MEXICO's LAND


• Bridging Two Continents - Mexico is part of a land bridge joining North and South America, it's most narrow at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (140 miles). Baja California is a long peninsula along the Pacific Ocean.  The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea border the east.  The Yucatan Peninsula juts into the Gulf.
  
  
• Mountains - many of Mexico's mountains are volcanic. Mexico sits along the edges of tectonic plates creating mountains and earthquakes.  Popocatepetl (El Popo) is a well known volcano.
  The Sierra Madre (mother range) - major mountain ranges:
  1. Sierra Madre Occidental - near the Pacific Ocean
  2. Sierra Madre Oriental - on the east
  3. Sierra Madre del Sur - to the southwest
  
  
• The Plateau of Mexico - deserts and grassy plains in the north. Broad, flat valleys in the center which contain many cities and most of the population.
  
  
• Coastal Lowlands - found along the Pacific and Gulf coasts
  
  
• Land of Many Climates - Mexico has many climates,  Mexico's latitude puts it near the Tropic of Cancer where temperatures are warm year round.  Altitude affects climates.
  
  1. Hot Land - tierra caliente (near sea level), dense rain forests, tall grasslands and crops like bananas, rice, sugarcane, and oranges.
     
  2. Temperate Land - tierra templada (2500 feet -6500 feet), large leafy trees and many crops.
     
  3. Cold Land - tierra fria (above 6500 feet), short stunted trees and wildflowers.  Higher up plants disappear altogether.
     
     
MEXICO's ECONOMIC REGIONS


• The North - irrigation allows cotton, fruits, grains, and vegetables.  Cattle are raised by vaqueros (cowhands).  Sheep, goats, and pigs are also raised.  Monterrey is a steel and cement producing city. Maquiladoras are factories that assemble parts sent from other countries, mainly the US. Cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez have grown tremendously as people come for jobs.
  
  
• Central Mexico - the economic heart of Mexico.  More than half the people and good for agriculture.  Pleasant climate. Mexico City (over 18 million people and the center of government) and Guadalajara are industrial cities.
  
  
• The South - Mexico City to the Yucatan Peninsula.  Subsistence farming and plantations are found here in the poorest region of Mexico.  Tourism is important with beaches and warm climate. Puerto Vallarta and Cancun are resort areas.
  
  
• The Canadian Shield and the Arctic Islands - huge, horseshoe shaped area around Hudson Bay. It is made up of hills worn down by glaciers and thousands of glacial lakes.  It covers more than half of Canada.  Mosses and small shrubs grow in the north with evergreen forests in the south.  Soil is not good for farming, but minerals are found in abundance.  The Arctic islands have tundra plants and glacial ice covers the northernmost islands.
  
  
• The Interior Plains - an extension of the Great Plains.  Huge, rolling prairie (inland grassland) with very fertile soil.  Wheat and other grains grow here.  Minerals like oil and natural gas are also found here.
  
  
• The Rocky Mountains - part of the cordillera (a group of mountain ranges that run side by side).  Scenic beauty (natural parks like Banff and Jasper) and rich mineral resources.
  
  
• The Pacific Coast - Mt. Logan (19,551 ft.) is Canada's highest peak.  West of the Rockies, hou have high plateaus until you reach the Coast Mountains (part of the cordillera). The Inside Passage is a 1,000 mile waterway between the west coast and a group of islands.

1. Native American Civilizations - came from Asia and traveled south.  
   Maya lived in the Yucatan area until A.D. 900.  They built cities, pyramids, and stone temples; developed a 365 day calendar; grew corn; and used hieroglyphics.  
   Aztec (Mexica) built Tenochtitlan in central Mexico where Mexico City is today.
   
   
2. Spanish Mexico - Hernan Cortes arrived in 1519 and two years later conquered the Aztec.  Mexico became a Spanish colony for 300 years. Some Spaniards built haciendas (large ranches). Spanish culture brought the Roman Catholic religion to 90 % of today's Mexicans. 
   
