価が始まり、インディヘニスモという一大文化運動を確立した。古くから音楽や絵画、彫刻、建築など芸術面で世界的に有名な人物を輩出している。

絵画

メキシコ革命以前では、19世紀後期から20世紀初頭にて活躍した、政治漫画家のホセ・グアダルーペ・ポサダの版画が有名である。

革命後、インディヘニスモ運動の文脈の中で1930年代からはじまったディエゴ・リベラ、ダビッド・アルファロ・シケイロス、ホセ・クレメンテ・オロスコなどの壁画家たちによるメキシコ壁画運動（メキシコ・ルネサンス）は世界の美術史の中でも特出している。ディエゴ・リベラの妻のフリーダ・カーロもメキシコの女流画家として世界中で紹介されている。

文学

詳細は「メキシコ文学」、「[[::en:Mexican literature|:en:Mexican literature]]」、および「ラテンアメリカ文学」を参照

メキシコの作家としては、フアン・ルルフォ、アマード・ネルボ、カルロス・フエンテス、ホセ・エミリオ・パチェコ、オクタビオ・パス、アルフォンソ・レイエスなどが挙げられる。オクタビオ・パスは1990年にノーベル文学賞を受賞した。アルフォンソ・レイエスはアルゼンチンのホルヘ・ルイス・ボルヘスに大きな影響を与えた作家としても知られる。革命以降のインディヘニスモ小説としては、ロサリオ・カスティリャーノスの『バルン・カナン』などが挙げられる。

音楽

詳細は「メキシコの音楽」、「[[::en:Music of Mexico|:en:Music of Mexico]]」、および「ラテン音楽」を参照

メキシコで生まれた伝統的な音楽様式としては、マリアッチやランチェーロ、ノリード、ノルテーニョ、バンダなどが挙げられ、メキシコのフォルクローレではパラグアイやベネズエラのようにアルパが多用される。南部のグアテマラ国境付近ではマヤ系住人によってアフリカ伝来のマリンバが用いられる音楽が盛んである。

また、1960年代以降はアメリカ合衆国に渡ったメキシコ人移民（チカーノ）によってアメリカ合衆国のポピュラー音楽が行われ、ロックはラテンロックになり、ヒップ・ホップはチカーノ・ラップとなって在米メキシコ人市場で消費されたものがメキシコにも逆流入している。メキシコ・ロック（ロック・メヒカーノ）はラテンアメリカ市場でも成功しており、特に有名な音楽家としてはカフェ・タクーバなどが挙げられる。

クラシック音楽の分野ではカルロス・チャベスの名が特筆され、メキシコ国立交響楽団はチャベスによって設立された。

映画

詳細は「メキシコの映画」を参照

メキシコはブラジル、アルゼンチンと共にラテンアメリカの三大映画制作国であり、多くの映画が製作されている。

食文化

詳細は「メキシコ料理」を参照

一般的に辛いことで知られているメキシコ料理は世界的に人気があり、特に隣国のアメリカではアメリカ風に独自にアレンジされたタコスやブリートがファストフードとして広く普及しているが、それらはテックス・メックス（Tex-Mex）と呼ばれメキシコ国内ではそれほど普及していない。主食はマサと呼ばれる粉を練ってのばして焼いた薄いパンのようなものでトルティーヤと呼ばれる、北部では小麦粉、中部、南部ではトウモロコシの粉を使ったものが主流である。基本的には豆やトウモロコシ、鳥肉を原材料に使ったメニューが主体になっており、他にも米や魚類、牛肉なども使われることが多く、一見単純に見えて繊細な味がその人気の理由とされている。

メキシコの伝統料理とは、修道女たちがメキシコで収穫される農作物で王宮料理をつくる目的で研究されたもので、プエブラという古都が有名である。代表的なものに、モーレがある。

海に囲まれているため魚介類も豊富で、魚や海老などを使った料理も多い。特に日本にとってはえびの大きな供給元として知られている。

近年はカップラーメンがメキシコ国内で広く普及しており、中でも東洋水産の「マルちゃん」ブランドが市場シェアの約85%を占めるまでに成長している。一方でこれに伴いメキシコの伝統料理が侵食されつつあるとして一部で問題となっている。

メキシコは蒸留酒であるテキーラの一大産地として有名であるが、それはハリスコ州グアダラハラ市近郊のテキーラという地域に1700年代から作られている地酒であり、国民にもっとも愛されるお酒となっており、近年は海外にも愛好家を増やしている。また、ビールの特産地としても知られており、コロナビールやXX（ドス・エキス）などの著名なブランドが世界中に輸出されている。

世界遺産

詳細は「メキシコの世界遺産」を参照

メキシコ国内には、ユネスコの世界遺産リストに登録された文化遺産が26件、自然遺産が4件、複合遺産が1件存在する。

• 古代都市パレンケと国立公園 - （1987年）

• メキシコシティ歴史地区とソチミルコ - （1987年）

• 古代都市テオティワカン - （1987年）

• オアハカ歴史地区とモンテ・アルバンの古代遺跡 - （1987年）

• プエブラ歴史地区 - （1987年）

• シアン・カアン - （1987年）

• 古都グアナフアトとその銀鉱群 - （1988年）

• 古代都市チチェン・イッツァ - （1988年）

• 古代都市エル・タヒン - （1992年）

• サンフランシスコ山地の岩絵 - （1993年）

• エル・ビスカイノ生物圏保護区 - （1993年）

• 古代都市ウシュマル - （1996年）

• ケレタロの歴史史跡地区 - （1996年）

• グアダラハラのオスピシオ・カバーニャス - （1997年）

• パキメの遺跡、カサス・グランデス - （1998年）

• トラコタルパンの歴史遺跡地帯 - （1998年）

• ショチカルコの古代遺跡地帯 - （1999年）

• カンペチェ歴史的要塞都市 - （1999年）

• ケレタロ州シエラ・ゴルダのフランシスコ会伝道所群 - （2003年）

• ルイス・バラガン邸と仕事場 - （2004年）

• カリフォルニア湾の島嶼および保護地区群 - （2005年）

• メキシコ国立自治大学の大学都市の中央キャンパス -（2007年）

祝祭日

祝祭日
日付	日本語表記	現地語表記	備考
1月1日	元日	Año Nuevo
2月5日（のある週の月曜日）	憲法記念日
3月21日	ベニート・フアレス生誕記念日	Natalicio de Benito Juárez
5月1日	メーデー	Día del Trabajo
5月5日	プエブラ戦勝記念日	Batalla de Puebla
5月10日	母の日	Dia de las Madres
9月16日	独立記念日	Día de la Independencia
11月20日（のある週の月曜日）	革命記念日
12月25日	クリスマス	Navidad

スポーツ

詳細は「メキシコのスポーツ」および「[[::en:Sport in Mexico|:en:Sport in Mexico]]」を参照

アステカ・スタジアム（メキシコシティ）。

プラザ・デ・トロス・メキシコ（メキシコシティ）世界最大の闘牛場。

メキシコシティオリンピックが1968年に開催されている。また1970年と1986年にFIFAワールドカップが開催されている。

伝統的に闘牛が盛んに行われ、メキシコの大都市には必ず闘牛場がある。

なお、メキシコ人は平均身長が低いため、バスケットボールやバレーボールはあまり盛んではない。

サッカー

サッカーは他の中南米諸国同様、メキシコでも人気のあるスポーツである。メキシコリーグは中南米でもレベルの高いリーグの一つで、有名な選手を世界中に送り出している。サッカーメキシコ代表はFIFAワールドカップの常連であり、北中米カリブ海地域屈指の強豪である。

首都のメキシコシティに存在するエスタディオ・アステカは11万4465人を収容でき、サッカー専用スタジアムとしては世界最大である。

野球

第2回ワールド・ベースボール・クラシックの会場の1つにもなった2万5000人収容の野球場、フォロ・ソル（メキシコシティ）。

野球は隣国であるアメリカ合衆国の影響を受け、メキシコでもポピュラーなスポーツの一つである。特に、米国との国境に近い北部で盛んである。しかし主要都市の多くが空気の薄い高原に存在するため、ボールが飛びやすくプレーに適した地域は限られている。

国内には夏季（メキシカンリーグ）と冬季（ウィンターリーグ）の2つのプロリーグが存在する。メキシカンリーグは1925年にスタートし、現在は2リーグ16チームからなる。形式上は独立したリーグであるが、米国のメジャーリーグベースボールから3A相当の認定を受けており、事実上マイナーリーグに取り込まれている。ウィンターリーグ（Mexican Pacific League）は8チームからなり、優勝チームはメキシコ代表としてカリビアンシリーズに出場する。

米国のメジャーリーグで活躍するメキシコ人選手も多い。これまでに106人のメキシコ人選手がメジャーリーグでプレーした。その中で最も有名なメキシコ人選手は、1980年代にロサンゼルス・ドジャースのエースとして活躍したフェルナンド・バレンズエラである。また、サンディエゴ・パドレスの4番打者エイドリアン・ゴンザレスのようにメキシコ系アメリカ人の選手も多いため、国際大会であるワールド・ベースボール・クラシックにはメキシコ人とメキシコ系アメリカ人の混成チームで出場している。

ルチャ・リブレ

ルチャリブレはメキシコで非常に人気がある。

ルチャリブレはメキシコを代表するスポーツの1つで、派手なマスクと華麗な空中戦が見もののメキシカン・プロレスであり、メキシコの象徴的である。古くはミル・マスカラスからチャボ・ゲレロ・ジュニアまで多くの世界的に有名な選手を生んでいる。メキシコ連邦区ボクシング・レスリング協会（CBLL）及びルチャリブレ選手組合によりプロレスラーライセンスを発行しており、ナショナル王座も存在する。

日本にも熱狂的なファンが多く、日本からの観戦ツアーが多数企画されるのみならず、ザ・グレート・サスケやタイガーマスク、百田光雄や後藤洋央紀など日本のレスラーが空中戦をはじめとする様々な技術を学ぶために留学・遠征するケースも多数見られる。また、日本の全日本プロレスやアメリカのWWEなどの団体に多くの選手を送り込んでいる。

メキシコシティ市内にある競技場、アレナ・メヒコとアレナ・コリセオは、「ルチャ・リブレの2大聖地」と言われ、メキシコ最大のルチャ団体・トリプレ・アの看板スター、ドス・カラス・ジュニアやエル・イホ・デル・サントが繰り広げる華麗な空中戦を見るために世界中から観客がやってくる。

ボクシング

メキシコにおいてボクシングもまた人気の高いスポーツのひとつ。世界最大の団体であるWBCの本部が置かれており、3階級制覇を達成したフリオ・セサール・チャベスを筆頭にアメリカで活躍するマルケス兄弟、イスラエル・バスケス、日本でもなじみの深いルーベン・オリバレスやリカルド・ロペスら世界王者も数多く輩出している。チャベスがエスタディオ・アステカにグレグ・ホーゲンを迎えたWBC世界ジュニアウェルター級タイトルマッチは世界最多の有料入場者となる13万人を動員した。

コミッションはCBLL。同国はタイ王国同様にプロボクサーライセンスは存在しない。プロモーターとの契約が成立した時点でプロ活動が可能になる。ナショナル王座も管理・監督している。2000年代後半にメキシコに本部が在るWBCが創設した同国内王座Central Zone of the Mexican Republic Boxing Commissions（FECOMBOX）と並存。

女子プロボクシングも盛んであり、2階級制覇を達成したジャッキー・ナバを筆頭に多くの女子世界王者も輩出している。

アマチュアボクシングも盛んで2007年グアンテス・デ・オロには亀田和毅が出場。

モータースポーツ

ブラジルやアルゼンチン等の他の中南米の主要国同様、富裕層を中心にモータースポーツが高い人気を誇っている。1950年代に行われたメキシコを縦断する公道レースカレラ・パナメリカーナ・メヒコや、カリフォルニア半島を縦断するオフロード・レース、バハ1000は世界的に有名。

また、F1・メキシコグランプリがメキシコシティ国際空港近くのエルマノス・ロドリゲス・サーキットで開催されている。2004年からは世界ラリー選手権（WRC）がメキシコ北部を舞台に毎年開催され人気を博している。

マリンスポーツ

太平洋とカリブ海の豊かな海に包まれたメキシコでは、スポーツフィッシングやサーフィン、スキューバダイビングなど、マリンスポーツが盛ん行われ、多くの観光客を呼び込んでいる。

著名な出身者

詳細は「メキシコ人の一覧」を参照

参考文献

学術

歴史

• ラス・カサス/染田秀藤訳『インディアスの破壊についての簡潔な報告』岩波書店〈岩波文庫〉、1976年1月。全国書誌番号:73014864、NCID BN00931907。
• エドゥアルド・ガレアーノ/大久保光夫訳 『収奪された大地──ラテンアメリカ五百年』 新評論、東京、1986年9月。全国書誌番号:86057830、NCID BN00626572。
• モーリス・コリス/金森誠也訳『コルテス征略誌──「アステカ王国」の滅亡 』講談社〈講談社学術文庫〉、2003年1月。ISBN 4061595814
• 大垣貴志郎 『物語メキシコの歴史──太陽の国の英傑たち』 中央公論社〈中公新書1935〉、東京、2008年2月。ISBN 978-4-12-101935-6。
• 二村久則、野田隆、牛田千鶴、志柿光浩 『ラテンアメリカ現代史III』 山川出版社〈世界現代史35〉、東京、2006年4月。ISBN 4-634-42350-2。
• 増田義郎 『メキシコ革命──近代化のたたかい』 中央公論社〈中公新書164〉、東京、1968年6月。全国書誌番号:68005730、NCID BN01860214。。
• 増田義郎 『物語ラテン・アメリカの歴史──未来の大陸』 中央公論社〈中公新書1437〉、東京、1998年9月。ISBN 4-12-101437-5。

ラテンアメリカ全体に関するもの

• 井沢実『ラテン・アメリカの日本人』日本国際問題研究所〈国際問題新書〉、1972年。全国書誌番号:70014270、NCID BN09193452。
• 国本伊代、乗浩子編 『ラテンアメリカ都市と社会』 新評論、東京、1991年9月。ISBN 4-7948-0105-X。
  • 国本伊代「王宮の都市メキシコ市の五〇〇年」『ラテンアメリカ都市と社会』 国本伊代、乗浩子編、新評論、1991年9月。ISBN 4-7948-0105-X。
• 中川文雄、三田千代子編 『ラテン・アメリカ人と社会』 新評論〈ラテンアメリカ・シリーズ4〉、東京、1995年10月。ISBN 4-7948-0272-2。
  • 角川雅樹「メキシコにおける人と文化」『ラテンアメリカ人と社会』中川文雄、三田千代子編、新評論、1995年10月。
• 三田千代子、奥山恭子編 『ラテンアメリカ家族と社会』 新評論、東京、1992年12月。ISBN 479480153X。

日墨関係

• 青山正文『彼等は斯の如くメキシコに奮闘せり』1938年。
• 石田雄『メヒコと日本人──第三世界で考える』 東京大学出版、1973年。全国書誌番号:73010102、NCID BN00494788。
• 入江寅次『邦人海外発展史』井田書店、1942年。全国書誌番号:60012829、NCID BA36809288。
• 上野久『メキシコ榎本殖民──榎本武揚の理想と現実』中央公論社〈中公新書〉、1994年4月。ISBN 4121011805
• 外務省領事移住部編 『わが国民の海外発展』外務省、1971年。NCID BN03716423
• 殖民協会『殖民協会報告』
• 日本人メキシコ移住90周年記念委員会『日墨交流史』PMC出版、1990年5月。ISBN 489368213X

文学・ジャーナリズム・その他

• 川治賢一郎『シエラマドレの熱風──日・墨の虹を架けた照井亮次郎の生涯』パコスジャパン、2003年3月。ISBN 4939080064
• 加藤平治『メキシカン・ラプソディー──中南米貿易に賭けた男の炎熱人生』総合労働研究所、1984年1月。全国書誌番号:84024856、NCID BN09657032。
• 田辺厚子『ビバ!メキシコ』 講談社〈講談社現代新書718〉、1984年1月。ISBN 4061457187
• 内藤誠『友よメキシコよ』小峰書店、1979年1月。全国書誌番号:80015201、NCID BA31260349。
• 日墨共働会社『日西辞典』右文堂
• 松本三四郎『メヒコで百年』非売品、1977年2月。NCID BA34190476、OCLC 41900398。
• メキシコ榎本殖民史漫画化プロジェクトチーム、京都精華大学事業推進室編『サムライたちのメキシコ──漫画メキシコ榎本殖民史』京都国際マンガミュージアム、2008年3月。ISBN 9784903822990

関連項目

• メキシコ関係記事の一覧
• メソアメリカ
• メキシコの関連する戦争一覧
• プエブロ・マヒコ
• カリフォルニア州
• ニューメキシコ州
• テキサス州
• トラフィック
• UFO
• クリッパートン島
• チワワ
• メキシコ系フィリピン人（英語版）
• フィリピン系メキシコ人（英語版）
• マニラ・ガレオン

外部リンク

政府

• メキシコ合衆国政府 （スペイン語）（英語）
• メキシコ大統領府 （スペイン語）
• 在日メキシコ大使館 （日本語）（スペイン語）（英語）

日本政府

• 日本外務省 - メキシコ （日本語）
• 在メキシコ日本国大使館 （日本語）（スペイン語）

観光

• メキシコ政府観光局 （日本語）

その他

• JETRO - メキシコ （日本語）
• "Mexico". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.  （英語）
• メキシコ - DMOZ （英語）
• メキシコのウィキメディア地図 （英語）
• 黒潮が結んだメキシコとの絆　日墨交流400周年記念稀覯書展示会 京都外国語大学付属図書館、2009年（平成21年）

wiki en

[Wiki en表示]

This article is about the country in North America. For other uses, see Mexico (disambiguation).

United Mexican States Estados Unidos Mexicanos  (Spanish)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Himno Nacional Mexicano (English: "Mexican National Anthem")
Capital and largest city	Mexico City 19°26′N 99°08′W
Official languages	None at federal level
Recognized regional languages	Spanish 68 native language groups.
National language	Spanish
Religion	83% Roman Catholicism 10% other Christian 0.2% other religion 5% no religion 3% unspecified
Demonym	Mexican
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President	Enrique Peña Nieto
• President of the Senate	Roberto Gil Zuarth
• President of the Chamber of Deputies	Jesús Zambrano Grijalva
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Spain
• Declared	September 16, 1810
• Consummated	September 27, 1821
• Recognized	December 28, 1836
• First constitution	October 4, 1824
• Second constitution	February 5, 1857
• Current constitution	February 5, 1917
Area
• Total	1,972,550 km2 (761,610 sq mi) (13th)
• Water (%)	2.5
Population
• 2015 estimate	119,530,753 (11th)
• Density	61/km2 (158.0/sq mi) (142nd)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$2.406 trillion (11th)
• Per capita	$19,480.51 (64th)
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$987.3 billion (16th)
• Per capita	$7,993.17 (69th)
Gini (2014)	48.2 high
HDI (2015)	0.762 high · 77th
Currency	Peso (MXN)
Time zone	See Time in Mexico (UTC−8 to −5)
• Summer (DST)	varies (UTC−7 to −5)
Drives on the	right
Calling code	+52
ISO 3166 code	MX
Internet TLD	.mx
Article 4.° of the General Law of Linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples. ^ Spanish is the de facto official language of the Mexican federal government.

Mexico (Spanish: México, pronounced [ˈmexiko]; Nahuatl: Mēxihco, pronounced [meːˈʃiʔko]  listen ; English (GAE): pronounced [ˈmɛk.sɪ.ˌkoʊ]), officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos,  listen ), is a federal republic in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Covering almost two million square kilometers (over 760,000 sq mi), Mexico is the sixth largest country in the Americas by total area and the 13th largest independent nation in the world.

With an estimated population of over 120 million, Mexico is the eleventh most populous country and the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world while being the second most populous country in Latin America. Mexico is a federation comprising 31 states and a special federal entity that is also its capital and most populous city. Other metropolises include Guadalajara, León, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, and Tijuana.

Pre-Columbian Mexico was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya and Aztec before first contact with Europeans. In 1521, the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its base in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, which was administered as the viceroyalty of New Spain. Three centuries later, this territory became Mexico following recognition in 1821 after the colony's Mexican War of Independence. The tumultuous post-independence period was characterized by economic instability and many political changes. The Mexican–American War (1846–48) led to the territorial cession of the extensive northern territories to the United States. The Pastry War, the Franco-Mexican War, a civil war, two empires and a domestic dictatorship occurred through the 19th century. The dictatorship was overthrown in the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the 1917 Constitution and the emergence of the country's current political system.

Mexico has the fifteenth largest nominal GDP and the eleventh largest by purchasing power parity. The Mexican economy is strongly linked to those of its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, especially the United States. Mexico was the first Latin American member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), joining in 1994. It is classified as an upper-middle income country by the World Bank and a newly industrialized country by several analysts. By 2050, Mexico could become the world's fifth or seventh largest economy. The country is considered both a regional power and middle power, and is often identified as an emerging global power. Due to its rich culture and history, Mexico ranks first in the Americas and seventh in the world by number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Mexico is a megadiverse country, ranking fourth in the world by biodiversity. In 2016 it was the eighth most visited country in the world, with 35 million international arrivals. Mexico is a member of the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G8+5, the G20, the Uniting for Consensus and the Pacific Alliance.

Etymology

Main article: Name of Mexico

Depiction of the founding myth of Mexico-Tenochtitlan from the Codex Mendoza.

Mēxihco is the Nahuatl term for the heartland of the Aztec Empire, namely, the Valley of Mexico, and its people, the Mexica, and surrounding territories. This became the future State of Mexico as a division of New Spain prior to independence (compare Latium). It is generally considered to be a toponym for the valley which became the primary ethnonym for the Aztec Triple Alliance as a result, or vice versa. After New Spain won independence from Spain, representatives decided to name the new country after its capital, Mexico City. This was founded in 1524 on top of the ancient Mexica capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.

Traditionally, the name Tenochtitlan was thought to come from Nahuatl tetl [ˈtetɬ] ("rock") and nōchtli [ˈnoːtʃtɬi] ("prickly pear") and is often thought to mean "Among the prickly pears [growing among] rocks". However, one attestation in the late 16th-century manuscript known as "the Bancroft dialogues" suggests the second vowel was short, so that the true etymology remains uncertain.

The suffix -co is the Nahuatl locative, making the word a place name. Beyond that, the etymology is uncertain. It has been suggested that it is derived from Mextli or Mēxihtli, a secret name for the god of war and patron of the Mexica, Huitzilopochtli, in which case Mēxihco means "Place where Huitzilopochtli lives". Another hypothesis suggests that Mēxihco derives from a portmanteau of the Nahuatl words for "Moon" (Mētztli) and navel (xīctli). This meaning ("Place at the Center of the Moon") might refer to Tenochtitlan's position in the middle of Lake Texcoco. The system of interconnected lakes, of which Texcoco formed the center, had the form of a rabbit, which the Mesoamericans pareidolically associated with the Moon. Still another hypothesis suggests that the word is derived from Mēctli, the goddess of maguey.

The name of the city-state was transliterated to Spanish as México with the phonetic value of the letter 'x' in Medieval Spanish, which represented the voiceless postalveolar fricative [ʃ]. This sound, as well as the voiced postalveolar fricative [ʒ], represented by a 'j', evolved into a voiceless velar fricative [x] during the 16th century. This led to the use of the variant Méjico in many publications in Spanish, most notably in Spain, whereas in Mexico and most other Spanish–speaking countries México was the preferred spelling. In recent years the Real Academia Española, which regulates the Spanish language, determined that both variants are acceptable in Spanish but that the normative recommended spelling is México. The majority of publications in all Spanish-speaking countries now adhere to the new norm, even though the alternative variant is still occasionally used. In English, the 'x' in Mexico represents neither the original nor the current sound, but the consonant cluster [ks].

The official name of the country has changed as the form of government has changed. The declaration of independence signed on November 6, 1813 by the deputies of the Congress of Anáhuac called the territory América Septentrional (Northern America). On two occasions (1821–1823 and 1863–1867), the country was known as Imperio Mexicano (Mexican Empire). All three federal constitutions (1824, 1857 and 1917, the current constitution) used the name Estados Unidos Mexicanos—or the variant Estados-Unidos Mexicanos, all of which have been translated as "United Mexican States". The phrase República Mexicana, "Mexican Republic", was used in the 1836 Constitutional Laws.

History

Main article: History of Mexico

See also: History of Roman Catholicism in Mexico, Economic history of Mexico, and History of Mexico City

Pre-Columbian Mexico

Main articles: Pre-Columbian Mexico and Mesoamerican chronology

View of the Pyramid of the Moon and entrance to the Quetzalpapálotl Palace. During its peak in the Classic era, Teotihuacan dominated the Valley of Mexico and exerted political and cultural influence in other areas, such as in the Petén Basin.

The earliest human artifacts in Mexico are chips of stone tools found near campfire remains in the Valley of Mexico and radiocarbon-dated to circa 10,000 years ago. Mexico is the site of the domestication of maize, tomato and beans, which produced an agricultural surplus. This enabled the transition from paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers to sedentary agricultural villages beginning around 5000 BCE.

In the subsequent formative eras, maize cultivation and cultural traits such as a mythological and religious complex, and a vigesimal numeric system, were diffused from the Mexican cultures to the rest of the Mesoamerican culture area. In this period, villages became more dense in terms of population, becoming socially stratified with an artisan class, and developing into chiefdoms. The most powerful rulers had religious and political power, organizing construction of large ceremonial centers developed.

The earliest complex civilization in Mexico was the Olmec culture, which flourished on the Gulf Coast from around 1500 BCE. Olmec cultural traits diffused through Mexico into other formative-era cultures in Chiapas, Oaxaca and the Valley of Mexico. The formative period saw the spread of distinct religious and symbolic traditions, as well as artistic and architectural complexes. The formative-era of Mesoamerica is considered one of the six independent cradles of civilization.

In the subsequent pre-classical period, the Maya and Zapotec civilizations developed complex centers at Calakmul and Monte Albán, respectively. During this period the first true Mesoamerican writing systems were developed in the Epi-Olmec and the Zapotec cultures. The Mesoamerican writing tradition reached its height in the Classic Maya Hieroglyphic script.

