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[[Image:Bandera para el Distrito Federal (Mexico).png|500px]]
{{About|the country in North America}}
An independent federal district of mexico can be the solutions of the capital of Mexico
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
only dumb people celebrate the nation,intelligent people think of a new one
{{pp-move-indef}}
{{Infobox Country
|native_name = ''Estados Unidos Mexicanos''<ref name="presidencia.gob.mx">{{cite web|url=http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/index.php?DNA=91 |title=Presidency of Mexico&nbsp;– Official Name of the Country |publisher=Presidencia.gob.mx |date=2005-03-31 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html CIA World Fact Book.] See ''Country Name-Local Long Form'' under ''Government''. Retrieved February 22, 2010.</ref>
|conventional_long_name = United Mexican States
|common_name = Mexico
|image_flag = Flag_of_Mexico.svg
|image_coat = Coat of arms of Mexico.svg
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|map_width = 220px
|image_map = Mexico (orthographic projection).svg
|national_anthem = "[[Himno Nacional Mexicano]]"<br />Mexican National Anthem
|national_motto =
|other_symbol_type = [[Seal (device)|National seal]]:
|other_symbol = [[Seal of the United Mexican States]] [[File:Seal of the Government of Mexico.svg|18px]]
|official_languages = [[Spanish language|Spanish]] <ref name="presidencia.gob.mx"/>
|regional_languages = 62 [[Languages of Mexico|Indigenous Amerindian languages]]<ref name="ofc_lang">However, the General Law of Linguistic Rights for the Indigenous Peoples recognizes all Amerindian minority languages, along with Spanish, as national languages and equally valid in territories where spoken. The government recognizes 62 indigenous languages, and more variants which are mutually unintelligible.[http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=90 Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas. CDI. México]</ref>
|demonym = Mexican
|capital = [[Mexico City]]
|latd=19 |latm=03 |latNS=N |longd=99 |longm=22 |longEW=W
|government_type = [[Federal republic|Federal]] [[constitutional republic|Republic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scjn.gob.mx/SiteCollectionDocuments/PortalSCJN/RecJur/BibliotecaDigitalSCJN/PublicacionesSupremaCorte/Political_constitucion_of_the_united_Mexican_states_2008.pdf |title= Political Constitution of the United Mexican States Title 2 Article 40 |publisher=SCJN |accessdate=2010-08-14}}</ref>
|leader_title1 = [[President of Mexico|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Felipe Calderón]] ([[National Action Party (Mexico)|PAN]])
|leader_title2 = [[Secretary of the Interior (Mexico)|Secretary of the Interior]]
|leader_name2 = José Francisco Blake Mora
|leader_title3 = [[Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation|Supreme Court President]]
|leader_name3 = [[Guillermo Iberio Ortiz Mayagoitia|Guillermo Ortiz Mayagoitia]]
|legislature = [[Congress of Mexico|Congress]]
|upper_house = [[Senate (Mexico)|Senate]]
|lower_house = [[Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)|Chamber of Deputies]]
|largest_city = Mexico City
|area_km2 = 1,972,550 <!-- see http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/mx.htm -->
|area_sq_mi = 761,606 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|area_rank = 15th
|area_magnitude = 1 E12
|percent_water = 2.5
|population_estimate = 111,211,789<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html |title=CIA&nbsp;– The World Factbook&nbsp;– Mexico |publisher=Cia.gov |accessdate=2009-11-04}}</ref>
|population_estimate_year = July 2009
|population_estimate_rank = 11th
|population_census = 103,263,388
|population_census_year = 2005
|population_density_km2 = 55
|population_density_sq_mi = 142 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
|population_density_rank = 142nd
|GDP_PPP_year = 2010
|GDP_PPP = $1.541 trillion<ref name=worldbankes>{{cite web|title=World Bank data |url=http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/DDPQQ/member.do?method=getMembers&userid=1&queryId=135}}</ref>
|GDP_PPP_rank = 11
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $14,495<ref name=worldbankes/>
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 45th
|GDP_nominal = $1.085 trillion<ref name=worldbankes/>
|GDP_nominal_rank = 13
|GDP_nominal_year = 2010
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = $10,211<ref name=worldbankes/>
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 46th
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI = {{increase}} 0.854<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2009_EN_Complete.pdf Human Development Report 2009]. The United Nations. Retrieved 5 October 2009.</ref>
|HDI_rank = 53rd|HDI_category = <span style="color:#090;">high</span>
|Gini = <span style="color: #0c0; font-size: larger;">▼</span> 46.1<ref>[http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Complete.pdf Human Development Report 2007/2008]</ref>
|Gini_year = 2008
|Gini_category = <span style="color:#e0584e;">high</span>
|sovereignty_type = [[Mexican War of Independence|Independence]]
|sovereignty_note = from [[Spain]]
|established_event1 = Declared
|established_event2 = Recognized
|established_date1 = September 16, 1810
|established_date2 = September 27, 1821
|currency = [[Mexican peso|Peso]]
|currency_code = MXN
|time_zone = [[Time in Mexico|Official Mexican Timezones]]
|utc_offset = -8 to −6
|time_zone_DST = varies
|utc_offset_DST = -7 to −5
|drives_on = right
|cctld = [[.mx]]
|calling_code = [[+52]]
}}

'''Mexico''', (pronounced {{IPAc-en|En-us-Mexico.ogg|ˈ|m|ɛ|k|s|ɨ|k|oʊ}}; {{lang-es|México}} {{IPA-es|ˈmexiko||es-mx-México.ogg}}), officially known as the '''United Mexican States'''<ref>The alternative translation '''Mexican United States''' was used in a book published in 1824. That is, almost 200 years ago, and exactly 3 years after its independence was internationally recognized. [http://historical.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=661&Lot_No=56012&src=pr The Federal Constitution of the Mexican United States].</ref> ({{Audio-es|Estados Unidos Mexicanos|Es-mx-Estados Unidos Mexicanos.ogg}}), is a [[Federation|federal]] [[constitutional republic]] in [[North America]]. It is bordered on the north by the [[United States]]; on the south and west by the [[Pacific Ocean]]; on the southeast by [[Guatemala]], [[Belize]], and the [[Caribbean Sea]]; and on the east by the [[Gulf of Mexico]].<ref>''Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary'', 3rd ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.; p. 733</ref><ref>"[http://www.bartleby.com/65/me/Mexico.html Mexico]". ''[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ The Columbia Encyclopedia]'', 6th ed. 2001–6. New York: Columbia University Press.</ref> Covering almost 2 million square kilometres (over 760,000&nbsp;sq&nbsp;mi),<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico&nbsp;— Geography|work=CIA The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Geo|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> Mexico is the fifth-largest country in the [[Americas]] by total area and the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|14th largest independent nation in the world]]. With an estimated population of 111 million,<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico&nbsp;— People|work=CIA The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#People|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> it is the [[List of countries by population|11th most populous country]] and the [[Hispanophone#Hispanosphere|most populous Hispanophone]] country on Earth. Mexico is a federation comprising [[Administrative divisions of Mexico|thirty-one states]] and a [[Mexico City|Federal District]], the capital city.

In [[Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica]] many cultures matured into advanced civilizations such as the [[Olmec]], the [[Toltec]], the [[Teotihuacan]], the [[Zapotec civilization|Zapotec]], the [[Maya civilization|Maya]] and the [[Aztec]] before the first contact with Europeans. In 1521, Spain conquered and colonized the territory, which was administered as the viceroyalty of [[New Spain]] which would eventually become Mexico as the colony gained [[Mexican War of Independence|independence]] in 1821. The post-independence period was characterized by [[Economic history of Mexico#Independence|economic instability]], [[Territorial evolution of Mexico|territorial secession]] and [[Reform War|civil war]], including [[Mexican–American War|foreign intervention]], [[List of Emperors of Mexico|two empires]] and [[List of Presidents of Mexico|two long domestic dictatorships]]. The latter led to the [[Mexican Revolution]] in 1910, which culminated with the promulgation of the [[Constitution of Mexico|1917 Constitution]] and the emergence of the country's current [[Politics of Mexico|political system]]. [[Mexican general election, 2000|Elections held in July 2000]] marked the first time that an opposition party won the presidency from the [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] ({{lang-es|Partido Revolucionario Institucional}}, PRI).

As a [[regional power]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Japan's Regional Diplomacy, Latin America and the Caribbean|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan|url=http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/other/bluebook/2006/05.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Latin America:Region is losing ground to competitors|publisher=Oxford Analytica|url=http://www.oxanstore.com/displayfree.php?NewsItemID=130098|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref> and since 1994 the first Latin American member of the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]] (OECD), Mexico is firmly established as an upper middle-income country,<ref name="World Bank">{{cite web|title=List of upper middle-income countries|publisher=The World Bank|url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/DATASTATISTICS/0,,contentMDK:20421402~pagePK:64133150~piPK:64133175~theSitePK:239419,00.html#Upper_middle_income|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> and is considered a [[newly industrialized country]]<ref name=Globalization>{{cite book|title=Globalization and the Transformation of Foreign Economic Policy|author=Paweł Bożyk|chapter=Newly Industrialized Countries|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd|year=2006|isbn=0-75-464638-6|page=164}}</ref><ref name=Limits>{{cite book|title=The Limits of Convergence|author=Mauro F. Guillén|chapter=Multinationals, Ideology, and Organized Labor|pages=126 (Table 5.1)|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2003|isbn=0-69-111633-4}}</ref><ref name=AIA>{{cite book|title=Geography, An Integrated Approach|author=David Waugh|chapter=Manufacturing industries (chapter 19), World development (chapter 22)|pages=563, 576–579, 633, and 640|publisher=Nelson Thornes Ltd.|year=3rd edition 2000|isbn=0-17-444706-X}}</ref><ref name=Principles>{{cite book|title=Principles of Economics|author=N. Gregory Mankiw|year=4th Edition 2007|isbn=0-32-422472-9|publisher=Thomson/South-Western|location=Mason, Ohio}}</ref> and an [[Emerging Powers|emerging power]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38056 |title=G8: Despite Differences, Mexico Comfortable as Emerging Power |publisher=Ipsnews.net |date=2007-06-05 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> It has the [[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|13th largest]] nominal GDP and the [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|11th largest]] by [[purchasing power parity]]. The [[Economy of Mexico|economy]] is strongly linked to those of its [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) partners, especially the [[United States]],<ref>[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35749.htm Mexico (05/09)]. US Department of State. Accessed on:2009-11-25</ref><ref>[http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34733.pdf CRS Report for Congress]. Congressional Research Service. 2008-11-04</ref> as well as [[tourism]], being the world's tenth most visited country with over 21.4 million international arrivals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unwto.org/facts/eng/pdf/highlights/UNWTO_Highlights08_en_HR.pdf |title=Tourism |format=PDF |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Mexico boasts a long tradition in the [[arts]], renowned [[Mexican cuisine|cuisine]], and [[culture]], and it ranks fifth in the world and first in the [[Americas]] on the list of [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Sites]] with [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Americas#Mexico (31)|31]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldheritagesite.org/countries/mexico.html |title=Mexico's World Heritage Sites |publisher=Worldheritagesite.org |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/mx |title=Mexico on the UNESCO World Heritage |publisher=Whc.unesco.org |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://whc.unesco.org/en/events/295 |title=Mexico's World Heritage Sites Photographic Exhibition at UN Headquarters |publisher=Whc.unesco.org |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

==Etymology==
{{Main|Toponymy of Mexico}}
[[File:CodexMendoza01.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Image of Mexico-[[Tenochtitlan]] from the [[Codex Mendoza]].]]

After New Spain won independence from Spain, it was decided that the new country would be named after its capital, [[Mexico City]], which was founded in 1524 on top of the ancient Aztec capital of [[Tenochtitlan|México-Tenochtitlan]]. The name comes from the [[Nahuatl]] language, but its meaning is not known. It has been suggested that it is derived from ''[[Mextli]]'' or ''Mēxihtli'', a secret name for the god of war and patron of the Aztecs, [[Huitzilopochtli]], in which case ''Mēxihco'' means "Place where ''Mēxihtli'' lives".<ref>{{cite book|last=Aguilar-Moreno|first=Manuel|title=Handbook to Life in the Aztec World|year=2006|publisher=Facts of Life, Inc.|isbn=0-8160-5673-0|page=19}}</ref>

Another hypothesis suggests that the word ''Mēxihco'' derives from the ''mētztli'' ("moon"), ''xictli'' ("navel", "center" or "son"), and the suffix ''-co'' (place), in which case it means "Place at the center of the moon" or "Place at the center of the Lake Moon", in reference to [[Lake Texcoco]].<ref name=edomex/> The system of interconnected lakes, of which Texcoco was at the center, had the form of a rabbit, the same image that the Aztecs saw in the moon. Tenochtitlan was located at the center (or navel) of the lake (or rabbit/moon).<ref name="edomex">{{es icon}} {{cite web|title=Nombre del Estado de México|publisher=Government of the State of Mexico|url=http://www.edomexico.gob.mx/identidad/civica/htm/NomMexico.htm|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> Still another hypothesis suggests that it is derived from ''Mēctli,'' the goddess of [[Agave americana|maguey]].

The name of the city was transliterated to Spanish as ''México'' with the phonetic value of the ''x'' in Medieval Spanish, which represented the [[voiceless postalveolar fricative]] {{IPA|/ʃ/}}. This sound, as well as the [[voiced postalveolar fricative]] {{IPA|/ʒ/}}, represented by a ''j'', evolved into a [[voiceless velar fricative]] {{IPA|/x/}} during the sixteenth century.<ref>{{cite web|title=Evolution of the pronunciation of "x"|publisher=Real Academia Española|url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltGUIBusDPD?lema=x}}</ref> This led to the use of the variant ''Méjico'' in many publications in Spanish, most notably in Spain, whereas in Mexico and most other Spanish–speaking countries ''México'' was the preferred spelling. In recent years the ''[[Real Academia Española]]'', which regulates the [[Spanish language]], determined that both variants are acceptable in Spanish but that the normative recommended [[spelling]] is ''México''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas|publisher=Real Academia Española|url=http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltGUIBusDPD?lema=M%E9xico}}</ref> The majority of publications in all Spanish-speaking countries now adhere to the new norm, even though the alternative variant is still occasionally used.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico|work=Online Dictionary|publisher=Merriam-Webster|url=http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/Mexico}}</ref> In English, the ''x'' in Mexico represents neither the original nor the current sound, but the consonant cluster {{IPA|/ks/}}.

The official name of the country has changed as the [[form of government]] has changed. On two occasions (1821–1823 and 1863–1867), the country was known as ''Imperio Mexicano'' ([[Mexican Empire]]). All three federal constitutions (1824, 1857 and 1917, the current constitution) used the name ''Estados Unidos Mexicanos''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ierd.prd.org.mx/coy128/hlb.htm |title=El cambio de la denominación de "Estados Unidos Mexicanos" por la de "México" en la Constitución Federal |publisher=Ierd.prd.org.mx |accessdate=2009-11-04}}</ref>—or the variants ''Estados Unidos mexicanos''<ref>[http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/text/image/A02.html Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States (1824) Tarton Law Library. Jamail Center for Legal Research]</ref> and ''Estados-Unidos Mexicanos'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tlahui.com/politic/politi99/politi8/con1857.htm |title=Constitución Mexicana de 1857 |publisher=Tlahui.com |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> all of which have been translated as "United Mexican States". The term ''República Mexicana'', "Mexican Republic" was used in the 1836 Constitutional Laws.<ref>[http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/servlet/SirveObras/01361697524573725088802/p0000001.htm Leyes Constitucionales de 1836]. Cervantes Virtual</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Mexico}}
[[File:El Castillo Stitch 2008 Edit 2.jpg|thumb|left|Archaeological sites of [[Chichen Itza|Chichén-Itzá]], one of the [[New Seven Wonders of the World]]]]
Campfire remains in the [[Valley of Mexico]] have been radiocarbon-dated to 21,000 [[Common Era|BCE]], and a few chips of [[stone tool]]s have been found near the hearths, indicating the presence of humans at that time.<ref>{{cite web | title=Native Americans: Earliest Migrations | year=2009 | publisher=MSN Encarta | url=http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570777/Native_Americans.html#s76 |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1257037540134054|archivedate=2009-11-01|deadurl=yes}}</ref> Around 9,000 years ago, ancient [[indigenous peoples]] domesticated [[maize|corn]] and initiated an agricultural revolution, leading to the formation of many complex [[civilization]]s. Between 1,800 and 300 BCE, many matured into advanced [[pre-Columbian]] [[Mesoamerica]]n civilizations such as: the [[Olmec]], the [[Teotihuacan]], the [[Maya civilization|Maya]], the [[Zapotec civilization|Zapotec]], the [[Mixtec]], the [[Toltec]] and the [[Aztec]], which flourished for nearly 4,000 years before the first contact with Europeans.

These civilizations are credited with many inventions and advancements in fields such as architecture ([[pyramid|pyramid-temples]]), mathematics, astronomy, medicine and theology. The Aztecs were noted for practicing [[Human sacrifice in Aztec culture|human sacrifice]] on a large scale.<ref>"[http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/aztecs/sacrifice.htm The Enigma of Aztec Sacrifice]". Michael Harner. ''Natural History'', April 1977 Vol. 86, No. 4, pages 46–51.</ref> At its peak, [[Teotihuacan]], containing some of the largest [[Mesoamerican pyramid|pyramidal structures]] built in the [[pre-Columbian]] Americas, had a population of more than 150,000 people.<ref>"[http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20041206/mexicopyramid.html Mexico Pyramid Holds Headless Bodies]". Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News.</ref> Estimates of the population before the Spanish conquest range from 6 million to 25 million.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/sep/03/mexico 'Ebola' bug wiped out the Aztecs]. The Observer. September 3, 2006.</ref><ref>"[http://www.hist.umn.edu/~rmccaa/mxpoprev/cambridg3.htm The population of Mexico from origins to revolution]". Department of History: University of Minnesota.</ref>

[[File:Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.jpg|thumb|right|Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla "The Father of Mexico"]]
In the early 16th century, from the landing of [[Hernán Cortés]], the [[Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire|Aztec civilization was invaded and conquered by the Spaniards]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Anonymous Conqueror |first=the |year=1917 |origyear=1550 |title=[[Narrative of Some Things of New Spain and of the Great City of Temestitan]] |others=Marshall Saville (trans) |publisher=The Cortés Society |location=New York }}</ref> Unintentionally introduced by Spanish conquerors, [[smallpox]] ravaged Mesoamerica in the 1520s, killing millions of Aztecs,<ref>"[http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=2008&page=24 Emerging Infections: Microbial Threats to Health in the United States (1992)]". [[Institute of Medicine|Institute of Medicine (IOM)]].</ref> including the emperor, and was credited with the victory of Hernán Cortés over the Aztec empire.<ref>"[http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/papers/orlow-e.html Silent Killers of the New World]". Millersville University.</ref> The territory became part of the [[Spanish Empire]] under the name of [[New Spain]]. Much of the identity, traditions and architecture of Mexico were created during the [[Colonial Mexico|colonial period]].

On September 16, 1810, independence from Spain was declared by priest [[Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla]], in the small town of [[Dolores Hidalgo|Dolores]], Guanajuato.<ref>{{cite web|title=Miguel Hidalgo Biography|publisher=Catholic Encyclopedia|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/16045a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> The first insurgent group was formed by Hidalgo, the Spanish [[viceregal]] army [[captain (land)|captain]] [[Ignacio Allende]], the [[militia]] captain [[Juan Aldama]] and "La Corregidora" [[Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez]]. Hidalgo and some of his soldiers were captured and executed by [[firing squad]] in [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]], on July 31, 1811. Following his death, the leadership was assumed by priest [[José María Morelos]], who occupied key southern cities.

In 1813, the [[Congress of Chilpancingo]] was convened and, on November 6, signed the "[[Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America]]". Morelos was captured and executed on December 22, 1815. In subsequent years, the insurgency was near collapse, but in 1820 [[Viceroy]] [[Juan Ruiz de Apodaca]] sent an army under the [[Criollo people|criollo]] general [[Agustín de Iturbide]] against the troops of [[Vicente Guerrero]]. Instead, Iturbide approached Guerrero to join forces, and in 1821 representatives of the [[Spanish Crown]] and Iturbide signed the "[[Treaty of Córdoba]]" and the "[[Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire]]", which recognized the [[independence of Mexico]] under the terms of the "[[Plan of Iguala]]".

