Portal:Mexico

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

The Temple of Warriors at Chichen Itza, Mexico

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¡Bienvenido! Welcome to the Mexico portal

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

Human presence in Mexico dates back to at least 8,000 BC. Mesoamerica, considered a cradle of civilization, was home to numerous advanced societies, including the Olmecs, Maya, Zapotecs, Teotihuacan civilization, and Purépecha. Spanish colonization began in 1521 with an alliance that defeated the Aztec Empire, establishing the colony of New Spain with its capital at Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City). New Spain became a major center of the transoceanic economy during the Age of Discovery, fueled by silver mining and its position as a hub between Europe and Asia. This gave rise to one of the largest multiracial populations in the world. The Peninsular War led to the 1810–1821 Mexican War of Independence, which ended Peninsular rule and led to the creation of the First Mexican Empire, which quickly collapsed into the short-lived First Mexican Republic. In 1848, Mexico lost nearly half its territory to the American invasion. Liberal reforms set in the Constitution of 1857 led to civil war and French intervention, culminating in the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire under Emperor Maximilian I of Austria, who was overthrown by Republican forces led by Benito Juárez. The late 19th century saw the long dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, whose modernization policies came at the cost of severe social unrest. The 1910–1920 Mexican Revolution led to the overthrow of Díaz and the adoption of the 1917 Constitution. Mexico experienced rapid industrialization and economic growth in the 1940s–1970s, amidst electoral fraud, political repression, and economic crises. Unrest included the Tlatelolco massacre of 1968 and the Zapatista uprising in 1994. The late 20th century saw a shift towards neoliberalism, marked by the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. (Full article...)

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The campaigns of the Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution (October 2, 1835 – April 21, 1836) was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos (Hispanic Texans) against the centralist government of Mexico in the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas. Although the uprising was part of a larger one, the Mexican Federalist War, that included other provinces opposed to the regime of President Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican government believed the United States had instigated the Texas insurrection with the goal of annexation. The Mexican Congress passed the Tornel Decree, declaring that any foreigners fighting against Mexican troops "will be deemed pirates and dealt with as such, being citizens of no nation presently at war with the Republic and fighting under no recognized flag". Only the province of Texas succeeded in breaking with Mexico, establishing the Republic of Texas. It was eventually annexed by the United States about a decade later.

The revolution began in October 1835, after a decade of political and cultural clashes between the Mexican government and the increasingly large population of Anglo-American settlers in Texas. The Mexican government had become increasingly centralized and the rights of its citizens had become increasingly curtailed, particularly regarding immigration from the United States. Mexico had officially abolished slavery in Texas in 1829, and the desire of Anglo Texans to maintain the institution of chattel slavery in Texas was also a major cause of secession, although slavery is never mentioned implicitly or explicitly in the Declaration of Independence of Texas.Colonists and Tejanos disagreed on whether the ultimate goal was independence or a return to the Mexican Constitution of 1824. While delegates at the Consultation (provisional government) debated the war's motives, Texians and a flood of volunteers from the United States defeated the small garrisons of Mexican soldiers by mid-December 1835. The Consultation declined to declare independence and installed an interim government, whose infighting led to political paralysis and a dearth of effective governance in Texas. An ill-conceived proposal to invade Matamoros siphoned much-needed volunteers and provisions from the fledgling Texian Army. In March 1836, a second political convention declared independence and appointed leadership for the new Republic of Texas. (Full article...)

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The Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo) is the most famous of the buildings in Chichen Itza.

Chichén Itzá (often spelled Chichen Itza in English and traditional Yucatec Maya) Yucatec Maya pronunciation was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The archeological site is located in Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán State, Mexico.

Chichén Itzá was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the Late Classic (c. AD 600–900) through the Terminal Classic (c. AD 800–900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period (c. AD 900–1200). The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles more as the result of cultural diffusion. (Full article...)

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Vineyard worker at Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, where 95% of Mexican wines are produced.

image credit: Tomas Castelazo

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Nazario Moreno González (8 March 1970 – 9 March 2014), commonly referred to by his aliases El Chayo ('Nazario' or 'The Rosary') and El Más Loco ('The Craziest One'), was a Mexican drug lord who headed La Familia Michoacana before heading the Knights Templar Cartel, a drug cartel headquartered in the state of Michoacán. He was one of Mexico's most-wanted drug lords.