In Central Mexico, the height of the classic period saw the ascendancy of Teotihuacan, which formed a military and commercial empire whose political influence stretched south into the Maya area as well as north. Teotihuacan, with a population of more than 150,000 people, had some of the largest pyramidal structures in the pre-Columbian Americas. After the collapse of Teotihuacán around 600 CE, competition ensued between several important political centers in central Mexico such as Xochicalco and Cholula. At this time, during the Epi-Classic, Nahua peoples began moving south into Mesoamerica from the North, and became politically and culturally dominant in central Mexico, as they displaced speakers of Oto-Manguean languages.

Post-classic period (ca. 1000–1519 AD)

Mural by Diego Rivera depicting the view from the Tlatelolco markets into Mexico-Tenochtitlan, one of the largest cities in the world at the time.

During the early post-classic, Central Mexico was dominated by the Toltec culture, Oaxaca by the Mixtec, and the lowland Maya area had important centers at Chichén Itzá and Mayapán. Toward the end of the post-Classic period, the Mexica established dominance.

Alexander von Humboldt originated the modern usage of "Aztec" as a collective term applied to all the people linked by trade, custom, religion, and language to the Mexica state and Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, the Triple Alliance. In 1843, with the publication of the work of William H. Prescott, it was adopted by most of the world, including 19th-century Mexican scholars who considered it a way to distinguish present-day Mexicans from pre-conquest Mexicans. This usage has been the subject of debate since the late 20th century.

The Aztec empire was an informal or hegemonic empire because it did not exert supreme authority over the conquered lands; it was satisfied with the payment of tributes from them. It was a discontinuous empire because not all dominated territories were connected; for example, the southern peripheral zones of Xoconochco were not in direct contact with the center. The hegemonic nature of the Aztec empire was demonstrated by their restoration of local rulers to their former position after their city-state was conquered. The Aztec did not interfere in local affairs, as long as the tributes were paid.

The Aztec of Central Mexico built a tributary empire covering most of central Mexico. The Aztec were noted for practicing human sacrifice on a large scale. Along with this practice, they avoided killing enemies on the battlefield. Their warring casualty rate was far lower than that of their Spanish counterparts, whose principal objective was immediate slaughter during battle. This distinct Mesoamerican cultural tradition of human sacrifice ended with the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Over the next centuries Mexican indigenous cultures were gradually subjected to Spanish colonial rule.

Conquest of the Aztec Triple Alliance (1519–1521)

Further information: Spanish conquest of Mexico

Hernán Cortés and La Malinche meet Moctezuma II. The image is from the Lienzo de Tlaxcala, created c. 1550 by the Tlaxcalans to remind the Spanish of their loyalty and the importance of Tlaxcala during the conquest.

The Spanish first learned of Mexico during the Juan de Grijalva expedition of 1518. The natives kept "repeating: Colua, Colua, and Mexico, Mexico, but we [explorers] did not know what Colua or Mexico meant", until encountering Montezuma's governor at the mouth of the Rio de las Banderas. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire began in February 1519 when Hernán Cortés arrived at the port in Veracruz with ca. 500 conquistadores. After taking control of that city, he moved on to the Aztec capital. In his search for gold and other riches, Cortés decided to invade and conquer the Aztec empire.

Storming of the Teocalli by Cortez and his troops. Emanuel Leutze. Painting, 1848

When the Spaniards arrived, the ruler of the Aztec empire was Moctezuma II, who was later killed. His successor and brother Cuitláhuac took control of the Aztec empire, but was among the first to fall from the first smallpox epidemic in the area a short time later. Unintentionally introduced by Spanish conquerors, among whom smallpox was endemic, the infectious disease ravaged Mesoamerica in the 1520s. It killed more than 3 million natives as they had no immunity. Other sources, however, mentioned that the death toll of the Aztecs might have reached 15 million (out of a population of less than 30 million) although such a high number conflicts with the 350,000 Aztecs who ruled an empire of 5 million or 10 million. Severely weakened, the Aztec empire was easily defeated by Cortés and his forces on his second return with the help of state of Tlaxcala whose population estimate was 300,000. The native population declined 80–90% by 1600 to 1–2.5 million. Any population estimate of pre-Columbian Mexico is bound to be a guess but 8–12 million is often suggested for the area encompassed by the modern nation.

Smallpox was a devastating disease: it generally killed Aztecs but not Spaniards, who as Europeans had already been exposed to it in their cities for centuries and therefore had developed acquired immunity. The deaths caused by smallpox are believed to have triggered a rapid growth of Christianity in Mexico and the Americas. At first, the Aztecs believed the epidemic was a punishment from an angry god, but they later accepted their fate and no longer resisted the Spanish rule. Many of the surviving Aztecs believed that smallpox could be credited to the superiority of the Christian god, which resulted in their acceptance of Catholicism and yielding to the Spanish rule throughout Mexico.

The territory became part of the Spanish Empire under the name of New Spain. Mexico City was systematically rebuilt by Cortés following the Fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521. Much of the identity, traditions and architecture of Mexico developed during the 300-year colonial period.

Viceroyalty of New Spain (1521–1821)

Main article: New Spain

Equestrian statue of Charles IV, Mexico City, Manuel Tolsá. The Spanish Monarch was the maximum authority in New Spain and ruled via a viceroy.

The capture of Tenochtitlan and refounding of Mexico City in 1521 was the beginning of a 300-year-long colonial era during which Mexico was known as Nueva España (New Spain). The Kingdom of New Spain was created from the remnants of the Aztec hegemonic empire. Subsequent enlargements, such as the conquest of the Tarascan state, resulted in the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535. The Viceroyalty at its greatest extent included the territories of modern Mexico, Central America as far south as Costa Rica, and the western United States. The Viceregal capital Mexico City also administrated the Spanish West Indies (the Caribbean), the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines), and Spanish Florida.

The indigenous population stabilized around one to one and a half million individuals in the 17th century from the most commonly accepted five to ten million pre-contact population. The population decline was primarily the result of communicable diseases, particularly smallpox, introduced during the Columbian Exchange. During the three hundred years of the colonial era, Mexico received between 400,000 and 500,000 Europeans, between 200,000 and 250,000 Africans and between 40,000 and 120,000 Asians. The 18th century saw a great increase in the percentage of mestizos.

Colonial law with Spanish roots was introduced and attached to native customs creating a hierarchy between local jurisdiction (the Cabildos) and the Spanish Crown. Whereby upper administrative offices were closed to native-born people, even those of pure Spanish blood (criollos). Administration was based on the racial separation of the population among "Republics" of Spaniards, Amerindians and castas, autonomous and directly dependent on the king himself.

Portrait of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, oil on canvas, 1772.

The Council of Indies and the mendicant religious orders, which arrived in Mesoamerica as early as 1524, labored to generate capital for the crown of Spain and convert the Amerindian populations to Catholicism. The 1531 Marian apparitions to Saint Juan Diego gave impetus to the evangelization of central Mexico. The Virgin of Guadalupe became a symbol of criollo patriotism and was used by the insurgents that followed Miguel Hidalgo during the War of Independence. Some Crypto-Jewish families emigrated to Mexico to escape the Spanish Inquisition.

The rich deposits of silver, particularly in Zacatecas and Guanajuato, resulted in silver extraction dominating the economy of New Spain. Taxes on silver production became a major source of income for Spain. Other important industries were the haciendas (functioning under the encomienda and repartimiento systems) and mercantile activities in the main cities and ports. Wealth created during the colonial era spurred the development of New Spanish Baroque.

As a result of its trade links with Asia, the rest of the Americas, Africa and Europe and the profound effect of New World silver, central Mexico was one of the first regions to be incorporated into a globalized economy. Being at the crossroads of trade, people and cultures, Mexico City has been called the "first world city". The Nao de China (Manila Galleons) operated for two and a half centuries and connected New Spain with Asia. Goods were taken from Veracruz to Atlantic ports in the Americas and Spain. Veracruz was also the main port of entry in mainland New Spain for European goods, immigrants, and African slaves. The Camino Real de Tierra Adentro connected Mexico City with the interior of New Spain.

Guanajuato City became the world's leading silver producer in the 18th century as a result of the veta madre.

Due to the importance of central New Spain, Mexico was the location of the first printing shop (1539), first university (1551), first public park (1592), and first public library (1646) in the Americas, amongst other institutions. Important artists of the colonial period, include the writers Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, painters Cristóbal de Villalpando and Miguel Cabrera, and architect Manuel Tolsá. The Academy of San Carlos was the first major school and museum of art in the Americas. Scientist Andrés Manuel del Río Fernández discovered the element vanadium.

Spanish forces, sometimes accompanied by native allies, led expeditions to conquer territory or quell rebellions through the colonial era. Notable Amerindian revolts in sporadically populated northern New Spain include the Chichimeca War (1576–1606), Tepehuán Revolt (1616–1620) and the Pueblo Revolt (1680). In order to protect Mexico from the attacks of English, French and Dutch pirates and protect the Crown's monopoly of revenue, only two ports were open to foreign trade—Veracruz on the Atlantic and Acapulco on the Pacific. Among the best-known pirate attacks are the 1663 Sack of Campeche and 1683 Attack on Veracruz.

Many Mexican cultural features including tequila, first distilled in the 16th century, charreria (17th), mariachi (18th) and Mexican cuisine, a fusion of American and European (particularly Spanish) cuisine, arose during the colonial era.

War of Independence (1810–1821)

Main article: Mexican War of Independence

Depiction of the Abrazo de Acatempan between Agustin de Iturbide, left, and Vicente Guerrero.

On September 16, 1810, a "loyalist revolt" against the ruling Junta was declared by priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, in the small town of Dolores, Guanajuato. The first insurgent group was formed by Hidalgo, the Spanish viceregal army captain Ignacio Allende, the militia captain Juan Aldama and "La Corregidora" Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez. Hidalgo and some of his soldiers were captured and executed by firing squad in Chihuahua, on July 31, 1811. Following his death, the leadership was assumed by priest José María Morelos, who occupied key southern cities.

In 1813 the Congress of Chilpancingo was convened and, on November 6, signed the "Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America". Morelos was captured and executed on December 22, 1815.

In subsequent years, the insurgency was near collapse, but in 1820 Viceroy Juan Ruiz de Apodaca sent an army under the criollo general Agustín de Iturbide against the troops of Vicente Guerrero. Instead, Iturbide approached Guerrero to join forces, and on August 24, 1821 representatives of the Spanish Crown and Iturbide signed the "Treaty of Córdoba" and the "Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire", which recognized the independence of Mexico under the terms of the "Plan of Iguala".

Mexico’s short recovery after the War of Independence was soon cut short again by the civil wars and institutional instability of the 1850s, which lasted until the government of Porfirio Díaz reestablished conditions that paved the way for economic growth. The conflicts that arose from the mid-1850s had a profound effect because they were widespread and made themselves perceptible in the vast rural areas of the countries, involved clashes between castes, different ethnic groups and haciendas, and entailed a deepening of the political and ideological divisions between republicans and monarchists.

First Empire and First Republic (1821–1846)

Main articles: First Mexican Empire, First Mexican Republic, and Centralist Republic of Mexico

The territorial evolution of Mexico after independence, noting the secession of Central America (purple), Chiapas annexed from Guatemala (blue), losses to the US (red, white and orange) and the reannexation of the Republic of Yucatan (red).

Agustín de Iturbide became constitutional emperor of the First Mexican Empire in 1822. A revolt against him in 1823 established the United Mexican States. In 1824, a Republican Constitution was drafted and Guadalupe Victoria became the first president of the newly born country. Central America, including Chiapas, left the union. In 1829 president Guerrero abolished slavery. The first decades of the post-independence period were marked by economic instability, which led to the Pastry War in 1836. There was constant strife between liberales, supporters of a federal form of government, and conservadores, who proposed a hierarchical form of government.

During this period, the frontier borderlands to the north became quite isolated from the government in Mexico City, and its monopolistic economic policies caused suffering. With limited trade, the people had difficulty meeting tax payments and resented the central government's actions in collecting customs. Resentment built up from California to Texas. Both the mission system and the presidios had collapsed after the Spanish withdrew from the colony, causing great disruption especially in Alta California and New Mexico. The people in the borderlands had to raise local militias to protect themselves from hostile Native Americans. These areas developed in different directions from the center of the country.

Wanting to stabilize and develop the frontier, Mexico encouraged immigration into present-day Texas, as they were unable to persuade people from central Mexico to move into those areas. They allowed for religious freedom for the new settlers, who were primarily Protestant English speakers from the United States. Within several years, the Anglos far outnumbered the Tejano in the area. Itinerant traders traveled through the area, working by free market principles. The Tejano grew more separate from the government and due to its neglect, many supported the idea of independence and joined movements to that end, collaborating with the English-speaking Americans.

General Antonio López de Santa Anna, a centralist and two-time dictator, approved the Siete Leyes in 1836, a radical amendment that institutionalized the centralized form of government. When he suspended the 1824 Constitution, civil war spread across the country. Three new governments declared independence: the Republic of Texas, the Republic of the Rio Grande and the Republic of Yucatán.

Second Republic and Second Empire (1846–1867)

Main articles: Second Mexican Republic and Second Mexican Empire

Benito Juárez, 26th President of Mexico

The 1846 United States annexation of the Republic of Texas and subsequent American military incursion into territory that was part of Coahuila (also claimed by Texas) instigated the Mexican–American War. The war was settled in 1848 via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Mexico was forced to give up more than one-third of its land to the U.S., including Alta California, Santa Fe de Nuevo México and the territory claimed by Texas. A much smaller transfer of territory in what is today southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico—known as the Gadsden Purchase—occurred in 1854.

