North America

Mexico

Discover Mexico - land of the Aztecs and Maya, birthplace of chocolate and tequila, with stunning coastlines, vibrant cities, and one of Earth's great cuisines.

Where Is Mexico?

Mexico is a country in North America. Its capital is Mexico City.

Where Mexico isNorth America · Capital Mexico City

Capital Mexico City
Population 132M
Area 1,964,375 km²

Mexico is not one country - it is an entire civilization packed into a single border. Before Europeans arrived, this land held the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, Toltec, and Aztec empires, each building pyramids, inventing writing systems, and developing some of the most advanced cultures in the ancient world. The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan was larger than any city in Europe when Cortes showed up in 1519 and could barely believe what he was seeing.

Modern Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country on Earth, with over 130 million people and a cultural output that is staggering. Mexican food is a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage - and we are talking about the real thing, not the Tex-Mex version. The country gave the world chocolate, vanilla, corn, tequila, mezcal, Frida Kahlo, Octavio Paz, and Day of the Dead. Mexico City is one of the great metropolises of the Western Hemisphere, with world-class museums, street food on every corner, and a creative energy that rivals anywhere on the planet. From the Copper Canyon to the Caribbean coast, from Oaxacan mezcalerias to Baja California wine country, Mexico is endlessly, overwhelmingly rich.

At a glance

Language

Spanish (& 68 Indigenous languages)

Currency

Mexican Peso (MXN)

Calling Code

+52

Drives On

Right

Internet

.mx

Timezone

Multiple (UTC-5 to UTC-8)

Script

Latin

Government

Federal Presidential Republic

Independence

1821

By population

Largest cities in Mexico

Mexico City

One of the world's largest cities, built on a drained Aztec lake bed, with more museums than any city in the Americas

21,800,000

Guadalajara

Birthplace of mariachi and tequila, Mexico's second city and cultural capital of the west

5,300,000

Monterrey

Industrial powerhouse in the north surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery, Mexico's wealthiest city per capita

5,100,000

Puebla

Colonial city famous for mole poblano, Talavera pottery, and a historic center with over 5,000 colonial buildings

3,200,000

Oaxaca

Cultural jewel of southern Mexico, capital of mezcal, mole, and indigenous Zapotec and Mixtec traditions

300,000

People

Famous people from Mexico

Frida Kahlo
Art
Iconic painter whose deeply personal self-portraits became symbols of Mexican identity and feminist art worldwide
Octavio Paz
Literature
Nobel Prize-winning poet and essayist whose The Labyrinth of Solitude is one of the defining texts of Mexican identity
Diego Rivera
Art
Master muralist whose massive public works depicted Mexican history and revolution, married to Frida Kahlo
Carlos Slim
Business
Telecommunications mogul who was the richest person in the world from 2010 to 2013
Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
Literature
17th-century nun, poet, and philosopher considered the first great feminist writer of the Americas

Food

Traditional cuisine of Mexico

Tacos: Mexico's most iconic food - soft corn tortillas filled with everything from al pastor to barbacoa, a universe unto themselves
Mole: Complex sauce of chili peppers, chocolate, spices, and nuts that can take days to prepare, with Oaxaca boasting seven regional varieties
Tamales: Corn masa stuffed with meats, cheese, or chili, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed, dating back to the Aztecs
Guacamole: Mashed avocado with lime, cilantro, onion, and chili - invented in Mexico and now consumed globally by the billions
Chiles en Nogada: Poblano pepper stuffed with picadillo and topped with walnut cream and pomegranate, representing the Mexican flag's colors

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Mexico

Copper CanyonCanyon: A series of canyons in the Sierra Madre larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon, traversed by the spectacular Chepe railway
Cenotes of the YucatanLake: Thousands of natural sinkholes filled with crystal-clear water, sacred to the Maya and now world-famous for swimming and diving
Monarch Butterfly ReserveForest: UNESCO site where hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies arrive each winter from Canada, turning entire forests orange
Sumidero CanyonCanyon: Dramatic thousand-meter-deep canyon in Chiapas carved by the Grijalva River, with walls towering above boat tours
Sea of CortezCoast: Jacques Cousteau called it 'the world's aquarium' - one of the most biologically diverse marine environments on Earth

Sport

Sports in Mexico

Football: Mexico has appeared in more FIFA World Cups than any non-European/South American nation, with 17 appearances and two host tournaments
Boxing: Mexico is one of the world's great boxing nations, producing legends like Julio Cesar Chavez, Canelo Alvarez, and numerous world champions
Baseball: Hugely popular especially in northern states, with the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol dating to 1925 and many MLB players of Mexican descent

Facts

Did you know?

Mexico City was built on the ruins of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, which was on an island in a lake that the Spanish drained
Mexico introduced chocolate, vanilla, corn, avocados, and chili peppers to the world
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is the oldest university in North America, founded in 1551
Mexico City is sinking at a rate of about 50 centimeters per year because it was built on a drained lakebed
Mexico has 35 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, more than any other country in the Americas
The Chicxulub crater in the Yucatan is where the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs struck 66 million years ago
Mexico has more than 200,000 different species of flora and fauna, making it one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth