Mexico
Interesting Facts:
The flag of Mexico stands for:
Green=The Independence Movement (HOPE)
White=The Purity of the Catholic Faith (PURITY)
Red=The Spaniards,The Blood of National Heroes (UNION)
The emblem shield symbolizes the Aztec heritage
Mexico City is the capital of Mexico
Mexico is about one-fifth the size of the United States
Population - 109,955,400
National Language - Spanish
In May 2008 over 4,000 people had been killed in drug-related violence
Mexico City was built on a lake
Mexico introduced chocolate to the world
The language spoken is Spanish
Mexico's longest river is the Rio Grande
There are no Starbucks in Mexico
The average Mexican only has education through the 6th grade
Mexico is home to the largest city in the entire world, Mexico City
When children are born in Mexico, they take on the last names of both of their parents so that lineage is maintained
Mexico is the birthplace of the tortilla and the burrito
In December 2008, the United States released $197 million of a $400 million plan called the Merida Initiative to help Mexico fight the drugs cartel
Map of Mexico
The President of Mexico
Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa
Was elected for one six-year term that will end in 2012
The president is the head of government and the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces
He is affiliated with the National Action Plan (PAN)
Calderón studied law at the Free School of Law in Mexico City and in 2000 earned a master's degree at Harvard University
He won the presidential elections by just 0.56 percent of the vote
Mexican Presidents are currently limited to one six-year
Government –
Mexico is a federation of thirty-one free and sovereign states
The Mexico government has a congressional system whereby the president of Mexico is both head of state and head of government and of a multi-party electoral system
The federal government is called the Supreme Power of the Federation
The federal government represents the United Mexican States and is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial
The legislative power is vested upon the Congress of the Union, a bicameral congress comprising the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies
The powers of the Congress include the right to pass laws, impose taxes, declare war, approve the national budget, approve or reject treaties and conventions made with foreign countries, and ratify diplomatic appointments
The Senate addresses all matters concerning foreign policy, approves international agreements, and confirms presidential appointments.
The Chamber of Deputies addresses all matters pertaining to the government's budget and public expenditures.
The Chamber of Deputies is formed by 500 representatives of the nation
All deputies are elected in free universal elections every three years, in parallel voting
The politics of Mexico are dominated by three political parties: The National Action Party (PAN), the party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)
Currency of Mexico
Mexico's currency is the Mexican Peso
There are one hundred Mexican cents (centavos) in every peso
Mexican bank notes are printed in denominations of 20, 50,100,200,500, and 1,000 pesos
The symbol for the the Mexican Peso is $.
To distinguish the Mexican Peso symbol from American money sometimes the peso is presented as MX$ or e.g. $100 MN
The MN stands for Moneda Nacional, or National Currency
Conversion of Mexican money to American Money equals ...
20 Pesos = $1.53
50 Pesos = $3.83
100 Pesos = $7.65
200 Pesos = $15.30
500 Pesos = $38.25
1000 Pesos = $76.51
Religions in the Mexico
Mexican Church -
Guanajuato Plaza De La Paz Basilica De Nuestra Senora
Roman Catholic Church - 89% of the total population
Protestants - 6% of the population
(more than 4.4 million people)
Pentecostals and Charismatics are the largest in this group
Eastern Orthodox Church - has between 10,000-20,000 ethnic Mexican members
Seventh-day Adventist - 6 million people
Jehovah's Witnesses -more than one million followers
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - over a million member.
Judaism -more than 45,000 Mexican Jews
Almost three million people in Mexico report having no religion
Mayan Indians still practice the traditional beliefs of their people
http://www.google.com/imgres?rl=http://www.worldofstock.com/slides/TCA1140.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.worldo
Agricultural Products of Mexico
Corn is the main crop in Mexico and goes into
just about every dish, from burritos and tacos,
to salads and more.
Of all of the cultivated farmland, corn is grown on
at least half of it.
The early inhabitants of Mexico are said to have
started eating corn about 10,000 years ago
when corn grew on wild plants
As far back as 5,000 B.C., the Aztecs and
their ancestors cultivated corn so that they
could grow it themselves in a controlled
environment
Agriculture Today Includes:
corn
wheat
soybeans
rice
beans
cotton
coffee
fruit
tomatoes
beef
poultry
dairy products
wood products
Natural resources:
petroleum
silver
copper
gold
lead
zinc
natural gas
timber
Natural resources:
petroleum
silver
copper
gold
lead
zinc
natural gas
timber
Mexican Industries
Mexican Employee Works Machine in Furniture Factory
Mexican Industries offer their customers:
food
beverages
tobacco
chemicals
iron products
petroleum
steel
textiles
clothing
appliances
motor vehicles
home furnishings
fixtures
housewares
business equipment
electronic equipment
photographic equipment
recreational goods sporting goods
toys
games
AND
Tourism (and all the pleasures that go with vacations)
Mexico's Natural Resources Includes:
petroleum
silver
copper
gold
lead
zinc
natural gas
timber
Mexican Art
Rock painting at Sierra de San francisco
Artists in Mexico go back as far as prehistoric times when they created the rock paintings at Sierra de San francisco region of Baja California, Mexico
Cave paintings in the Sierra de San Francisco date back as far as 7,500 years ago
Who made them and why is still a mystery, but the painters lived well before the Aztecs established their culture in central Mexico in the 12th century A.D.
The paintings vary in age from 1100 BC to AD 1300
Mexico Art Includes:
Ceramics clay pottery
(in angular, linear, and three-dimensional designs)
Oaxaca: pearly-black pottery
Multicolored vases
Red Pottery Stoneware
Oaxacan Woodcarvings
Cotton garments
Shawls shawls
Sombreros
Stone carved mural
Painted murals
Abstract paintings
Canvas painting
Art Photography
Hammocks
Colorful baskets
Colorful rugs
Tapetes (woven wool carpets)
Talavera tile
Mosaic tile
Pre-Columbian Architecture
Statues- wooden, stone and metal
Silver Work – Copper, Brass, and Gold
Hand-pounded metals creating items such as
jewelry,masks and breastplates
Handmade musical instruments
Carved figures
Papier mâché
Hand-blown glass
Handcrafted Jewelry
Day of the Dead Dolls –
called Dia de los Muertos
Famous Landmarks in Mexico
Las Pozas Near Xilitla, Mexico
Waterfall at Las Pozas east of Xilitla, Mexico
Statue of El Pipilaat Guanajuato, Mexico
Cenote Dzitnup at Valladolid, Mexico
Music in Mexico
Pop
Rock
Ballads
Romantic
Hip-hop
Salsa
Mariachi bands
Flamingo guitar
A Mexican Mariachi Band
Click on the arrow and listen to a Mariachi Band
Favorite Foods of Mexicans
Burritos
Tacos
Rice
Beans
Enchiladas
Quesadillas
Spicy cheese
Bananas
Machacado", which is scrambled eggs with chile and beef jerky mixed together
Marinated "arrachera" which is tender meat with a lot of spice.
A la charra" beans - it's a bean soup
Chilies rellenos - stuffed pepper
Pozole (soup of corn grains with meat and spice
Corn is a chief food of most Mexicans
Tortillas