Very few details are known of Moreno González's early life, but the authorities believe that religion played a major role in his upbringing. Although born in Michoacán, Moreno González moved to the United States as a teenager, but fled back into Mexico about a decade later to avoid prosecution on drug trafficking charges. In 2004, the drug boss Carlos Rosales Mendoza was captured, and Moreno González, alongside José de Jesús Méndez Vargas, took control of La Familia Michoacana. Unlike other traditional drug trafficking organizations in Mexico, his organization also operated like a religious cult, where its own members were given "bibles" with sayings and conduct guidelines. Moreno González reportedly carried out several philanthropic deeds to help the marginalized in Michoacán. Such deeds helped him craft an image of protector, saint, and Christ-like messianic figure among the poor, and gave La Familia Michoacana a level of influence among some natives. (Full article...)

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Juárez, 1872

Benito Pablo Juárez García (Spanish: [beˈnito ˈpaβlo ˈxwaɾes ɣaɾˈsi.a] ^ⓘ; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican politician, military commander, and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. A Zapotec, he was the first Indigenous president of Mexico and the first democratically elected Indigenous president in the postcolonial Latin America. A member of the Liberal Party, he previously held a number of offices, including the governorship of Oaxaca and the presidency of the Supreme Court. During his presidency, he led the Liberals to victory in the Reform War and in the Second French intervention in Mexico.

Born in Oaxaca to a poor rural Indigenous family and orphaned as a child, Juárez passed into the care of his uncle, eventually moving to Oaxaca City at the age of 12, where he found work as a domestic servant. Sponsored by his employer, who was also a lay Franciscan, Juárez temporarily enrolled in a seminary and studied to become a priest, but he later switched his studies to law at the Institute of Sciences and Arts, where he became active in liberal politics. He began to practice law and was eventually appointed as a judge, after which he married Margarita Maza, a woman from a socially distinguished family in Oaxaca City. (Full article...)

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

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In the news

9 June 2025 –: The U.S. Treasury Department imposes sanctions on Iván Archivaldo Guzmán Salazar and his brother Jesús Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, El Chapo's sons who are believed to be in Mexico and leading factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. (AP)
5 June 2025 – Mexico–United States relations, Gun law in the United States: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously blocks a 10-billion dollar lawsuit by the Mexican government against large American firearms manufacturers alleging their failure to prevent firearms sales to drug cartels and other criminal organisations due to a lack of evidence that the companies allow such transactions. (Al Jazeera) (AP) (Politico)
3 June 2025 –: A bus crash kills eleven people and injures 17 others in Hualahuises, Nuevo León, Mexico. (Reuters)
1 June 2025 –: Twelve people are killed and several others are injured in a fire at a drug rehabilitation center in San José Iturbide, Guanajuato, Mexico. The cause is still under investigation. (Barron's) (Infobae)
1 June 2025 – 2025 Mexican judicial elections: Nationwide elections are held to elect over 2,700 members of the Mexican judiciary branch in the first ever judicial election in the country's history. (Reuters)
1 June 2025 – 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup: Cruz Azul defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps 5–0 in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the Olympic University Stadium in Mexico City. (USA Today), (France 24)

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A Mexican-style burrito served with some limes

A burrito (English: /bəˈriːtoʊ/, Spanish: [buˈrito] ^ⓘ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term burrito was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Sonora and Sinaloa, for what is known as a taco in Mexico City and surrounding areas, and codzito in Yucatán and Quintana Roo. Due to the cultural influence of Mexico City, the term taco became the default, and the meaning of terms like burrito and codzito were forgotten, leading many people to create new meanings and folk histories.

In modern times, it is considered by many as a different dish in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine that took form in Ciudad Juárez, consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients. In Central and Southern Mexico, burritos are still considered tacos, and are known as tacos de harina ("wheat flour tacos"). The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed to soften it, make it more pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself. Burritos are often eaten by hand, as their tight wrapping keeps the ingredients together. Burritos can also be served "wet"; i.e., covered in a savory and spicy sauce, when they would be eaten with a fork and knife. (Full article...)

