Mexico it is without a doubt, one of the most fascinating countries in the world . With a historically difficult wealth, a gastronomy that has circled the planet and that has enchanted millions of people, breathtaking landscapes and traditions that amaze those lucky enough to observe them closely, has become an internationally known country that many dream of visiting. That is why we have always been interested in curiosities of Mexico , because we know that this territory and its culture will never stop providing us with new information that expands our horizons.
Since Supercurious we have approached the Gulf of Mexico and its depths , to the call Silence zone who is in this country, we have met some of his fables and one of his most famous artists, Frida Kahlo . Today we want to know even better the most surprising side of this country: Do not miss the following curiosities of Mexico ! Get to know even better this beautiful region of America!
50 Curiosities of Mexico that will amaze you
1. The capital of Mexico is Mexico City , is located in the place where once were Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire (whose central pyramid was right where the Zocalo of Mexico is) and the great lakes of central Mexico, parts of which were filled with land first by the Aztecs and then by Mexicans, to erect what is now the historic center of Mexico. DF
2. The César salad does not originate in Ancient Rome, as many would believe, but in Tijuana, Mexico . The recipe arose, in 1942, from the restaurant of César Cardini in the aforementioned Mexican city. Curious, right?
3. Among the curiosities of Mexico it stands out that it has the smallest volcano in the world: the Cuexcomate , although it really is an inactive geyser. It is located specifically in Puebla, Zaragoza and in the following image you can see both its smallness and the fact that it is an inoffensive element.
4. Although Mexico is known throughout the world as such, its official name is "United States of Mexico" which was changed in this way when considering the United States of America as the paradigm or example of the liberal, avant-garde and democratic nation of the new world.
5. Mexico is the 11th most populated country in the world, with almost 125,000,000 inhabitants . Nothing else the capital, Mexico City (or Mexico City by its official name) houses 30,000,000 inhabitants, considered one of the 5 largest cities in the world Some people even spend their entire lives in this city without reaching to know all their developments!
6. If you are an artist, in Mexico you can pay your income taxes with works of art . This is not something new, but an option that the people who paint and live on their art, Mexicans, have had since 1957. The Mexican State even has a "Collection of payments in kind" that you can visit in the Museum of the main office of taxes in Mexico City.
7 In the Disney Pixar movie "Coco" surely you noticed something like some very colorful animal spirits. Is about the alebrijes, a traditional craft that seeks the creation of imaginary beings in cardboard with bright colors and composed of parts of the body of different animals , fantastic and real.
8 Mexico stands out for its customs, which are curious in the rest of the world, but perhaps the ritual performed by General Lopez de Santa Anna (8th President of the United Mexican States) surpasses them all in rarity: he held a military funeral for his amputated leg . Can you imagine it?
9 Cocoa was so valued in Aztec Mexico that its grain, the fermented seed, was used as currency .
10 The first people to grow corn were Mexicans and that's 10,000 years ago. Remember that fruits of the earth so valued worldwide as corn, cocoa, potato and tomato are native to America , and were not known by the rest of the world until its discovery in the 15th century.
11. The current Mexican population is the product of a deep miscegenation as much between indigenous and aboriginal cultures as Toltec, Olmec, Zapotec, Mayan and Aztec as between these and the Spanish.
12. In Oaxaca, specifically in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, there is a third genus called "muxe" according to the Zapotec tradition . A muxe is a person who was born with male genitalia but who adopts roles traditionally associated with the feminine, whether in a sexual, social or personal aspect.
13. This third genre, the muxe, is celebrated at the party of "The Candle of the Intrepid Authentic Seekers of Danger." The muxes are the center of this festivity, which celebrates sexual diversity and equality. It seems that Oaxaca is a bit more advanced in terms of accepting personal sexual identity than many other places in the world, including the rest of Mexico.
14. Another curiosity about Mexico is that there is only one gun shop . Despite this, Mexico has one of the highest numbers of deaths from armed violence in the world and the city with the highest number of deaths from firearms in the entire planet. The explanation is that most of those used in the country are smuggled in from the United States and Central America.
fifteen. Controversial or not, the tradition of Spanish bullfighting extended during the colonization to America, causing that, to this day, The largest bullring in the world is located in Mexico.