The Caste War of Yucatán, the Maya uprising that began in 1847, was one of the most successful modern Native American revolts. Maya rebels, or Cruzob, maintained relatively independent enclaves in the peninsula until the 1930s.

Dissatisfaction with Santa Anna's return to power led to the liberal "Plan of Ayutla", initiating an era known as La Reforma. The new Constitution drafted in 1857 established a secular state, federalism as the form of government, and several freedoms. As the conservadores refused to recognize it, the Reform War began in 1858, during which both groups had their own governments. The war ended in 1861 with victory by the Liberals, led by president Benito Juárez, who was an ethnic Zapotec.

In the 1860s Mexico was occupied by France, which established the Second Mexican Empire under the rule of the Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria with support from the Roman Catholic clergy and the conservadores. The latter switched sides and joined the liberales. Maximilian surrendered, was tried on June 14, 1867, and was executed a few days later on June 19 in Querétaro.

Porfiriato (1876–1911)

Main article: Porfiriato

Porfirio Díaz, a republican general during the French intervention, was elected the 29th president in 1876. The 1880 election was won by Manuel González Flores. Díaz was reelected in 1884 and ruled until 1911. The period, known as the Porfiriato, was characterized by economic stability and growth, significant foreign investment and influence, investments in the arts and sciences and an expansion of the railroad network and telecommunications. The period was concurrent with the Gilded Age in the US and Belle Époque in France and was also marked by economic inequality and political repression.

Díaz ruled with a group of confidants that became known as the científicos ("scientists"). The most influential cientifco was Secretary of Finance José Yves Limantour. The Porfirian regime was influenced by positivism. They rejected theology and idealism in favor of scientific methods being applied towards national development. Various iconic buildings and monuments were initiated by Díaz, including the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Palacio de Correos de Mexico, Monumento a la Independencia and the Palacio Legislativo (which became the Monumento a la Revolución).

Mexican Revolution and one-party rule (1910–2000)

Further information: Mexican Revolution

Francisco I. Madero with Emiliano Zapata, in Cuernavaca during the Mexican Revolution

President Díaz announced in 1908 that he would retire in 1911, resulting in the development of new coalitions. But then he ran for reelection anyway and in a show of U.S. support, Díaz and William Howard Taft planned a summit in El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, for October 16, 1909, an historic first meeting between a Mexican and a U.S. president and also the first time an American president would cross the border into Mexico. Both sides agreed that the disputed Chamizal strip connecting El Paso to Ciudad Juárez would be considered neutral territory with no flags present during the summit, but the meeting focused attention on this territory and resulted in assassination threats and other serious security concerns.

On the day of the summit, Frederick Russell Burnham, the celebrated scout, and Private C.R. Moore, a Texas Ranger, discovered a man holding a concealed palm pistol standing at the El Paso Chamber of Commerce building along the procession route, and they disarmed the assassin within only a few feet of Díaz and Taft. Both presidents were unharmed and the summit was held. Díaz was re-elected in 1910, but alleged electoral fraud forced him into exile in France and sparked the 1910 Mexican Revolution, initially led by Francisco I. Madero.

Madero was elected president but overthrown and murdered in a coup d'état two years later directed by conservative general Victoriano Huerta. That event re-ignited the civil war, involving figures such as Francisco Villa and Emiliano Zapata, who formed their own forces. A third force, the constitutional army led by Venustiano Carranza managed to bring an end to the war, and radically amended the 1857 Constitution to include many of the social premises and demands of the revolutionaries into what was eventually called the 1917 Constitution. It is estimated that the war killed 900,000 of the 1910 population of 15 million.

Assassinated in 1920, Carranza was succeeded by another revolutionary hero, Álvaro Obregón, who in turn was succeeded by Plutarco Elías Calles. Obregón was reelected in 1928 but assassinated before he could assume power. Although this period is usually referred to as the Mexican Revolution, it might also be termed a civil war since president Díaz (1909) narrowly escaped assassination and presidents Francisco I. Madero (1913), Venustiano Carranza (1920), Álvaro Obregón (1928), and former revolutionary leaders Emiliano Zapata (1919) and Pancho Villa (1923) all were assassinated during this period.

One-party rule (1929–2000)

In 1929, Calles founded the National Revolutionary Party (PNR), later renamed the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and started a period known as the Maximato, which ended with the election of Lázaro Cárdenas, who implemented many economic and social reforms. This included the Mexican oil expropriation in March 1938, which nationalized the U.S. and Anglo-Dutch oil company known as the Mexican Eagle Petroleum Company. This movement would result in the creation of the state-owned Mexican oil company known as Pemex. This sparked a diplomatic crisis with the countries whose citizens had lost businesses by Cárdenas' radical measure, but since then the company has played an important role in the economic development of Mexico.

Students in a burned bus during the protests of 1968

Between 1940 and 1980, Mexico remained a poor country but experienced substantial economic growth that some historians call the "Mexican miracle". Although the economy continued to flourish for some, social inequality remained a factor of discontent. Moreover, the PRI rule became increasingly authoritarian and at times oppressive in what is now referred to as 'Mexico's dirty war' (see the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, which claimed the life of around 300 protesters based on conservative estimates and as many as 800 protesters).

Electoral reforms and high oil prices followed the administration of Luis Echeverría, mismanagement of these revenues led to inflation and exacerbated the 1982 Crisis. That year, oil prices plunged, interest rates soared, and the government defaulted on its debt. President Miguel de la Madrid resorted to currency devaluations which in turn sparked inflation.

In the 1980s the first cracks emerged in PRI's monopolistic position. In Baja California, Ernesto Ruffo Appel was elected as governor. In 1988, alleged electoral fraud prevented the leftist candidate Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas from winning the national presidential elections, giving Carlos Salinas de Gortari the presidency and leading to massive protests in Mexico City.

NAFTA signing ceremony, October 1992. From left to right: (standing) president Carlos Salinas de Gortari, president George H. W. Bush (U.S.) and prime minister Brian Mulroney (Canada); (seated) Jaime Serra Puche, Carla Hills (U.S.) and Michael Wilson (Canada)

Salinas embarked on a program of neoliberal reforms which fixed the exchange rate, controlled inflation and culminated with the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which came into effect on January 1, 1994. The same day, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) started a two-week-long armed rebellion against the federal government, and has continued as a non-violent opposition movement against neoliberalism and globalization.

In 1994, Salinas was succeeded by Ernesto Zedillo, followed by the Mexican peso crisis and a $50 billion IMF bailout. Major macroeconomic reforms were started by President Zedillo, and the economy rapidly recovered and growth peaked at almost 7% by the end of 1999.

Contemporary Mexico

In 2000, after 71 years, the PRI lost a presidential election to Vicente Fox of the opposition National Action Party (PAN). In the 2006 presidential election, Felipe Calderón from the PAN was declared the winner, with a very narrow margin over leftist politician Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD). López Obrador, however, contested the election and pledged to create an "alternative government".

After twelve years, in 2012, the PRI won the Presidency again with the election of Enrique Peña Nieto, the governor of the State of Mexico from 2005–2011. However, he won with only a plurality of about 38%, and did not have a legislative majority.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Mexico

Topographic map of Mexico.

Mexico map of Köppen climate classification.

Mexico is located between latitudes 14° and 33°N, and longitudes 86° and 119°W in the southern portion of North America. Almost all of Mexico lies in the North American Plate, with small parts of the Baja California peninsula on the Pacific and Cocos Plates. Geophysically, some geographers include the territory east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (around 12% of the total) within Central America. Geopolitically, however, Mexico is entirely considered part of North America, along with Canada and the United States.

Mexico's total area is 1,972,550 km² (761,606 sq mi), making it the world's 14th largest country by total area, and includes approximately 6,000 km² (2,317 sq mi) of islands in the Pacific Ocean (including the remote Guadalupe Island and the Revillagigedo Islands), Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Gulf of California. From its farthest land points, Mexico is a little over 2,000 mi (3,219 km) in length.

On its north, Mexico shares a 3,141 km (1,952 mi) border with the United States. The meandering Río Bravo del Norte (known as the Rio Grande in the United States) defines the border from Ciudad Juárez east to the Gulf of Mexico. A series of natural and artificial markers delineate the United States-Mexican border west from Ciudad Juárez to the Pacific Ocean. Donald Trump made the construction of a border wall (on the U.S. side) an element of his 2016 presidential campaign. On its south, Mexico shares an 871 km (541 mi) border with Guatemala and a 251 km (156 mi) border with Belize.

Mexico is crossed from north to south by two mountain ranges known as Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental, which are the extension of the Rocky Mountains from northern North America. From east to west at the center, the country is crossed by the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Sierra Nevada. A fourth mountain range, the Sierra Madre del Sur, runs from Michoacán to Oaxaca.

As such, the majority of the Mexican central and northern territories are located at high altitudes, and the highest elevations are found at the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: Pico de Orizaba (5,700 m or 18,701 ft), Popocatepetl (5,462 m or 17,920 ft) and Iztaccihuatl (5,286 m or 17,343 ft) and the Nevado de Toluca (4,577 m or 15,016 ft). Three major urban agglomerations are located in the valleys between these four elevations: Toluca, Greater Mexico City and Puebla.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Mexico

The Tropic of Cancer effectively divides the country into temperate and tropical zones. Land north of the twenty-fourth parallel experiences cooler temperatures during the winter months. South of the twenty-fourth parallel, temperatures are fairly constant year round and vary solely as a function of elevation. This gives Mexico one of the world's most diverse weather systems.

Areas south of the 24th parallel with elevations up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) (the southern parts of both coastal plains as well as the Yucatán Peninsula), have a yearly median temperature between 24 to 28 °C (75.2 to 82.4 °F). Temperatures here remain high throughout the year, with only a 5 °C (9 °F) difference between winter and summer median temperatures. Both Mexican coasts, except for the south coast of the Bay of Campeche and northern Baja, are also vulnerable to serious hurricanes during the summer and fall. Although low-lying areas north of the 24th parallel are hot and humid during the summer, they generally have lower yearly temperature averages (from 20 to 24 °C or 68.0 to 75.2 °F) because of more moderate conditions during the winter.

Many large cities in Mexico are located in the Valley of Mexico or in adjacent valleys with altitudes generally above 2,000 m (6,562 ft). This gives them a year-round temperate climate with yearly temperature averages (from 16 to 18 °C or 60.8 to 64.4 °F) and cool nighttime temperatures throughout the year.

Many parts of Mexico, particularly the north, have a dry climate with sporadic rainfall while parts of the tropical lowlands in the south average more than 2,000 mm (78.7 in) of annual precipitation. For example, many cities in the north like Monterrey, Hermosillo, and Mexicali experience temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F) or more in summer. In the Sonoran Desert temperatures reach 50 °C (122 °F) or more.

In 2012, Mexico passed a comprehensive climate change bill, a first in the developing world, that has set a goal for the country to generate 35% of its energy from clean energy sources by 2024, and to cut emissions by 50% by 2050, from the level found in 2000. During the 2016 North American Leaders' Summit, the target of 50% of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2025 was announced.

• Climate of Mexico
• Lago de Camécuaro
  Humid subtropical climate (Cwa)

• Gran Desierto de Altar
  Arid climate (BWh)

• Lagunas de Zempoala
  Oceanic climate (Cwb)

• Nevado de Toluca
  Alpine tundra (ET)

• Chontalpa
  Tropical monsoon climate (AM)

• Janos Biosphere Reserve
  Semi-arid climate (BSk)

• Valle de Guadalupe
  Mediterranean climate (Csa)

Biodiversity

A jaguar at the Chapultepec Zoo. The zoo is known for its success in breeding programs of threatened species.

Mexico ranks fourth in the world in biodiversity and is one of the 17 megadiverse countries. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity. Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in reptiles with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in amphibians with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26,000 different species. Mexico is also considered the second country in the world in ecosystems and fourth in overall species. Approximately 2,500 species are protected by Mexican legislations.

In 2002, Mexico had the second fastest rate of deforestation in the world, second only to Brazil. The government has taken another initiative in the late 1990s to broaden the people's knowledge, interest and use of the country's esteemed biodiversity, through the Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad.

In Mexico, 170,000 square kilometres (65,637 sq mi) are considered "Protected Natural Areas." These include 34 biosphere reserves (unaltered ecosystems), 67 national parks, 4 natural monuments (protected in perpetuity for their aesthetic, scientific or historical value), 26 areas of protected flora and fauna, 4 areas for natural resource protection (conservation of soil, hydrological basins and forests) and 17 sanctuaries (zones rich in diverse species).

The discovery of the Americas brought to the rest of the world many widely used food crops and edible plants. Some of Mexico's native culinary ingredients include: chocolate, avocado, tomato, maize, vanilla, guava, chayote, epazote, camote, jícama, nopal, zucchini, tejocote, huitlacoche, sapote, mamey sapote, many varieties of beans, and an even greater variety of chiles, such as the habanero and the jalapeño. Most of these names come from indigenous languages like Nahuatl.