[[File:Mexico's Territorial Evolution.png|thumb|left|Mexico's Territorial Evolution since 1821]]

[[File:BenitoJuarez.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Benito Juárez]] is generally regarded as Mexico's greatest president for resisting the French occupation, overthrowing the Empire, and restoring the Republic, as well as for his role in modernizing the country.]]
[[Agustin de Iturbide]] immediately proclaimed himself emperor of the [[First Mexican Empire]]. A revolt against him in 1823 established the United Mexican States. In 1824, a [[Constitution of 1824|Republican Constitution]] was drafted and [[Guadalupe Victoria]] became the first president of the newly born country. The first decades of the post-independence period were marked by [[Economic history of Mexico|economic instability]], which led to the [[Pastry War]] in 1836, and a constant strife between ''liberales'', supporters of a [[federal republic|federal form of government]], and ''conservadores'', proposals of a [[Unitary state|hierarchical form of government]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=The Early Republic|work=Mexico|year=2007|publisher=Microsoft Encarta|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=761576758&pn=14|accessdate=September 29, 2007|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kx5rN1fL|archivedate=2009-11-01|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

General [[Antonio López de Santa Anna]], a centralist and two-time [[dictator]], approved the ''[[Siete Leyes]]'' in 1836, a radical amendment that institutionalized the centralized form of government. When he suspended the 1824 Constitution, [[civil war]] spread across the country, and three new governments declared independence: the [[Republic of Texas]], the [[Republic of the Rio Grande]] and the [[Republic of Yucatán]].

Texas successfully achieved independence and was annexed by the United States. A [[territorial dispute|border dispute]] led to the [[Mexican–American War]], which began in 1846 and lasted for two years; the War was settled via the "[[Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo]]", which forced Mexico to give up nearly half of its land to the U.S., including [[California]] and [[New Mexico]]. A much smaller transfer of territory in parts of southern [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]]&nbsp;— the [[Gadsden Purchase]]&nbsp;— occurred in 1854. The [[Caste War of Yucatán]], the [[Maya peoples|Mayan]] uprising that began in 1847,<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/98432/Caste-War Caste War (Central American history)]. Britannica Online Encyclopedia.</ref> was one of the most successful modern Native American revolts.<ref>''The Caste War of Yucatán'': Revised Edition, By Nelson Reed, Published by Stanford University Press, 2002 ISBN 0-8047-4001-1, 9780804740012, 448 pages</ref> Maya rebels, or [[Cruzob]], maintained relatively independent enclaves until the 1930s.<ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761588432/Caste_War_of_the_Yucat%C3%A1n.html Caste War of the Yucatán]. Encarta.msn.com. [http://www.webcitation.org/5kx7PaYn3 Archived] 2009-11-01.</ref>

Dissatisfaction with Santa Anna's return to power led to the liberal "[[Plan of Ayutla]]", initiating an era known as ''[[La Reforma]]'', after which [[Constitution of 1857|a new Constitution was drafted in 1857]] that established a [[secular state]], federalism as the [[form of government]], and several freedoms. As the ''conservadores'' refused to recognized it, the [[War of Reform]] began in 1858, during which both groups had their own governments. The war ended in 1861 with victory by the Liberals, led by Amerindian President [[Benito Juárez]]. In the 1860s Mexico underwent a military occupation by France, which established the [[Second Mexican Empire]] under the rule of [[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] [[Archduke]] [[Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico|Ferdinand Maximilian]] of [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] with support from the Roman Catholic clergy and the ''conservadores'', who later switched sides and joined the ''liberales''. Maximilian surrendered, was tried on June 14 and was executed on June 19, 1867.

[[File:Porforio Diaz.jpg|thumb|left|Porfirio Diaz and his wife with other members of the Porfirian ruling faction]]
[[File:CarranzaPostcard.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Venustiano Carranza]], one of the leaders of the [[Mexican Revolution]] and supporter of the 1917 Constitution]]
[[Porfirio Díaz]], a republican general during the [[French intervention in Mexico|French intervention]], ruled Mexico from 1876–1880 and then from 1884–1911 in five consecutive reelections, period known as the ''[[Porfirio Díaz|Porfiriato]]'', characterized by remarkable economic achievements, investments in [[arts]] and [[science]]s, but also of [[income distribution|economic inequality]] and [[political repression]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=The Díaz Years|work=Mexico|year=2007|publisher=Microsoft Encarta|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576758_15/Mexico.html|accessdate=September 30, 2007|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kx70GN43|archivedate=2009-11-01|deadurl=yes}}</ref>

===20th century===
A likely electoral fraud that led to Diaz's fifth reelection sparked the [[Mexican Revolution|1910 Mexican Revolution]], initially led by [[Francisco I. Madero]].

Díaz resigned in 1911 and Madero was elected president but [[Decena trágica|overthrown and murdered in a coup d'état two years later]] directed by conservative general [[Victoriano Huerta]].<!--reference?: after a secret council held with the U.S. ambassador [[Henry Lane Wilson]].--> That event re-ignited the civil war, involving figures such as [[Francisco Villa]] and [[Emiliano Zapata]], who formed their own forces. A third force, the [[Ejército Constitucionalista|constitutional army]] led by [[Venustiano Carranza]], managed to bring an end to the war, and radically amended the 1857 Constitution to include many of the social premises and demands of the revolutionaries into what was eventually called the [[Constitution of Mexico|1917 Constitution]]. It is estimated that the war killed 900,000 of the 1910 population of 15 million.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/investigations/505_mexicanrevolution.html The Mexican Revolution]. PBS.org.</ref><ref>[http://www.hist.umn.edu/~rmccaa/missmill/ Missing millions: the human cost of the Mexican Revolution]. Robert McCaa, University of Minnesota Population Center.</ref>

Assassinated in 1920, Carranza was succeeded by another revolutionary hero, [[Álvaro Obregón]], who in turn was succeeded by [[Plutarco Elías Calles]]. Obregón was reelected in 1928 but assassinated before he could assume power. In 1929, Calles founded the [[National Revolutionary Party]] (PNR), later renamed the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and started a period known as the ''[[Maximato]]'', which ended with the election of [[Lázaro Cárdenas]], who implemented many economic and social reforms, and most significantly [[Mexican oil expropriation|expropriated the oil industry]] into [[Pemex|PEMEX]] on March 18, 1938, but sparked a diplomatic crisis with the countries whose [[citizen]]s had lost businesses by Cárdenas radical measure.

Between 1940 and 1980, Mexico experienced a substantial economic growth that some historians call the "[[Mexican Miracle]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Mexican Miracle: 1940–1968|work=World History from 1500|publisher=Emayzine|url=http://www.emayzine.com/lectures/mex9.html|accessdate=September 30, 2007}}</ref> Although the economy continued to flourish, [[distribution of wealth|social inequality]] remained a factor of discontent. Moreover, the PRI rule became increasingly authoritarian and at times oppressive<ref>{{cite web|last=Krauze|first=Enrique|title=Furthering Democracy in Mexico|date=January–February 2006|publisher=Foreign Affairs|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20060101faessay85106/enrique-krauze/furthering-democracy-in-mexico.html|accessdate=October 7, 2007}}</ref> (i.e.: the [[Tlatelolco massacre|1968 Tlatelolco massacre]],<ref name=MMex>{{cite book|title=Massacre in Mexico (Original "La noche de Tlatelolco")|author=[[Elena Poniatowska]]|publisher=Viking, New York|year=1975|isbn=0-8262-0817-7}}</ref> which claimed the life of around 30–800 protesters).<ref>Duncan Kennedy [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7513651.stm Mexico's long forgotten dirty war] BBC News, Saturday, July 19, 2008</ref>

[[File:Nafta.jpg|thumb|NAFTA Initialing Ceremony, October 1992. From left to right (standing) President [[Carlos Salinas de Gortari]], President [[George H. W. Bush]], Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]]. (Seated) [[Jaime Serra Puche]], [[Carla Hills]], [[Michael Wilson (politician)|Michael Wilson]].]]
Electoral reforms and high oil prices followed the administration of [[Luis Echeverría]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Schedler|first=Andreas|title=Electoral Authoritarianism: The Dynamics of Unfree Competition|year=2006|publisher=L. Rienner Publishers|isbn=1-5882-6440-8}}</ref><ref name="Crandall">{{cite book|last=Crandall|first=R.|coauthors= Paz and Roett|title=Mexico's Democracy at Work|chapter=Mexico's Domestic Economy: Policy Options and Choices|publisher=Lynne Reinner Publishers|year=2004|isbn=0-8018-5655-8|page=160 }}</ref> mismanagement of these revenues led to [[inflation]] and exacerbated the [[Latin American debt crisis|1982 Crisis]]. That year, [[1980s oil glut|oil prices plunged]], interest rates soared, and the government defaulted on its [[debt]]. [[Miguel de la Madrid|President Miguel de la Madrid]] resorted to currency devaluations which in turn sparked inflation.

[[File:Vicente Fox podium.jpg|left|upright|thumb|[[Vicente Fox]] was the first president from an opposition party to win the presidential election in over 70 years]]

In the 1980s, the first cracks emerged in the monopolistic position of PRI. In [[Baja California]], [[Ernesto Ruffo Appel]] was elected as governor. In 1988, [[electoral fraud]] prevented leftist candidate [[Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas]] from winning the national presidential elections, giving [[Carlos Salinas de Gortari]] the Presidency and leading to massive protests in Mexico City.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.photius.com/countries/mexico/government/mexico_government_the_1988_elections.html |title=Photius Geographic.org, "Mexico The 1988 Elections", (Sources: The Library of the Congress Country Studies, CIA World Factbook) |publisher=Photius.com |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

Salinas embarked on a program of [[neoliberalism|neoliberal]] reforms which fixed the exchange rate, controlled inflation and culminated with the signing of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA), which came into effect on January 1, 1994. The same day, the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]] (EZLN) started a two-week-lived armed rebellion against the federal government, and has continued as a non-violent opposition movement against [[neoliberalism]] and [[globalization]].

In December 1994, a month after Salinas was succeeded by [[Ernesto Zedillo]], the [[1994 economic crisis in Mexico|Mexican economy collapsed]], with a rapid rescue packaged authorized by U.S. [[Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]] and major macroeconomic reforms started by president Zedillo, the economy rapidly recovered and growth peaked at almost 7% by the end of 1999.<ref>{{es icon}} {{cite web | last = Cruz Vasconcelos | first = Gerardo | title = Desempeño Histórico 1914–2004 | url= http://www.imef.org.mx/NR/rdonlyres/F722BEDD-A8DE-49BA-AF4F-1A00889CE618/1192/CAPITULOI1.pdf | format=PDF|accessdate = 2007-02-17}}</ref>

In 2000, after 71 years, the PRI lost a presidential election to [[Vicente Fox]] of the opposition [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (PAN). In the 2006 presidential elections, [[Felipe Calderón]] from the PAN was declared the winner, with a razor-thin margin over leftist politician [[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]] of the [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (PRD). López Obrador, however, [[Mexican general election 2006 controversies|contested the election]] and pledged to create an "alternative government".<ref>{{es icon}} {{Cite journal| last=Reséndiz| first=Francisco| title=Rinde AMLO protesta como "presidente legítimo"| journal=El Universal|year=2006|url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/389114.html}}</ref>

==Administrative divisions==
{| class="infobox"
|{{Mexico labeled map}}
|}
{{Main|Political divisions of Mexico|Mexican state name etymologies}}
The United Mexican States are a federation of [[Mexican state|thirty-one free and sovereign states]], which form a union that exercises jurisdiction over the [[Mexican Federal District|Federal District]] and other [[territory (administrative division)|territories]]. Each state has its own Constitution and [[Congress]], as well as a judiciary, and its citizens elect by [[direct vote|direct voting]], a [[List of Mexican state governors|governor]] for a six-year term, as well as representatives to their respective unicameral state congresses, for three-year terms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 116|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref>

The states are also divided into [[Municipalities of Mexico|municipalities]], the smallest administrative political entity in the country, governed by a [[mayor|mayor or municipal president]] (''Presidente municipal''), elected by its residents by plurality.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 115|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Municipalities can be further subdivided into non-autonomous [[boroughs of Mexico|boroughs]] or in semi-autonomous auxiliary presidencies.

Constitutionally, Mexico City, as the capital and seat of the federal powers, is the Federal District, a special political division that belongs to the federation as a whole and not to a particular state, and as such, has more limited local rule than the nation's states.<ref>{{cite web|title=Article 112|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Since 1987, it has progressively gained a greater degree of autonomy, and residents now elect a [[Head of Government of the Federal District|head of government]] and representatives of a [[Legislative Assembly]] directly. Unlike the states, the Federal District does not have a Constitution but a Statute of Government. Mexico City is ''coterminous'' and ''coextensive'' with the Federal District.
{| class="toc" border="0" style="width:100%; font-size:90%"
|-
! colspan="8" style="background:#629BAB; color:white; font-weight:bold" | Administrative Divisions of Mexico
|- style="text-align:center; font-weight:bold;"
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | State
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | Capital
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | State
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | Capital
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | State
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | Capital
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | State
! style="background:lavender; width:12.5%" | Capital
|-
| {{Flag|Aguascalientes}}
| [[Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes|Aguascalientes]]
| {{Flagcountry|Mexican Federal District|name=Federal District}}
| [[Mexico City]]
| {{Flag|Morelos}}
| [[Cuernavaca]]
| {{Flag|Sinaloa}}
| [[Culiacán]]
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Baja California}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Mexicali]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Durango}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Durango, Durango|Durango]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Nayarit}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Tepic]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Sonora}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Hermosillo]]
|-
| {{Flag|Baja California Sur}}
| [[La Paz, Baja California Sur|La Paz]]
| {{Flag|Guanajuato}}
| [[Guanajuato, Guanajuato|Guanajuato]]
| {{Flag|Nuevo León}}
| [[Monterrey]]
| {{Flag|Tabasco}}
| [[Villahermosa]]
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Campeche}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Campeche, Campeche|Campeche]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Guerrero}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Chilpancingo]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Oaxaca}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Oaxaca, Oaxaca|Oaxaca]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Tamaulipas}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Ciudad Victoria]]
|-
| {{Flag|Chiapas}}
| [[Tuxtla Gutiérrez]]
| {{Flag|Hidalgo}}
| [[Pachuca, Hidalgo|Pachuca]]
| {{Flag|Puebla}}
| [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]]
| {{Flag|Tlaxcala|}}
| [[Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala|Tlaxcala]]
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Chihuahua}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Chihuahua, Chihuahua|Chihuahua]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Jalisco}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Guadalajara]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Querétaro}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Querétaro, Querétaro|Querétaro]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Veracruz}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Xalapa]]
|-
| {{Flag|Coahuila}}
| [[Saltillo]]
| {{Flagcountry|México (state)|name=Mexico State}}
| [[Toluca]]
| {{Flag|Quintana Roo}}
| [[Chetumal]]
| {{Flag|Yucatán}}
| [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]]
|-
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Colima}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Colima, Colima|Colima]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Michoacán}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Morelia]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|San Luis Potosí}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí|San Luis Potosí]]
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | {{Flag|Zacatecas}}
| style="background:#f0f0f0" | [[Zacatecas, Zacatecas|Zacatecas]]
|}

==Geography and climate==
{{Main|Geography of Mexico}}
[[File:Mexfromspace.PNG|thumb|left|A picture of Mexico as seen from outer space.]]
[[File:Arroyo de Michoacán.jpg|thumb|A winding river in the valley of [[Michoacán]]]]
Mexico is located at about 23° N and 102° W<ref>Francaviglia, Richard V. [http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/prelude/geo_geography_and_climate.html "Geography and climate"], ''U.S. Mexican War, 1846–1848.'' March 14, 2006: PBS / KERA</ref> in the southern portion of North America.<ref>[http://www.answers.com/topic/Mexico#Dictionary Mexico] ''[http://www.bartleby.com/am/ The American Heritage Reference Collection]'', et al.</ref><ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/69/71/M06671.html Mexico] ''[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ The Columbia Encyclopedia]''</ref> Almost all of Mexico lies in the [[North American Plate]], with small parts of the [[Baja California peninsula]] on the [[Pacific Plate|Pacific]] and [[Cocos Plate]]s. [[Geophysics|Geophysically]], some geographers include the territory east of the [[Isthmus of Tehuantepec]] (around 12% of the total) within Central America.<ref>Nord-Amèrica, in ''[http://www.grec.cat Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana]</ref> [[Geopolitics|Geopolitically]], however, Mexico is entirely considered part of North America, along with Canada and the United States.<ref>[http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/ites/0504/ijee/larson.htm "Geopolitics Oil and Natural Gas", by Alan Larson, US Undersecretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://nacts.asu.edu/files/u1/NQRno6.pdf |title="Transportation and Security in North America", NACTS North American Center for Transborder Studies, Arizona State University |format=PDF |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

Mexico's total area is {{convert|1972550|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, making it the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|world's 14th largest country by total area]], and includes approximately {{convert|6000|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}} of islands in the Pacific Ocean (including the remote [[Guadalupe Island]] and the [[Revillagigedo Islands]]), [[Gulf of Mexico]], Caribbean, and [[Gulf of California]]. On its north, Mexico shares a {{convert|3141|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} [[Mexico–United States border|border with the United States]]. The meandering Río Bravo del Norte (known as the [[Rio Grande]] in the United States) defines the border from [[Ciudad Juárez]] east to the Gulf of Mexico. A series of natural and artificial markers delineate the United States-Mexican border west from Ciudad Juárez to the Pacific Ocean. On its south, Mexico shares an {{convert|871|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} border with Guatemala and a {{convert|251|km|0|mi|abbr=on}} border with Belize.

===Topography===
[[File:Atlixco y Popo 100 9443.jpg|thumb|A view of the Popocatépetl volcano from the Atlixco valley. Popocatépetl is an active volcano and is the second highest peak in Mexico.]]
[[File:Mexico topo.jpg|thumb|left|Topographic map of Mexico]]
Mexico is crossed from north to south by two mountain ranges known as [[Sierra Madre Oriental]] and [[Sierra Madre Occidental]], which are the extension of the [[Rocky Mountains]] from northern North America. From east to west at the center, the country is crossed by the [[Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt]] also known as the ''Sierra Nevada''. A fourth mountain range, the [[Sierra Madre del Sur]], runs from [[Michoacán]] to [[Oaxaca]].<ref name="nationsencyclopedia1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Mexico-TOPOGRAPHY.html |title="Mexico Topography |publisher=Nationsencyclopedia.com |date=2007-10-16 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

As such, the majority of the Mexican central and northern territories are located at high altitudes, and the highest elevations are found at the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt: [[Pico de Orizaba]] ({{convert|5700|m|ft|0|disp=comma|abbr=on}}), [[Popocatépetl]] ({{convert|5462|m|ft|0|disp=comma|abbr=on}}) and [[Iztaccíhuatl]] ({{convert|5286|m|ft|0|disp=comma|abbr=on}}) and the [[Nevado de Toluca]] ({{convert|4577|m|ft|0|disp=comma|abbr=on}}). Three major urban agglomerations are located in the valleys between these four elevations: [[Toluca]], [[Greater Mexico City]] and [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]].<ref name="nationsencyclopedia1"/>

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Mexico}}
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Mexico Climate.png|thumb|left|Updated Köppen-Geiger climate map<ref>{{cite journal | author=Peel, M. C. and Finlayson, B. L. and McMahon, T. A. | year=2007 | title= Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification | journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 | pages=1633–1644 | url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html | issn = 1027-5606}} ''<small>(direct: [http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper])</small>''</ref>
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[[File:Island-Bay-Chamela-Mexico.jpg|thumb|left|Chamela bay]]
[[File:SierraMadredelsur.jpg|thumb|right|Snowfall is common in the mountainous area of the [[Sierra Madre del Sur]]]]
[[File:Sonoran Desert Scottsdale AZ 50349.JPG|thumb|right|The Sonoran Desert.]]

The [[Tropic of Cancer]] effectively divides the country into temperate and tropical zones. Land north of the twenty-fourth parallel experiences cooler temperatures during the winter months. South of the twenty-fourth parallel, temperatures are fairly constant year round and vary solely as a function of elevation. This gives Mexico one of the world's most diverse weather systems.