16 Although there are several versions, most agree that the name of the Yucatan Peninsula originated in a linguistic confusion between the natives and the Spaniards . One of these versions says that Yucatan was what an Indian replied to the Spaniard who asked him for the name of the region where they were and he wanted to say: "I do not understand you".
17 One of the most outstanding curiosities of Mexico is that It is one of the largest countries territorially: it is the 14th largest country , in terms of area, of the world.
18 Have you ever heard or read something about a doctrine of American expansion called â € œManifest Destinyâ € ????? We invite you to Google it, after which you will understand why less than a century and a half ago, 10 of the 52 states of the United States were once Mexican, and how was Mexico reduced to less than half of its territory? as a Spanish viceroyalty.
19. The Autonomous University of Mexico was the first institution of higher studies to dictate chairs in all of America , founded in 1551, offering then training programs in medicine, law, arts and theology.
20. Nowadays soccer is one of the most followed sports in Mexico, and that is that ball sports are not something strange in Mexican culture , because in it they have a very old origin. The T lachtli It was the ball game played by the pre-Columbian peoples and had a ritual nuance. It is known that it was played at least from 1400 a. C. Apparently, sometimes it was used as a tool to solve economic conflicts, insults ... I could even avoid a war!
21. Mexico City is built on Lake Texcoco . For that reason, the city sinks a few centimeters every year. The effects of this phenomenon have become visible especially in large buildings, which have seen their solidity endangered. It is expected that climate change will worsen the situation.
22. The Xoloitzcuintli is the national dog of Mexico and it had a great spiritual and ceremonial importance in the Aztec culture.
23. A team of Mexican scientists converted tequila into diamonds, passing it to gaseous state and heating it up to 800ºC . You will probably wonder how this is possible if tequila is a product of carbon under pressure for a year, easy: tequila has a small part of coal and other elements that facilitate pressure. But please do not try to replicate this experiment at home.
24. Among the curiosities of Mexico also highlights the existence of the sport called Pelota purépecha. This is, in short, akin to hockey but it is played with a ball that is sometimes set on fire. Would you play it?
25. Mexico ranks first in hours actually worked per worker per year, accumulating 2250 annual hours.
26. Another curiosity of Mexico is that many different languages are spoken between Spanish and indigenous languages The account today reaches about 68!
27. Mexico and s the country with the most Spanish speakers in the world, with a population of approximately 130 million inhabitants.
28 It is also the third largest country in Latin America (territorially speaking), with 1,973 million square kilometers; just behind Brazil (with 8,516 million square kilometers) and Argentina (2,780 million square kilometers).
29 It is not known with certainty where the name of Mexico comes from . The most widespread hypothesis and that most people accept proposes that its origin is in different words of the Hahuatl language: Metztli (moon), Xictli (navel) and co (place). United and translated, would result in the following reading: "in the navel of the moon" .
30 Mexico City is nicknamed the "City of Palaces" and its motto is "Very noble and distinguished, very loyal and imperial" slogan inherited from the Spanish tradition, since this kind of slogans used to be granted by the king to the outstanding and faithful cities.
31 Another curiosity about Mexico that is not so pleasant is that he has a strong problem with crime , both in missing persons (for political interests, as the 43 of Ayotzinapa) as in trafficking of women and drug trafficking as in homicides . Guerrero was the place on the planet with the highest percentage of deaths by firearms , mostly related to drug trafficking and taking especially the young population (here is the famous Acapulco, visited by tourists from around the world). He was recently displaced by the city of Los Cabos (also in Mexico) .
32 From 2011 until now, this violence, which affects especially those living in poverty or around the borders of Mexico with the US and Central America, has displaced 8 million people, surpassing the displacement of refugees of Colombian origin, 7.2 million people . These are the highest displacement figures in the world due to national conflicts.
Although violence greatly affects the life of the Mexican population, it is also necessary to bear in mind that much of this violence is imported, which is why we refer to many people fleeing gangs in Central America or that many Mexican cartels obtain a large amount of violence. of financial and political support from criminal groups in the US, Europe and even Asia.
33 But not everything is bad, Mexico has a lot to offer and is a very interesting country to visit Did you know that the city has the most museums around the world? A) Yes! Mexico City has more than 147 museums and the best thing is that in many of these you can enter for free or get discounts by presenting a student card.
