Mexico

Lore & Background

The earliest securely dated human artifacts in what is now Mexico are stone tools found in the Valley of Mexico, dating back over 13,000 years. Mexico is the site of the domestication of maize and beans, which produced an agricultural surplus. (The tomato was domesticated in the Andes region of South America, not Mexico.) This enabled the transition from paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers to sedentary agricultural villages beginning around 5000 BC. The formative period of Mesoamerica is one of the six independent cradles of civilization, this era saw the origin of distinct cultural traits such as religious and symbolic traditions, maize cultivation, artistic and architectural complexes as well as a vigesimal (base 20) numeric system that spread from Mexican cultures to the rest of Mesoamerica. Villages became more densely populated, socially stratified with an artisan class, and developed into chiefdoms. The most powerful rulers had religious and political power, organizing the construction of ceremonial centers. The earliest complex civilization was the Olmec culture, which flourished on the Gulf Coast from around 1500 BC. Olmec cultural traits diffused through Mexico into other formative-era cultures in Chiapas, Oaxaca, and the Valley of Mexico. In the pre-classical period, the Maya and Zapotec civilizations developed complex centers. The first true Mesoamerican writing systems were developed in the Epi-Olmec and Zapotec cultures. The Mesoamerican writing tradition reached its height in the Classic Maya Hieroglyphic script, the earliest written histories date from then. The tradition of writing was important after Spanish conquest in 1521, with indigenous scribes learning to write their languages in alphabetic letters, while continuing to create pictorial texts. In Central Mexico, the height of the classic period saw the ascendancy of Teotihuacán, which formed a military and commercial empire. Teotihuacan, with a population of more than 150,000, had some of the largest pyramidal structures in the pre-Columbian Americas. After the collapse of Teotihuacán around 600 AD, competition ensued between political centers in such as Xochicalco and Cholula. During the Epi-Classic, Nahua peoples began moving south into Mesoamerica, and became politically and culturally dominant in central Mexico. During 1000–1519 AD, central Mexico was dominated by the Toltec culture, Oaxa

In Their Own Story

The sun dips below the jagged silhouette of Popocatépetl, casting long shadows over the cobblestones of Oaxaca. A street vendor lights a clay stove, the scent of roasting chilies and fresh corn mingling with the faint aroma of copal incense drifting from a nearby church. In the distance, the rhythmic beat of a huapango guitar echoes off colonial arches, blending seamlessly with the chatter of tourists and locals alike. Here, time does not move in a straight line; it spirals, connecting the hands that once built pyramids to those grinding masa for tonight's tortillas.

Reader's Guide

Mexico is a federal republic with a presidential system of government, characterized by a democratic framework and the separation of powers into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The federal legislature consists of the bicameral Congress of the Union, comprising the Chamber of Deputies, which represents the population, and the Senate, which provides equal representation for each state. The Constitution establishes three levels of government: the federal Union, the state governments, and the municipal governments. Mexico's federal structure grants autonomy to its 32 states, and its political system is deeply influenced by indigenous traditions and European Enlightenment ideals. Mexico is a newly industrialized and developing country, with the world's 13th-largest economy by nominal GDP and the 13th-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It ranks first in the Americas and seventh in the world by the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, ranking fifth in natural biodiversity. It is a major tourist destination: as of 2022, it is the sixth most-visited country in the world, with 42.2 million international arrivals. Mexico's large economy and population, global cultural influence, and steady democratization make it a regional and middle power, increasingly identifying as an emerging power. As with much of Latin America, poverty, systemic corruption, and crime remain widespread. Since 2006, approximately 127,000 deaths have been caused by ongoing conflict between drug trafficking syndicates. Mexico is a member of United Nations, the G20, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Coffee Club, the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Organization of American States (OAS), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), and has an observer status at the Council of Europe.

Did You Know?

• Mexico is home to the largest number of native Spanish speakers in the world.
• Mexico ranks first in the Americas and seventh in the world by the number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Mexico is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, ranking fifth in natural biodiversity.
• As of 2022, Mexico is the sixth most-visited country in the world, with 42.2 million international arrivals.