Areas south of the twenty-fourth parallel with elevations up to {{convert|1000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} (the southern parts of both coastal plains as well as the [[Yucatán Peninsula]]), have a yearly median temperature between {{convert|24|to|28|C|F|1}}. Temperatures here remain high throughout the year, with only a {{convert|5|C-change|0}} difference between winter and summer median temperatures. Both Mexican coasts, except for the south coast of the Bay of Campeche and northern Baja, are also vulnerable to serious [[tropical cyclone|hurricanes]] during the summer and fall. Although low-lying areas north of the twentieth-fourth parallel are hot and humid during the summer, they generally have lower yearly temperature averages (from {{convert|20|to|24|C|F|1|disp=or}}) because of more moderate conditions during the winter.

Many large cities in Mexico are located in the Valley of Mexico or in adjacent valleys with altitudes generally above {{convert|2000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. This gives them a year-round temperate climate with yearly temperature averages (from {{convert|16|to|18|C|F|1|disp=or}}) and cool nighttime temperatures throughout the year.

Many parts of Mexico, particularly the north, have a dry climate with sporadic rainfall while parts of the tropical lowlands in the south average more than {{convert|2000|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} of annual precipitation. For example, many cities in the north like [[Monterrey]], [[Hermosillo]], and [[Mexicali]] experience temperatures of {{convert|40|C|F}} or more in summer. In the [[Sonoran desert]] temperatures reach {{convert|50|C|F}} or more. Northern Mexico is characterized by desert because it is located in a latitude where all deserts around the globe are formed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weather.com/ |title=National and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report |publisher=Weather.com |date=2009-06-17 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

===Biodiversity===
[[File:GoldenEagle-Nova.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[Golden Eagle]], the national symbol of Mexico is a protected species by national law and is used in many government functions. It can be found throughout the north and central areas of the country.]]
[[File:Standing jaguar.jpg|thumb|left|The [[jaguar]], a native mammal of Mexico]]
Mexico is one of the 18 [[megadiverse countries]] of the world. With over 200,000 different species, Mexico is home of 10–12% of the world's biodiversity.<ref name="SEMARNAT">{{cite web|title=Biodiversidad de México|publisher=SEMARNAT|url=http://cruzadabosquesagua.semarnat.gob.mx/iii.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in [[reptile]]s with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in [[amphibian]]s with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26,000 different species.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biodiversidad en México|publisher=CONEVYT|url=http://oregon.conevyt.org.mx/actividades/diversidad/lectura_biodiversidad.htm|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> Mexico is also considered the second country in the world in [[ecosystem]]s and fourth in overall species.<ref name="SNIB"/> Approximately 2,500 species are protected by Mexican legislations.<ref name="SNIB">{{cite web|title=Sistema Nacional sobre la Biodiversidad en México|publisher=CONABIO|url=http://www.conabio.gob.mx/institucion/snib/doctos/acerca.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref>

The Mexican government created the National System of Information about Biodiversity, in order to study and promote the sustainable use of ecosystems. [[Deforestation]] is one of the most serious environmental issues in Mexico, with more than one million hectares of forest being lost each year. As of 2002, Mexico had the second fastest rate of deforestation in the world, second only to Brazil.<ref name="autogenerated2002">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1854188.stm Mexico's 'devastating' forest loss]. BBC News. March 4, 2002.</ref> The government has taken another initiative in the late 1990s to expand the people's knowledge, interest and use of the country's esteemed biodiversity, through the [[Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad]].

In Mexico, {{convert|170000|km2|sqmi|0}} are considered "Protected Natural Areas." These include 34 reserve biospheres (unaltered ecosystems), 64 national parks, 4 natural monuments (protected in perpetuity for their aesthetic, scientific or historical value), 26 areas of protected flora and fauna, 4 areas for natural resource protection (conservation of soil, hydrological basins and forests) and 17 sanctuaries (zones rich in diverse species).<ref name="SEMARNAT"/>

The discovery of the Americas brought to the rest of the world many widely used [[Agriculture|food crops]] and [[edible plants]]. Some of Mexico's native [[culinary art|culinary]] ingredients include: [[chocolate]], [[avocado]], [[tomato]], [[maize]], [[vanilla]], [[guava]], [[chayote]], [[Dysphania ambrosioides|epazote]], [[Sweet potato|camote]], [[jícama]], [[nopal]], [[zucchini]], [[Crataegus pubescens|tejocote]], [[Corn smut|huitlacoche]], [[sapote]], [[mamey sapote]], many varieties of [[bean]]s, and an even greater variety of [[chili pepper|chiles]], such as the [[Habanero]] and the [[Jalapeño|Xalapeño]]. Most of these names come from indigenous languages like [[Nahuatl]].

==Government and politics==
{{Politics of Mexico}}
{{Main|Politics of Mexico}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series-->
[[File:MexCity-palacio.jpg|left|thumb|The [[National Palace (Mexico)|National palace]], symbolic seat of the President and the cabinet.]]
The United Mexican States are a [[federation]] whose government is [[Representative democracy|representative]], [[democratic]] and [[republicanism|republican]] based on a presidential system according to the 1917 Constitution. The constitution establishes three levels of government: the federal Union, the state governments and the municipal governments. All officials at the three levels are elected by voters through [[Plurality voting system|first-past-the-post]] [[plurality (voting)|plurality]], [[proportional representation]] or are appointed by other elected officials.

The [[federal government]] is constituted by the Powers of the Union, the three separate branches of government:

===Legislature===
[[File:Castillo de chapultepcec.jpeg|thumb|left|[[Chapultepec Castle]], the historic residence of the executive.]]
[[Legislative]]: the [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] [[Congress of Mexico|Congress of the Union]], composed of a [[Senate of Mexico|Senate]] and a [[Chamber of Deputies (Mexico)|Chamber of Deputies]], which makes [[federal law]], declares war, imposes taxes, approves the national budget and international treaties, and ratifies diplomatic appointments.<ref name="congress">{{cite web|title=Articles 50 to 79|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>

===Executive===
[[Executive (government)|Executive]]: the [[President of Mexico|President of the United Mexican States]], who is the [[head of state]] and [[head of government|government]], as well as the [[commander-in-chief]] of the Mexican military forces. The President also appoints the [[Mexican Executive Cabinet|Cabinet]] and other officers. The President is responsible for executing and enforcing the law, and has the authority of vetoing bills.<ref>{{cite web|title=Articles 80 to 93|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>

===Judiciary===
[[File:Vicente Fox Congreso.jpg|left|thumb|Mexican Congress]]
[[Judiciary]]: The [[Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation|Supreme Court of Justice]], comprised by eleven judges appointed by the President with Senate approval, who interpret laws and judge cases of federal competency. Other institutions of the judiciary are the Electoral Tribunal, collegiate, unitary and district tribunals, and the Council of the Federal Judiciary.<ref>{{cite web|title=Articles 90 to 107|work=Political Constitution of the United Mexican States|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://constitucion.gob.mx/index.php?idseccion=12|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>

All elected executive officials are elected by [[plurality voting system|plurality]] (first-past-the-post). Seats to federal and state legislatures are elected by a system of [[parallel voting]] that includes plurality and [[proportional representation]].<ref>{{es icon}} {{cite web|title=Third Title, First Chapter, About Electoral systems|work=Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales (Federal Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures)|date=1990-08-15|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://normateca.ife.org.mx/normanet/files_otros/COFIPE/cofipe.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> The Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union is conformed by 300 deputies elected by plurality and 200 deputies by proportional representation with [[closed list|closed party lists]]<ref name="COFIPE_congreso">{{es icon}} {{cite web|title=Third Title, First Chapter, About Electoral systems, Article 11-1|work=Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales (Federal Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures)|date=1990-08-15|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://normateca.ife.org.mx/normanet/files_otros/COFIPE/cofipe.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> for which the country is divided into 5 electoral constituencies or circumscriptions.<ref>{{es icon}} {{cite web|title=Fourth Title, Second Chapter, About coalitions, Article 59-1|work=Código Federal de Instituciones y Procedimientos Electorales (Federal Code of Electoral Institutions and Procedures)|date=1990-08-15|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://normateca.ife.org.mx/normanet/files_otros/COFIPE/cofipe.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>

The Senate is conformed by a total of 128 senators: 64 senators, two for each state and two for the Federal District, elected by plurality in pairs; 32 senators assigned to the first minority or first-runner up (one for each state and one for the Federal District), and 32 are assigned by proportional representation with closed party lists for which the country conforms a single electoral constituency.<ref name="COFIPE_congreso" />

According to the constitution, all constituent states of the federation must have a republican form of government composed of three branches: the executive, represented by a governor and an appointed cabinet, the legislative branch constituted by a unicameral congress and the judiciary, which will include called state Supreme Court of Justice. They also have their own civil and judicial codes.

In the 2009–2012 Congress of the Union, seven parties are therein represented; four of them, however, have not received neither in this nor in previous congresses more than 4% of the national votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Parliamentary Groups Composition|date=2006-09-20|publisher=Chamber of Deputies of the Honorable Congress of the Union|url=http://www3.diputados.gob.mx/camara/001_diputados/005_grupos_|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> The other three parties have historically been the dominant parties in Mexican politics:

[[File:Calderon y Policia Federal.PNG|thumb|upright|President Felipe Calderón]]
* [[File:PAN party.png|18px]] [[National Action Party (Mexico)|National Action Party]] (''Partido Acción Nacional'', PAN): a center-right conservative party founded in 1939. PAN has gained plurality, but not absolute majority in several parliamentary elections. In 2000, it gained the presidency for the first time. It belongs to the [[Christian Democrat Organization of America]].<ref>[http://www.odca.org.mx/miembros.html Miembros Titulares]. ODCA. Retrieved: 2009-10-16</ref>
* [[File:PRI party.png|18px]] [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (''Partido Revolucionario Institucional'', PRI): a center-left party that ascribes to [[social democracy]]—it is a member of [[Socialist International]]—<ref>[http://www.pri.org.mx/PriistasTrabajando/saladeprensa/comunicados/noticia.aspx?x=1485 Entrevista a la Lic. Beatriz Paredes Rangel, Presidenta dle Comité Ejecutivo Nacional del PRI]. Retrieved: 2009-10-16</ref> founded in 1929 to unite all the factions of the [[Mexican Revolution]]. Prominent left-wing Mexican politicians have been members of the party. Having dominated Mexican politics since the Revolution, PRI includes diverse factions including some center-right members.
* [[File:PRD party.png|18px]] [[Party of the Democratic Revolution]] (''Partido de la Revolución Democrática'', PRD): a left-wing party,<ref>[http://www.prd.org.mx/portal/documentos/estatuto_xi.pdf Estatuto del Partido de la Revolución Democrática]. Documentos Básicos. Retrieved: 2009-10-16</ref> founded in 1989 as the successor of the coalition of socialists and liberal parties, the [[National Democratic Front (Mexico)|National Democratic Front]] that had presented the candidacy of [[Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas]] in the controversial 1988 elections.

The PRI held an almost hegemonic power in Mexican politics since 1929. Since 1977 consecutive electoral reforms allowed opposition parties to win more posts at the local and federal level. This process culminated in the 2000 presidential elections in which [[Vicente Fox]], candidate of the PAN, became the first non-PRI president to be elected in 71 years.

In 2006, Felipe Calderón of the PAN faced [[Andrés Manuel López Obrador]] of the PRD in a [[Mexican general election, 2006|very close election]] (0.58% difference), by simple plurality—the Mexican electoral system does not include [[Two-round system|runoff voting]]. López Obrador contested the elections, but on September 6, 2006, [[Felipe Calderón]] was declared [[President-elect]] by the Electoral Tribunal. His cabinet was sworn in at midnight on December 1, 2006 and Calderón was handed the presidential band by outgoing Vicente Fox at [[Los Pinos]]. He was officially sworn as President on the morning of December 1, 2006 in [[Congress of Mexico|Congress]].

==Foreign relations==
{{Main|Foreign relations of Mexico}}
[[File:G5 meeting in Germany.jpg|thumb|left|President Felipe Calderón with other national leaders at the meeting of G5 leaders in Berlin, Germany. From left to right: Manmohan Singh of India, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Hu Jintao of China and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.]]
The [[foreign policy]] of Mexico is directed by the [[President of Mexico|President]]<ref name="CPEUM89">{{cite web | author={{Sp icon}} Political Constitution of the United Mexican States | title=Article 89, Section 10 | date=February 5, 1917 | publisher=Chamber of Deputies | url=http://www.cddhcu.gob.mx/LeyesBiblio/pdf/1.pdf | accessdate=March 28, 2009}}</ref> and managed through the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mexico)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]],<ref name="SRE">{{cite web | author={{Sp icon}} Internal Rules of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs | title=Article 2, Section 1 | date=August 10, 2001 | publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs | url=http://www.sre.gob.mx/acerca/marco_normativo/reglamento.htm#1 | accessdate=March 28, 2009}}</ref> whose constitutionally recognized principles are: respect for [[international law]] and [[Sovereign state|legal equality of states]], their [[sovereignty]] and [[independence]], [[non-intervention]], [[Dispute resolution|peaceful resolution of conflicts]] and promotion of [[international security|collective security]] through active participation in [[international organizations]].<ref name="CPEUM89"/>

Since the 1930s, the [[Estrada Doctrine]] has served as a crucial complement to these principles.<ref name=estradadoctrine>{{Sp icon}} {{cite web | last=Palacios Treviño | first=Jorge | title=La Doctrina Estrada y el Principio de la No-Intervención | url=http://www.diplomaticosescritores.org/obras/DOCTRINAESTRADA.pdf | accessdate=April 4, 2009}}</ref> The [[foreign policy|foreign relations]] of Mexico have been focused primarily on the United States and its historically tied neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the 20th century, Mexico developed a foreign policy based on [[regional power|hemispheric prestige]]. However, in the [[2000s (decade)|2000s]], former President [[Vicente Fox]] adopted a [[Castañeda Doctrine|new foreign policy]] that called for an openness and an acceptance of criticism from the [[international community]] and the increase of Mexican involvement in [[foreign affairs]], as well as a further integration towards its northern neighbors.<ref name="politicalaffairs">{{cite web | author=Larry Birns and Michael Lettieri | title=Mexican President Fox Chooses U.S. Over Latin America | date=June 27, 2006 | publisher=Political Affairs | url=http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/3707/1/194/ | accessdate=March 28, 2009}}</ref> A greater priority to Latin America and the Caribbean has been given in the administration of President Felipe Calderón.<ref name="Calderon FP">{{cite web | author={{Sp icon}} Dirección General de Coordinación Política | title=Se hará política exterior de Estado: Patricia Espinosa | date=December 2, 2008 | publisher=Senate of the Republic | url=http://www.senado.gob.mx/gace.php?sesion=2008/12/04/1&documento=4 | accessdate=March 29, 2009}}</ref>

In addition, since the 1990s Mexico has sought a [[Reform of the United Nations Security Council|reform of the United Nations Security Council and its working methods]]<ref>Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005), p. 215.</ref> with the support of Canada, Italy, Pakistan and other nine countries, which form a group informally called the [[Coffee Club]].<ref name="coffeeclub">{{cite news | author=Maggie Farley | title=Mexico, Canada Introduce Third Plan to Expand Security Council | date=July 22, 2005 | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] | url=http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jul/22/world/fg-unreform22 | accessdate=April 4, 2009}}</ref> As an [[regional power|regional]] and [[middle power|emerging power]], Mexico has a significant global presence and is a member of several international organizations and forums such as the [[United Nations]], the [[Organization of American States]], the [[G8+5]], the [[G-20 major economies]], the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation]] and the [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]].

==Military==
{{Main|Military of Mexico|Mexican Army|Mexican Air Force|Mexican Navy}}
[[File:Desfile Mexican Marines 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Mexican marines on parade.]]
[[File:F5 FAM popocatepetl.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[F-5]] of the [[Mexican Air Force]].]]
[[File:BTR-70 Mexicano.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Mexican Marines in a [[BTR-70]].]]
[[File:ARM Galeana.JPG|thumb|left|upright|The [[Destroyer]] ARM Galeana of the [[Mexican Navy]].]]

The Mexican Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de Mexico) are composed of the Mexican Army which includes the Mexican Air Force (FAM) as a subordinate entity and the Mexican Navy which also includes the Mexican Naval Infantry and Naval Aviation (FAN). Its three objectives are the repulsion of external aggressions, protection of internal security, and to aid the civilian population in case of natural disaster. All active combatant units are made up entirely of career soldiers, and although National Military Service does exist conscripts are only integrated into reserve units.

Mexico has the third-largest defense budget in Latin America, with reported annual military expenditures of US $24.944&nbsp;billion or about 1.6% of [[GDP]]. Since the 1990s, when the military escalated its role in the [[Mexican Drug War|war on drugs]], increasing importance has been placed on acquiring airborne surveillance platforms, [[aircraft]], [[helicopters]], digital war-fighting technologies,<ref name="impreso.milenio.com">{{cite web|author=Loke |url=http://impreso.milenio.com/node/8696274 |title=Capacitarán a militares en combates con rifles láser &#124; Ediciones Impresas Milenio |publisher=Impreso.milenio.com |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> urban warfare equipment and rapid troop transport.<ref>Strategy on recent equipment purchases: [http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub638.pdf The Mexican Armed Forces in Transition]</ref>

The [[Military of Mexico|Mexican Military]] has two branches: the [[Mexican Army]] (which includes the [[Mexican Air Force]]), and the [[Mexican Navy]]. The Mexican armed forces maintain significant infrastructure, including facilities for design, research, and testing of weapons, vehicles, aircraft, naval vessels, defense systems and electronics;<ref name="impreso.milenio.com"/><ref name="Mexican Naval missile">[http://www.expreso.com.mx/PortalNovo/sitio/nota.php?cod_idioma=3&cod_conteudo=9320&cod=274&tipoINICIO=&codconteudoINICIO=9320 Mexican Naval missile] (in Spanish)</ref> military industry manufacturing centers for building such systems, and advanced naval dockyards that build heavy military vessels and advanced missile technologies.<ref>[http://www.semar.gob.mx/informes/nueva_realidad_2004/pag_20.htm Buque logístico multipropósito] (in Spanish).</ref>

These facilities have a significant employment and economic impact. In recent years, Mexico has improved its training techniques, military command and information structures and has taken steps to becoming more self-reliant in supplying its military by designing as well as manufacturing its own arms,<ref>[http://www.thegunzone.com/556dw-15.html The 5.56 X 45 mm: 2006.] Retrieved on August 7, 2008.</ref> missiles,<ref name="Mexican Naval missile"/> aircraft,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-07-2007/0004658596&E|title=Hydra Technologies Surprises UAV Industry with Mexican-Made System, Earns Coveted Award at AUVSI's Unmanned Systems North America 2007 Show in D.C |publisher=.prnewswire.com |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> vehicles, heavy weaponry, electronics,<ref name="impreso.milenio.com"/> defense systems,<ref name="impreso.milenio.com"/> armor, heavy military industrial equipment and heavy naval vessels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.semar.gob.mx/boletin/2006/bol_225_06.htm |title="Mexican navy 2006 activities official report" |publisher=Semar.gob.mx |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

Historically, Mexico has remained neutral in [[war|international conflicts]]<ref>{{Sp icon}} {{cite web | author=Gustavo Iruegas | title=Adiós a la neutralidad | date=April 27, 2007 | publisher=La Jornada | url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/2007/04/27/index.php?section=opinion&article=023a2pol | accessdate=April 4, 2009}}</ref> with the exception of World War II. However, in recent years some political parties have proposed an amendment of the [[Constitution of Mexico|Constitution]] in order to allow the [[Mexican army]], [[Mexican Air Force|air force]] or [[Mexican Navy|navy]] to collaborate with the [[United Nations]] in [[peacekeeping|peacekeeping missions]], or to provide military help to countries that officially ask for it.<ref name="neutral">{{Sp icon}} {{cite web | author=Ricardo Gómez & Andrea Merlos | title=Diputados, en Favor de Derogar Neutralidad en Guerras | date=April 20, 2007 | publisher=El Universal | url=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/150273.html | accessdate=April 4, 2009}}</ref>

