Portal:Mexico

Mexico
Mexico
	Flag Coat of arms
Location	Southern portion of North America

The Temple of Warriors at Chichen Itza, Mexico

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¡Bienvenido! Welcome to the Mexico portal

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundaries with the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the southeast, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Mexico covers 1,972,550 km² (761,610 sq mi), and is the thirteenth-largest country in the world by land area. With a population exceeding 130 million, Mexico is the tenth-most populous country in the world and is home to the largest number of native Spanish speakers. Mexico City is the capital and largest city, which ranks among the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. It is also the northwesternmost country in Latin America.

Human presence in Mexico dates back to at least 8,000 BC. Mesoamerica, considered a cradle of civilization, was home to numerous advanced societies, including the Olmecs, Maya, Zapotecs, Teotihuacan civilization, and Purépecha. Spanish colonization defeated the dominant Aztec Empire, establishing the colony of New Spain with its capital at Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). Mexico became a major center of the transatlantic economy, fueled by silver mining and the forced labor of Indigenous peoples and enslaved Africans. The 1810–1821 Mexican War of Independence ended Spanish rule and led to the creation of the First Mexican Empire, which quickly collapsed into the short-lived First Mexican Republic. In 1848, Mexico lost nearly half its territory to the Mexican–American War. Liberal reforms set in the Constitution of 1857 led to civil war and French intervention, culminating in the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire under Emperor Maximilian I, who was overthrown by Republican forces led by Benito Juárez. The late 19th century saw the long dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, whose modernization policies came at the cost of severe social inequality. The 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution led to the overthrow of Díaz and the adoption of the 1917 Constitution. Mexico experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth in the 1940s–1970s, amidst electoral fraud, political repression, and economic crises. Unrest included the Tlatelolco massacre of 1968 and the Zapatista uprising in 1994. The late 20th century saw a shift towards neoliberalism, marked by the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. (Full article...)

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Location of Mayan speaking populations. See below for a detailed map of the different languages.^{[image reference needed]}

The Mayan languages form a language family spoken in Mesoamerica, both in the south of Mexico and northern Central America. Mayan languages are spoken by at least six million Maya people, primarily in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. In 1996, Guatemala formally recognized 21 Mayan languages by name, and Mexico recognizes eight within its territory.

The Mayan language family is one of the best-documented and most studied in the Americas. Modern Mayan languages descend from the Proto-Mayan language, thought to have been spoken at least 5,000 years ago; it has been partially reconstructed using the comparative method. The proto-Mayan language diversified into at least six different branches: the Huastecan, Quichean, Yucatecan, Qanjobalan, Mamean and Chʼolan–Tzeltalan branches. (Full article...)

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The Mexican military detaining suspects in Michoacán, 2007

The Mexican drug war is an ongoing asymmetric armed conflict between the Mexican government and various drug trafficking syndicates. When the Mexican military intervened in 2006, the government's main objective was to reduce drug-related violence. The Mexican government has asserted that its primary focus is dismantling the cartels and preventing drug trafficking. The conflict has been described as the Mexican theater of the global war on drugs, as led by the United States federal government.

Violence escalated after the arrest of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo in 1989. He was the leader and the co-founder of the first major Mexican drug cartel, the Guadalajara Cartel, an alliance of the current existing cartels (which included the Sinaloa Cartel, the Juarez Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Sonora Cartel with Aldair Mariano as the leader). After his arrest, the alliance broke, and high-ranking members formed their own cartels, fighting for control of territory and trafficking routes. (Full article...)

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Carla Morrison

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Plaza Sésamo (English: Sesame Plaza) is the first international co-production of the educational children's television series Sesame Street. Its first season premiered in Mexico in 1972, and the last season ended in 2018 during the holiday season and the 50th anniversary of Sesame Street, but the show returned in 2020. It has also aired throughout Latin America, to a potential audience of 25 million children in 34 countries. Unlike some of the earliest co-productions, which consisted of dubbed versions of Sesame Street sketches with local language voice-overs, Plaza Sésamo along with Vila Sésamo were actual co-productions. Half of the show was adapted from the American show, and half was original material, created in Mexico by Mexican writers, performers, and producers. The first season consisted of 130 half-hour episodes. The Plaza Sésamo development process was similar to that of the American show. Its goals were developed by local experts in television, child development, and early education during curriculum seminars in Caracas, Venezuela. Sésamo's goals emphasized problem solving and reasoning, and also included perception, symbolic representation, human diversity, and the child's environment. Other goals included community cooperation, family life, nutrition, health, safety, self-esteem, and expressing emotions. Early reading skills were taught through the whole language method. The show's budget for the first and second seasons was approximately US$1.6 million.