   
3. A Mixing of Cultures - Mestizo is a person of mixed European and Native American heritage.  Today, 60% of Mexicans are mestizo.  Another 30% are Native American.
   
   
4. Independence and Revolution - Miguel Hidalgo (priest) began a revolt in 1810. Mexico became independent in 1821.  Wealthy families, the army, and the church controlled to government and did little to improve life for the poor.  A 1910 revolution, led by Emiliano Zapata, created a federal republic similar to the US. The president serves one 6-year term of office.
   
   
   

1. Mexico's Cities and Villages - over 70% of Mexicans live in cities. Cities are a combination of old and new.  Plazas (public squares) are in the center. Poor people build homes of scraps of wood, metal, or other found materials.  Many lack electricity and running water. Villages also have plazas. Many homes are made of adobe (sun-dried clay brick) with courtyards, fountains, and plants in the Spanish style.
   
   
2. Mexican Culture
   
   1. Painter & Writers - famous mural (wall) painters were Jose Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera who painted historical scenes. Rivera's wife, Frida Kahlo is also well-known.  Literature includes modern writers like Carlos Fuentes and Octavio Paz who describe daily life and the values of the people.
      
   2. Foods - combines Spanish & Native American cultures, corn is used to make tortillas and tacos.
      
   3. Celebrations - Fiestas are common, traditional Mexican music is played by mariachi bands with a singer, violin, guitar, horns, and a bass player.
      1. Independence Day - September 16
      2. Cinco de Mayo - May 5
      3. Day of the Dead - November 2
      
      
3. Mexico's Economy Today - agriculture is important, corn, beans, wheat, and rice are grown for food. Exports include coffee, cotton, vegetables, fruit, livestock, and tobacco. Mexico has industrialized in recent years. Petroleum and natural gas deposits have contributed. Service industries like banking and tourism are important.
   
   1. Free Trade - NAFTA has created many jobs in Mexico since 1993 which will help their economy grow and improve life. In 1999 Mexico signed a similar agreement with many European countries.
   
   
4. Mexico's Challenges
   
   1. Population - Mexico can not provide jobs for its rapidly growing population.  Most of them live in the southern part of the Plateau of Mexico.  Crowding and unemployment are common.  Many come to the US, often illegally, to find work. Many come as migrant workers, because they can earn more in the US.
      
   2. Foreign Investment and Foreign Debt - Mexico borrowed money from other countries to help its economy grow. With a struggling economy, Mexico must pay off the debt instead of helping its people.
      
   3. Pollution - cities grew as the country industrialized. Mountains surround Mexico City, trapping pollution in smog.  The Rio Grande is heavily polluted from maquiladoras.

     LEARNING LINKS

1. Vocabulary Drag & Drop Puzzle  - Maya, Aztec or Spanish --- who did it!
2. Map Skills  - test your map skills, answer the qestions about Mexico.
3. On-line Practice Quiz  - be prepared, test how well you have studied.
4. Interactive Timeline  - click on timeline to see more information.
5. Virtual Tour - Mexico  - click on little orange circles to zoom in, click on blue cameras to see your virtual tours.
6. Interactive Dig Yucatan  - Thousands of entrances to Xibalba, the Maya Underworld, can still be found across the Yucatán peninsula. These water-filled sinkholes, or cenotes, served not only as passageways to the afterlife, but as lifelines for the present. In this riverless land, the Maya depended on the cenotes as their primary source of water. Great cities like Chichén Itzá and Mayapán centered around life-sustaining cenotes, and small villages in the Yucatec hinterland still rely on them.
7. Global Groovin'  - mix music using sounds from around the world, click on instrusments to learn more about the,.
8. Maya Civilization  - test your Mayan knowledge playing super tic-tac-toe.
9. Indigenous Groups of Mexico  - click each group to learn more, then on the left click to learn more about music, holidays, traditions, myths and stories.