==Law enforcement==
[[File:Military police of Mexico.jpg|thumb|[[Mexican Army|Mexican Military Police]].]]
[[File:Mexican PFP police.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Mexican Federal Police]].]]
Public security is enacted at the three levels of government, each of which has different prerogatives and responsibilities. Local and state police department are primarily in charge of law enforcement, whereas the [[Federal Preventive Police]] is in charge of specialized duties. All levels report to the ''Secretaría de Seguridad Pública'' (Secretariat of Public Security). The General Attorney's Office (''Procuraduría General de la República'', PGR) is the [[executive (government)|executive power]]'s agency in charge of investigating and prosecuting crimes at the federal level, mainly those related to drug and arms trafficking,<ref>" An Inside Look at Mexican Guns and Arms Trafficking," by Barnard R. Thompson, MexiData.info, May 31, 2010 | url=http://mexidata.info/id2684.html</ref> espionage, and bank robberies.<ref>[http://www.photius.com/countries/mexico/national_security/mexico_national_security_police_and_law_enfor~516.html Mexico Police and Law Enforcement Organizations]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> The PGR operates the [[Federal Investigations Agency]] (''Agencia Federal de Investigación'', AFI) an investigative and preventive agency.<ref>[http://www.pgr.gob.mx/Combate%20a%20la%20Delincuencia/Agencia%20Federal%20de%20Investigacion/Agencia%20Federal%20de%20Investigacion.asp Agencia Federal de Investigacion]. Procuraduría General de la República. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref>

While the government respects the human rights of most citizens,<ref name=secubrit>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-259831/Mexico Security]. Mexico. [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> serious abuses of power have been reported in security operations in indigenous communities and poor urban neighborhoods.<ref name=secubrit/> The National Human Rights Commission has had little impact in reversing this trend, engaging mostly in documentation but failing to use its powers to issue public condemnations to the officials who ignore its recommendations.<ref>[http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10696136 Big, expensive and weirdly spineless]. [[The Economist]]. Issued: 2008-02-14. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> By law, all defendants have the rights that assure them fair trials and human treatment; however, the system is overburdened and overwhelmed with several problems.<ref name=justbrit>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-259829/Mexico Justice]. Mexico. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref>

Despite the efforts of the authorities to fight crime and fraud, few Mexicans have strong confidence in the police or the judicial system, and therefore, few crimes are actually reported by the citizens.<ref name=justbrit/> In 2008, president Calderón proposed a major reform of the judicial system, which was approved by the Congress of the Union, which included oral trials, the presumption of innocence for defendants, the authority of local police to investigate crime—until then a prerogative of special police units—and several other changes intended to speed up trials.<ref>McKinley, JC Jr. (March 7, 2008) [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/world/americas/07mexico.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Mexico’s Congress Passes Overhaul of Justice Laws]. [[The New York Times]]. Accessed on: 2008-3-18</ref>

===Crime===
{{Main|Crime in Mexico|Mexican Drug War}}
Total crimes per capita average 12 per 1,000 people in Mexico, ranking 39 in a survey of 60 countries.<ref>[http://www.nationmaster.com/country/mx-mexico/cri-crime Mexican Crime Statistics]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> Violent crime is a critical issue in Mexico; with a rate of homicide varying from 11 to 14 per 100,000 inhabitants.<ref name=usaid>Sibaja, H et al. (2006). [http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/democracy/mexico_profile.pdf Central America and Mexico Gang Assessment. Annex 4: Southern and Northern Borders of Mexico Profile]. United States Agency of International Development. Accessed: 2008-04-03</ref> [[Mexican Drug War|Drug-traffic and narco-related activities]] are a major concern in Mexico.<ref name=Cartel>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/17/world/main5167018.shtml Mexico Boosts Force in War with Drug Gang]. CBS News. July 17, 2009.</ref> The Mexican [[drug cartel]]s have as many as 100,000 active personnel. Drug cartels are active in the shared border with the US and police corruption and collusion with drug cartels is a crucial problem.<ref name=usaid/>

Current president Felipe Calderón made abating drug-trafficking one of the top priorities of his administration. In a very controversial move, Calderón deployed military personnel to cities where drug cartels operate. While this move has been criticized by the opposition parties and the National Human Rights Commission, its effects have been praised by the [[Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs]] as having obtained "unprecedented results..." with "many important successes".<ref>Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. (2008). [http://www.state.gov/p/inl/rls/nrcrpt/2008/vol1/html/100777.htm International Narcotics Control Strategy Report]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref> In October 2007, the president Calderón and US president [[George W. Bush]] announced the [[Mérida Initiative]] a historic plan of law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.<ref>Gómez, Natalia (2007). [http://www.el-universal.com.mx/notas/456623.html Otorgará Iniciativa Mérida 500 mdd a México en primer año]. [[El Universal (Mexico)|El Universal]]. Accessed: 2008-03-04</ref>

==Economy==
{{Infobox Economy
|country = Mexico
|image = Mexican Economy.png
|width = 260px
|caption = Aspects of Mexican economy
|currency = [[Mexican peso]] (MXN, $)
|year = calendar
|organs = [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|APEC]], [[Caribbean Community|CARICOM]], [[North American Free Trade Agreement|NAFTA]], [[Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]] and [[World Trade Organization|WTO]]
|rank = 11th
|gdp = $1.563 Trillion<ref name="CIA World Factbook GDP PPP">[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html CIA World Factbook GDP PPP]</ref> (2008)
|growth = 4.8% (2009)
|per capita = $14,932 (2009 est.)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=25&pr.y=9&sy=2007&ey=2007&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C446%2C914%2C666%2C612%2C668%2C614%2C672%2C311%2C946%2C213%2C137%2C911%2C962%2C193%2C674%2C122%2C676%2C912%2C548%2C313%2C556%2C419%2C678%2C513%2C181%2C316%2C682%2C913%2C684%2C124%2C273%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C522%2C692%2C622%2C694%2C156%2C142%2C624%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C283%2C228%2C853%2C924%2C288%2C233%2C293%2C632%2C566%2C636%hiC964%2C634%2C182%2C238%2C453%2C662%2C968%2C960%2C922%2C423%2C714%2C935%2C862%2C128%2C716%2C611%2C456%2C321%2C722%2C243%2C942%2C248%2C718%2C469%2C724%2C253%2C576%2C642%2C936%2C643%2C961%2C939%2C813%2C644%2C199%2C819%2C184%2C172%2C524%2C132%2C361%2C646%2C362%2C648%2C364%2C915%2C732%2C134%2C366%2C652%2C734%2C174%2C144%2C328&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2008 |publisher=Imf.org |date=2006-09-14 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>|sectors = [[agriculture]]: 4%, [[industry]]: 26.6%, [[service (economics)|services]]: 69.5% (2007 est.)
|inflation = 2.88% ([[Bank of Mexico|Central bank]] report for February 2009)
|poverty = 4.8% using food-based definition of poverty; asset based poverty amounted at approximately 15% (December 2008)
|gni = 50.9 (2005)
|labor = 45.38 million (2007 est.)
|occupations = agriculture: 13%, industry: 29%, services: 58% (2003)
|unemployment = 3.7% plus considerable [[underemployment]](21%) (2007 est.)
|industries = [[Food]] and [[Drink|Beverages]], [[Aerospace]], [[Electronics]], [[Tobacco]], [[chemical substance|chemicals]], [[Iron]] and [[Steel]], [[Petroleum]], [[Biotechnology]], [[Mining]], [[Shipbuilding]], [[Electricity]], [[Arms industry|Defense Products]], [[Textile]]s, [[Clothing]], [[Motor vehicle]]s, [[Computers]], [[durable good|consumer durables]], [[computers|Information Technologies]], [[Tourism]] and [[Ecotourism]]
|exports = $419.9 billion [[Free On Board|f.o.b.]] (2008 est.)
|export-goods = Manufactured goods, electronics, automobiles, oil and oil products, aircraft, silver, computers and servers, fruits, meats, consumer electronics, processed foods, vegetables, ships, coffee, LCD screens, electricity, biotechnology, cotton, rolling stock, automotive and aircraft enigines, cellular phones, metals, industrial equipment, granite and marble, lithium, batteries, firearms, aluminium, information technologies, foodstuffs, silicone, medical technology, gold, plastics, microproccesors,
|export-partners = United States 49.2%, Germany 15%, South Korea 12.5% China 10.3% Chile 8.4% (2008)
|imports = $283 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
|import-partners = United States 44.3%, <br />Brazil 31.5%,<br />Chile 9.3%,<br />China 5.5%, <br />South Korea 5.3%, <br />Japan 4.1% (2008)
|debt = $92.7 billion (October 2008)
|revenue = $571.2 billion (2008)
|expenses = $321.2 billion (2000 est.)
|aid = $189.4 million (2008)
|cianame = mx
}}{{Main|Economy of Mexico|Economic history of Mexico}}

[[File:Mexicanbanknotes.jpg|thumb|left|Although the [[Mexican Peso]] has historically been a relatively unstable currency, it has in recent years become a secure stable currency and has maintained a low inflation rate becoming increasingly prominent on the international level.]]
The '''economy of Mexico''' is the 11th largest in the world.
Since the [[1994 economic crisis in Mexico|1994 crisis]], administrations have improved the country's [[macroeconomics|macroeconomic fundamentals]]. Mexico was not significantly influenced by the recent [[South American economic crisis of 2002|2002 South American crisis]], and has maintained positive rates of growth after a brief period of stagnation in 2001. [[Moody's]] (in March 2000) and [[Fitch IBCA]] (in January 2002) issued investment-grade ratings for Mexico's sovereign debt. In spite of its unprecedented macroeconomic stability, which has reduced inflation and interest rates to record lows and has increased per capita income, enormous gaps remain between the urban and the rural population, the northern, central, and southern states, and the rich and the poor although there has been a large growing middle class since the mid 1990's.<ref name="WB">{{cite web | title=Mexico, World Bank's Country Brief | url=http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/LACEXT/MEXICOEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20185184~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:338397,00.html | accessdate=February 19, 2007}}</ref> Some of the government's challenges include the upgrade of infrastructure, the modernization of the tax system and labor laws, and the reduction of income inequality.

The economy contains rapidly developing modern industrial and service sectors, with increasing private ownership. Recent administrations have expanded competition in ports, railroads, telecommunications, [[Electricity sector in Mexico|electricity generation]], natural gas distribution and airports, with the aim of upgrading infrastructure. As an export-oriented economy, more than 90% of Mexican trade is under [[free trade agreement]]s (FTAs) with more than 40 countries, including the European Union, Japan, Israel, and much of [[Central America|Central]] and South America.

The most influential FTA is the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA), which came into effect in 1994, and was signed in 1992 by the governments of the United States, Canada and Mexico. In 2006, trade with Mexico's two northern partners accounted for almost 50% of its exports and 45% of its imports.<ref name="CIA">[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Econ Mexico]. The World Factbook. CIA.</ref> Recently, the [[Congress of the Union]] approved important tax, pension and judicial reforms, and reform to the oil industry is currently being debated. According to the Forbes Global 2000 list of the world's largest companies in 2008, Mexico had 16 companies in the list.<ref name="2008 ''[[Forbes]]'' Global 2000">{{cite web | author=forbes|authorlink= forbes|publisher= forbes|url=http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/18/biz_2000global08_The-Global-2000-Canada_10Rank.html|title=Latest release |date=2008-04-02 |accessdate=2006-07-01}}</ref>

Mexico has a [[free market]] [[mixed economy]], and is firmly established as an upper middle-income country.<ref name="World Bank" /> It is the 11th largest economy in the world as measured in [[gross domestic product]] in [[purchasing power parity]].<ref name='imf'>{{cite web|title=Countries Ranked by GDP|work=World Bank Report|date=2007-04|publisher=The World Bank|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2013&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=213%2C273%2C228%2C184&s=NGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a=&pr1.x=39&pr1.y=3}}</ref> According to the latest information available from the [[International Monetary Fund]], Mexico had the second-highest [[Gross National Income]] per capita in Latin America in nominal terms, at $9,716 in 2007, and the highest in [[purchasing power parity]] (PPP), at $14,119 in 2007.<ref name='imf'/>

[[File:Lanix Facotry.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Electronics now play an important role in the Mexican economy, with over 600 new electronics related companies formed since 2000.]]
After the [[1994 economic crisis in Mexico|1994 economic debacle]], Mexico has made an impressive recovery, building a modern and diversified economy.<ref name="World Bank"/> Oil is Mexico's largest source of foreign income.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title="Mexico" (Economy, Mining)|publisher=Microsoft Encarta Online|url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576758_7/Mexico.html|accessdate=2007-10-02|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5kx70pW1x|archivedate=2009-11-01|deadurl=yes}}</ref> According to [[Goldman Sachs]], [[BRIMC]] review of emerging economies, by 2050 the largest economies in the world will be as follows: [[People's Republic of China|China]], India, United States, Brazil and Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagogsb.edu/alumni/clubs/pakistan/docs/next11dream-march%20%2707-goldmansachs.pdf |title=Goldman Sachs Paper No.153 Relevant Emerging Markets |format=PDF |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Mexico is the largest North American auto producing nation, recently surpassing Canada and U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/12/11/Mexico_tops_US_Canadian_car_makers/UPI-17741229011704/ |title=Mexico tops U.S., Canadian car makers |publisher=Upi.com |date=2008-12-11 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

Mexico is the first and only Latin American country to be included in the World Government Bond Index or WGBI, which list the most important global economies that circulate [[Government bond|government debt bonds]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Citigroup sumó a México al índice WGBI| journal=CNN Expansión|date=2010-04-04|url=http://www.cnnexpansion.com/economia/2010/04/04/citigroup-sumo-a-mexico-al-indice-wgbi}}</ref>

According to the director for Mexico at the [[World Bank]], the population in poverty has decreased from 24.2% to 17.6% in the general population and from 42% to 27.9% in rural areas from 2000 to 2004.<ref>{{es icon}} {{Cite journal|title=Baja pobreza en México de 24.2 a 17.6%: Banco Mundial| journal=El Universal|date=2005-08-24|url=http://estadis.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/301198.html}}</ref> As of January 2009 4.6% of the population is impoverished if measured by food based poverty and 15% of the population is considered to be impoverished by asset based measurments (living on less than $10,000 per year).

Nonetheless, income inequality remains a problem, and huge gaps remain not only between rich and poor but also between the north and the south, and between urban and rural areas. Sharp contrasts in income and Human Development are also a grave problem in Mexico. The 2004 [[United Nations]] [[Human Development Index]] report for Mexico states that [[Benito Juárez, D.F.|Benito Juárez]], a district of Mexico City, and [[San Pedro Garza García]], in the State of [[Nuevo León]], would have a similar level of economic, educational and life expectancy development to Germany or New Zealand. In contrast, Metlatonoc, in the state of [[Guerrero]], would have an HDI similar to that of [[Syria]].<ref>{{cite web|title=UNPD Mexico Report on HDI|year=2004|publisher=United Nations|url=http://hdr.undp.org/docs/reports/national/MEX_Mexico/Mexico_2004_sp.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> According to a 2008 UN report the average income in a typical urbanized area of Mexico was $26,654 a rate higher than advanced nations like [[South Korea]] or [[Taiwan]] while the average income in rural areas (sometimes just miles away) was only $8,403, rate comparable to developing countries such as [[Russia]] or [[Turkey]].<ref>{{es icon}} {{Cite journal|title=Sobresale Nuevo León por su alto nivel de vida|journal=El Norte|year=2006|url=http://busquedas.gruporeforma.com/utilerias/imdservicios3w.dll?JPrintS&file=mty/norte01/00393/00393608.htm&palabra=}}</ref>

[[File:Jet engine mexico.PNG|thumb|left|An engineer oversees the manufacturing of a jet engine in an aircraft factory in [[Hermosillo]], [[Sonora]].]]
GDP annual average growth for the period of 1995–2002 was 5.1%.<ref name="Crandall" /> The economic downturn in the United States also caused a similar pattern in Mexico, from which it rapidly recovered to grow 4.1% in 2005 and 3% in 2005. Inflation has reached a record low of 3.3% in 2005, and interest rates are low, which have spurred credit-consumption in the middle class. Mexico has experienced in the last decade monetary stability: the budget deficit was further reduced and foreign debt was decreased to less than 20% of GDP.<ref name="Crandall"/> Along with [[Chile]], Mexico has the highest rating of long-term sovereign credit in Latin America.

The remittances from Mexican citizens working in the United States account for only 0.2% of Mexico's GDP<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasfed.org/research/busfront/bus0401.html |title=Workers' Remittances to Mexico&nbsp;– Business Frontier, Issue 1, 2004&nbsp;– FRB Dallas |publisher=Dallasfed.org |date=2003-07-10 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> which was equal to US$20 billion dollars per year in 2004 and is the tenth largest source of foreign income after oil, industrial exports, manufactured goods, electronics, heavy industry, automobiles, construction, food, banking and financial services.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stratfor.com/global_market_brief_mexico_sees_decline_remittances |title=Free Preview of Members-Only Content |publisher=Stratfor |date=2007-08-30 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> According to Mexico's central bank, remittances fell 3.6% in 2008 to $25bn.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7855021.stm |title=Slowdown hits Mexico remittances |date=27 January 2009 |accessdate=2009-05-06 | work=BBC News}}</ref>

Ongoing economic concerns include the commercial and financial dependence on the US,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Thompson|first=Adam|title=Mexico, Economics: The US cast a long shadow|journal=Financial Times|date=2006-06-20|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/f53c9268-005a-11db-8078-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=bfb8911e-ff83-11da-93a0-0000779e2340.html}}</ref> low real wages, [[underemployment]] for a large segment of the population, inequitable [[income inequality metrics|income distribution]] (the top 32% of income earners account for 55% of income), and few advancement opportunities for the largely [[Maya peoples|Mayan]] population in the southern states.