Because of its high biodiversity Mexico has also been a frequent site of bioprospecting by international research bodies. The first highly successful instance being the discovery in 1947 of the tuber "Barbasco" (Dioscorea composita) which has a high content of diosgenin, revolutionizing the production of synthetic hormones in the 1950s and 1960s and eventually leading to the invention of combined oral contraceptive pills.

Government and politics

Government

Main article: Federal government of Mexico

Enrique Peña Nieto, President of Mexico

The United Mexican States are a federation whose government is representative, democratic and republican based on a presidential system according to the 1917 Constitution. The constitution establishes three levels of government: the federal Union, the state governments and the municipal governments. According to the constitution, all constituent states of the federation must have a republican form of government composed of three branches: the executive, represented by a governor and an appointed cabinet, the legislative branch constituted by a unicameral congress and the judiciary, which will include a state Supreme Court of Justice. They also have their own civil and judicial codes.

The federal legislature is the bicameral Congress of the Union, composed of the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies. The Congress makes federal law, declares war, imposes taxes, approves the national budget and international treaties, and ratifies diplomatic appointments.

The federal Congress, as well as the state legislatures, are elected by a system of parallel voting that includes plurality and proportional representation. The Chamber of Deputies has 500 deputies. Of these, 300 are elected by plurality vote in single-member districts (the federal electoral districts) and 200 are elected by proportional representation with closed party lists for which the country is divided into five electoral constituencies. The Senate is made up of 128 senators. Of these, 64 senators (two for each state and two for the Federal District) are elected by plurality vote in pairs; 32 senators are the first minority or first-runner up (one for each state and one for the Federal District), and 32 are elected by proportional representation from national closed party lists.

The executive is the President of the United Mexican States, who is the head of state and government, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Mexican military forces. The President also appoints the Cabinet and other officers. The President is responsible for executing and enforcing the law, and has the power to veto bills.

Site of the Supreme Court of Justice

The highest organ of the judicial branch of government is the Supreme Court of Justice, the national supreme court, which has eleven judges appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. The Supreme Court of Justice interprets laws and judges cases of federal competency. Other institutions of the judiciary are the Federal Electoral Tribunal, collegiate, unitary and district tribunals, and the Council of the Federal Judiciary.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Mexico

Three parties have historically been the dominant parties in Mexican politics: the National Action Party: a conservative party founded in 1939 and belonging to the Christian Democrat Organization of America; the Institutional Revolutionary Party, a center-left party and member of Socialist International that was founded in 1929 to unite all the factions of the Mexican Revolution and held an almost hegemonic power in Mexican politics since then; the Party of the Democratic Revolution: a left-wing party, founded in 1989 as the successor of the coalition of socialists and liberal parties.

Law enforcement

Main article: Law enforcement in Mexico

Federal Police headquarters in Mexico City

Public security is enacted at the three levels of government, each of which has different prerogatives and responsibilities. Local and state police departments are primarily in charge of law enforcement, whereas the Mexican Federal Police are in charge of specialized duties. All levels report to the Secretaría de Seguridad Pública (Secretary of Public Security). The General Attorney's Office (Procuraduría General de la República, PGR) is the executive power's agency in charge of investigating and prosecuting crimes at the federal level, mainly those related to drug and arms trafficking, espionage, and bank robberies. The PGR operates the Federal Investigations Agency (Agencia Federal de Investigación, AFI) an investigative and preventive agency.

While the government generally respects the human rights of its citizens, serious abuses of power have been reported in security operations in the southern part of the country and in indigenous communities and poor urban neighborhoods. The National Human Rights Commission has had little impact in reversing this trend, engaging mostly in documentation but failing to use its powers to issue public condemnations to the officials who ignore its recommendations. By law, all defendants have the rights that assure them fair trials and humane treatment; however, the system is overburdened and overwhelmed with several problems.

Despite the efforts of the authorities to fight crime and fraud, most Mexicans have low confidence in the police or the judicial system, and therefore, few crimes are actually reported by the citizens. The Global Integrity Index which measures the existence and effectiveness of national anti-corruption mechanisms rated Mexico 31st behind Kenya, Thailand, and Russia. In 2008, president Calderón proposed a major reform of the judicial system, which was approved by the Congress of the Union, which included oral trials, the presumption of innocence for defendants, the authority of local police to investigate crime—until then a prerogative of special police units—and several other changes intended to speed up trials.

Crime

Main articles: Crime in Mexico and Mexican Drug War

Drug cartels are a major concern in Mexico. Mexico's drug war has left over 60,000 dead and perhaps another 20,000 missing. The Mexican drug cartels have as many as 100,000 members. The Mexican government's National Geography and Statistics Institute estimated that there were 41,563 crimes per 100,000 residents in 2012.

President Felipe Calderón made abating organized crime one of the top priorities of his administration by deploying military personnel to cities where drug cartels operate. This move was criticized by the opposition parties and the National Human Rights Commission for escalating the violence, but its effects have been positively evaluated by the US State Department's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs as having obtained "unprecedented results" with "many important successes".

Since President Felipe Calderón launched a crackdown against cartels in 2006, more than 28,000 alleged criminals have been killed. Of the total drug-related violence 4% are innocent people, mostly by-passers and people trapped in between shootings; 90% accounts for criminals and 6% for military personnel and police officers. In October 2007, President Calderón and US president George W. Bush announced the Mérida Initiative, a plan of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.

Foreign relations

President Peña Nieto with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and President Barack Obama of the United States at the 2016 North American Leaders' Summit.

Main article: Foreign relations of Mexico

The foreign relations of Mexico are directed by the President of Mexico and managed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The principles of the foreign policy are constitutionally recognized in the Article 89, Section 10, which include: respect for international law and legal equality of states, their sovereignty and independence, non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other countries, peaceful resolution of conflicts, and promotion of collective security through active participation in international organizations. Since the 1930s, the Estrada Doctrine has served as a crucial complement to these principles.

Mexico is one of the founding members of several international organizations, most notably the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the OPANAL and the Rio Group. In 2008, Mexico contributed over 40 million dollars to the United Nations regular budget. In addition, it was the only Latin American member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development since it joined in 1994 until Chile gained full membership in 2010.

Mexico is considered a regional power hence its presence in major economic groups such as the G8+5 and the G-20. In addition, since the 1990s Mexico has sought a reform of the United Nations Security Council and its working methods with the support of Canada, Italy, Pakistan and other nine countries, which form a group informally called the Coffee Club.

After the War of Independence, the relations of Mexico were focused primarily on the United States, its northern neighbor, largest trading partner, and the most powerful actor in hemispheric and world affairs. Mexico supported the Cuban government since its establishment in the early 1960s, the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua during the late 1970s, and leftist revolutionary groups in El Salvador during the 1980s. Felipe Calderón's administration put a greater emphasis on relations with Latin America and the Caribbean.

Military

Main article: Mexican Armed Forces

A Mexican Navy Eurocopter

The Mexican Armed Forces have two branches: the Mexican Army (which includes the Mexican Air Force), and the Mexican Navy. The Mexican Armed Forces maintain significant infrastructure, including facilities for design, research, and testing of weapons, vehicles, aircraft, naval vessels, defense systems and electronics; military industry manufacturing centers for building such systems, and advanced naval dockyards that build heavy military vessels and advanced missile technologies.

Mexican built Sierra-class corvettes

In recent years, Mexico has improved its training techniques, military command and information structures and has taken steps to becoming more self-reliant in supplying its military by designing as well as manufacturing its own arms, missiles, aircraft, vehicles, heavy weaponry, electronics, defense systems, armor, heavy military industrial equipment and heavy naval vessels. Since the 1990s, when the military escalated its role in the war on drugs, increasing importance has been placed on acquiring airborne surveillance platforms, aircraft, helicopters, digital war-fighting technologies, urban warfare equipment and rapid troop transport.

Mexico has the capabilities to manufacture nuclear weapons, but abandoned this possibility with the Treaty of Tlatelolco in 1968 and pledged to only use its nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. In 1970, Mexico's national institute for nuclear research successfully refined weapons grade uranium which is used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons but in April 2010, Mexico agreed to turn over its weapons grade uranium to the United States.

Historically, Mexico has remained neutral in international conflicts, with the exception of World War II. However, in recent years some political parties have proposed an amendment of the Constitution in order to allow the Mexican Army, Air Force or Navy to collaborate with the United Nations in peacekeeping missions, or to provide military help to countries that officially ask for it.

Administrative divisions

Main articles: Administrative divisions of Mexico, States of Mexico, and Municipalities of Mexico

See also: List of regions of Mexico

The United Mexican States are a federation of 31 free and sovereign states, which form a union that exercises a degree of jurisdiction over the Federal District and other territories.

Each state has its own constitution, congress, and a judiciary, and its citizens elect by direct voting a governor for a six-year term, and representatives to their respective unicameral state congresses for three-year terms.

The Federal District is a special political division that belongs to the federation as a whole and not to a particular state, and as such, has more limited local rule than the nation's states.

The states are divided into municipalities, the smallest administrative political entity in the country, governed by a mayor or municipal president (presidente municipal), elected by its residents by plurality.

Map	State	Capital	State	Capital
Gulf of Mexico Pacific Ocean Central America United States of America Federal District AG Baja California Baja California Sur Campeche Chiapas Chihuahua Coahuila Colima Durango Guanajuato Guerrero HD Jalisco EM Michoacán MO Nayarit Nuevo León Oaxaca Puebla QU Quintana Roo San Luis Potosí Sinaloa Sonora Tabasco Tamaulipas TL Veracruz Yucatán Zacatecas	Aguascalientes (AGS)	Aguascalientes	Morelos (MOR)	Cuernavaca
	Baja California (BC)	Mexicali	Nayarit (NAY)	Tepic
	Baja California Sur (BCS)	La Paz	Nuevo León (NL)	Monterrey
	Campeche (CAM)	Campeche	Oaxaca (OAX)	Oaxaca
	Chiapas (CHP)	Tuxtla Gutiérrez	Puebla (PUE)	Puebla
	Chihuahua (CHH)	Chihuahua	Querétaro (QUE)	Querétaro
	Coahuila (COA)	Saltillo	Quintana Roo (QR)	Chetumal
	Colima (COL)	Colima	San Luis Potosí (SLP)	San Luis Potosí
	Durango (DUR)	Durango	Sinaloa (SIN)	Culiacán
	Guanajuato (GTO)	Guanajuato	Sonora (SON)	Hermosillo
	Guerrero (GRO)	Chilpancingo	Tabasco (TAB)	Villahermosa
	Hidalgo (HDG)	Pachuca	Tamaulipas (TAM)	Victoria
	Jalisco (JAL)	Guadalajara	Tlaxcala (TLA)	Tlaxcala
	State of Mexico (EM)	Toluca	Veracruz (VER)	Xalapa
	Federal District (DF)	Mexico City	Yucatán (YUC)	Mérida
	Michoacán (MIC)	Morelia	Zacatecas (ZAC)	Zacatecas

Economy

Main article: Economy of Mexico

See also: Economic history of Mexico

A proportional representation of Mexico's exports. The country has the most complex economy in Latin America.

Mexico has the 15th largest nominal GDP and the 11th largest by purchasing power parity. GDP annual average growth for the period of 1995–2002 was 5.1%. Mexico's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in purchasing power parity (PPP) was estimated at US $2.2602 trillion in 2015, and $1.3673 trillion in nominal exchange rates. Mexico's GDP in PPP per capita was US $18,714.05. The World Bank reported in 2009 that the country's Gross National Income in market exchange rates was the second highest in Latin America, after Brazil at US $1,830.392 billion, which lead to the highest income per capita in the region at $14,400. Mexico is now firmly established as an upper middle-income country. After the slowdown of 2001 the country has recovered and has grown 4.2, 3.0 and 4.8 percent in 2004, 2005 and 2006, even though it is considered to be well below Mexico's potential growth. Furthermore, after the 2008–2009 recession, the economy grew an average of 3.32 percent per year from 2010 to 2014.

From the late 1990s onwards, the majority of the population has been part of the growing middle class. But from 2004 to 2008 the portion of the population who received less than half of the median income has risen from 17% to 21% and the absolute levels of poverty rose from 2006 to 2010, with a rise in persons living in extreme or moderate poverty rising from 35 to 46% (52 million persons). This is also reflected by the fact that infant mortality in Mexico is three times higher than the average among OECD nations, and the literacy levels are in the median range of OECD nations. Nevertheless, according to Goldman Sachs, by 2050 Mexico will have the 5th largest economy in the world.

Among the OECD countries, Mexico has the second highest degree of economic disparity between the extremely poor and extremely rich, after Chile – although it has been falling over the last decade, being only one of few countries in which this is the case. The bottom ten percent in the income hierarchy disposes of 1.36% of the country's resources, whereas the upper ten percent dispose of almost 36%. OECD also notes that Mexico's budgeted expenses for poverty alleviation and social development is only about a third of the OECD average – both in absolute and relative numbers.

According to a 2008 UN report the average income in a typical urbanized area of Mexico was $26,654, while the average income in rural areas just miles away was only $8,403. Daily minimum wages are set annually being set at $80.04 Mexican pesos ($4.5 USD) in 2017.

The electronics industry of Mexico has grown enormously within the last decade. Mexico has the sixth largest electronics industry in the world after China, United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Mexico is the second largest exporter of electronics to the United States where it exported $71.4 billion worth of electronics in 2011. The Mexican electronics industry is dominated by the manufacture and OEM design of televisions, displays, computers, mobile phones, circuit boards, semiconductors, electronic appliances, communications equipment and LCD modules. The Mexican electronics industry grew 20% between 2010 and 2011, up from its constant growth rate of 17% between 2003 and 2009. Currently electronics represent 30% of Mexico's exports.

