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Mexico
Heir to the Olmec, Maya and Aztec civilizations and the seat of colonial New Spain.
Overview
Mesoamerica gave rise to independent civilizations comparable in complexity to those of the Old World. Spanish conquest in 1521 built the viceroyalty of New Spain on top of Aztec Tenochtitlan.
Basic Information
CapitalMexico City
Population128 million
Area1,964,375 km²
CurrencyMexican peso (MXN)
LanguagesSpanish, 68 Indigenous languages
RegionCentral America & Caribbean
History Timeline
- c. 1500 – 400 BCEOlmec civilization
- c. 250 – 900 CEClassic Maya
- c. 1428 – 1521Aztec Triple Alliance
- 1521Fall of Tenochtitlan to Hernán Cortés
- 1810 – 1821Mexican War of Independence
- 1910 – 1920Mexican Revolution
Ancient Peoples
- Olmecs
- Zapotecs
- Maya
- Toltecs
- Mexica (Aztecs)
Ancient Kingdoms
- Teotihuacan
- Tula
- Aztec Triple Alliance
Empires
- Aztec Empire
- Spanish Empire
- First and Second Mexican Empires
Religions
- Roman Catholicism
- Mesoamerican traditions
Culture
Mural painting (Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros), Day of the Dead, mariachi music.
Language
Spanish is official; more than seven million people speak Indigenous languages.
Important Battles
- Fall of Tenochtitlan1521
End of the Aztec Empire
- Battle of Puebla1862
Commemorated as Cinco de Mayo
Historical Figures
Moctezuma II
1502 – 1520
Aztec emperor at Spanish contact
Hernán Cortés
1519 – 1521
Conquistador
Benito Juárez
1858 – 1872
Reformist president
Archaeological Sites
- Teotihuacan
- Chichén Itzá
- Palenque
- Monte Albán
- Tenochtitlan
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Teotihuacan
- Chichén Itzá
- Palenque
- Historic Centre of Mexico City
Dynasties
- Mexica royal line
Colonial Period
New Spain (1521 – 1821) extended from present-day Central America to California.
Modern History
Mexico is a federal republic and the world's 12th-largest economy.