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

General images

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

Image 1Viceroy José de Iturrigaray (from History of Mexico)
Image 2Making cigarettes in the El Buen Tono factory, Mexico City (from History of Mexico)
Image 3Battle of Centla, the first time a horse was used in battle in a war in the Americas. Mural in the Palacio Municipal of Paraíso, Tabasco (from History of Mexico)
Image 4Subcomandante Marcos (from History of Mexico)
Image 5Pear, Quince and Psidium cajeta. In 2010 declared the Bicentennial Dessert of Mexico. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 6Equestrian statue of Charles IV in Mexico City (from History of Mexico)
Image 7President Obregón. Note that he lost his right arm in the Battle of Celaya (1915), earning him the nickname of Manco de Celaya ("the one-armed man of Celaya"). (from History of Mexico)
Image 8The Volkswagen Beetle, known in Mexico as the "Vocho," is perhaps the most iconic classic car in the country. Its production in Mexico began in 1967, and it continued until 2003, making it a symbol of Mexican automotive culture. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 9Toltec carving representing the Aztec Eagle, found in Veracruz, 10th–13th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art. (from History of Mexico)
Image 10Silk rebozo from Santa María del Río, SLP on a mannequin at the Feria de Rebozo in Tenancingo, State of Mexico. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 11José Pablo Moncayo known for his orchestral works, particularly "Huapango" (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 12Mexican Army troops in the Zócalo in the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. (from History of Mexico)
Image 13David Huerta is a contemporary philosopher and poet who examines human existence, freedom, and meaning in Mexican society, blending philosophy with art and literature. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 14April 2, 1867. Entry of General Porfirio Díaz into Puebla. (from History of Mexico)
Image 15Sawdust carpet made during "The night no one sleeps" in Huamantla, Tlaxcala (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 16Dining table, painted between 1857 y 1859, oleo sobre tela (oil on canvas) by Agustín Arrieta (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 17Fireworks in Mexico City for New Year's Day. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 18Portrait and book by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Baroque poet and writer. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 19The Execution of Emperor Maximilian, 19 June 1867. Gen. Tomás Mejía, left, Maximilian, center, Gen. Miguel Miramón, right. Painting by Édouard Manet 1868. (from History of Mexico)
Image 20Logo of the Partido Nacional Revolucionario, with the colors of the Mexican flag (from History of Mexico)
Image 21Cabinet Officers of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (left) and of Enrique Peña Nieto (right). (from History of Mexico)
Image 22General Santa Anna known for his leadership during the Texas Revolution, Mexican-American War, and turbulent periods of Mexican history marked by political instability and territorial losses. (from History of Mexico)
Image 23Award of the Association of Theater Critics and Journalists. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 24Matches between Club América and Cruz Azul at the Estadio Azteca, known as the "Clásico Joven." (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 25A statue of a Chichimeca Warrior in the city of Querétaro (from History of Mexico)
Image 26Chacmool, Maya, from the Platform of the Eagles, Chichen Itza, Mexico, ca. 800–90 CE (from History of Mexico)
Image 27Panel 3 from Cancuen, Guatemala, representing king T'ah 'ak' Cha'an (from History of Mexico)
Image 28Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc, Maya, lintel 24 of temple 23, Yaxchilan, Mexico, ca. 725 ce. (from History of Mexico)
Image 29Exconvento (Ex-convent), by José María Velasco. 1860. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 30Plaza de las Tres Culturas (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 31Surrender of Santa Anna by William Henry Huddle shows the Mexican president and general surrendering to a wounded Sam Houston in 1836. (from History of Mexico)
Image 32Spanish and Portuguese empires in 1790 (from History of Mexico)
Image 33"The Torture of Cuauhtémoc", a 19th-century painting by Leandro Izaguirre (from History of Mexico)
Image 34General Pancho Villa at the entrance of Ojinaga (from History of Mexico)
Image 35Murals of Bonampak (between 580 and 800 AD) (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 36Chihuahua Cathedral and a monument to the city's founder, Antonio Deza y Ulloa (from History of Mexico)
Image 37Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (from History of Mexico)
Image 38Battle of Tampico (1829) a conflict between Mexican forces led by General Antonio López de Santa Anna and Spanish loyalists attempting to reconquer Mexico, resulting in a decisive Mexican victory that further solidified Mexico's independence from Spain. (from History of Mexico)