Mexico produces the most automobiles of any North American nation. The industry produces technologically complex components and engages in some research and development activities. The "Big Three" (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) have been operating in Mexico since the 1930s, while Volkswagen and Nissan built their plants in the 1960s. In Puebla alone, 70 industrial part-makers cluster around Volkswagen. In the 2010s expansion of the sector was surging. In 2014 alone, more than $10 billion in investment was committed. Kia Motors in August 2014 announced plans for a $1 billion factory in Nuevo León. At the time Mercedes-Benz and Nissan were already building a $1.4 billion plant near Puebla, while BMW was planning a $1-billion assembly plant in San Luis Potosí. Additionally, Audi began building a $1.3 billion factory near Puebla in 2013.

The domestic car industry is represented by DINA S.A., which has built buses and trucks since 1962, and the new Mastretta company that builds the high-performance Mastretta MXT sports car. In 2006, trade with the United States and Canada accounted for almost 50% of Mexico's exports and 45% of its imports. During the first three quarters of 2010, the United States had a $46.0 billion trade deficit with Mexico. In August 2010 Mexico surpassed France to become the 9th largest holder of US debt. The commercial and financial dependence on the US is a cause for concern.

The remittances from Mexican citizens working in the United States account for 0.2% of Mexico's GDP which was equal to US$20 billion per year in 2004 and is the tenth largest source of foreign income after oil, industrial exports, manufactured goods, electronics, heavy industry, automobiles, construction, food, banking and financial services. According to Mexico's central bank, remittances in 2008 amounted to $25bn.

Major players in the broadcasting industry are Televisa, the largest Spanish media company in the Spanish-speaking world, and TV Azteca.

Communications

Main article: Telecommunications in Mexico

Morelos 3, the latest addition to the Morelos Satellite System

The telecommunications industry is mostly dominated by Telmex (Teléfonos de México), privatized in 1990. By 2006, Telmex had expanded its operations to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and the United States. Other players in the domestic industry are Axtel and Maxcom. Because of Mexican orography, providing a landline telephone service at remote mountainous areas is expensive, and the penetration of line-phones per capita is low compared to other Latin American countries, at 40 percent; however, 82% of Mexicans over the age of 14 own a mobile phone. Mobile telephony has the advantage of reaching all areas at a lower cost, and the total number of mobile lines is almost two times that of landlines, with an estimation of 63 million lines. The telecommunication industry is regulated by the government through Cofetel (Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones).

The Mexican satellite system is domestic and operates 120 earth stations. There is also extensive microwave radio relay network and considerable use of fiber-optic and coaxial cable. Mexican satellites are operated by Satélites Mexicanos (Satmex), a private company, leader in Latin America and servicing both North and South America. It offers broadcast, telephone and telecommunication services to 37 countries in the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. Through business partnerships Satmex provides high-speed connectivity to ISPs and Digital Broadcast Services. Satmex maintains its own satellite fleet with most of the fleet being designed and built in Mexico.

The use of radio, television, and Internet in Mexico is prevalent. There are approximately 1,410 radio broadcast stations and 236 television stations (excluding repeaters). Major players in the broadcasting industry are Televisa—the largest media company in the Spanish-speaking world—and TV Azteca.

Energy

See also: Electricity sector in Mexico

The Central Eólica Sureste I, Fase II in Oaxaca. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the region of Mexico with the highest capacity for wind energy. (see Tehuantepecer, a strong wind that affects the region)

The Central Geotermoeléctrica Azufres III in Michoacán. 100% of the electricity produced in Michoacán comes from renewable sources. 90% comes from hydroelectric plants, and 10% from the Azufres Geothermal Field.

Energy production in Mexico is managed by state-owned companies: the Federal Commission of Electricity and Pemex.

Pemex, the public company in charge of exploration, extraction, transportation and marketing of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the refining and distribution of petroleum products and petrochemicals, is one of the largest companies in the world by revenue, making US $86 billion in sales a year. Mexico is the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with 3.7 million barrels per day. In 1980 oil exports accounted for 61.6% of total exports; by 2000 it was only 7.3%.

The largest hydro plant in Mexico is the 2,400 MW Manuel Moreno Torres Dam in Chicoasén, Chiapas, in the Grijalva River. This is the world's fourth most productive hydroelectric plant.

Mexico is the country with the world's third largest solar potential. The country's gross solar potential is estimated at 5kWh/m2 daily, which corresponds to 50 times national electricity generation. Currently, there is over 1 million square meters of solar thermal panels installed in Mexico, while in 2005, there were 115,000 square meters of solar PV (photo-voltaic). It is expected that in 2012 there will be 1,8 million square meters of installed solar thermal panels.

The project named SEGH-CFE 1, located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora, Northwest of Mexico, will have capacity of 46.8 MW from an array of 187,200 solar panels when complete in 2013. All of the electricity will be sold directly to the CFE and absorbed into the utility's transmission system for distribution throughout their existing network. At an installed capacity of 46.8 MWp, when complete in 2013, the project will be the first utility scale project of its kind in Mexico and the largest solar project of any kind in Latin America.

Science and technology

Main article: History of science and technology in Mexico

The National Autonomous University of Mexico was officially established in 1910, and the university become one of the most important institutes of higher learning in Mexico. UNAM provides world class education in science, medicine, and engineering. Many scientific institutes and new institutes of higher learning, such as National Polytechnic Institute (founded in 1936), were established during the first half of the 20th century. Most of the new research institutes were created within UNAM. Twelve institutes were integrated into UNAM from 1929 to 1973. In 1959, the Mexican Academy of Sciences was created to coordinate scientific efforts between academics.

In 1995, the Mexican chemist Mario J. Molina shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Paul J. Crutzen and F. Sherwood Rowland for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone. Molina, an alumnus of UNAM, became the first Mexican citizen to win the Nobel Prize in science.

In recent years, the largest scientific project being developed in Mexico was the construction of the Large Millimeter Telescope (Gran Telescopio Milimétrico, GMT), the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture telescope in its frequency range. It was designed to observe regions of space obscured by stellar dust.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Mexico

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios atop the Great Pyramid of Cholula with Popocatépetl visible in the background has become an iconic image of Mexico.

Mexico has traditionally been among the most visited countries in the world according to the World Tourism Organization and it is the most visited country in the Americas, after the United States. The most notable attractions are the Mesoamerican ruins, cultural festivals, colonial cities, nature reserves and the beach resorts. The nation's wide range of climates, from temperate to tropical, and unique culture – a fusion of the European and the Mesoamerican – make Mexico an attractive destination. The peak tourism seasons in the country are during December and the mid-Summer, with brief surges during the week before Easter and Spring break, when many of the beach resort sites become popular destinations for college students from the United States.

As of 2011, Mexico had the 23rd highest income from tourism in the world, and the highest in Latin America. The vast majority of tourists come to Mexico from the United States and Canada followed by Europe and Asia. A smaller number also come from other Latin American countries. In the 2011 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index report, Mexico was ranked 43rd in the world, which was 4th in the Americas .

The Caribbean state of Quintana Roo is particularly known for beach tourism. Major destinations include Cancún, Cozumel and the Riviera Maya.

The coastlines of Mexico harbor many stretches of beaches that are frequented by sun bathers and other visitors. According to national law, the entirety of the coastlines are under federal ownership, that is, all beaches in the country are public. On the Yucatán peninsula, one of the most popular beach destinations is the resort town of Cancún, especially among university students during spring break. Just offshore is the beach island of Isla Mujeres, and to the east is the Isla Holbox. To the south of Cancun is the coastal strip called Riviera Maya which includes the beach town of Playa del Carmen and the ecological parks of Xcaret and Xel-Há. A day trip to the south of Cancún is the historic port of Tulum. In addition to its beaches, the town of Tulum is notable for its cliff-side Mayan ruins.

On the Pacific coast is the notable tourist destination of Acapulco. Once the destination for the rich and famous, the beaches have become crowded and the shores are now home to many multi-story hotels and vendors. Acapulco is home to renowned cliff divers: trained divers who leap from the side of a vertical cliff into the surf below.

At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula is the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, a town noted for its beaches and marlin fishing. Further north along the Sea of Cortés is the Bahía de La Concepción, another beach town known for its sports fishing. Closer to the United States border is the weekend draw of San Felipe, Baja California.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Mexico

The Baluarte Bridge is the highest cable-stayed bridge in the world, the fifth-highest bridge overall and the highest bridge in the Americas.

The roadway network in Mexico is extensive and all areas in the country are covered by it. The roadway network in Mexico has an extent of 366,095 km (227,481 mi), of which 116,802 km (72,577 mi) are paved, making it the largest paved-roadway network in Latin America. Of these, 10,474 km (6,508 mi) are multi-lane expressways: 9,544 km (5,930 mi) are four-lane highways and the rest have 6 or more lanes.

Mexico was one of the first Latin American countries to promote railway development, and the network covers 30,952 km (19,233 mi). The Secretary of Communications and Transport of Mexico proposed a high-speed rail link that will transport its passengers from Mexico City to Guadalajara, Jalisco. The train, which will travel at 300 kilometres per hour (190 miles per hour), will allow passengers to travel from Mexico City to Guadalajara in just 2 hours. The whole project was projected to cost 240 billion pesos, or about 25 billion US$ and is being paid for jointly by the Mexican government and the local private sector including the wealthiest man in the world, Mexico's billionaire business tycoon Carlos Slim. The government of the state of Yucatán is also funding the construction of a high speed line connecting the cities of Cozumel to Mérida and Chichen Itza and Cancún.

Mexico has 233 airports with paved runways; of these, 35 carry 97% of the passenger traffic. The Mexico City International Airport remains the largest in Latin America and the 44th largest in the world transporting 21 million passengers a year.

Water supply and sanitation

Main article: Water supply and sanitation in Mexico

Among the achievements is a significant increase in access to piped water supply in urban areas (88% to 93%) as well as in rural areas (50% to 74%) between 1990 and 2010. Additionally, a strong nationwide increase in access to improved sanitation (64% to 85%) was observed in the same period. Other achievements include the existence of a functioning national system to finance water and sanitation infrastructure with a National Water Commission as its apex institution; and the existence of a few well-performing utilities such as Aguas y Drenaje de Monterrey.

The challenges include water scarcity in the northern and central parts of the country; inadequate water service quality (drinking water quality; 55% of Mexicans receiving water only intermittently according to results of the 2000 census); poor technical and commercial efficiency of most utilities (with an average level of non-revenue water of 51% in 2003); an insufficient share of wastewater receiving treatment (36% in 2006); and still inadequate access in rural areas. In addition to on-going investments to expand access, the government has embarked on a large investment program to improve wastewater treatment.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Mexico

The 2010 Census showed a population of 112,336,538, making it the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. Between 2005 and 2010, the Mexican population grew at an average of 1.70% per year, up from 1.16% per year between 2000 and 2005.

Even though Mexico is a very ethnically diverse country, research about ethnicity has largely been a forgotten field, in consequence of the post-revolutionary efforts of Mexico's government to unify all Mexicans under a single ethnic identity (that of the "Mestizo"). As a result, since 1930 the only ethnic classification that has been included in Mexican censuses has been that of "Indigenous peoples". Even then, across the years the government has used different criterias to count Indigenous peoples, with each of them returning considerably different numbers. It is not until very recently that the Mexican government begun conducting surveys that considered the Afro-Mexican and Euro-Mexican population that lives in the country.

As of 2015, the foreign-born population was 1,007,063. The majority of these individuals were born in the United States and Mexico is home to the largest number of U.S. citizens abroad. After Americans the largest immigrant groups are Guatemalans, Spaniards and Colombians. Besides the Spanish, large immigrant-descended groups are the French, Germans, Lebanese and Chinese. Mexico is the largest source of immigration to the United States. Some 11.6 million residents of the United States have Mexican citizenship as of 2014.

Ethnicity and race

De español e india, mestiza, 1763,
Miguel Cabrera

De español y negra, mulata, 1763,
Miguel Cabrera

De negro e india, zamba, 1763,
Miguel Cabrera

Depictions of the three main castas resulting from miscegenation of Europeans, Africans and indigenous Americans. Produced during the Age of Enlightenment, the pinturas de castas attempted to "rationally categorize" the racial diversity of Mexico, but some sets were also manifestations of early national self-pride. Wealth and order depicted through clothing, mercantile goods and religious symbols, challenged preconceived notions of New Spain in Europe.

Mexico is ethnically diverse; with people of several ethnicies being united under a single national identity. The core part of Mexican national identity is formed on the basis of a synthesis of cultures, primarily European culture and indigenous cultures, in a process known as mestizaje. Mexican politicians and reformers such as José Vasconcelos (promoter of the cosmic race) and Manuel Gamio (promoter of indigenismo) were instrumental in building a Mexican national identity on the concept of mestizaje.

