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


Just so that you know...It is taboo for Mexicans to eat dog...NOW!
 
 But at one time it was a favorite dish

Click on the arrow and take a tour of Mexico

Click on the arrow and listen to the Mexico's National Anthem and see more sights of Mexico

 
 Adiós