1. Mexico
Latin America

2. Mexico Basics Primary Language: Spanish Religion: Roman Catholic
Population: million
Political Divisions: 31 states and a federal district
Major Resources:
Oil
Silver
Gold
Fishing
Largest City:
Mexico City (52 million live here)

3. History: Colonialism and Independence
History shaped by conflict between settlers and natives.
Spanish conquest of by Hernan Cortes led to demolition of Aztec society
Part of the Spanish empire for centuries
Spain valued Mexico for its gold and silver

4. History: Colony and Country
1821: Mexico achieved independence
Rich farmers controlled most of the land while peasants were forced to work the land
1850s: Benito Juarez led reform movement and became president
: Mexican Revolution prompted by unfair leadership and unfair land distribution
Half of Mexico’s land divided and given to peasants

5. Politics: One-Party Rule
1929: New political party arose in Mexico
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI): introduced democracy and helped to maintain political stability for the 20th century
New political parties developed in and won many seats against PRI
2000 the first non-PRI President was elected (Vicente Fox)
Current President is Enrique Nieto, a PRI member (57th President of Mexico)

6. Economics: Responding to Challenges
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement): important trade agreement that has created a huge zone of cooperation on trade and economic issues
Trade helps boost economy
Creates jobs for millions of people
Really low taxes and tariffs