Mexico

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Northern Region: Known for its extreme weather conditions and characterized by its deserts, nature reserves and rugged mountain ranges. Some cities in the region are key industrial and business centers.

Central Region: The Mexican heartland. Here you’ll find plenty of natural surroundings, picturesque towns full of life and color, and beautiful colonial cities, some of which have been declared World Heritage sites.

Southern Region: Lined with the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, this region offers an abundance of marshes, mangrove swamps and forests, all of which are ideal for ecotourism outings and exciting outdoor adventures.

The Yucatan Peninsula: The gateway to the Mayan world. Here you can enjoy the white-sand beach resorts and the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, where you can scuba dive along the world’s second largest coral reef. You can also swim in fresh water pools in submerged caverns, known as cenotes.

The Pacific Coast: In this region, you’ll find cities and towns with rich cultural and culinary traditions, as well as some of the best beaches for water sports like surfing and fishing.

The Baja California Peninsula: Territory that has been inhabited from time immemorial, in this region you can play golf on world-class courses, discover the underwater treasures of the Sea of Cortez, and witness the amazing migration of the Gray Whale. My home country is truly diverse, as each one has countless tourist destinations and offering a wide array of activities.

Destinations that you might want to consider: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Barranca del Cobre/Ciudad Juarez, Campeche, Cancun/Cozumel, Chichen Itza (New UNESCO 7th Wonder of the World)/Yucatan, Culiacan, Mexico City (Capital)/Teotihuacan, Cuernavaca, Durango, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, Guaymas/San Carlos, Huatulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, La Paz, Leon, Loreto, Los Cabos, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Merida, Monterrey, Morelia, Puerto Escondido/Oaxaca, Pachuca, Palenque/Villahermosa, Puebla, Puerto Vallarta, Queretaro, Riviera Maya/Playa del Carmen, Riviera Nayarit, Torreon, San Blas, San Cristobal De Las Casas/Tuxtla Gutierrez, San Luis Potosi, San Miguel de Allende, Tampico, Taxco, Tijuana/Mexicali, Tlaxcala, Jalapa/Veracruz & Zacatecas.

Featured Partners

MexGrocer.com – Online grocery shopping store for Authentic Mexican food, including candy.

History & Timeline

Although it´s difficult to summarize Mexico´s history in a paragraph or even an article, a timeline would help the traveler better understand the culture and its people.

1502 Moctezuma II assumes the Aztec throne.
1517 Spanish expedition under Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba lands on the Yucatan coast.
1519 Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortes founds Veracruz. Cortes enters Tenochtitlan and captures MoctezumaII. 1520 Moctezuma II is killed.
1521 New Spain is formed.
1528 Juan de Zumarraga arrives as bishop of Mexico City and begins native conversion to Catholicism.
1718 Franciscan missionaries settle in Texas which is part of the New Spain. Mission San Antonio de Valero was established, later becoming the famous “Alamo”.
1803 Napoleon took Louisiana back Spain and sold it to the United States.
1810 Overthrow of the king of Spain by Napoleon. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla preaches his ´Grito de Dolores´, sparking rebellion and the War of Independence.
1811 Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is captured and executed.
1813 Priest Jose Maria Morelos assumes leadership of Independence movement.
1815 Morelos is captured and executed.
1821 Spain recognizes Mexican independence with the Treaty of Cordoba under the terms of the Plan de Iguala.
1822 General Agustín de Iturbide assumes control as Emperor of Mexico.
1823 General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna deposes Iturbide, the monarchy fails, and a new constitution creates a federal republic; Guadalupe Victoria becomes its first president.
1829 President Vicente Guerrero abolishes slavery.
1829 A Spanish attempt at re-conquest is halted by General Santa Anna; Texas declares its independence.
1836 At the Battle of San Jacinto, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna is captured by Sam Houston. 1846 A border dispute leads into the US-Mexican War.
1848 The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo reduces Mexico’s territory by half, ceding present-day Texas, Northern Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, and part of Colorado to the United States.
1853 Santa Anna agrees to the Gadsden Purchase, ceding New Mexico and Southern Arizona to the United States. 1857 A new Constitution is drafted and War of Reform.
1861 Liberal victory led by indigenous President Benito Juarez. 1863 The French occupy Mexico City and Napoleon III of France appoints Habsbug Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria as Emperor of Mexico. 1867 Maximilian surrenders, is tried and executed.
1876 A republican general Porfirio Diaz becomes President.
1910 Mexican Revolution: Diaz resigns and Francisco I. Madero becomes president. Victoriano Huerta overthrows Madero and becomes president. Francisco Villa, Emiliano Zapata and Venustiano Carranza lead a revolt that ends the civil war.
1917 Promulgation of current Constitution.
1920 Carranza is assassinated and Alvaro Obregon succeeds him. Plutarco Elias Calles becomes President.
1928 Obregon is reelected, but assassinated before he assumes power. Calles founds the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) that maintains power for 71 years.
1994 Mexico signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
2000 Vicente Fox from the Partido de Acción Nacional (PAN) wins the election for president.

Other Useful Information

Language: Spanish
Currency: Peso(MXN)
Long Distance Code: 52
Internet LTD: .mx
Religion(s): Roman Catholic
Main Sport: Soccer

For additional travel infomation, including Entry/Exit Requirements, please visit: http://www.sre.gob.mx/english/

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