Hourly minimum wages are set annually by law and determined by zone; $57.46 [[Mexican peso]]s ($4.52 [[United States Dollar|USD]]) in Zona A ([[Baja California]], [[Federal District]], [[State of Mexico]], and large cities), $55.84 [[Mexican peso]]s ($4.39[[United States Dollar|USD]]) in Zone B ([[Sonora]], [[Nuevo León]], [[Tamaulipas]], [[Veracruz]], and [[Jalisco]]), and $54.47 [[Mexican peso]]s ($4.29 [[United States Dollar|USD]])in Zone C (all other states)<ref>[http://www.sat.gob.mx/sitio_Internet/asistencia_contribuyente/informacion_frecuente/salarios_minimos/ Salarios mínimos 2010]</ref>

===Industry===
[[File:PueblaAssembly.jpg|thumb|upright|left|An automated [[Volkswagen]] factory in Puebla, Puebla.]]
Among the most important industrial manufacturers in Mexico is the automotive industry, whose standards of quality are internationally recognized. The automobile sector in Mexico differs from that in other Latin American countries and [[developing nation]]s in that it does not function as a mere assembly manufacturer. In 2007 one out every seven cars sold was made in Mexico.<ref name="promexico.gob.mx">[http://www.promexico.gob.mx/ Inicio]. Promexico.gob.mx. Retrieved on 2010-08-14.</ref> The industry produces technologically complex components and engages in some research and development activities.<ref name="Gereffi">{{Cite book | last=Gereffi| first=G | last2=Martínez | first2=M | chapter=Mexico's Economic Transformation under NAFTA | editor-surname=Crandall | editor-first=R | editor2-last=Paz | editor2-first=G | editor3-last=Roett | editor3-first=R | title=Mexico's Democracy at Work: Political and Economic Dynamics | publisher=Lynne Reiner Publishers | publication-date=September 30, 2004 | isbn=1588263002 }}</ref> The "Big Three" ([[General Motors]], [[Ford]] and [[Chrysler]]) have been operating in Mexico since the 1930s, while [[Volkswagen]] and [[Nissan]] built their plants in the 1960s.<ref name="Hufbauer Auto">{{Cite book | last=Hufbauer | first=G.C. | last2=Schott | first2=J.J . | contribution= Chapter 6, The Automotive Sector| contribution-url= http://www.iie.com/publications/chapters_preview/332/06iie3349.pdf| title= NAFTA Revisited: Achievements and Challenges | place= Washington, D.C. | publisher=Institute for International Economics | publication-date=October, 2005 | pages=1–78 | isbn= 0-88132-334-9 | url= http://bookstore.petersoninstitute.org/book-store/332.html}}</ref>

Later, [[Toyota]], [[Honda]], [[BMW]], and [[Mercedes-Benz]] established a presence. Given the high requirements of North American components in the industry, many European and Asian parts suppliers have also moved to Mexico: in [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]] alone, 70 industrial part-makers cluster around Volkswagen.<ref name="Gereffi"/> The relatively small domestic car industry is represented by [[DINA S.A.|DINA Camiones S.A. de C.V.]], which has built buses and trucks for almost half a century,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dina.com.mx/history.html |title= History |author=DINA Camiones Company |accessdate=2009-04-15}}</ref> and the new [[Mastretta]] company that builds the high performance [[Mastretta MXT]] sports car.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/25/london-2008-mastretta-mxt-will-be-mexicos-first-homegrown-car/|title=London 2008: Mastretta MXT will be Mexico's first homegrown car | author=Jeremy Korzeniewski |accessdate=2008-07-30}}</ref>

The electronics industry of Mexico has grown enormously within the last decade. In 2007 Mexico surpassed South Korea as the second largest manufacturer of televisions,<ref name="promexico.gob.mx"/> and in 2008 Mexico surpassed China, South Korea and Taiwan to become the largest producer of smartphones in the world.<ref name="promexico.gob.mx"/> There are almost half a million (451,000) students enrolled in electronics engineering programs<ref>http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_21/b3985070.htm</ref> with an additional 90,000 students graduating from electronics engineering and technical programs each year and Mexico had over half a million (580,000) certified IT professionals employed in 2007.<ref name="promexico.gob.mx"/> In 2005, according to the World Bank, high-tech industrial production represented 19.6% of Mexico's economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?PTYPE=CP&CCODE=MEX |title=Mexico Data Profile |accessdate=2007-05-29 |author=The World Bank}}</ref>

Some large industries of Mexico include [[Cemex]], the third largest [[cement]] and [[construction industry|construction]] conglomerate in the world;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/02/cemex.shtm |title= With Conditions, FTC Allows Cemex's Acquisition of RMC|author=Federal Trade Commission |accessdate=2007-05-29}}</ref> the alcohol beverage industries, including world-renowned players like [[Grupo Modelo]]; conglomerates like [[Fomento Económico Mexicano|FEMSA]], which apart from owning breweries and the [[OXXO]] convenience store chain, is also the second-largest [[Coca-Cola]] bottler in the world; [[Gruma]], the largest producer of corn flour and tortillas in the world; and [[Grupo Bimbo]], [[Telmex]], [[Televisa]], among many others. Mexico is the second largest producer or silver and precious metals.<ref name="promexico.gob.mx"/>

[[File:Zonda ZMTF-TV20.png|thumb|upright|left|Mexico is the worlds largest manufacturer of smartphones.]]
[[File:Sf1gh6.jpg|thumb|upright|Construction in [[Mexico City]]. Mexico City is one of the most densely populated cities in the world.<ref name="UN2007PopulationDatabase">{{cite web | url=http://esa.un.org/unup/index.asp?panel=2 | year=2007 | title=World Urbanization Prospects | author=United Nations | accessdate=27 December 2009}}</ref>]]
[[Maquiladora]]s (Mexican factories which take in imported raw materials and produce goods for export) have become the landmark of trade in Mexico. This sector has benefited from NAFTA, in that real income in the maquiladora sector has increased 15.5% since 1994, though from the non-maquiladora sector has grown much faster.<ref name="Hufbauer Auto"/> Contrary to popular belief, this should be no surprise since maquiladora's products could enter the US duty free since the 1960s industry agreement. Other sectors now benefit from the free trade agreement, and the share of exports from non-border states has increased in the last 5 years while the share of exports from maquiladora-border states has decreased. As a result of this process Mexico is the worlds third largest maker of refrigerators and [[white goods]], after China and Brazil.<ref>http://www.promexico.gob.mx/#</ref>

Currently Mexico is focusing in developing an aerospace industry and the manufacture and design of helicopter and commercial jet aircraft is taking place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mx.news.yahoo.com/s/20042010/90/n-mexico-crean-diputados-agencia-espacial-mexicana.html |title=Crean diputados agencia espacial mexicana |publisher=Mx.news.yahoo.com |date=2010-04-20 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Foreign firms such as [[MD Helicopters]] and [[Bombardier Aerospace|Bombardier]] build helicopters and commercial jets respectively in Mexico.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mdhelicopters.com/popup.php?sid=02.23.07 |title=News Articles |publisher=Mdhelicopters.com |date=2007-02-23 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Dickerson |first=Marla |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003723670_mexicoplanes27.html |title=Business & Technology &#124; Bombardier gives boost to Mexico's aerospace industry &#124; Seattle Times Newspaper |publisher=Seattletimes.nwsource.com |date=2007-05-27 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Although the Mexican aircraft industry is mostly foreign, as is its car industry, Mexican firms have been founded such as Aeromarmi, which builds light propeller airplanes, and Hydra Technologies, which builds [[Unmanned Aerial Vehicle]]s. More aircraft companies have operations in Mexico than any other country with a record breaking 214 full process aircraft corporations established in Mexico and Since 1990 Mexico has been the largest destination for foreign companies to design, manufacture, and service aircraft.<ref name="promexico.gob.mx"/>

As compared with the United States or countries in Western Europe, a larger sector of Mexico's industrial economy is food manufacturing, which includes several world class companies; but the regional industry is undeveloped. There are national brands that have become international, and local Mom and Pop producers, but little manufacturing in between.

===Tourism===
{{Main|Tourism in Mexico}}
[[File:Imagebysafa2.jpg|thumb|Coastal skyline of [[Cancún]], [[Quintana Roo]]]]
According to the [[World Tourism Organization]], Mexico has one of the largest tourism industries in the world. In 2005 it was the seventh most popular. The most notable tourist draws are the ancient Mesoamerican ruins, and popular beach resorts. The coastal climate and unique culture&nbsp;– a fusion of European (particularly Spanish) and Mesoamerican cultures; also make Mexico attractive. The peak tourist seasons in Mexico are during December and during July and August, with brief surges during the week before Easter and during spring break at many of the beach resort sites which are popular among vacationing college students from the United States.<ref>Dina Berger and Andrew Grant Wood, eds. '' Holiday in Mexico: Critical Reflections on Tourism and Tourist Encounters'' (Duke University Press; 393 pages;2010) . Essays on the history of tourism and related realms in Mexico; topics include the marketing of carnival in Veracruz.</ref>

Mexico is the twenty-third highest tourism spender in the world, and the highest in Latin America.<ref>http://unwto.org/facts/eng/pdf/indicators/Top%20Spenders.pdf</ref>

===Energy===
''See also: [[Electricity sector in Mexico]]
[[File:Presa de El Cajón.jpg|thumb|left|[[El Cajón Dam (Mexico)|El Cajón Hydroelectric Dam]] in the state of [[Nayarit]]]]
[[File:Laguna Verde Nuclear Power Plant.jpg|thumb|[[Laguna Verde nuclear power plant]]]]
Energy production in Mexico is managed by state-owned companies: the [[Comisión Federal de Electricidad|Federal Commission of Electricity]] (''Comisión Federal de Electricidad'', CFE) and [[Pemex]] (''Petróleos Mexicanos''). The CFE is in charge of the operation of electricity-generating plants and its distribution all across the territory. Most of the electricity is generated in [[thermal power station|thermoelectrical]] plants, even though CFE operates several [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] plants, as well as wind power, geothermal and [[nuclear energy|nuclear generators]].<ref>[http://www.cfe.gob.mx/es/LaEmpresa/generacionelectricidad/ Generación de electricidad]. Comisión Federal de Electricidad.</ref>

Natural resources are the "nation's property" (i.e. public property) by constitution. As such, the oil sector is administered by the government with varying degrees of private investment. Mexico is the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with 3.7 million barrels per day.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/topworldtables1_2.html |title=Top World Oil Net Exporters and Producers |accessdate=2007-02-16 |author=Energy Information Administration}}</ref>

[[Pemex]], the public company in charge of exploration, extraction, transportation and marketing of crude oil and natural gas, as well as the refining and distribution of petroleum products and petrochemicals, is one of the largest companies (oil or otherwise) in Latin America, making US $86 billion in sales a year,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americaeconomia.com/PLT_WRITE-PAGE.asp?SessionId=&Language=0&Modality=0&DateView=&NamePage=SearchResultArti&Section=1&Content=28380&Style=15624 |title=Top 500 Companies in Latin America |accessdate=2007-02-16 |author=América Economia |format=Requires subscription}}</ref> a sum larger than the GDP of some countries. Nonetheless, the company is heavily taxed, a significant source of revenue for the government, of almost 62 per cent of the company's sales. In 1980 oil exports accounted for 61.6% of total exports; by 2000 it was only 7.3%.<ref name="Gereffi"/>

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in Mexico}}
: ''See also: [[List of Mexican Federal Highways]] and [[List of Mexican railroads]]''
[[File:Avenida Carlos Lazo.jpg|thumb|left|Much of Mexico's automotive traffic depends on the national highway system.]]
[[File:Aeromexico B762 XA-JBC 20060608 STR 800x533.jpg|thumb|An Aeroméxico plane landing at [[Mexico City International Airport]].]]
The paved-roadway network in Mexico is the most extensive in Latin America at {{convert|116802|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 2005; {{convert|10474|km|mi|abbr=on}} were multi-lane [[freeway]]s or [[expressway]]s,<ref>[http://dgaf.sct.gob.mx/fileadmin/EST_BASICA/EST_BASICA_2005/EST2005_12INFRA.pdf Infraestructura Carretera]. Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes</ref> most of which were [[tollways]]. Nonetheless, Mexico's diverse orography—most of the territory is crossed by high-altitude ranges of mountains—as well as economic challenges have led to difficulties in creating an integrated transportation network and even though the network has improved, it still cannot meet national needs adequately.<ref name=britinfra>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27400/Mexico Transportation and Telecommunications]. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]''</ref>

Being one of the first Latin American countries to promote railway development,<ref name=britinfra/> the network, though extensive at {{convert|30952|km|mi|abbr=on}},<ref name=encnations>[http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Americas/Mexico-INFRASTRUCTURE-POWER-AND-COMMUNICATIONS.html Infrastructure, Power and Communications, Mexico]. Encyclopedia of the Nations</ref> is still inefficient to meet the economic demands of transportation.<ref name=britinfra/> Most of the rail network is mainly used for merchandise or industrial freight and was mostly operated by [[Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México|National Railway of Mexico]] (''Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México'', FNM), privatized in 1997.

In 1999, Mexico had 1,806 airports, of which 233 had paved runways; of these, 35 carry 97% of the passenger traffic.<ref name=encnations/> The [[Mexico City International Airport]] remains the largest in Latin America and the 44th largest in the world<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=169 |title=Acerca del AICM. Posicionamiento del Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México (AICM) con los 50 aeropuertos más importantes del mundo |publisher=AICM |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> transporting 21 million passengers a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aicm.com.mx/acercadelaicm/Estadisticas/index.php?Publicacion=168 |title=Acerca del AICM, Pasajeros |publisher=Aicm.com.mx |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> There are more than 30 domestic airline companies of which only two are known internationally: [[Aeroméxico]] and [[Mexicana de Aviación|Mexicana]].

Mass transit in Mexico is modest. Most of the domestic passenger transport needs are served by an extensive bus network<ref name=encnations/> with several dozen companies operating by regions. Train passenger transportation between cities is limited. Inner-city rail mass transit is available at Mexico City—with the operation of the [[Mexico City Metro|metro]], elevated and ground train, as well as a [[Ferrocarril Suburbano de la Zona Metropolitana de México|Suburban Train]] connecting the adjacent municipalities of [[Greater Mexico City]]—as well as at [[Guadalajara, Jalisco|Guadalajara]] and [[Monterrey]], the first served by a commuter rail and the second by an [[Monterrey Metro|underground and elevated metro]].

===Communications===
{{Main|Communications in Mexico}}
[[File:STS-51-G Morelos 1 deployment.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A [[Satmex]] communications satellite being deployed from its launch vehicle]]
The telecommunications industry is mostly dominated by Telmex (''Teléfonos de México''), privatized in 1990. As of 2006, Telmex had expanded its operations to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and the United States. Other players in the domestic industry are [[Axtel]] and [[Maxcom]]. Due to Mexican [[orography]], providing landline telephone service at remote mountainous areas is expensive, and the penetration of line-phones per capita is low compared to other Latin American countries, at forty-percent, however 82% of Mexicans over the age of 15 own a mobile phone. Mobile telephony has the advantage of reaching all areas at a lower cost, and the total number of mobile lines is almost two times that of landlines, with an estimation of 63 million lines.<ref name=ciacom>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html#Comm Communications] CIA Factbook</ref> The telecommunication industry is regulated by the government through [[Cofetel]] (''Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones'').

[[File:Telmexstore.jpg|thumb|right|A [[Telmex]] retail store in [[Puerto Vallarta]], Jalisco]]
The Mexican satellite system is domestic and operates 120 earth stations. There is also extensive microwave radio relay network and considerable use of fiber-optic and coaxial cable.<ref name=ciacom/> Mexican satellites are operated by ''[[Satélites Mexicanos]]'' (Satmex), a private company, leader in Latin America and servicing both North and South America.<ref>[http://www.satmex.com.mx/english/?opcion=0 Satmex. Linking the Americas.]. Retrieved 24 January 2007.</ref> It offers broadcast, telephone and telecommunication services to 37 countries in the [[Americas]], from Canada to [[Argentina]]. Through business partnerships Satmex provides high-speed connectivity to ISPs and Digital Broadcast Services.<ref>[http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=7420 Mexican Operator Satmex Has Chosen Arianespace to Launch Its New Satmex 6 Satellite]. 14 February 2002. Spaceref.com. Retrieved 24 January 2007.</ref> [[Satmex]] maintains its own satellite fleet with most of the fleet being Mexican designed and built.

Mexico has recently emerged as a major producer of communications technology. In 2008 Mexico manufactured over 130 million mobile phones making it the sixth largest producer of mobile phones.

Usage of radio, television, and Internet in Mexico is prevalent.<ref name=encnations/> There are approximately 1,410 radio broadcast stations and 236 television stations (excluding repeaters).<ref name=ciacom/> Major players in the broadcasting industry are [[Televisa]]—the largest Spanish media company in the Spanish-speaking world<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snellwilcox.com/news_events/press_releases/203 |title=Televisa Brings 2006 FIFA World Cup to Mexico in HD With Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher |publisher=Snellwilcox.com |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>—and [[TV Azteca]].

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Mexico}}
According to the latest official estimate, which reported a population of 111 million, Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world.<ref name=Spanishhistory>{{cite web|title=Spanish Language History| publisher=Today Translations|url=http://www.todaytranslations.com/index.asp-Q-Page-E-Spanish-Language-History--13053095|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref> Mexican annual population growth has drastically decreased from a peak of 3.5% in 1965 to 0.99% in 2005. Life expectancy in 2006 was estimated to be at 75.4 years (72.6 male and 78.3 female). The states with the highest life expectancy are Baja California (75.9 years) and Nuevo León (75.6 years). The Federal District has a life expectancy of the same level as Baja California.

The lowest levels are found in Chiapas (72.9), Oaxaca (73.2) and Guerrero (73.2 years). The mortality rate in 1970 was 9.7 per 1000 people; by 2001, the rate had dropped to 4.9 men per 1000 men and 3.8 women per 1000 women. The most common reasons for death in 2001 were heart problems (14.6% for men 17.6% for women) and cancer (11% for men and 15.8% for women).

Mexican population is increasingly urban, with close to 75% living in cities. The five largest [[Metropolitan areas of Mexico|urban areas in Mexico]] ([[Greater Mexico City]], [[Guadalajara Metropolitan Area|Greater Guadalajara]], [[Monterrey Metropolitan area|Greater Monterrey]], [[Metropolitan area of Puebla|Greater Puebla]] and [[Greater Toluca]]) are home to 30% of the country's population. Migration patterns within the country show positive migration to north-western and south-eastern states, and a negative rate of migration for the Federal District. While the annual population growth is still positive, the national net migration rate is negative (−4.7/1000), attributable to the emigration phenomenon of people from rural communities to the United States.

===Metropolitan areas===
{{Main|Metropolitan areas of Mexico}}

[[File:Ciudad de Mexico.png|thumb|center|1000px|[[Mexico City]], the capital, is the second largest city in the world and the second most populous.]]

Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other, usually around a core city.<ref name="CONAPO">{{cite web|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/metodologias/otras/zonas_met.pdf |title=Delimitación de las zonas metropolitanas de México |format=PDF |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> In 2004, a joint effort between CONAPO, [[Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía|INEGI]] and the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) agreed to define metropolitan areas as either:<ref name="CONAPO"/>
* the group of two or more municipalities in which a city with a population of at least 50,000 is located whose urban area extends over the limit of the municipality that originally contained the core city incorporating either physically or under its area of direct influence other adjacent predominantly urban municipalities all of which have a high degree of social and economic integration or are relevant for urban politics and administration; or
* a single municipality in which a city of a population of at least one million is located and fully contained, (that is, it does not transcend the limits of a single municipality); or
* a city with a population of at least 250,000 which forms a conurbation with other cities in the United States.

It should be noted, however, that northwestern and southeastern states are divided into a small number of large municipalities whereas central states are divided into a large number of smaller municipalities. As such, metropolitan areas in the northwest usually do not extend over more than one municipality (and figures usually report population for the entire municipality) whereas metropolitan areas in the center extend over many municipalities.

Few metropolitan areas extend beyond the limits of one state, namely: Greater Mexico City (Federal District, Mexico State and Hidalgo), [[Metropolitan area of Puebla|Puebla-Tlaxcala]] (Puebla and Tlaxcala, but excludes the city of [[Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala|Tlaxcala]]), [[Comarca Lagunera]] (Coahuila and Durango), and Tampico (Tamaulipas and Veracruz).
{{Largest cities of Mexico}}

===Immigration===
{{Main|Immigration to Mexico}}
[[File:Border Mexico USA.jpg|right|thumb|The [[Mexico&nbsp;– United States border|Mexico–U.S. border]] separates densely populated [[Greater Tijuana|Tijuana]] (right), from [[Greater San Diego|San Diego]] (left). This is the most frequently crossed [[border|international border]] in the world, with 250 million legal crossings per year.<ref name="Bridgeland and Zahavi">David M. Bridgeland, Ron Zahavi. ''Business Modeling: A Practical Guide to Realizing Business Value''. Morgan Kaufmann, 2000. p. 134. ISBN 0-12-374151-3.</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/eborder_mechs.html | title=Borders and Law Enforcement | publisher=U.S. Embassy Mexico | accessdate=8 December 2009}}</ref>]]
Mexico is home to the largest number of U.S. citizens abroad (estimated at one million as of 1999),<ref name="U.S.">{{cite web|title=American Citizens Living Abroad By Country|year=1999|publisher=US State Department|url=http://www.aca.ch/amabroad.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> which represents 1% of the Mexican population and 25% of all U.S. citizens abroad. Other significant communities of foreigners are those of [[Central America|Central]] and South America, most notably from [[Argentina]], [[Brazil]], [[Chile]], [[Colombia]], [[Peru]], [[Cuba]], [[Venezuela]], [[Guatemala]], and [[Belize]]. Though estimations vary, the Argentine community is considered to be the second largest foreign community in the country (estimated somewhere between 30,000 and 150,000).<ref>{{cite web|last=Gutiérrez Vega|first=Mario|title=Migrantes, votos, remesas: La apuesta política de los ausentes|date=2005-10-16|publisher=Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME)|url=http://www.ime.gob.mx/investigaciones/bibliografias/apuesta_politica_gutierrez.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Especial Argentinos en el exterior, Mexico|year=2007|publisher=La Nación|url=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/coberturaespecial/argentinos/mexico/index.asp|accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref> Mexico also received a large number of [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]]. The Mexican-Lebanese community now numbers around 400,000.<ref>"[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/3641163/The-biggest-enchilada.html The biggest enchilada]". [[Telegraph.co.uk]]. July 8, 2007.</ref>

Throughout the 20th century, Mexico followed a policy of granting asylum to fellow Latin Americans and Europeans (mostly Spaniards in the 1940s) fleeing political persecution in their home countries. In October 2008, Mexico tightened its immigration rules and agreed to deport [[Cuba]]ns using the country as an entry point to the US.<ref>"[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27284023/ Mexico to deport Cubans bound for U.S.]". Msnbc.msn.com. October 20, 2008</ref> Because Mexico is much richer than the countries to its immediate southeast, it has a chronic problem with illegal immigration from those countries, especially [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], and [[El Salvador]]. Large numbers of Central American migrants who have crossed Guatemala's western border into Mexico are deported every year.<ref>"[http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2008-04-13-1799967311_x.htm Central America migrant flow to US slows]". USATODAY.com. April 13, 2008.</ref>

Discrepancies between the figures for official legal aliens and those of all foreign-born residents regardless of their immigration status are quite large. The official figure for foreign-born legal residents in Mexico is 493,000 (since 2004), with a majority (86.9%) of these born in the United States (except Chiapas, where the majority of immigrants are from Central America). The five states with the most immigrants are Baja California (12.1% of total immigrants), Mexico City (the ''Federal District''; 11.4%), Jalisco (9.9%), Chihuahua (9%) and Tamaulipas (7.3%). More than 54.6% of the immigrant population are fifteen years old or younger, while 9% are fifty or older.

