1    Etymology
2    History
2.1    Ancient cultures
2.1.1    Post-classic period (700–1519 AD)
2.2    Spanish conquest (1519)
2.3    Colonial period (1519–1821)
2.3.1    Period of the conquest (1521–1650)
2.3.2    The colonial period (1650–1821)
2.3.3    Independence from Spain (1821)
2.4    Birth of Mexico (1821)
2.4.1    Territorial losses and Juárez reforms (1821-1876)
2.4.2    Porfiriato (1876–1910)
2.5    Mexican Revolution (1910–1929)
2.5.1    One-party rule (1929–2000)
2.5.2    End of one-party rule (2000–present)
3    Geography
3.1    Climate
3.2    Biodiversity
4    Government and politics
4.1    Government
4.2    Politics
4.3    Law enforcement
4.3.1    Crime
4.4    Foreign relations
4.5    Military
4.6    Administrative divisions
5    Economy
5.1    Communications
5.2    Energy
5.3    Science and technology
5.4    Tourism
5.5    Transportation
5.6    Water supply and sanitation
6    Demographics
6.1    Mestizo
6.2    Indigenous peoples
6.3    Mexicans of European descent
6.4    Population genetics
6.5    Languages
6.6    Urban areas
6.7    Religion
6.8    Women
7    Culture
7.1    Literature
7.2    Visual arts
7.3    Cinema
7.4    Media
7.5    Music
7.6    Cuisine
7.7    Sports
8    Health
9    Education
10    See also
11    References
12    Bibliography
13    External links

Contents

Formation

Mēxihco is the Nahuatl term for the heartland of the Aztec Empire, namely, the Valley of Mexico, and its people, the Mexica, and surrounding territories. This became the future State of Mexico as a division of New Spain prior to independence (compare Latium). It is generally considered to be a toponym for the valley which became the primary ethnonym for the Aztec Triple Alliance as a result, or vice versa. After New Spain won independence from Spain, representatives decided to name the new country after its capital, Mexico City. This was founded in 1524 on top of the ancient Mexica capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.
                                                                                                                 Read More >

The earliest human artifacts in Mexico are chips of stone tools found near campfire remains in the Valley of Mexico and radiocarbon-dated to circa 10,000 years ago. Mexico is the site of the domestication of maize and beans, which produced an agricultural surplus. This enabled the transition from paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers to sedentary agricultural villages beginning around 5000 BCE. In the subsequent formative eras, maize cultivation and cultural traits such as a mythological and religious complex, and a vigesimal numeric system, were diffused from the Mexican cultures to the rest of the Mesoamerican culture area.In this period, villages became more dense in terms of population, becoming socially stratified with an artisan class, and developing into chiefdoms. The most powerful rulers had religious and political power, organizing construction of large ceremonial centers developed.
                                                                                                                 Read More >

The earliest human artifacts in Mexico are chips of stone tools found near campfire remains in the Valley of Mexico and radiocarbon-dated to circa 10,000 years ago. Mexico is the site of the domestication of maize and beans, which produced an agricultural surplus. This enabled the transition from paleo-Indian hunter-gatherers to sedentary agricultural villages beginning around 5000 BCE. In the subsequent formative eras, maize cultivation and cultural traits such as a mythological and religious complex, and a vigesimal numeric system, were diffused from the Mexican cultures to the rest of the Mesoamerican culture area. 

                                                                                                                Read More >

During the early post-classic, Central Mexico was dominated by the Toltec culture, Oaxaca by the Mixtec, and the lowland Maya area had important centers at Chichén Itzáand Mayapán. Towards the end of the post-Classic period, the Mexica established dominance.[clarification needed]Alexander von Humboldt originated the modern usage of "Aztec" as a collective term applied to all the people linked by trade, custom, religion, and language to the Mexica state and Ēxcān Tlahtōlōyān, the Triple Alliance. In 1843, with the publication of the work of William H. Prescott, it was adopted by most of the world, including 19th-century Mexican scholars who considered it a way to distinguish present-day Mexicans from pre-conquest Mexicans. This usage has been the subject of debate since the late 20th century.

 
                                                                                                                Read More >