MEXICO

EL PRESIDENTE DE MEXICO The current President is Felipe Calderón. The Constitutional Citizen President of the United Mexican States (the official title in Spanish is Ciudadano Presidente Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos) is the head of state of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the head of government and the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces.

FACTS ON MEXICO The three colors of Mexico’s flag hold deep significance for the country and its citizens: green represents hope and victory, white stands for the purity of Mexican ideals and red brings to mind the blood shed by the nation’s heroes. Mexico is the third-largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina. At the beginning of the 21st century, Mexico's population surpassed 100 million. Mexico has the largest population of Spanish speakers in the world. With almost 25 million residents, Mexico City is one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Mexico has the world’s second-highest number of Catholics after Brazil. At nearly 2,000 miles, the border between Mexico and the United States is the second- longest in the world, after the border between the United States and Canada. Mexico is located in an area known as the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” This region, one of Earth’s most dynamic tectonic areas, is characterized by active volcanoes and frequent seismic activity. Tequila, a liquor for which Mexico is famous, is made from the native blue agave plant. Named after the city where it originated, Tequila is primarily manufactured near Jalisco

FAMOUS PEOPLE OF MEXICO Pancho Villa Pancho Villa was born in 1876 in Durango. His real name was Doroteo Arango, but he adopted the name of his dearest friend Pancho Villa when he was murdered. He took his friend’s name and promised to make people remember that name forever. He entered the group of famous Mexican people when he was sixteen. Her sister was raped by an employee of the government, and Pancho Villa killed him. He was running from the federal troops for 22 years. He murdered several landowners, and thus he gained the respect and admiration of the workers. His name became so famous that he was blamed for every major crime that was committed. He was known as the friend of the poor, because of his robin hood-like actions in favor of the oppressed farmers. Emiliano Zapata Zapata was born in 1879 in Morelos. Defender of the rights of his people, his primary directive was “The land is for the one who works it”. He recruited an army formed by farmers, mostly indigenous from the state of Morelos, and he joined the Mexican Revolution in 1910, screaming “Tierra y libertad!” (land and freedom). When the revolution ended, Zapata found that there was still a lot of injustice against the farmer class, so he continued his guerrilla activities. He is considered one of the most famous Mexican people, and is still a hero among the farmers.

MEXICO Mexico’s population in 2008 was 106,350,434 Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US Slightly less than three times the size of Texas. total: 1,972,550 sq km-land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km

The ancient city of Palenque is both grand and mysterious. Some of the most fascinating ancient ruins of Mexican can be found here. PLACES IN MEXICO UXMAL, YUCATAN MEXICO T he late-Classic Maya site of Uxmal was built before the 10th century AD and is one of the most complex and harmonious expressions of Puuc architecture located on a cliff overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, Tulum is a Mayan settlement that flourished from around 1200 AD until the arrival of the Spanish