The large majority of Mexicans have historically been classified as "Mestizos". In modern Mexican usage, the term mestizo is primarily a cultural identity rather than the racial identity it was during the colonial era, resulting in individuals with varying phenotypes being classified under the same identity, regardless of wheter they are of mixed ancestry or not. Since the term carries a variety of different socio-cultural, economic, racial and biological meanings, it was deemed too imprecise to be used for ethnic classification, thus it was abandoned by the government and is not in wide use in Mexican society, although it's often used in literature about Mexican social identities and on intellectual circles. In the Yucatán peninsula the word Mestizo has historically had a different meaning, being used to refer to the Maya-speaking populations living in traditional communities, because during the Caste War of the late 19th century those Maya who did not join the rebellion were classified as mestizos. In Chiapas the word "Ladino" is used instead of mestizo. According to Encyclopædia Britannica racially Mestizo Mexicans make up 50% to 67% of the country's population.

The total percentage of Mexico's population who is indigenous varies considerably depending of the criteria used by the government on it's censuses: it is 5.4% if the hability to speak an indigenous language is used as the criteria to define a person as indigenous, if racial self-identification is used it's 14.9% and if people who considers themselves part indigenous are also included it amounts to 21.5%. Nonetheless all the censuses conclude that the majority of Mexico's indigenous population is concentrated in the southern and south-eastern Mexican states, primarily in rural areas. Some indigenous communities have a degree of autonomy under the legislation of "usos y costumbres", which allows them to regulate some internal issues under customary law. According to the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, the states with the greatest proportion of indigenous residents are: Yucatán at 59%, Quintana Roo 39% and Campeche 27%, chiefly Maya; Oaxaca with 48% of the population, the most numerous groups being the Mixtec and Zapotec peoples; Chiapas at 28%, the majority being Tzeltal and Tzotzil Maya; Hidalgo 24%, the majority being Otomi; Puebla 19%, and Guerrero 17%, mostly Nahua peoples and the states of San Luis Potosí and Veracruz both home to a population that is 15% indigenous, mostly from the Totonac, Nahua and Teenek (Huastec) groups. The absolute numbers of the indigenous population growing, but at a slower rate than the rest of the population so that the percentage of indigenous peoples in regards to total population is nonetheless falling. All of the indices of social development for the indigenous population are considerably lower than the national average. In all states indigenous people have higher infant mortality, in some states almost double of the non-indigenous populations. Literacy rates are also much lower, with 27% of indigenous children between 6 and 14 being illiterate compared to a national average of 12%. The indigenous population participate in the workforce longer than the national average, starting earlier and continuing longer. However, 55% of the indigenous population receive less than a minimum salary, compared to 20% for the national average. Many practice subsistence agriculture and receive no salaries. Indigenous people also have less access to health care and a lower quality of housing.

Similarly to Mestizo and Indigenous peoples, estimations for the percentage of European-descended Mexicans within the Mexican population vary considerably: their numbers range from around 10%-20% according to the Encyclopædia Britannica to as high as 47% according to a nationwide survey conducted by Mexico's government, made with the intent of having a precise outlook of the social and economic unequalities that exist between light skinned European looking Mexicans and Indigenous or African looking Mexicans, is the first time the Mexican government has conducted an official population study that referenced Mexico's white poplation in nearly a century.
While during the colonial era, most of the European migration into Mexico was Spanish, in the 19th and 20th centuries a substantial number of non-Spanish Europeans immigrated to the country. According to 20th and 21th century academics, large scale intermixing between European immigrants and native Indigenous peoples would produce a Mestizo group which would become the overwhelming majority of Mexico's population by the time of the Mexican revolution. However according to church registers from the colonial times, the majority of European men married with European women. Said registers also put in question other narratives held by contemporary academics, such as European migrants who arrived to Mexico being almost exclusively men. Nowadays Mexico’s northern and western regions have the highest European populations, with the majority of the people not having native admixture or being of predominantly European ancestry.

The Afro-Mexican population (1,381,853 individuals as of 2015) is an ethnic group made up of descendants of Colonial-era slaves and recent immigrants of sub-Saharan African descent. Mexico had an active slave trade during the colonial period and some 200,000 Africans were taken there, primarily in the 17th century. The creation of a national Mexican identity, especially after the Mexican Revolution, emphasized Mexico's indigenous and European past; it passively eliminated the African ancestors and contributions. Most of the African-descended population was absorbed into the surrounding Mestizo (mixed European/indigenous) and indigenous populations through unions among the groups. Evidence of this long history of intermarriage with Mestizo and indigenous Mexicans is also expressed in the fact that in the 2015 inter-census, 64.9% (896,829) of Afro-Mexicans also identified as indigenous. It was also reported that 9.3% of Afro-Mexicans speak an indigenous language. The states with the highest self-report of Afro-Mexicans were Guerrero (6.5% of the population), Oaxaca (4.95%) and Veracruz (3.28%). Afro-Mexican culture is strongest in the communities of the Costa Chica of Oaxaca and Costa Chica of Guerrero.

Smaller ethnic groups in Mexico include South and East Asians, present since the colonial era. During the colonial era Asians were termed Chino (regardless of ethnicity), and arrived as merchants, artisans and slaves. The largest group were Filipinos and some 200,000 Mexicans can trace Filipino ancestry. Modern Asian immigration began in the late 19th century and at one point in the early 20th century, the Chinese were the second largest immigrant group. During the early 20th century, a substantial number of Arabs (mostly Christians) began arriving from the crumbling Ottoman Empire. The largest group were the Lebanese and an estimated 400,000 Mexicans have some Lebanese ancestry.

Official censuses

The first census in Mexico that included an ethnic classification was the 1793 census. Also known as the Revillagigedo census, it was Mexico's (then known as New Spain) first national population census. Most of it's original datasets have reportedly been lost, thus most of what is known about it nowadays comes from essays and field investigations made by academics who had access to the census data and used it as reference for their works such as Prussian geographer Alexander von Humboldt. While every author gives different estimations for each racial group in the country they don't seem to vary much, with Europeans ranging from 18% to 22% of New Spain's population, Mestizos ranging from 21% to 25%, Indians ranging from 51% to 61% and Africans being between 6,000 and 10,000, The estimations given for the total population range from 3,799,561 to 6,122,354. It is concluded then, that across nearly three centuries of colonization, the population growth trends of whites and mestizos were even, while the total percentage of the indigenous population decreased at a rate of 13%-17% per century. The authors assert that rather than whites and mestizos having higher birthrates, the reason for the indigenous population's numbers decreasing lies on them suffering of higher mortality rates, due living in remote locations rather than on cities and towns founded by the Spanish colonists or being at war with them. Anthropologist Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán goes beyond said numbers and splits the Mestizo group into "Euromestizos", "Indomestizos" and "Afromestizos" calculating their numbers on more than one million, 700,000 and 600,000 respectively. Independent-era Mexico eliminated the legal basis of the Colonial caste system which led to exclude racial classification in the censuses to come.

According to Mexico's second census ever which considered race, made right after the Mexican revolution on 1921, 59% of Mexico's population was Mestizo, 29% was Indigenous and only 9% was European, with Mestizos being the most numerous ethno-racial group in almost all the states. For a long time this census' results have been taken as fact, with extraofficial international publications such as The World Factbook and Encyclopædia Britannica using them as a reference to estimate Mexico's racial composition up to this day. However in recent time Mexican academics have subjected the census' results to scrutiny, claiming that such a drastic alteration on demographic trends in regards to the 1793 census is not possible and cite, among other statistics the relatively low frequency of marriages between people of different continental ancestries in colonial and early independent Mexico. Said authors claim that the Mexican society went through a "more cultural than biological mestizaje process" sponsored by the state on it's efforts to unify the Mexican population which resulted on the inflation of the percentage of the Mestizo Mexican group at the expense of the identity of the other races that exist in Mexico.

In recent times the Mexican government has decided to conduct ethnic surveys and censuses again, and has also widen the criteria to classify the ethnicies who were already considered, an example being the Indigenous Mexican classification, which was previously reserved to people who lived in indigenous communities and/or spoke an indigenous language. According to these recent surveys Indigenous peoples amount to 21.5% of Mexico's population (including people who declared to be partially indigenous), Afro-Mexicans are 1.2% of Mexico's population (including people who declared to be partially African) and European Mexicans amount to 47% of Mexico's population (based on appearance rather than on self-declared of ancestry). Less numerous groups in Mexico such as Asians and Middle Easterners are also accounted for, albeit their numbers do not vary significantly from previous estimations. Out of all the ethnic groups that have recently been surveyed, that of Mestizos is notably absent, which may be consecuence of the ethnic label's fluid and subjetive definition, which complicates a precise calculation as well the tendency that Mexicans have to identify people with "static" ethnic labels rather than "fluid" ones.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Mexico

The country has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world with almost a third of all Spanish native speakers.

Almost all of the Mexican population speaks Spanish, 99.3% according to the latest census; nonetheless around 5.4% still speaks an indigenous language besides Spanish. The indigenous languages with the most speakers are Nahuatl, spoken by approximately 1.45 million people, Yukatek Maya spoken by some 750,000 people and the Mixtec and Zapotec languages, each spoken by more than 400,000 people.

The National Institute of Indigenous Languages INALI recognizes 68 linguistic groups and some 364 different specific varieties of indigenous languages. Since the promulgation of the Law of Indigenous Linguistic Rights in 2003, these languages have had status as national languages, with equal validity with Spanish in all the areas and contexts in which they are spoken.

In addition to the indigenous languages, other minority languages are spoken by immigrant populations, such as the 80,000 German-speaking Mennonites in Mexico, and 5,000 speakers of the Chipilo dialect of the Venetian language spoken in Chipilo, Puebla.

Arabic is the most commonly spoken foreign language in Mexico.

Urban areas

Main article: Metropolitan areas of Mexico

Main article: List of cities in Mexico

Here are the 20 largest urban areas in Mexico.

Religion

See also: Religion in Mexico

Religion in Mexico (2010 census)
Roman Catholicism			83%
Other Christian			10%
Other Religion			0.2%
No religion			5%
Unspecified			3%

The 2010 census by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (National Institute of Statistics and Geography) gave Roman Catholicism as the main religion, with 83% of the population, while 10% (10,924,103) belong to other Christian denominations, including Evangelicals (5%); Pentecostals (1.6%); other Protestant or Reformed (0.7%); Jehovah's Witnesses (1.4%); Seventh-day Adventists (0.6%); and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (0.3%). 172,891 (or less than 0.2% of the total) belonged to other, non-Christian religions; 4.7% declared having no religion; 2.7% were unspecified.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a major Christian pilgrimage site, with some twenty million annual visitors.

The 92,924,489 Catholics of Mexico constitute in absolute terms the second largest Catholic community in the world, after Brazil's. 47% percent of them attend church services weekly. The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, is celebrated on December 12 and is regarded by many Mexicans as the most important religious holiday of their country.

The 2010 census reported 314,932 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though the church in 2009 claimed to have over one million registered members. About 25% of registered members attend a weekly sacrament service although this can fluctuate up and down.

The presence of Jews in Mexico dates back to 1521, when Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs, accompanied by several Conversos. According to the 2010 census, there are 67,476 Jews in Mexico. Islam in Mexico is practiced mostly by Arab Mexicans, while there is also a small community of Muslims among indigenous Mexicans around the San Cristóbal de las Casas area in Chiapas. In the 2010 census 18,185 Mexicans reported belonging to an Eastern religion, a category which includes a tiny Buddhist population.

Women

Further information: Women in Mexico

Until the twentieth century, Mexico was an overwhelmingly rural country, with rural women's status defined within the context of the family and local community. With urbanization beginning in the sixteenth century, following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, cities have provided economic and social opportunities not possible within rural villages. Roman Catholicism in Mexico has shaped societal attitudes about women's social role, emphasizing the role of women as nurturers of the family, with the Virgin Mary as a model. Marianismo has been an ideal, with women's role as being within the family under the authority of men. In the twentieth century, Mexican women made great strides toward toward a more equal legal and social status. In 1953, women in Mexico were granted the vote in national elections.

Mexican women face discrimination and at times harassment from the machismo population. Although women in Mexico are making big advancements they are faced with the traditional expectations of being the head of the household. Researcher Margarita Valdés noted that while there are few inequalities enforced by law or policy in Mexico, there are gender inequalities perpetuated by social structures and Mexican cultural expectations that limit the capabilities of Mexican women.

As of 2014, Mexico has the 16th highest rate of homicides committed against women in the world The prevalence of domestic violence against women in Mexican marital relationships varies at between 30 and 60 percent of relationships. The remains of the victims were frequently mutilated. According to a 1997 study, domestic abuse in Mexican culture "is embedded in gender and marital relations fostered in Mexican women's dependence on their spouses for subsistence and for self-esteem, sustained by ideologies of romantic love, by family structure and residential arrangements." The perpetrators are often the boyfriend, father-in-law, ex-husbands or husbands but only 1.6% of the murder cases led to an arrest and sentencing.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Mexico

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in 1932.

Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the country's history through the blending of indigenous cultures and the culture of Spain, imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. Exogenous cultural elements have been incorporated into Mexican culture as time has passed.

The Porfirian era (el Porfiriato), in the last quarter of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century, was marked by economic progress and peace. After four decades of civil unrest and war, Mexico saw the development of philosophy and the arts, promoted by President Díaz himself. Since that time, as accentuated during the Mexican Revolution, cultural identity has had its foundation in the mestizaje, of which the indigenous (i.e. Amerindian) element is the core. In light of the various ethnicities that formed the Mexican people, José Vasconcelos in his publication La Raza Cósmica (The Cosmic Race) (1925) defined Mexico to be the melting pot of all races (thus extending the definition of the mestizo) not only biologically but culturally as well.