Illegal immigration has been a problem for Mexico, especially since the 1970s. In 2006 Mexico detained more than 182,000 people who entered the country illegally, mainly from nearby [[Guatemala]], [[Honduras]], [[El Salvador]], all being Central-American countries neighboring Mexico to the south. Smaller numbers of illegal immigrants come from [[Ecuador]], [[Cuba]], [[China]], [[South Africa]], and [[Pakistan]].
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=083e0b4728d31cd23a57533cf02c46c5 |title=Digital Immigration Card Shows Mexico's Progressive Views on Immigration&nbsp;– NAM |publisher=News.newamericamedia.org |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>.

Mexico represents the largest source of immigration to the United States. About 9% of the population born in Mexico is now living in the United States.<ref>"[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?ID=208 Mexican Immigration to the US: The Latest Estimates ]". Migrationinformation.org.</ref> 28.3 million Americans listed their ancestry as Mexican as of 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-ds_name=ACS_2006_EST_G00_&-redoLog=false&-mt_name=ACS_2006_EST_G2000_B03001 |title=Detailed Tables&nbsp;— American FactFinder. B03001. HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY SPECIFIC ORIGIN |accessdate=2007-12-15 |coauthors=United States Census Bureau |work=2006 American Community Survey}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===
{{See also|Mexican people}}
[[File:Inukshuk Monterrey 1.jpg|thumb|Demographic diversity in school children.]]
Mexico is ethnically diverse, and the constitution defines the country to be a multicultural nation. Mexican nationality is relatively young, stemming back only to 1821 when Mexico achieved independence from the [[Spanish empire]], and it consists of many, separate regional and ethnic groups such as the various indigenous peoples and European immigrants. The majority of Mexicans are [[Mestizo]]s which makes up the core of the Mexican cultural identity.<ref name="INMEGEN">http://www.inmegen.gob.mx/images/stories/publicaciones/articulos_cientificos/pdf/analysis_genomic_silva.pdf</ref>

In 2004, the Mexican government founded the National Institute of Genomic Medicine (INMEGEN) which launched the Mexican Genome Diversity Project. In May 2009, the Institute issued a report on a major genomic study of the Mexican population. Among the findings, it was reported that of the 80% of the population that is mestizo, the proportions of European and indigenous ancestry are approximately even. The proportions of admixture were found to vary geographically from north to south, as previous pre-genomic studies had surmised, with the European contribution predominating in the north and the indigenous component greater in the south. One of the significant conclusions of the study as reported was that even while it is composed of diverse ancestral genetic groups from around the world, the Mexican population is genetically distinctive among the world's populations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512081744.htm |title="Landmark Study Reveals Significant Genetic Variation Between Mexico's Population And World's Other Known Genetic Subgroups", '&#39;Science Daily'&#39; (May 12, 2009) |publisher=Sciencedaily.com |date=2009-05-12 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>
{{Ethnicity in Mexico}}

===Language===
{{Main|Languages of Mexico}}
{{See also|Mexican Spanish}}
[[File:Palenque glyphs-edit1.jpg|thumb|right|Mexico is home to some of the worlds oldest writing systems such as [[Maya script|Mayan Script]]. Maya writing uses [[logogram]]s complemented by a set of [[alphabet]]ical or [[syllabary|syllabic]] [[glyph]]s and [[character (symbol)|characters]], similar in function to modern [[Japanese writing]].]]
There is no ''de jure'' constitutional [[official language]] at the federal level in Mexico.<ref>{{es icon}} {{cite web|title=Título Primero, Capítulo I, De las garantías individuales|work=Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos|date=2007-06-19|publisher=Congress of the Union of the United Mexican States|url=http://www.normateca.gob.mx/Archivos/34_D_1247_22-06-2007.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> Spanish, spoken by 97% of the population, is considered a national language by The General Law of Linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples, which also grants all indigenous minority languages spoken in Mexico, regardless of the number of speakers, the same validity as Spanish in all territories in which they are spoken, and indigenous peoples are entitled to receive public services and documents in their native languages.<ref>{{es icon}} {{cite web|title=Ley General de Derechos Lingüísticos de los Pueblos Indígenas (General Law of the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples)|publisher=CDI México|url=http://cdi.gob.mx/derechos/vigencia/2006_ley_general_derechos_linguisticos_pueblos_indigenas.pdf|accessdate=2007-10-02|format=PDF}}</ref>

Mexican law has granted these indigenous minority languages the status of "national languages", along with Spanish. The law includes all Amerindian languages regardless of origin; that is, it includes the Amerindian languages of ethnic groups non-native to the territory. As such the [[National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples]] recognizes the language of the [[Kickapoo people|Kickapoo]], which immigrated from the United States,<ref>{{cite web|title=Kikapúes&nbsp;— Kikaapoa|publisher=CDI México|url=http://www.cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=291|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> and recognizes the languages of the [[Guatemala]]n Amerindian refugees.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aguacatecos, cakchiqueles, ixiles, kekchíes, tecos y quichés|publisher=CDI México|url=http://cdi.gob.mx/index.php?id_seccion=1378|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> The Mexican government has promoted and established [[intercultural bilingual education|intercultural bilingual primary and secondary education]] in some indigenous rural communities. Approximately 5.4% of the population speaks an indigenous language and 1.2% do not speak Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|title=POBLACIÓN DE 5 AÑOS Y MÁS POR ENTIDAD FEDERATIVA, SEXO Y GRUPOS LENGUA INDÍGENA QUINQUENALES DE EDAD, Y SU DISTRIBUCIÓN SEGÚN CONDICIÓN DE HABLA INDÍGENA Y HABLA ESPAÑOLA|publisher=INEGI, México|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/2000/definitivos/Nal/tabulados/00li01.pdf|accessdate=2007-12-13|format=PDF}}</ref> The indigenous language groups with the most speakers are [[Nahuatl language|Nahuatl languages]], [[Yucatec Maya language|Yukatek Maya]], [[Mixtecan languages]], [[Zapotec languages]], [[Tzeltal language|Tzeltal]], and [[Otomi language|Otomi]].<ref>[http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=mlen10&c=3337]. {{Dead link|date=August 2010}}</ref>

Mexico has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world with more than twice as many as the second largest Spanish-speaking country. (Spain, Argentina, and Colombia all have about 40 million speakers each.) Almost a third of all Spanish native speakers in the world live in Mexico.<ref name=Spanishhistory /> Nahuatl is spoken by 1.5 million people and [[Yucatec Maya language|Yucatec Maya]] by 800,000. Some of the national languages are in danger of extinction; [[Lacandon]] is spoken by fewer than one hundred people.

English is widely used in business at the border cities, as well as by the one million U.S. citizens that live in Mexico, mostly retirees in small towns in Baja California, Guanajuato and Chiapas.<ref name="U.S."/> There are some 80,000 German-speaking [[Mennonites in Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hshs.mb.ca/mennonite_old_colony_vision.pdf|title=The Mennonite Old Colony Vision: ''Under siege in Mexico and the Canadian Connection''|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-05-30}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{See also|Religion in Mexico|Roman Catholicism in Mexico|Our Lady of Guadalupe|Irreligion in Mexico}}
{{Bar box
|title=[[Religion in Mexico]] <small>(2000 census).<ref name=Factbook>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html|title=Mexico|author=The World Factbook|publisher=CIA|date=June 24, 2010|accessdate=July 13, 2010}}</ref></small>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Religion
|right1=Percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{Bar percent|[[Roman Catholicism]]|Purple|76.5}}
{{Bar percent|[[Protestantism]]|Blue|6.3}}
{{Bar percent|[[Irreligion|No religion]]|Black|3.01}}
{{Bar percent|Other|Green|0.3}}
{{Bar percent|Unspecified|Yellow|13.8}}
}}

Mexico has no official religion, and the government does not provide any financial contributions to the church, and the church does not participate in public education.

The last census reported, by self-ascription, that at least 82.8% of the population is [[Christianity|Christian]]. [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] are 76.5%<ref name=Factbook/> of the total population, 47% percent of whom attend church services weekly.<ref>{{cite web|title=Church attendance|work=Study of worldwide rates of religiosity|year=1997|publisher=University of Michigan|url=http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/releases/print.php?Releases/1997/Dec97/chr121097a|accessdate=2007-01-03}}</ref> In absolute terms, Mexico has the world's second largest number of Catholics after [[Brazil]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html |title=The Largest Catholic Communities |accessdate=2007-11-10 |work=Adherents.com}}</ref>

About 6.3% of the population is [[Protestantism|Protestant]],<ref name=Factbook/> of whom [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostals]] (1.4%) are the largest group.<ref name=Factbook/> There are also a sizeable number of [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]] (0.6 million people).<ref>[http://news.adventist.org/2006/09/mexico-religious-liberty-thrivig-govermet-official-tells-avetist-leaers.html Religious Liberty Thriving, Government Official Tells Adventist Leaders]</ref> The [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] are 1.1% of the country's population.<ref name=Factbook/> [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] claims over one million registered members as of 2009.<ref name="lds-Mexico">{{cite web|title=Mexico, Country profile|publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Days Saints Newsroom|url=http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/contact-us/mexico|accessdate=2009-04-20}}</ref> About 25% of registered members attend a weekly sacrament service although this can fluctuate up and down.<ref name="encyclopedia-mormonism">{{cite book|last=Ludlow|first=Daniel H.|title=Encyclopedia of Mormonism|year=1994|pages=4:1527}}</ref> There are eleven [[Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] in Mexico.

The presence of [[History of the Jews in Mexico|Jews in Mexico]] dates back to 1521, when Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztecs, accompanied by several [[Converso]]s. There are now more than 45,000 Mexican Jews. 3.1% of the population reported having no religion.<ref name=Factbook/> [[Islam in Mexico]] is practiced by a small population in the city of [[Torreón]], Coahuila, and there are an estimated 300 Muslims in the [[San Cristóbal de las Casas]] area in Chiapas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127397.htm|title=International Religious Freedom Report 2009|publisher=US Department of State|accessdate=2010-07-13}}</ref><ref>[http://wwrn.org/articles/10271/ Mayans in Mexico’s Chiapas Region Convert to Islam]</ref> Mexico's [[Buddhism in Mexico|Buddhist]] population currently makes up a tiny minority, some 108,000 according to latest accounts. Most of its members are of Asian descent, while people of various other walks of life have turned toward [[Buddhism]] in the recent past.

In 1992, Mexico lifted almost all restrictions on the Catholic Church and other religions, including granting all religious groups legal status, conceding them limited property rights, and lifting restrictions on the number of priests in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico|work=International Religious Report|year=2003|publisher=U.S. Department of State|url=http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2003/24499.htm|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> Until recently, priests did not have the right to vote, and even now they cannot be elected to public office.

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture of Mexico}}
[[File:Tradicionalranchero.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Jarabe Tapatío]], an example of traditional Mexican dance and costumes.]]
Mexican culture reflects the complexity of the [[History of Mexico|country's history]] through the blending of pre-[[Hispanic]] civilizations and the [[culture of Spain]], imparted during Spain's 300-year colonization of Mexico. Exogenous cultural elements mainly from the United States have been incorporated into Mexican culture.

The Porfirian era (''el [[Porfirio Díaz|Porfiriato]]''), in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century, was marked by economic progress and peace. After four decades of civil unrest and war, Mexico saw the development of philosophy and the arts, promoted by President Díaz himself. Since that time, as accentuated during the [[Mexican Revolution]], cultural identity has had its foundation in the ''mestizaje'', of which the indigenous (i.e. Amerindian) element is the core. In light of the various ethnicities that formed the Mexican people, [[José Vasconcelos]] in his publication ''La Raza Cósmica'' (The Cosmic Race) (1925) defined Mexico to be the melting pot of all races (thus extending the definition of the ''mestizo'') not only biologically but culturally as well.<ref>{{cite book|last=Vasconcelos|first=José|coauthors=Didier T. Jaén (translator)|title=La Raza Cósmica (The Cosmic Race)|publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|year=1997|isbn=0-8018-5655-8|page=160 }}</ref> This exalting of ''mestizaje'' was a revolutionary idea that sharply contrasted with the idea of a superior pure race prevalent in Europe at the time.
<br>
<br>
===Architecture===
{{Main|Architecture of Mexico|Mesoamerican architecture}}
[[File:Aztec restored architecture.jpg|thumb|left|[[Teotihuacan]] architecture, an excellent example of Pre-Hispanic architecture displaying the common Amerindian use of jade, gold, carved, black granite and red paint, a reoccurring design motiff of many of Mexico's pre-colonial civilizations.]]
In a broad sense, Mexican architecture comprises works of architecture created in Mexico, as well as architecture of pre-Hispanic and colonial times that have become part of Mexico's architectural heritage. Moreover, architectural styles of the independent nation have a strong influence from those previous epochs; therefore it is necessary to include them as part of this heritage. Mesoamerican architecture is the set of architectural traditions produced by pre-Columbian cultures and civilizations of Mesoamerica, traditions which are best known in the form of public, ceremonial and urban monumental buildings and structures. The distinctive features of Mesoamerican architecture encompass a number of different regional and historical styles, which however are significantly interrelated. These styles developed throughout the different phases of Mesoamerican history as a result of the intensive cultural exchange between the different cultures of the Mesoamerican culture area through thousands of years. Mesoamerican architecture is mostly noted for its pyramids which are the largest such structures outside of Ancient Egypt.

[[File:CatedraldeGuadalajara.jpg|thumb|The [[Guadalajara Cathedral]] an example of Mexican colonial architecture.]]

Spanish Colonial architecture, which dominated in the early Spanish colonies, is marked by the contrast between the simple, solid construction demanded by the new environment and the Baroque ornamentation exported from Spain. Mexico, as the center of New Spain has some of the most renowned buildings built in this style. With twenty-nine sites, Mexico has more sites on the UNESCO World Heritage list than any other country in the Americas, many of them boasting some of the richest Spanish Colonial architecture. Some of the most famous cities in Mexico built in the Colonial style are Puebla, Zacatecas, Querétaro, Guanajuato, and Morelia.

During President Porfirio Diaz's reign (1876–1880, 1884–1911), patrons and practitioners of architecture manifested two impulses: to create an architecture that would indicate Mexico's participation in modernity and the emphasize Mexico's difference from other countries through the incorporation of local characteristics into the architecture. The first goal took precedence over the second during most of the nineteenth century. A modern, sophisticated Mexico was the goal of President Diaz. Cast iron, marble, granite, bronzes and stained glass became mainstays of this period. Diaz was determined to transform the landscape of the nation's capital into one reminiscent of Paris or London. It is not surprising that the most important architectural commissions of the Porfiriato were built in these styles.
[[File:Teatro Juarez.jpg|thumb|left|The Juarez Theatre built in Porfirian style in 1903, is an example of Mexican styled architecture which integrates European architecture with pre-Hispanic elements.]]
Examples include the Postal Palace, the National Theatre of Mexico (1904), the Legislative Palace (1903), the Secretariat of Communications and Public Works (1902–11). Neo-Gothic designs were also incorporated into the monumental public buildings of the early twentieth century. The two best examples were the Central post office and the Palacio de Bellas Artes.

[[File:Santa feconj.jpg|thumb|Modern Mexican high-rise architecture seen in [[Santa Fe (Mexico City)|Santa Fe, Mexico]].]]
After the [[Mexican Revolution]] in 1917, idealization of the indigenous and the traditional symbolized attempts to reach into the past and retrieve what had been lost in the race toward modernization. The School of Theatre (1994), by TEN Arquitectos, and the School of Dance (1994), by Luis Vicente Flores, express a modernity that reinforces the government's desire to present a new image of Mexico as an industrialized country with a global presence. Enrique Norten, the founder of TEN Arquitectors, was presented with the "Legacy Award" by the Smithsonian Institution for his contributions to the US arts and culture through his work. In 2005 he received the "Leonardo da Vinci" World Award of Arts by the World Cultural Council and was the first Mies van der Rohe Award recipient for Latin American Architecture.

The José Vasconcelos Library, designed by Alberto Kalach, in Mexico City The refined work of Alberto Kalach and Daniel Alvarez stands out both in their numerous residences as well as in the San Juan de Letrán Station (1994) in Mexico City. The residential work of José Antonio Aldrete-Haas in Mexico City shows both the influence of the attenuated Modernism of the great Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza and a continuity with the lessons of Barragán. Other notable and emerging contemporary architects include Mario Schjetnan, Michel Rojkind, Tatiana Bilbao, Isaac Broid and Bernardo Gómez-Pimienta, Juan C. Ordaz Coppel and Jacinto Avalos from Avalos Arquitectos y Asociados with award winning works in Mexico, USA and Europe. Modern buildings (especially skyscrapers) in Mexico share many design parallels with modern urban Japanese, Chinese and German architecture however modern Mexican architecture usually integrates elements of both Hispanic and amerindian architectural styles.

===Cinema===
{{Main|Cinema of Mexico}}
[[File:PedroInfante.jpg|thumb|Famous actors [[Pedro Infante]] and [[Jorge Negrete]] in the 1952 film ''Dos Tipos de Cuidado'']]
[[Cinema of Mexico|Mexican films]] from the [[Golden Age of Mexican cinema|Golden Age]] in the 1940s and 1950s are the greatest examples of Latin American cinema, with a huge industry comparable to the [[Hollywood, Los Angeles, California|Hollywood]] of those years. Mexican films were exported and exhibited in all of Latin America and Europe. ''[[Maria Candelaria]]'' (1944) by [[Emilio Fernández]], was one of the first films awarded a [[Palme d'Or]] at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in 1946, the first time the event was held after World War II. The famous Spanish-born director [[Luis Buñuel]] realized in Mexico, between 1947 to 1965 some of him master pieces like ''[[Los olvidados]]'' (1949), ''[[Viridiana]]'' (1961) and ''[[El angel exterminador]]'' (1963). Famous actors and actresses from this period include [[María Félix]], [[Pedro Infante]], [[Dolores del Río]], [[Jorge Negrete]] and the comedian [[Cantinflas]].

More recently, films such as ''[[Like Water for Chocolate (film)|Como agua para chocolate]]'' (1992), ''[[Cronos (film)|Cronos]]'' (1993), ''[[Amores perros]]'' (2000), ''[[Y tu mamá también]]'' (2001), ''[[The Crime of Father Amaro (film)|El Crimen del Padre Amaro]]'' (2002), ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' (2006) and ''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]'' (2006) have been successful in creating universal stories about contemporary subjects, and were internationally recognised, as in the prestigious [[Cannes Film Festival]]. Mexican directors [[Alejandro González Iñárritu]] (''[[Amores perros]]'', ''[[Babel (film)|Babel]]''), [[Alfonso Cuarón]] (''[[Children of Men]]'', ''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''), [[Guillermo del Toro]], [[Carlos Carrera]] (''[[The Crime of Father Amaro (film)|The Crime of Father Amaro]]''), and screenwriter [[Guillermo Arriaga]] are some of the most known present-day film makers.