The show's set consisted of a typical neighborhood square (or plaza) found throughout the region. New Muppets and human characters were created. In all, four seasons of Sésamo were filmed. The first season resulted in some of the highest ratings in Mexico. The fourth season, filmed in 1995, was broadcast in the U.S., making it the first foreign-language co-production shown in the U.S. Studies conducted after the first season of Sésamo showed that it had a demonstrable impact on the educational achievement levels of its young audience. Highly significant difference were found in tests about general knowledge, letters, and numbers after children were exposed to the show. Significant gains were made in several cognitive and perceptual areas by regular viewers, even in subjects that were not taught by the show. Characters from the show participated in campaigns promoting health and nutrition; in 2009, Sesame Workshop, the organization responsible for the show, was awarded the "Champion of Health" award by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for its efforts. (Full article...)

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Saint Juan Diego by Miguel Cabrera, 1752

Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474–1548), also known simply as Juan Diego (Spanish pronunciation: [ˌxwanˈdjeɣo]), was a Nahua peasant and Marian visionary. He is said to have been granted apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe on four occasions in December 1531: three at the hill of Tepeyac and a fourth before don Juan de Zumárraga, then the first bishop of Mexico. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, located at the foot of Tepeyac, houses the cloak (tilmahtli) that is traditionally said to be Juan Diego's, and upon which the image of the Virgin is said to have been miraculously impressed as proof of the authenticity of the apparitions.

Juan Diego's visions and the imparting of the miraculous image, as recounted in oral and written colonial sources such as the Huei tlamahuiçoltica, are together known as the Guadalupe event (Spanish: el acontecimiento Guadalupano), and are the basis of the veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This veneration is ubiquitous in Mexico, prevalent throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas, and increasingly widespread beyond. As a result, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is now one of the world's major Christian pilgrimage destinations, receiving 22 million visitors in 2010. (Full article...)

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Vicente Fox Frida Kahlo Porfirio Díaz Emiliano Zapata Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Cantinflas Pancho Villa Antonio López de Santa Anna Chespirito Agustín de Iturbide Maximilian I of Mexico Benito Juárez Carlos Slim Diego Rivera Francisco I. Madero Juana Inés de la Cruz Carlos Salinas de Gortari Miguel de la Madrid

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In the news

16 April 2025 – Tariffs in the second Trump administration: California Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta file a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration over the tariffs, making California the first U.S. state to do so. The lawsuit also targets the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, the law used by Trump to impose tariffs against Canada, China, and Mexico. (Politico)
14 April 2025 –: A 5.2 magnitude earthquake strikes Julian, California, United States. The earthquake, felt throughout Southern California and Baja California, caused several rockslides on California State Route 76 and the demolition of an office façade in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico due to risk of collapse caused by earthquake. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) (La Jornada)
8 April 2025 – 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak: Mexico reports its first human death from bird flu subtype H5N1 which caused multiple organ failure in a three-year-old girl in Torreón, Coahuila. (Reuters)
8 April 2025 – Associated Press v. Budowich, Second presidency of Donald Trump: U.S. district judge for the District Court of D.C. Trevor N. McFadden orders the White House to restore the Associated Press's full access to cover presidential events on First Amendment grounds, overruling the Trump administration's previous order to ban the news agency after it refused to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America". (AP) (The Hill)
5 April 2025 –: Two reporters are killed after a metal structure collapses during the Festival Ceremonia in Mexico City, Mexico. (USA Today)
3 April 2025 – Mexican drug war: At least five CJNG gunmen are killed and 116 explosive devices seized after a combined operation that took place in Apatzingán. In the same day, in the municipality of Parácuaro, an encounter between delinquents, the SEDENA and the National Guard leaves one gunman killed. (La Jornada) (Contramuro)

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Guacamole

Guacamole (Spanish: [ɡwakaˈmole] ^ⓘ; informally shortened to guac in the United States since the 1980s) is an avocado-based dip, spread, or salad first developed in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine, it has become part of international cuisine as a dip, condiment, and salad ingredient. (Full article...)