Literature

Main articles: Mexican literature and Mesoamerican literature

Mexican literature has its antecedents in the literatures of the indigenous settlements of Mesoamerica. The most well known prehispanic poet is Nezahualcoyotl. Modern Mexican literature was influenced by the concepts of the Spanish colonialization of Mesoamerica. Outstanding colonial writers and poets include Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and Juana Inés de la Cruz.

Other writers include Alfonso Reyes, José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi, Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz (Nobel Laureate), Renato Leduc, Carlos Monsiváis, Elena Poniatowska, Mariano Azuela ("Los de abajo") and Juan Rulfo ("Pedro Páramo"). Bruno Traven wrote "Canasta de cuentos mexicanos" (Mexican tales basket), "El tesoro de la Sierra Madre" (Treasure of the Sierra Madre).

Visual arts

See also: Mexican art

The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the preeminent arts museum in Mexico.

Post-revolutionary art in Mexico had its expression in the works of renowned artists such as David Alfaro Siqueiros, Federico Cantú Garza, Frida Kahlo, Juan O'Gorman, José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera, and Rufino Tamayo. Diego Rivera, the most well-known figure of Mexican muralism, painted the Man at the Crossroads at the Rockefeller Center in New York City, a huge mural that was destroyed the next year because of the inclusion of a portrait of Russian communist leader Lenin. Some of Rivera's murals are displayed at the Mexican National Palace and the Palace of Fine Arts.

Mesoamerican architecture is mostly noted for its pyramids which are the largest such structures outside of Ancient Egypt. Spanish Colonial architecture is marked by the contrast between the simple, solid construction demanded by the new environment and the Baroque ornamentation exported from Spain. Mexico, as the center of New Spain has some of the most renowned buildings built in this style.

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of Mexico

Actress Dolores del Río, Hollywood star in the 1920s and 1930s and prominent figure of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s.

Mexican films from the Golden Age in the 1940s and 1950s are the greatest examples of Latin American cinema, with a huge industry comparable to the Hollywood of those years. Mexican films were exported and exhibited in all of Latin America and Europe. Maria Candelaria (1943) by Emilio Fernández, was one of the first films awarded a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946, the first time the event was held after World War II. The famous Spanish-born director Luis Buñuel realized in Mexico, between 1947 and 1965 some of him master pieces like Los Olvidados (1949) and Viridiana (1961). Famous actors and actresses from this period include María Félix, Pedro Infante, Dolores del Río, Jorge Negrete and the comedian Cantinflas.

More recently, films such as Como agua para chocolate (1992), Cronos (1993), Y tu mamá también (2001), and Pan's Labyrinth (2006) have been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognized, as in the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Mexican directors Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores perros, Babel, Birdman, The Revenant), Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Gravity), Guillermo del Toro, Carlos Carrera (The Crime of Father Amaro), screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga and photographer Emmanuel Lubezki are some of the most known present-day film makers.

Some Mexican actors have achieved recognition as Hollywood stars. These include Ramon Novarro, Dolores del Río, Lupe Vélez, Gilbert Roland, Anthony Quinn, Katy Jurado, Ricardo Montalbán and Salma Hayek

Media

Further information: Mexican television and List of newspapers in Mexico

There are two major television companies in Mexico that own the four primary networks that broadcast to 75% of the population. They are Televisa, which owns the Canal de las Estrellas and Canal 5 networks, and TV Azteca, which owns the Azteca 7 and Azteca Trece networks. Televisa is also the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world and also the world's largest Spanish-language media network. Grupo Multimedios is another media conglomerate with Spanish-language broadcasting in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. The telenovelas are very traditional in Mexico and are translated to many languages and seen all over the world with renowned names like Verónica Castro, Lucía Méndez and Thalía.

Music

Main article: Music of Mexico

Mariachi at the Festival del Mariachi, Charrería y Tequila in San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco. Mariachi was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2011.

Mexican society enjoys a vast array of music genres, showing the diversity of Mexican culture. Traditional music includes mariachi, banda, norteño, ranchera and corridos; on an everyday basis most Mexicans listen to contemporary music such as pop, rock, etc. in both English and Spanish. Mexico has the largest media industry in Latin America, producing Mexican artists who are famous in Central and South America and parts of Europe, especially Spain.

Some well-known Mexican singers are Thalía, Luis Miguel, Juan Gabriel, Alejandro Fernández, Julieta Venegas, Gloria Trevi and Paulina Rubio. Mexican singers of traditional music are: Lila Downs, Susana Harp, Jaramar, GEO Meneses and Alejandra Robles. Popular groups are Café Tacuba, Caifanes, Molotov and Maná, among others. Since the early years of the 2000s (decade), Mexican rock has seen widespread growth both domestically and internationally.

According to the Sistema Nacional de Fomento Musical, there are between 120 and 140 youth orchestras affiliated to this federal agency from all federal states. Some states, through their state agencies in charge of culture and the arts—Ministry or Secretary or Institute or Council of Culture, or in some cases the Secretary of Education or the State University—sponsor the activities of a professional symphony orchestra or philharmonic crchestra so all citizens can have access to this artistic expression from the field of classical music. Mexico City is the most intense hub of this activity, hosting 12 professional orchestras sponsored by different agencies such as the National Institute of Fine Arts, the Secretary of Culture of the Federal District, The National University, the National Polytechnic Institute, a Delegación Política (Coyoacán) and private ventures.

Cuisine

Main article: Mexican cuisine

Mole sauce, which has dozens of varieties across the Republic, is seen as a symbol of Mexicanidad and is considered Mexico's national dish.

Chile en nogada, due to the dish's incorporation of red, white and green, is popularly consumed during the celebrations of the
Grito de Dolores.

Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-Columbian traditions, including Aztec and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists.

The conquistadores eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native pre-Columbian food, including maize, tomato, vanilla, avocado, guava, papaya, pineapple, chili pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut, and turkey.

Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef, goat and ostrich production and meat dishes, in particular the well-known Arrachera cut.

Central Mexico's cuisine is largely made up of influences from the rest of the country, but also has its authentics, such as barbacoa, pozole, menudo, tamales, and carnitas.

Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. The cuisine of Southeastern Mexico also has quite a bit of Caribbean influence, given its geographical location. Veal is common in the Yucatan. Seafood is commonly prepared in the states that border the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, the latter having a famous reputation for its fish dishes, in particular à la veracruzana.

In modern times, other cuisines of the world have become very popular in Mexico, thus adopting a Mexican fusion. For example, sushi in Mexico is often made with a variety of sauces based on mango or tamarind, and very often served with serrano-chili-blended soy sauce, or complemented with vinegar, habanero and chipotle peppers

The most internationally recognized dishes include chocolate, tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, tamales and mole among others. Regional dishes include mole poblano, chiles en nogada and chalupas from Puebla; cabrito and machaca from Monterrey, cochinita pibil from Yucatán, Tlayudas from Oaxaca, as well as barbacoa, chilaquiles, milanesas, and many others.

Sports

Main article: Sport in Mexico

The Estadio Azteca, regarded as one of the iconic football stadiums in the world, hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals and was the main venue of the 1968 Summer Olympics.

Mexico City hosted the XIX Olympic Games in 1968, making it the first Latin American city to do so. The country has also hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1970 and 1986.

Mexico's most popular sport is association football. It is commonly believed that football was introduced in Mexico by Cornish miners at the end of the 19th century. By 1902 a five-team league had emerged with a strong British influence. Mexico's top clubs are América with 12 championships, Guadalajara with 11, and Toluca with 10. Antonio Carbajal was the first player to appear in five World Cups, and Hugo Sánchez was named best CONCACAF player of the 20th century by IFFHS.

Game at the Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey. Baseball is most popular in the North (particularly Northwest) and Southeast of Mexico.

The Mexican professional baseball league is named the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. While usually not as strong as the United States, the Caribbean countries and Japan, Mexico has nonetheless achieved several international baseball titles. Mexican teams have won the Caribbean Series nine times. Mexico has had several players signed by Major League teams, the most famous of them being Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela.

In 2013, Mexico's basketball team won the Americas Basketball Championship and qualified for the 2014 Basketball World Cup where it reached the playoffs. Because of these achievements the country earned the hosting rights for the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

Bullfighting is a popular sport in the country, and almost all large cities have bullrings. Plaza México in Mexico City, is the largest bullring in the world, which seats 55,000 people. Professional wrestling (or Lucha libre in Spanish) is a major crowd draw with national promotions such as AAA, CMLL and others.

Mexico is an international power in professional boxing (at the amateur level, several Olympic boxing medals have also been won by Mexico). Vicente Saldivar, Rubén Olivares, Salvador Sánchez, Julio César Chávez, Ricardo Lopez and Erik Morales are but a few Mexican fighters who have been ranked among the best of all time.

Notable Mexican athletes include golfer Lorena Ochoa, who was ranked first in the LPGA world rankings prior to her retirement, Ana Guevara, former world champion of the 400 metres (1,300 ft) and Olympic subchampion in Athens 2004, Fernando Platas, four-time Olympic medal winning diver, and taekwondo fighter María Espinoza, most decorated Mexican female Olympian.

Health

Main article: Healthcare in Mexico

Since the early 1990s, Mexico entered a transitional stage in the health of its population and some indicators such as mortality patterns are identical to those found in highly developed countries like Germany or Japan. Mexico's medical infrastructure is highly rated for the most part and is usually excellent in major cities, but rural communities still lack equipment for advanced medical procedures, forcing patients in those locations to travel to the closest urban areas to get specialized medical care. Social determinants of health can be used to evaluate the state of health in Mexico.

State-funded institutions such as Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) play a major role in health and social security. Private health services are also very important and account for 13% of all medical units in the country.

Medical training is done mostly at public universities with much specializations done in vocational or internship settings. Some public universities in Mexico, such as the University of Guadalajara, have signed agreements with the U.S. to receive and train American students in Medicine. Health care costs in private institutions and prescription drugs in Mexico are on average lower than that of its North American economic partners.

Education

Main article: Education in Mexico

Central Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

In 2004, the literacy rate was at 97% for youth under the age of 14 and 91% for people over 15, placing Mexico at the 24th place in the world rank according to UNESCO.

The National Autonomous University of Mexico ranks 190th place in the Top 200 World University Ranking published by The Times Higher Education Supplement in 2009. Private business schools also stand out in international rankings. IPADE and EGADE, the business schools of Universidad Panamericana and of Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education respectively, were ranked in the top 10 in a survey conducted by The Wall Street Journal among recruiters outside the United States.

See also

• Index of Mexico-related articles
• Outline of Mexico
• Mexico – Wikipedia book

References

Navarrete Linares, Federico (2008). Los pueblos indígenas de México (PDF online facsimile). Pueblos Indígenas del México Contemporáneo series (in Spanish). México, D.F.: Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas. ISBN 978-970-753-157-4. OCLC 319215886. 

Satish Kumar*, Claire Bellis, Mark Zlojutro, Phillip E Melton, John Blangero and Joanne E Curran (2011). Large scale mitochondrial sequencing in Mexican Americans suggests a reappraisal of Native American origins (PDF). CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)

Bibliography

• Camp, Roderic A. Politics in Mexico: Democratic Consolidation Or Decline? (Oxford University Press, 2014)
• Davis, Diane. Urban Leviathan: Mexico City in the Twentieth Century (Temple University Press, 2010)
• Domínguez, Jorge I (2004). "The Scholarly Study of Mexican Politics". Mexican Studies / Estudios Mexicanos. 20 (2): 377–410. 
• Edmonds-Poli, Emily, and David Shirk. Contemporary Mexican Politics (Rowman and Littlefield 2009)
• Kirkwood, Burton. The History of Mexico (Greenwood, 2000) online edition
• Krauze, Enrique (1998). Mexico: Biography of Power: A history of Modern Mexico 1810–1996. New York: Harper Perennial. p. 896. ISBN 0-06-092917-0. 
• Meyer, Michael C.; Beezley, William H., eds. (2000). The Oxford History of Mexico. Oxford University Press. p. 736. ISBN 0-19-511228-8. 
• Levy, Santiago. Good intentions, bad outcomes: Social policy, informality, and economic growth in Mexico (Brookings Institution Press, 2010)
• Meyer, Michael C., William L. Sherman, and Susan M. Deeds. The Course of Mexican History (7th ed. Oxford U.P., 2002) online edition
• Russell, Philip (2010). The history of Mexico: from pre-conquest to present. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-87237-9. Retrieved July 9, 2010. 
• Tannenbaum, Frank. Mexico: The Struggle for Peace and Bread (2013)
• Werner, Michael S. ed. Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society & Culture (2 vol 1997) 1440pp online edition
  • Werner, Michael S. ed. Concise Encyclopedia of Mexico (2001) 850pp; a selection of unrevised articles

External links

Government

• The Presidency of Mexico
• Mexico Tourism Official Website |VisitMexico

General information

• "Mexico". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 
• Mexico from UCB Libraries GovPubs
• Mexico at DMOZ
• Mexico from the BBC News
• Mexico at Encyclopædia Britannica
• Wikimedia Atlas of Mexico
• Geographic data related to Mexico at OpenStreetMap
• Key Development Forecasts for Mexico from International Futures
• Mexico by World Painters.

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