===Music===
{{Main|Music of Mexico}}
[[File:Orquesta Filarmonica de Jalisco.jpg|thumb|left|Jalisco Symphony Orchestra]]

Mexican society enjoys a vast array of music genres, showing the diversity of Mexican culture. Traditional music includes [[Mariachi]], [[banda music|Banda]], [[Norteño (music)|Norteño]], [[Ranchera]] and [[Corrido]]s; on an every-day basis most Mexicans listen to contemporary music such as [[Mexican pop music|pop]], [[rock music|rock]], etc. in both English and Spanish. Mexico has the largest media industry in Latin America, producing Mexican artists who are famous in Central and South America and parts of Europe, especially Spain. Some well-known Mexican singers are
[[Thalía]], [[Luis Miguel]], [[Alejandro Fernández]], [[Julieta Venegas]] and [[Paulina Rubio]]. Mexican singers of traditional music are: [[Lila Downs]], [[Susana Harp]], [[Jaramar]], [[GEO Meneses]] and [[Alejandra Robles]]. Popular groups are [[Café Tacuba]], [[Molotov (band)|Molotov]] and [[Maná]], among others.

[[File:PXNDX.jpg|thumb|[[Mexican rock#Present|Alternative Mexican rock]] band [[Panda (band)|PXNDX]] performing live.]]
According to the [[Sistema Nacional de Fomento Musical]], there are between 120 and 140 youth orchestras affiliated to this federal agency from all federal states. Some states, through their state agencies in charge of culture and the arts—Ministry or Secretariat or Institute or Council of Culture, in some cases Secretariat of Education or the State University—sponsor the activities of a professional [[Orchestra|Symphony Orchestra or Philharmonic Orchestra]] so all citizens can have access to this artistic expression from the field of [[classical music]]. There is no public information about the exact number of professional orchestras in the country (probably 40 ensembles of very diverse caliber). Mexico City is the most intense hub of this activity hosting 12 professional orchestras sponsored by different agencies such as the National Intitute of Fine Arts, the Secretariat of Culture of the Federal District, The National University, the National Polytechnic Institute, a Delegación Política (Coyoacán) and very few are a kind of private ventures.

Orquestas in Mexico are mainly subsidized by a governmental body or agency, unlike their American counterparts, therefore, these organizations do not have departments such as marketing or development. States such as Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Morelos, Nayarit, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Tabasco, and Tlaxcala do not have a professional Symphony orchestra. The only permanent opera company belongs to the [[National Institute of Fine Arts]], offering six productions yearly, however, some cities such as Guadalajara, Monterrey or Morelia make important efforts to present this kind of expression to local audiences.

===National holidays===
{{Main|Public holidays in Mexico}}
[[File:GritoIxmiquilpan.JPG|thumb|220px|left|Municipal president giving the "[[Grito de Dolores|grito]]" of "Viva Mexico" at the commencement of Independence Day festivities in 2008]]
[[File:Calavera.jpg|thumb|120px|right|A skull made out of sugar, given during the [[Day of the Dead]] festival.]]

Mexicans celebrate their [[Mexican War of Independence|independence from Spain]] on September 16, and other holidays with colorful festivals known as "Fiestas". Every Mexican city, town and village holds a yearly festival to commemorate their local patron saints. During these festivities, the people pray and burn candles to honor their saints in churches decorated with flowers and colorful utensils. They also hold large parades, fireworks, dance competitions, beauty pageant contest, party and buy refreshments in the market places and public squares. In the smaller towns and villages, soccer, boxing, cockfighting and amateur bullfighting are also celebrated during the festivities.

Other festivities include [[Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe]] ("Guadalupe Day"), [[Las Posadas]] ("The Shelters", celebrated on December 16 to December 24), [[Nochebuena|Noche Buena]] ("Holy Night", celebrated on December 24), [[Christmas|Navidad]] ("Christmas", celebrated on December 25) and [[New Years Day|Año Nuevo]] ("New Years Day", celebrated on December 31 to January 1). "Guadalupe Day" is regarded by many Mexicans as the most important religious holiday of their country. It honours the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, which is celebrated on December 12. In the last decade, all the celebrations happening from mid December to the beginning of January have been linked together in what has been called the [[Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon]].

Piñatas are unique to Mexican celebrations. A pinata is made from papier-mache. It is created to look like popular people, animals, or fictional characters. Once made it is painted with bright colors and filled with candy or small toys. It is then hung from the ceiling. The children are blind folded and take turns hitting the [[piñata]] until it breaks open and the candy and small toys fall out. The children then gather the candy and small toys.

===Fine arts===
{{See also|Architecture of Mexico}}
[[File:Palacio de las Bellas Artes (Mexico City).jpg|thumb|left|[[Palacio de Bellas Artes|Palace of Fine Arts]] in Mexico City]]
Post-revolutionary art in Mexico had its expression in the works of renowned artists such as [[Frida Kahlo]], [[Diego Rivera]], [[José Clemente Orozco]], [[Rufino Tamayo]], [[Federico Cantú Garza]], [[David Alfaro Siqueiros]] and [[Juan O'Gorman]]. Diego Rivera, the most well-known figure of [[Mexican Muralism]], painted the ''[[Man at the Crossroads]]'' at the [[Rockefeller Center]] in New York City, a huge mural that was destroyed the next year due to the inclusion of a portrait of Russian communist leader [[Vladimir Lenin|Lenin]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Rockefeller Controversy|publisher=Diego Rivera Prints|url=http://www.diego-rivera.org/rockefellercontroversy.html|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> Some of Rivera's murals are displayed at the Mexican [[National Palace (Mexico)|National Palace]] and the [[Palacio de Bellas Artes|Palace of Fine Arts]].

Academic music composers of Mexico include [[Manuel María Ponce]], [[José Pablo Moncayo]], [[Julián Carrillo]], [[Mario Lavista]], [[Carlos Chávez]], [[Silvestre Revueltas]], [[Arturo Márquez]], and [[Juventino Rosas]], many of whom incorporated traditional elements into their music. [[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Octavio Paz]], [[Carlos Fuentes]], [[Juan Rulfo]], [[Elena Poniatowska]], and [[José Emilio Pacheco]], are some of the most recognized authors of Mexican literature.

===Literature===
{{Main|Mexican literature|Mesoamerican literature}}
[[File:Sor Juana by Miguel Cabrera.png|thumb|150px|A late 18th century painting of [[Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz]], Mexican poet and writer.]]
The literature of Mexico has its antecedents in the literatures of the indigenous settlements of Mesoamerica. The most well known prehispanic poet is [[Netzahualcoyotl]]. Modern Mexican literature was influenced by the concepts of the Spanish colonialization of [[Mesoamerica]]. Outstanding colonial writers and poets include [[Juan Ruiz de Alarcón]] and [[Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz]].

Other writers include [[Alfonso Reyes]], [[José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi]], [[Ignacio Manuel Altamirano]], [[Carlos Fuentes]], [[Octavio Paz]] (Nobel Laureate), [[Renato Leduc]], [[Jaime Labastida]], [[Mariano Azuela]] ("Los de abajo") and [[Juan Rulfo]] ("Pedro Páramo"). [[Bruno Traven]] wrote "Canasta de cuentos mexicanos", "El tesoro de la Sierra Madre."

===Broadcast media===
Two of the major television networks based in Mexico are [[Televisa]] and [[TV Azteca]]. Televisa is also the largest producer of Spanish-language content in the world and also the world's largest Spanish-language media network.<ref>{{cite web|title=Televisa Brings 2006 FIFA World Cup to Mexico in HD With Snell & Wilcox Kahuna SD/HD Production Switcher|work=Press release|date=2006-06-27 | publisher=[[Snell & Wilcox]] | url=http://www.snellwilcox.com/news_events/press_releases/203 | accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> [[Grupo Multimedios]] is another media conglomerate with Spanish-language broadcasting in Mexico, Spain, and the United States. [[Soap opera]]s ([[telenovela]]s) are translated to many languages and seen all over the world with renowned names like [[Verónica Castro]], [[Lucía Méndez]], [[Lucero (actress)|Lucero]], and [[Thalía]]. Even [[Gael García Bernal]] and [[Diego Luna]] from [[Y tu mamá también]] and current [[Ermenegildo Zegna|Zegna]] model have appeared in some of them.

Some of their TV shows are modeled after counterparts from the U.S. like ''[[100 mexicanos dijeron|Family Feud]]'' (''100 Mexicanos Dijeron'' or "A hundred Mexicans said" in Spanish) and [[¿Qué dice la gente?]], ''[[Big Brother (TV series)|Big Brother]]'', ''[[American Idol]]'', ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' and others. Nationwide news shows like ''[[Las Noticias por Adela]]'' on Televisa resemble a hybrid between ''[[The Phil Donahue Show|Donahue]]'' and ''[[Nightline (US news program)|Nightline]]''. Local news shows are modeled after counterparts from the U.S. like the ''[[Eyewitness News]]'' and ''[[Action News]]'' formats. Border cities receive television and radio stations from the U.S., while satellite and cable subscription is common for the middle-classes in most cities, and they often watch movies and TV shows from the U.S.

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Mexican cuisine}}

[[File:Hot chocolate.jpg|thumb|left|"[[Chocolate]]" originates from Mexico's [[Aztec]] cuisine, derived from the [[Nahuatl]] word [[xocolatl]].]]

Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-Columbian traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists.

The ''[[conquistador]]es'' eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native pre-Columbian food, including [[maize]], [[tomato]], [[vanilla]], [[avocado]], [[papaya]], [[pineapple]], [[chili pepper]], [[bean]]s, [[squash (plant)|squash]], [[lime (fruit)|limes]] (''limón'' in [[Mexican Spanish]]), [[sweet potato]], [[peanut]] and [[turkey (bird)|turkey]].

[[File:Cabrito con tamales 2.JPG|thumb|right|Cabrito con Tamales]] Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its [[beef]], [[goat]] and [[ostrich]] production and [[meat]] dishes, in particular the well-known [[Arrachera]] cut.

Central Mexico's cuisine is largely made up of influences from the rest of the country, but also has its authentics, such as [[barbacoa]], [[pozole]], [[menudo (soup)|menudo]], [[tamales]], and [[carnitas]].

Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy [[vegetable]] and [[chicken]]-based dishes. The cuisine of Southeastern Mexico also has quite a bit of Caribbean influence, given its geographical location. Seafood is commonly prepared in the states that border the Pacific Ocean or the [[Gulf of Mexico]], the latter having a famous reputation for its fish dishes, ''à la veracruzana''.

In modern times, other cuisines of the world have become very popular in Mexico, thus adopting a Mexican fusion. For example, sushi in Mexico is often made with a variety of sauces based on [[mango]] or [[tamarind]], and very often served with [[serrano pepper|serrano]]-chili-blended soy sauce, or complemented with vinegar, [[habanero]] and [[chipotle]] peppers

The most internationally recognized dishes include [[chocolate]], [[taco]]s, [[quesadilla]]s, [[enchilada]]s, [[burrito]]s, [[tamale]]s and [[mole (sauce)|mole]] among others. Regional dishes include [[mole (sauce)|mole poblano]], [[chiles en nogada]] and [[chalupa]]s from [[Puebla]]; [[cabrito]] and [[machaca]] from [[Monterrey]], [[cochinita pibil]] from [[Yucatán]], [[Tlayuda]]s from [[Oaxaca]], as well as [[barbacoa]], [[chilaquiles]], [[milanesa]]s, and many others.

==Sports==
{{Main|Sport in Mexico}}
{{See also|1968 Summer Olympics|1970 FIFA World Cup|1986 FIFA World Cup}}
[[File:Azteca 008.gif|thumb|left|The Estadio Azteca (Aztec Stadium) is the official home stadium of the [[Mexico national football team]].]]
[[File:Estadio de beisbol en Monterrey.jpg|thumb|Baseball stadium in Monterrey, home to Monterrey Sultans.]]

Mexico City hosted the [[1968 Summer Olympics|XIX Olympic Games]] in 1968, making it the first Latin American city to do so (Rio de Janeiro will be the second in 2016).<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Binational Olympics|month=December | year=2003|publisher=San Diego Metropolitan|url=http://www.sandiegometro.com/2003/dec/coverstory2.html|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> The country has also hosted the [[FIFA World Cup]] twice, in [[1970 FIFA World Cup|1970]] and [[1986 FIFA World Cup|1986]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About CONCACAF|publisher=The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF)|url=http://www.concacaf.com/about.asp|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref>

Mexico's most popular sport is [[association football]] (soccer). It is commonly believed that Football was introduced in Mexico by [[Cornwall|Cornish]] miners at the end of the 19th century. By 1902 a five-team league had emerged with a strong English influence.<ref>{{cite web|title= Introduction|publisher=Federacion Mexicana de Futbol|url=http://www.femexfut.org.mx/portalv2/(hjfqs545niz5yh55yipntw55)/default.aspx?s=135}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Mexico&nbsp;– List of Final Tables|publisher=Rec.Sports.Soccer Statistics Foundation|url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mexhist.html}}</ref> Football became a professional sport in 1943. Since the "Era Professional" started, Mexico's top clubs have been [[Club Deportivo Guadalajara|Guadalajara]] with 11 championships, [[Club América|América]] with 10 and [[Deportivo Toluca F.C.|Toluca]] with 9.<ref>{{cite web|title= Mexico&nbsp;– List of Champions|publisher=Rec.Sports.Soccer Statistics Foundation|url=http://www.rsssf.com/tablesm/mexchamp.html}}</ref> In Mexican Football many players have been raised to the level of legend, but two of them have received international recognition above others. [[Antonio Carbajal]] was the first player to appear in five World Cups, and [[Hugo Sánchez]] was named best [[CONCACAF]] player of the 20th century by IFFHS. Mexican's biggest stadiums are [[Estadio Azteca]], [[Estadio Olímpico Universitario]] and [[Jalisco Stadium]]. Notable achievements by Mexican national soccer teams include winning the 1999 Confederations Cup, the 2005 U-17 World Cup, and being runners-up in the 1977 U-20 World Cup, 1993 Copa America, and 2001 Copa America. The Mexican team was also a runner-up in the 2007 Beach Soccer World Cup. Mexican football clubs have achieved good results in international competitions like the [[Copa Libertadores]] and the [[FIFA Club World Championship]].

The national sport of Mexico is [[Charreada]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Charrería|work=The Handbook of Texas Online|publisher=University of Texas at Austin|url=http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/llc4.html|accessdate=2007-09-30}}</ref> [[Bullfighting]] is also a popular sport in the country, and almost all large cities have bullrings. ''[[Plaza México]]'' in [[Mexico City]], is the largest bullring in the world, which seats 55,000 people. Professional wrestling (or ''[[Lucha libre]]'' in Spanish) is a major crowd draw with national promotions such as [[Asistencia Asesoría y Administración|AAA]], LLL, [[Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre|CMLL]] and others.

[[Baseball]] is very popular, especially in the Gulf of Mexico, Yucatán Peninsula and the Northern States. In some regions baseball has traditionally been more popular than soccer. The season runs from March to July with playoffs held in August. The Mexican professional league is named the [[Liga Mexicana de Beisbol]]. Current champions (2007) are Sultanes de Monterrey who defeated in a tight series Leones de Yucatán. However, the best level of baseball is played in [[Mexican Pacific League|Liga Mexicana del Pacífico]], played in Sinaloa, Sonora and Baja California. Given that it is played during the MLB off-season, some of its players are signed to play with the league 8 teams. Current champions (2007) are [[Yaquis de Obregon]]. The league champion participates in the [[Caribbean Series]], a tournament between the Champions of Winter Leagues of Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic; the [[2009 Caribbean Series]] edition will be held in [[Mexicali]]. While usually not as strong as the United States, the Caribbean countries and Japan, Mexico has nonetheless achieved several international baseball titles. Mexico has had several players signed by Major League teams, the most famous of them being Dodgers pitcher [[Fernando Valenzuela]].

Mexican clubs (such as [[Monterrey La Raza (current)|Monterrey La Raza]]) participate in North American [[indoor soccer]] leagues. Mexico is also a leading country in [[Basque Pelota]]. [[Tennis]] has also traditionally been popular in Mexico, having produced some great players like [[Rafael Osuna]], though international successes have been very few in recent years.

Mexico is an international power in [[professional boxing]] (at the amateur level, several Olympic boxing medals have also been won by Mexico). [[Vicente Saldivar]], [[Rubén Olivares]], [[Salvador Sánchez]], [[Julio César Chávez]], [[Ricardo Lopez Nava|Ricardo Lopez]] and [[Erik Morales]] are but a few Mexican fighters who have been ranked among the best of all time.

The most important professional [[basketball]] league is the [[Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional]] and covers the whole Mexican territory, where the [[Soles de Mexicali]] are the current champions. In 2007 three Mexican teams will be competing in the [[American Basketball Association (2000–)|American Basketball Association]]. In the northwestern states is the CIBACOPA Competition, with professional basketball players from Mexico and the U.S. Universities and some teams from the NBA.

Mexico is a major international power in [[Taekwondo]]. Mexican athletes have achieved renown in disciplines like [[marathon running]], [[racewalking]] and [[diving]].

[[American football]] is played at the major universities like [[Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education|ITESM]], [[Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León|UANL]], [[Fundación Universidad de las Américas, Puebla|UDLA]], [[National Polytechnic Institute|IPN]] and [[UNAM]]. The college league in Mexico is called [[Mexican College Football|ONEFA]]. Several Mexican players have been signed by the NFL over the years. [[Rugby football|Rugby]] is played at the amateur level throughout the country with the majority of clubs in Mexico City and others in Monterrey, Guadalajara, Celaya, Guanajuato and Oaxaca.

Auto racing is very popular in Mexico. Throughout the years, Mexico has hosted races for some of the most important international championships such as Formula One, NASCAR, [[Champ Car]], [[A1 Grand Prix]], among others. Mexico also has its own NASCAR-sanctioned stock car series, the [[NASCAR Mexico]], which runs 14 events in different cities, drawing large crowds. Other forms of racing include [[Formula Renault]], [[Formula Vee]], touring cars, Pick-up trucks, endurance racing, rallying, and off-road.

Ice hockey is played in larger cities like Monterrey, Guadalajara, Villahermosa, Culiacán and Mexico City.

Notable Mexican athletes include [[golf]]er [[Lorena Ochoa]], who is currently ranked first in the [[LPGA]] world rankings,<ref>{{cite web|title=LPGA Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings|date=2007-10-01|url=http://www.lpga.com/content/RolexRankings10-1-2007.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-07}}</ref> [[Ana Guevara]], former world champion of the {{convert|400|m|ft|}} and Olympic subchampion in Athens 2004, and [[Fernando Platas]], a numerous Olympic medal winning diver.

Sport fishing is popular in Baja California and the big Pacific coast resorts, while freshwater bass fishing is growing in popularity too. The gentler arts of diving and snorkeling are big around the Caribbean, with famous dive sites at Cozumel and on the reefs further south. The Pacific coast is becoming something of a center for surfing, with few facilities as yet; all these sports attract tourists to Mexico.

Another sport in which Mexico is competitive at the international level is [[polo]].

==Healthcare and education==
: ''Main articles: [[Health care in Mexico]] and [[Education in Mexico]]. See also [[2009 swine flu outbreak]]''.
[[File:Swine Flu Masked Train Passengers in Mexico City.jpg|thumb|left|Mexico city subway passengers wearing masks due to the [[2009 swine flu outbreak]].]]
[[File:ITESM Monterrey Rectoria CETEC.jpg|thumb|The [[Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education]].]]