Image 39"The Fall of the Alamo" by Robert Jenkins Onderdonk (from History of Mexico)
Image 40Porfirio Díaz dominant Mexican political and military figure who served as President for much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by his long rule and the modernization efforts known as the Porfiriato. (from History of Mexico)
Image 41Cerro del Cubilete ("Dice Cup Hill"). At the top of the hill is the Cristo Rey (Christ the King) statue. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 42Singer and actor Pedro Infante, one of the leading figures of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 43A unit of Cristeros preparing for battle. (from History of Mexico)
Image 44La leyenda de los volcanes (The legend of the volcanoes). Saturnino Herrán. 1910–1912. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 45Ignacio Comonfort significant role during the tumultuous period of the mid-19th century, including the Reform War and early stages of the Mexican Republic's transition. (from History of Mexico)
Image 46Battle of Miahuatlán took place on 3 October 1866. The liberal victory at Miahuatlán was significant because it allowed them to consolidate their control over southern Mexico. (from History of Mexico)
Image 47Distribution of linguistic groups around 1500. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 481985 Mexico City earthquake (from History of Mexico)
Image 49Victoriano Huerta, ruler of Mexico from 1913 to 1914 (from History of Mexico)
Image 50La huida a Egipto (The Flight into Egypt). Miguel Cabrera, around 1700. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 51President Felipe Calderón with President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. (from History of Mexico)
Image 52Olmec colossal (from History of Mexico)
Image 53Gilberto Bosques Saldívar took the initiative to rescue tens of thousands of Jews and Spanish Republican exiles from being deported to Nazi Germany or Spain. (from History of Mexico)
Image 54U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President-Elect Enrique Peña Nieto during their meet at the White House following Peña Nieto's election victory. (from History of Mexico)
Image 55Modern group monument of Cortés, Doña Marina, and their mestizo son Martín (from History of Mexico)
Image 56Buffalo Soldiers of the American 10th Cavalry Regiment taken prisoner during the Battle of Carrizal, Mexico in 1916. (from History of Mexico)
Image 57The Zócalo (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 58Colossal atlantids, pyramid B, Toltec, Tula, Mexico, ca. 900–1180 AD (from History of Mexico)
Image 59President Vicente Fox with Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh (from History of Mexico)
Image 60Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 61Three world leaders: (background, left to right) Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, observe the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement. (from History of Mexico)
Image 62Liberación (Liberation). Jorge González Camarena. 1908. (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 63El Chapo in US custody after his extradition from Mexico. (from History of Mexico)
Image 64Quechquemitl from Hidalgo at the Museo de Arte Popular in Mexico City (from Culture of Mexico)
Image 65Logo of Nacional Financiera (NAFIN), the state development bank. (from History of Mexico)
Image 66Mexican Central Railway train at station, Mexico (from History of Mexico)
Image 67Lázaro Cárdenas mural (from History of Mexico)
Image 68The first Braceros arrive in Los Angeles by train in 1942. Photograph by Dorothea Lange. (from History of Mexico)
Image 69Goddess, mural painting from the Tetitla apartment complex at Teotihuacan, Mexico, 650–750 CE (from History of Mexico)
Image 70A map of Mexico 1845 after Texas annexation by the U.S. (from History of Mexico)
Image 71President Carranza in La Cañada, Querétaro, January 22, 1916. (from History of Mexico)
Image 72Mexico City street market (from History of Mexico)
Image 73Variegated maize ears (from History of Mexico)
Image 74Agustín de Iturbide the first Emperor of Mexico in 1822 after leading the Mexican War of Independence against Spain, but his reign was short-lived, lasting only until 1823 when he abdicated, and Mexico transitioned to a republic. (from History of Mexico)
Image 75The Castillo, Chichen Itza, Mexico, ca. 800–900 CE (from History of Mexico)
Image 76Entry into Mexico City by the Mexican army (from History of Mexico)
Image 77Comanchería, territory controlled by the Comanches, prior to 1850 (from History of Mexico)
Image 78Teotihuacan view of the Avenue of the Dead and the Pyramid of the Sun, from the Pyramid of the Moon (from History of Mexico)
Image 79Plutarco Elías Calles politician and revolutionary general who served as President of Mexico from 1924 to 1928, known for his role in shaping modern Mexico through reforms and the consolidation of state power. (from History of Mexico)

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