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Mexican cuisine Cuisine of Chiapas Cuisine of Veracruz Crema (dairy product) Aztec cuisine Oaxacan cuisine Mole sauce Enchilada Mexican breads Nachos Burrito Mexican street food Pozole Cheeses of Mexico Taco Pan dulce Mexican wine Sopa de fideo Tostilocos Beer in Mexico Calavera Champurrado Mexican Coke Menudo (soup)

General images

The following are images from various Mexico-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1General Santa Anna known for his leadership during the Texas Revolution, Mexican-American War, and turbulent periods of Mexican history marked by political instability and territorial losses. (from History of Mexico)
Image 2La huida a Egipto (The Flight into Egypt). Miguel Cabrera, around 1700. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 3Sawdust carpet made during "The night no one sleeps" in Huamantla, Tlaxcala (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 4President Felipe Calderón with President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. (from History of Mexico)
Image 5U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President-Elect Enrique Peña Nieto during their meet at the White House following Peña Nieto's election victory. (from History of Mexico)
Image 61985 Mexico City earthquake (from History of Mexico)
Image 7Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc, Maya, lintel 24 of temple 23, Yaxchilan, Mexico, ca. 725 ce. (from History of Mexico)
Image 8Exconvento (Ex-convent), by José María Velasco. 1860. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 9Fireworks in Mexico City for New Year's Day. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 10Award of the Association of Theater Critics and Journalists. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 11President Vicente Fox with Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh (from History of Mexico)
Image 12Buffalo Soldiers of the American 10th Cavalry Regiment taken prisoner during the Battle of Carrizal, Mexico in 1916. (from History of Mexico)
Image 13"The Torture of Cuauhtémoc", a 19th-century painting by Leandro Izaguirre (from History of Mexico)
Image 14Olmec colossal (from History of Mexico)
Image 15Lázaro Cárdenas mural (from History of Mexico)
Image 16General Pancho Villa at the entrance of Ojinaga (from History of Mexico)
Image 17April 2, 1867. Entry of General Porfirio Díaz into Puebla. (from History of Mexico)
Image 18Goddess, mural painting from the Tetitla apartment complex at Teotihuacan, Mexico, 650–750 CE (from History of Mexico)
Image 19La leyenda de los volcanes (The legend of the volcanoes). Saturnino Herrán. 1910–1912. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 20Cabinet Officers of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (left) and of Enrique Peña Nieto (right). (from History of Mexico)
Image 21The Volkswagen Beetle, known in Mexico as the "Vocho," is perhaps the most iconic classic car in the country. Its production in Mexico began in 1967, and it continued until 2003, making it a symbol of Mexican automotive culture. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 22The Zócalo (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 23President Carranza in La Cañada, Querétaro, January 22, 1916. (from History of Mexico)
Image 24Subcomandante Marcos (from History of Mexico)
Image 25Victoriano Huerta, ruler of Mexico from 1913 to 1914 (from History of Mexico)
Image 26Pear, Quince and Psidium cajeta. In 2010 declared the Bicentennial Dessert of Mexico. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 27Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (from History of Mexico)
Image 28Mexican Army troops in the Zócalo in the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. (from History of Mexico)
Image 29Cerro del Cubilete ("Dice Cup Hill"). At the top of the hill is the Cristo Rey (Christ the King) statue. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 30David Huerta is a contemporary philosopher and poet who examines human existence, freedom, and meaning in Mexican society, blending philosophy with art and literature. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 31A statue of a Chichimeca Warrior in the city of Querétaro (from History of Mexico)
Image 32Logo of the Partido Nacional Revolucionario, with the colors of the Mexican flag (from History of Mexico)
Image 33Mexico City street market (from History of Mexico)
Image 34Battle of Miahuatlán took place on 3 October 1866. The liberal victory at Miahuatlán was significant because it allowed them to consolidate their control over southern Mexico. (from History of Mexico)
Image 35Plutarco Elías Calles politician and revolutionary general who served as President of Mexico from 1924 to 1928, known for his role in shaping modern Mexico through reforms and the consolidation of state power. (from History of Mexico)
Image 36Quechquemitl from Hidalgo at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 37The first Braceros arrive in Los Angeles by train in 1942. Photograph by Dorothea Lange. (from History of Mexico)