Since the early 1990s, Mexico entered a transitional stage in the health of its population and some indicators such as mortality patterns are identical to those found in highly developed countries like Germany or Japan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://countrystudies.us/mexico/63.htm |title=Mexico&nbsp;– Health Care and Social Security |publisher=Countrystudies.us |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Although all Mexicans are entitled to receive medical care by the state, 50.3 million Mexicans had no medical insurance as of 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sinais.salud.gob.mx/descargas/pdf/SE01_PoblacionesInst.pdf |title=Sistema Nacional de Información en Salud&nbsp;– Poblaciones de las Instituciones Prestadoras de Servicios de Salud de México: Definición y Construcción|format=PDF |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref> Efforts to increase the number of people are being made, and the current administration intends to achieve [[universal health care]] by 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/prensa/presidencia/?contenido=38260 |title=De seguir por el camino correcto en materia de salud, en tres años todos los mexicanos, sin excepción, contarán con médico, medicinas y tratamiento cuando lo necesiten: Presidente Calderón |publisher=Presidencia.gob.mx |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.esmas.com/noticierostelevisa/mexico/009174/calderon-promete-cobertura-universal-salud |title=Calderón promete cobertura universal de salud |publisher=.esmas.com |date=2008-08-29 |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

Mexico's medical infrastructure is highly rated for the most part and is usually excellent in major cities,<ref name="Health Care in Mexico">{{cite web|url=http://www.expatforum.com/articles/health/health-care-in-mexico.html |title=Health Care in Mexico |publisher=Expatforum.com |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Mexico/Health-Care-Issues-Mexico/695 |title=Health Care Issues Mexico |publisher=Kwintessential.co.uk |accessdate=2009-11-04}}</ref> but rural areas and indigenous communities still lack equipment for advanced medical procedures, forcing patients in those locations to travel to the closest urban areas to get specialized medical care.<ref name=healthbrit>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-27404/Mexico Health and welfare]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 2008-03-02.</ref>

State-funded institutions such as [[Mexican Social Security Institute]] (IMSS) and the [[Institute for Social Security and Services for State Workers]] (ISSSTE) play a major role in health and social security. Private health services are also very important and account for 13% of all medical units in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sinais.salud.gob.mx/medicinaprivada/index.html |title=Sistema Nacional de Información en Salud&nbsp;– Infraestructura |publisher=Sinais.salud.gob.mx |accessdate=2010-05-30}}</ref>

{{Education in Mexico}}

[[File:Hospital oca galerias.jpg|thumb|left|Hospital Oca Galerias, a private hospital in Monterrey]]
Medical training is done mostly at public universities with much specializations done in vocational or internship settings. Some public universities in Mexico, such as the [[University of Guadalajara]], have signed agreements with the U.S. to receive and train American students in Medicine. Health care costs in private institutions and prescription drugs in Mexico are on average lower than that of its North American economic partners.<ref name="Health Care in Mexico"/>

Education in Mexico is highly competitive and actively pursued especially in Amerindian communities as it as seen as the primary path to success and employment. Mexico has one of the highest student-to-teaching staff ratio in the world with 26 students per teacher nationwide, when all levels from [[pre-K]] through [[post secondary]] education are included.<ref>[http://www.photius.com/rankings/student_to_teacher_ratio_country_ranks.html Students Per Teaching Staff Country Ranks In OECD Countries 2005 - Student to teacher ratio]. Photius.com (2007-05-25). Retrieved on 2010-08-14.</ref> According to the OCED, compared to students from the worlds thirty most developed nations, Mexican students came in fourth in problem solving, third in science and technology and eighth in mathematics.<ref>[http://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,2987,en_32252351_32235731_1_1_1_1_1,00.html PISA]. Pisa.oecd.org. Retrieved on 2010-08-14.</ref>
Mexico has one of the largest educational budgets in the world meausured by actual spending and as a percentage of GDP. In 2009 the educational budget was $148 billion equalling 9.7% of total GDP. In 2004, the literacy rate was at 97%<ref>{{cite web|title=INEGI literacy report −14, 2005|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=medu15&s=est&c=3283}}</ref> for youth under the age of 14 and 91% for people over 15,<ref>{{cite web|title=INEGI literacy report 15+, 2005|url=http://www.inegi.gob.mx/est/contenidos/espanol/rutinas/ept.asp?t=medu16&s=est&c=3284}}</ref> placing Mexico at the 24th place in the world rank accordingly to [[UNESCO]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexico: Youth Literacy Rate|publisher=Global Virtual University|url=http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator_detail.cfm?IndicatorID=41&Country=MX|accessdate=2007-10-02}}</ref> Primary and secondary education (9 years) is free and mandatory. Even though different bilingual education programs have existed since the 1960s for the indigenous communities, after a constitutional reform in the late 1990s, these programs have had a new thrust, and free text books, software, and vocational programs are available in more than a dozen indigenous languages.

[[File:UNAM Ciudad Universitaria.jpg|thumb|left|The Main campus of The [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]].]]
In the 1970s, Mexico established a system of "distance-learning" through satellite communications to reach otherwise inaccessible small rural and indigenous communities. Schools that use this system are known as ''[[telesecundaria]]s'' in Mexico. The Mexican [[distance education|distance learning]] secondary education is also transmitted to some Central American countries and to Colombia, and it is used in some southern regions of the United States as a method of bilingual education. There are approximately 30,000 ''telesecundarias'' and approximately a million ''telesecundaria'' students in the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Current Trends in Telesecundarias|publisher=Secretariat of Public Education (SEP)|url=http://www.sep.gob.mx/wb2/sep/sep_5033_edusat}}</ref>

The largest and most prestigious public university in Mexico, today numbering over 269,000 students, is the [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] (''Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México'', UNAM) founded in 1910. Three [[List of Nobel laureates|Nobel laureates]] and most of Mexico's modern-day presidents are among its former students. UNAM conducts an astounding 50% of Mexico's scientific research and has presence all across the country with satellite campuses and research centers. The National Autonomous University of Mexico ranks 15th place in the Top 200 World University Ranking published by The Times Higher Education Supplement in 2008,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Times Higher Awards 2007|publisher=The Times Higher Education Supplement |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=142&pubCode=1&navcode=105}}</ref> making it the highest ranked Spanish-speaking university in the world and the highest ranked in Latin America. The second largest university is the [[National Polytechnic Institute]] (IPN). These institutions are public, and there are at least a couple of public universities per state.

One of the most prestigious private universities is [[Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education]] (ITESM). It was ranked by the ''Wall Street Journal'' as the 7th top International Business School worldwide<ref>{{cite web|title=Recruiter's scoreboard Highlights|work=The Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive survey of corporate recruiters on business schools|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|url=http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/MB_06_Scoreboard.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> and 74th among the world's top arts and humanities universities ranking of ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'', published in 2005. ITESM has thirty-two secondary campuses, apart from its Monterrey Campus. Other important private universities include [[Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México|Mexico's Autonomous Technological Institute]] (ITAM), ranked as the best economics school in Latin America, [[Fundación Universidad de las Américas, Puebla]] (UDLAP) and the Ibero-American University ([[Universidad Iberoamericana]]).

In April 2009 Mexico saw the [[2009 swine flu outbreak|outbreak]] of a new strain of [[Influenza A virus subtype H1N1|H1N1]] [[influenza]], which has infected up to 800 people and infected over 140,000 worldwide as of July 20.

==Science and technology==
{{Main|Science and technology in Mexico}}
[[File:Del Rio.jpg|left|upright|thumb|[[Andrés Manuel del Río]] was the first person to isolate vanadium]]
[[File:Guillermo camarena.jpg|right|thumb|[[Guillermo González Camarena]] inventor of color-wheel [[color television]]]]
After the [[Viceroyalty of New Spain]] was founded, the Spanish brought the scientific culture that dominated Spain to the Viceroyalty of New Spain.<ref name="page13">Fortes & Lomnitz (1990), p. 13</ref> The municipal government (''cabildo'') of Mexico City formally requested the Spanish crown to establish a university in 1539.<ref>Levy (1986), p. 116</ref> The [[Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico]] (''Real y Pontificia Universidad de México'') was established in 1551. The university was administered by the clergy and it was the official university of the empire. It provided quality education for the people, and it was a hub of intellectual and religious development in the region. It taught subjects such as physics and mathematics from the perspective of [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelian]] philosophy. [[Augustinians|Augustinian]] philosopher [[Alonso Gutiérrez]] wrote ''Physica speculatio'', America's first scientific text, in 1557. By the late eighteenth century, the university had trained 1,162 doctors, 29,882 [[bachelor's degree|bachelors]], and many lawyers.<ref name="page13"/>

During the Mexican Enlightenment, science can be divided into the four period: the early period (from 1735 to 1767), the creole period (from 1768 to 1788), the official or Spanish period (from 1789 to 1803), and the period of synthesis (from 1804 to the beginning of the Mexico's independence movement in 1810).<ref name="page15"/>

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, modern science developed in Europe, but it lagged behind in Mexico. The new ideas developed in science in Europe were not important in Mexico.<ref>Fortes & Lomnitz (1990), pp. 13–4</ref> The 1767 expulsion of Jesuits, who had introduced the new ideas in Mexico, helped to antagonize the creoles, and also promoted nation feelings among Mexicans.<ref name="page15">Fortes & Lomnitz (1990), p. 15</ref><ref>Fortes & Lomnitz (1990), p. 14</ref>

[[File:ITESM-Biotechnology-Center.jpg|thumb|Biotechnology center, ITESM]]
After the expulsion, self-taught upper class civilians were the first scientists in Mexico. Later on, they were joined by the Spanish scientists, and they did research, teaching, publishing, and translating texts. The ideas of [[Francis Bacon]] and [[René Descartes]] were freely discussed at seminars, which caused [[scholasticism]] to lose strength. During the Mexican Enlightenment, Mexico made progress in science. Progress were made in subjects such as astronomy, engineering, etc. In 1792 the Seminary of Mining was established. Later it became College of Mining, in which the first modern physics laboratory in Mexico was established.<ref name="page15"/>

Famous scientists of the Enlightenment included [[José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez]] and [[Andrés Manuel del Río]].<ref name="page15"/> Río discovered the [[chemical element]] [[vanadium]] in 1801.<ref>{{cite journal | title = The Road to Chemical Names and Eponyms: Discovery, Priority, and Credit | author = Cintas, Pedro | journal = Angewandte Chemie International Edition | volume = 43 | issue = 44 | page = 5890 | year = 2004 | pmid = 15376297 | doi = 10.1002/anie.200330074 }}</ref>

[[File:Mondragón rifle.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Mondragón rifle]]]]
The [[Mexican War of Independence]] brought temporary end to Mexico's scientific progress. The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico closed in 1833. For many years, there were no scientific activities in Mexico.<ref name="page15"/> The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico was definitively shut down in 1865.<ref name="page285">Summerfield, Devine & Levi (1998), p. 285</ref>

During the end of the nineteenth century, the process of industrialization began in Mexico. Under the influence of [[positivism|positivists]] and scientific thinkers, the government assisted in public education. In 1867 [[Gabino Barreda]], a student of [[Auguste Comte]], was charged with the commission aimed at reforming education. Subjects such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics were included into the secondary school curriculum. [[Escuela Nacional Preparatoria|National Preparatory School]] was established. The influence of positivists led to a renaissance of scientific activity in Mexico.<ref>Fortes & Lomnitz (1990), p. 16</ref> [[General]] [[Manuel Mondragon]], invented the first [[automatic rifle]] the [[Mondragón rifle]] during this time.

[[File:Mexico.RodolfoNeriVela.01.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rodolfo Neri Vela]], the first Mexican in space]]
[[File:Mario J Molina.jpg|thumb|upright|left|In 1995 [[Mario J. Molina]] became the first Mexican citizen to win the Nobel Prize in science.]]
During the twentieth century, Mexico made significant progress in science and technology. New universities and research institutes were established. The [[National Autonomous University of Mexico]] (''Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México'', ''UNAM'') was officially established in 1910,<ref>Coerver, Pasztor & Buffington (2004), p. 161</ref> and the university become one of the most important institutes of higher learning in Mexico.<ref name="page285"/> UNAM provides world class education in science, medicine, and engineering.<ref>Summerfield, Devine & Levi (1998), p. 286</ref> Many scientific institutes and new institutes of higher learning, such as [[National Polytechnic Institute]] (founded in 1936),<ref>Forest & Altbach (2006), p. 882</ref> were established during the first half of the twentieth century. Most of the new research institutes were created within UNAM. Twelve institutes were integrated into UNAM from 1929 to 1973.<ref name="page18">Fortes & Lomnitz (1990), p. 18</ref>

In 1959, the [[Mexican Academy of Sciences]] (''Academia Mexicana de Ciencias'') was established as a non-governmental, non-profit organization of distinguished scientists. The Academy has grown in membership and influence, and it represents a strong voice of scientists from different fields, mainly in science policy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icsu.org/4_icsumembers/NatMem_1.php?NP=Mexico |title=Mexico: Academia Mexicana de Ciencias |accessdate=31 December 2008 |publisher=[[International Council for Science]]}}</ref>

By 1960, science was institutionalized in Mexico. It was viewed as a legitimate endeavor by the Mexican society.<ref name="page18"/>

In 1960, the [[CINVESTAV|Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute]] was established as a center for graduate studies in subjects such as biology, mathematics, and physics. In 1961, the institute began its graduate programs in physics and mathematics and schools of science were established in Mexican states of [[Puebla]], [[San Luis Potosí]], [[Monterrey]], [[Veracruz]], and [[Michoacán]]. The Academy for Scientific Research was established in 1969 and the National Council of Science and Technology was established in 1971.<ref name="page18"/>

In 1985 [[Rodolfo Neri Vela]] became the first Mexican citizen to enter space as part of the [[STS-61-B]] mission.<ref>{{cite web | title=Human space flight: A record of achievement, 1961–1998 | url=http://history.nasa.gov/40thann/humanspf.htm | publisher=NASA | accessdate=2009-04-28}}</ref>

[[File:Lanix SHX-705 LED television.jpg|thumb|upright|Mexico is a major producer of high tech goods and since 2008 has been the second largest maker of televisions.]]
In 1995 Mexican chemist [[Mario J. Molina]] shared the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] with [[Paul J. Crutzen]], and [[F. Sherwood Rowland]] for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1995/index.html |title=The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1995 |accessdate=2 January 2009 |work=Nobelprize.org |publisher=[[Nobel Foundation]]}}</ref> Molina, an alumnus of UNAM, became the first Mexican citizen to win the Nobel Prize in science.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/1995/molina-1018.html |title=Molina wins Nobel Prize for ozone work |accessdate=2 January 2009 |author=Thomson, Elizabeth A. |date=18 October 1995 |work= |publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]}}</ref>

In recent years, the biggest scientific project being developed in Mexico was the construction of the [[Large Millimeter Telescope]] (Gran Telescopio Milimétrico, GMT), the world's largest and most sensitive single-aperture telescope in its frequency range.<ref>Unravelling unidentified γ-ray sources with the large millimeter telescope, Alberto Carramiñana and the LMT-GTM collaboration, in ''The Multi-Messenger Approach to High-Energy Gamma-Ray Sources'', Josep M. Paredes, Olaf Reimer, and Diego F. Torres, eds., Springer Netherlands, 2007. ISBN 978-1-4020-6117-2.</ref> It was designed to observe regions of space obscured by stellar dust.

In 1962, the National Commission of Outer Space (''Comisión Nacional del Espacio Exterior'', CONNE) was established, but was dismantled in 1977. In 2007, a project was presented to re-open a new [[Agencia Espacial Mexicana|Mexican Space Agency (AEXA)]] and it was approved at the end of 2008 with the headquarters set to be located in the state of Hidalgo.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:LMT GTM.jpg|thumb|left|Large Millimeter Telescope equipped with holographic imaging located in the state of Puebla]] -->
[[File:Mastretta MXT.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Mastretta]] [[Mastretta MXT|MXT]], high performance luxury [[Supercar]].]]
Government institutions such as [[SEMAR]] and [[SEDENA]] have also developed advanced microprocessors, imaging systems, [[artificial intelligence|military A.I. systems]], rockets, software, long range ballistic missiles,<ref name="Mexican Naval missile"/> electronic devices and electronic military subsystems many of which have been sold to other Latin American nations. Other consumer electronics companies such as [[Mabe Mexico|Mabe]] have been functioning since the nineteen fifties and have expanded out of Latin America into markets around the world such as Asia and Europe and even into the United States where a large percentage of American branded appliances are actually of Mexican design and origin but sold under local brand names.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/controladora-mabe-s-a-de-c-v |title=Controladora Mabe S.A. de C.V.: Information from |publisher=Answers.com |accessdate=2009-11-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milbank.com/en/NewsEvents/RecentPressRel/051222.htm |title=Milbank Represents Controladora Mabe, S.A. de C.V. in its First Eurobond Issuance |publisher=Milbank.com |date=2005-12-22 |accessdate=2009-11-04}}</ref> In fact as of 2008 one out of every four consumer appliances sold in the United States was of Mexican origin.<ref name="allbusiness1">{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/mexico/403485-1.html |title=Mabe: at the vanguard in household appliances. &#124; Latin America > Mexico from |publisher=AllBusiness.com |accessdate=2009-11-04}}</ref> According to the World Bank, production of high-technology good represented 22% of Mexico's GDP in 2000 with the high tech sector gorwing by roughly 63% yearly.<ref>[http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/ddpreports/ViewSharedReport?REPORT_ID=9147&REQUEST_TYPE=VIEWADVANCED Report]. Ddp-ext.worldbank.org. Retrieved on 2010-08-14.</ref> Since the 1990s Mexico has produced advanced automobiles for foreign companies (mainly BMW and Mercedes-Benz), and for domestic coroporations such as [[Mastretta]].

Based on the information managed by the [[Scopus]], a bibliographic database for science, the Spanish web portal [http://www.scimago.es/ SCImago] places Mexico in the position 18 of the country scientific ranking with 82,792 publications, and in the position 34 if considering its value of 134 for the [[h-index]]. Both positions are computed for the period 1996-2

==International rankings==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Organization
! Survey
! Ranking
|-
| Institute for Economics and Peace [http://www.economicsandpeace.org]
| [[Global Peace Index]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/home.php |title=Vision of Humanity |publisher=Vision of Humanity |accessdate=2010-02-04}}</ref>
| 108 out of 144
|-
| [[United Nations Development Programme]]
| [[Human Development Index]]
| 53 out of 182
|-
| [[Transparency International]]
| [[Corruption Perceptions Index]]
| 89 out of 180
|-
| [[World Economic Forum]]
| [[Global Competitiveness Report]]
| 60 out of 133
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Mexico}}
{{Main|Outline of Mexico|Index of Mexico-related articles}}
* [[Federal government of Mexico]]
* [[Politics of Mexico]]
* [[State governments of Mexico]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|first=Enrique| last=Krauze| authorlink=Enrique Krauze| title=Mexico: Biography of Power: A history of Modern Mexico 1810–1996| publisher=Harper Perennial| location=New York, New York| year=1998| isbn=0060929170| page=896 }}
* {{cite book| first=Michael C.| last=Meyer| coauthors=William H. Beezley, editors| title=The Oxford History of Mexico| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=2000| isbn=0195112288| page=736 }}
* {{cite book| last=Parkes| first=Henry Bamford| authorlink=Henry Bamford Parkes| title=A History of Mexico| isbn=0395084105| publisher=Houghton Mifflin| location=Boston| year=1972| edition=3rd}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links}}
* [http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/en The Presidency of Mexico]
* [http://www.gob.mx/wb/egobierno/egob_General_Information Official site of the Government of Mexico]
* [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/world-leaders-m/mexico.html Chief of State and Cabinet Members]
* [http://www.visitmexico.com/ Tourism Board official website]
* {{CIA World Factbook link|mx|Mexico}}
* [http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/mexico.htm Mexico] from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/Mexico}}
* {{Wikiatlas|Mexico}}
* {{Wikitravel}}
* [http://lanic.utexas.edu/la/mexico/ LANIC Mexico page]
{{Mexico topics}}
{{Template group
|state = collapsed
|title = {{resize|105%|Geographic locale}}
|list =
{{States of Mexico}}
{{Countries of North_America}}
}}
{{Template group
|state = collapsed
|title = {{resize|105%|International membership}}
|list =
{{Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development}}
{{Organization of American States}}
{{G8+5}}
{{G20}}
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{{NAFTA}}
{{Community of Democracies}}
{{Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)}}
{{Mercosur\Mercosul (Southern Common Market)}}
{{Latin Union}}
{{WTO}}
}}
{{Countries of North America}}
{{Template group
|title = International membership and history
|list =
{{UN Security Council|state=collapsed}}
}}

[[Category:Mexico| ]]
[[Category:Biodiversity]]
[[Category:Caribbean countries]]
[[Category:Countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Countries bordering the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Federal countries]]
[[Category:Former empires]]
[[Category:Former Spanish colonies]]
[[Category:G15 nations]]
[[Category:G20 nations]]
[[Category:Liberal democracies]]
[[Category:Nahuatl words and phrases]]
[[Category:Spanish-speaking countries]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1813]]

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Revision as of 03:15, 30 August 2010

File:Bandera para el Distrito Federal (Mexico).png An independent federal district of mexico can be the solutions of the capital of Mexico only dumb people celebrate the nation,intelligent people think of a new one

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