3. 4. Contraceptive methods are a fundamental part of our day to day to have a healthy, responsible and family planning sexuality suited to our needs and aspirations in life. Did you know it was a Mexican who invented the contraceptive pill ? It was Luis Ernesto Miramontes, only 25 years old, in 1951.
35. Mexico is not only the largest producer of corn, exporting more than 50 different varieties of this fruit, but this is listed as the best corn in the world , normal given the importance of corn in Mexican culture.
36. Another curiosity about Mexico is that it was here that the first North American books were printed , in 1539, when the first printing press that had arrived at the Viceroyalty of New Spain was opened.
37. Mexico is in the "Pacific Ring of Fire" , an area with intense tectonic activity, famous for its seismic and volcanic activity. In fact, most of the known supervolcanoes are located in this belt, many of which are in South America.
38 As you probably already know, The Mexican flag is composed of three vertical stripes: one green, one white and one red, plus a central shield. We tell you their meanings: green symbolizes independence, white the union of all their cultures and the red blood of those who fought for both, considering them national heroes and heroines.
39. The shield of the Mexican flag has its origin in the Aztec legend that led this society to settle and form its empire from the central point of Mexico City, according to which they would know that they would have found the place indicated by the gods when they found an eagle devouring a snake on a cactus.
40 The Mexican gastronomic culture that we know as a product of globalization, with its beans, corn tortillas, tacos, etc. It's delicious, but Mexican gastronomy is much more, including exotic elements that you might not eat as insects (among which the roasted grasshoppers stand out) and worms, which are normally sold in squares and premises. Ready to try them?
41 In the Aztec Empire they knew maize so well and how to prepare it that they have found remains of popcorn dating from 3600 a.C. Millenary popcorn
42 Another curiosity of Mexico is that It is one of the few countries that have their tickets with special marks so that those with vision problems or who lack it can detect its economic value Point for inclusion!
43 Although the Aztecs conquered almost all the other indigenous cultures of the region, reigning until the arrival of the Spaniards, it was the Olmec culture that first populated the current territory of Mexico , around 1,200 a.C. leaving us as a testimony the Olmec heads.
44. Mexico shares with the US the second largest border in the world , with 3169 kilometers, while the first one is the US with Canada, of 5,061 kilometers.
Four. Five. The Christmas holidays, as well as in much of the Christian world and, especially, the Catholic, are very important in Mexico. However, the good night here is not as celebrated as the day of kings, for which the family meets to share the traditional thread of kings and give gifts to children .
46. Mexico is one of the countries classified as "mega-diverse" which is characteristic of the American countries and means that it houses a large number and variety of life forms, even unknown. It is estimated that more than 200,000 species of plants and animals coexist in Mexico.
47 Do you remember that above we talked about how rich and exotic is Mexican gastronomy? Well it is a Intangible heritage of humanity declared by UNESCO in 2010 .
48 If you visit Mexico, you can not miss the Riviera Maya, where besides its beautiful beaches and abundant cenotes, you can also find the second largest coral reef in the world (2,500 km), surpassed only by the great barrier reef of Australia (2,600 Km)
49 Another curiosity of Mexico is that houses one of the so-called "New Seven Wonders of the World" the Kukulcan Temple , at the top of the Chichén Itzá pyramid, declared this way in 2017.
fifty. Egypt is not only surpassed as far as pyramids are concerned by Sudan, which has a greater number of them. It is also surpassed by Mexico in this matter, since it is in this country where the largest pyramid in the world . It's about the Great Pyramid of Cholula and it is also the largest built monument still standing in history .
In addition to the Curiosities of Mexico, do not miss ...
If you have been interested in knowing our curiosities of Mexico, we are sure that you will love knowing the curiosities of America , while you discover the most surprising aspects of the rest of the countries located in this young and beautiful continent. What do you know about them? Some data will leave you with your mouth open! Promised!
- Curiosities of Venezuela
- Curious Facts of Argentina
- Curiosities of Ecuador
- Curiosities of Puerto Rico
- Curious facts of Brazil
- Curiosities of Canada
- Curious Facts of the United States
- Curious Facts of Colombia
What do you think about these curiosities in Mexico? Did you know that this country was in the Belt of Fire of the Pacific? Or will you find only a gun shop in it? Did you know the third genre, called â ???? muxeâ ????? As you have seen, it is a nation that has a lot to surprise and fascinate us with. If you know more information about her that you want to share, do not hesitate to leave us a comment! We will love reading you.