Mexico Today Section 3 Pages

Population Density 3 rd largest country in Latin America 70% live in cities

Cities & Villages Central Plazas –public squares in Mexico’s cities and villages. –Churches and government buildings –Rural & Urban

Urban vs Rural

Muralists Jose Clemente Orozco Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo

Diego Rivera

Writers Carlos Fuentes Octavio Paz –1990 Nobel Prize for Literature

Food Corn! Tomatoes Chocolate Chilies Tacos Enchiladas –Beef, chicken, cheese, olive oil

Fiestas Parades, Fireworks and Dancing Mariachi Bands Independence Day Dias de la Muertos Cinco de Mayo

Mexico’s Economy 12 th largest economy in the world Agriculture –Corn, rice, beans, wheat –Exports coffee, cotton, vegetables, fruit, livestock and tobacco Industry –Cars, consumer goods, and steel Natural Resources –Petroleum and natural gas Service Industries –Banking and Tourism

Free Trade In the mid-1990’s, Mexico, Canada, and the US signed NAFTA 1999, Mexico signed a free trade agreement with European countries.

Mexico’s Challenges Population –People moved to the cities looking for work. –End up living in slums and working for low pay. Migrant Workers –Immigration –Move from place to place seeking work. Work for low pay. Drug Cartels

Foreign Debt Economic Growth was slow for many years. –Factories weren’t built for fear of loss of revenue to foreign countries. Mexico borrowed money from foreign banks. Have to make payments on the debt, not invest in their country.

Pollution Smog in Mexico City –Mountains trap the pollution in the city. Rio Grande one of the most polluted rivers in North America