Facts About Mexico

Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, with about 133 million people. Its capital, Mexico City, is the largest city in North America. The country runs from deserts along the U.S. border to rainforests near Guatemala, and it has coastline on the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Mexican Culture and Traditions

Families in Mexico tend to stay close. Grandparents and cousins often live nearby, and Sunday is a common day for a long family meal. After school, many kids play soccer (fútbol), the country’s most popular sport.

Children also get a holiday of their own on April 30, El Día del Niño (Children’s Day), when schools hold parties and games. When a girl turns 15, many families celebrate her quinceañera, which often starts with a church service and ends with a dance.

Christmas celebrations start early. From December 16 to 24, many neighborhoods hold Las Posadas, nine nights of processions that remember Mary and Joseph’s search for room in Bethlehem. Neighbors go from house to house singing, and each night ends with tamales, hot fruit punch and a piñata for the children.

On November 1 and 2, families observe Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). They set up home altars with photos, candles, orange marigolds and the favorite food of relatives who have died.

What Language Is Spoken in Mexico?

Spanish is the main language in Mexico, and more people speak Spanish there than in any other country. Mexico also recognizes 68 indigenous languages. Some children speak one of them at home with their families and learn Spanish at school. Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, has the most speakers, more than 1.6 million. Tomato, avocado, chili and coyote all come from Nahuatl words.

A few everyday Spanish words: Hola means hello, gracias means thank you and amigo means friend.

Traditional Mexican Food

Corn was first grown in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago, and it’s still the base of most meals. Cooks grind it into a dough called masa to make tortillas and tamales. Beans, squash and chiles show up at most tables too.

Besides tacos, families make pozole, a hominy soup often served on holidays, and mole, a thick sauce made with chiles and, in some versions, chocolate. Vanilla is native to Mexico. The biggest meal of the day, la comida, is usually eaten in the mid-afternoon.

A Brief History of Mexico

People have lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Olmec built some of the region’s first cities more than 3,000 years ago. The Maya built stone pyramids across the south, and in 1325 the Aztecs founded their capital, Tenochtitlan, on an island in a lake. Mexico City stands on the same spot today.

Spanish forces took Tenochtitlan in 1521, and Spain ruled Mexico for the next 300 years. On September 16, 1810, a priest named Miguel Hidalgo rang his church bell and called on people to fight for independence, which Mexico won in 1821.

September 16 is now Mexico’s Independence Day. Many people confuse it with Cinco de Mayo, which marks the Mexican army’s victory over French troops at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.