Image 38Murals of Bonampak (between 580 and 800 AD) (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 39Silk rebozo from Santa María del Río, SLP on a mannequin at the Feria de Rebozo in Tenancingo, State of Mexico. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 40Portrait and book by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Baroque poet and writer. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 41Teotihuacan view of the Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Sun, from the Pyramid of the Moon (from History of Mexico)
Image 42Liberación (Liberation). Jorge González Camarena. 1908. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 43The Castillo, Chichen Itza, Mexico, ca. 800–900 CE (from History of Mexico)
Image 44Panel 3 from Cancuen, Guatemala, representing king T'ah 'ak' Cha'an (from History of Mexico)
Image 45Making cigarettes in the El Buen Tono factory, Mexico City (from History of Mexico)
Image 46Spanish and Portuguese empires in 1790 (from History of Mexico)
Image 47Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 48Matches between Club América and Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azteca, known as the "Clásico Joven." (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 49The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, 19 June 1867. Gen. Tomás Mejía, left, Maximilian, center, Gen. Miguel Miramón, right. Painting by Édouard Manet 1868. (from History of Mexico)
Image 50Chacmool, Maya, from the Platform of the Eagles, Chichen Itza, Mexico, ca. 800–90 CE (from History of Mexico)
Image 51El Chapo in US custody after his extradition from Mexico. (from History of Mexico)
Image 52Dining table, painted between 1857 y 1859, oleo sobre tela (oil on canvas) by Agustín Arrieta (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 53Battle of Tampico (1829) a conflict between Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna and Spanish loyalists attempting to reconquer Mexico, resulting in a decisive Mexican victory that further solidified Mexico's independence from Spain. (from History of Mexico)
Image 54Agustín de Iturbide the first Emperor of Mexico in 1822 after leading the Mexican War of Independence against Spain, but his reign was short-lived, lasting only until 1823 when he abdicated, and Mexico transitioned to a republic. (from History of Mexico)
Image 55Distribution of linguistic groups around 1500. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 56Battle of Centla, the first time a horse was used in battle in a war in the Americas. Mural in the Palacio Municipal of Paraíso, Tabasco (from History of Mexico)
Image 57Singer and actor Pedro Infante, one of the leading figures of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 58Entry into Mexico City by the Mexican army (from History of Mexico)
Image 59Toltec carving representing the Aztec Eagle, found in Veracruz, 10th–13th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (from History of Mexico)
Image 60A map of Mexico 1845 after Texas annexation by the U.S. (from History of Mexico)
Image 61Comanchería, territory controlled by the Comanches, prior to 1850 (from History of Mexico)
Image 62Variegated maize ears (from History of Mexico)
Image 63Gilberto Bosques Saldívar took the initiative to rescue tens of thousands of Jews and Spanish Republican exiles from being deported to Nazi Germany or Spain. (from History of Mexico)
Image 64Ignacio Comonfort significant role during the tumultuous period of the mid-19th century, including the Reform War and early stages of the Mexican Republic's transition. (from History of Mexico)
Image 65Equestrian statue of Charles IV in Mexico City (from History of Mexico)
Image 66José Pablo Moncayo known for his orchestral works, particularly "Huapango" (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 67Modern group monument of Cortés, Doña Marina, and their mestizo son Martín (from History of Mexico)
Image 68Chihuahua Cathedral and a monument to the city's founder, Antonio Deza y Ulloa (from History of Mexico)
Image 69Colossal atlantids, pyramid B, Toltec, Tula, Mexico, ca. 900–1180 AD (from History of Mexico)
Image 70"The Fall of the Alamo" by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk (from History of Mexico)
Image 71Mexican Central Railway train at station, Mexico (from History of Mexico)
Image 72Logo of Nacional Financiera (NAFIN), the state development bank. (from History of Mexico)
Image 73President Obregón. Note that he lost his right arm in the Battle of Celaya (1915), earning him the nickname of Manco de Celaya ("the one-armed man of Celaya"). (from History of Mexico)
Image 74Viceroy José de Iturrigaray (from History of Mexico)
Image 75A unit of Cristeros preparing for battle. (from History of Mexico)
Image 76Porfirio Díaz dominant Mexican political and military figure who served as President for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by his long rule and the modernization efforts known as the Porfiriato. (from History of Mexico)
Image 77Three world leaders: (background, left to right) Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, observe the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement. (from History of Mexico)
Image 78Plaza de las Tres Culturas (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 79Surrender of Santa Anna by William Henry Huddle shows the Mexican president and general surrendering to a wounded Sam Houston in 1836. (from History of Mexico)