10 interesting facts about Mexico

Mexico is one of the most visited countries by tourists.. It is a country with a very rich history and impressive sights. That alone is worth the Caribbean Sea. Also, do not forget that Mexico is the birthplace of the Mayans and the Aztecs. The state is located in the south of North America. Its area is 2000 m² with a population of about 110 million people.

The political structure is a federal republic, which includes 31 states headed by a president. The country is fraught with a lot of unsolved secrets. We have collected 10 of the most interesting facts about Mexico that you can find out right now.

10 More than 60 state languages

Yes, everyone knows that the official language of Mexico is Spanish. But no matter how surprising it is, more than 60 languages ​​are spoken in this country, and all of them are considered state languages. Nahuatl is the most widely spoken language besides Spanish. It is used by over a million people. In addition, the ancient language of the Mayan tribe is used by over 700 thousand people, and about 500 thousand use Mixtec. It turns out that about seven million Mexicans use another language. Some languages ​​are used by a very small number of citizens.

9. It used to be the 5th largest country on Earth

Mexico today has a fairly large area, but it used to be much larger. Everyone knows the states of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California and Texas were once part of Mexico. But that’s not all. Nicaragua, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica and El Salvador were also part of Mexico. Owning these states today, Mexico would be the largest of the European Union and would be in fifth place in terms of territory. But, unfortunately, by the end of 1820, these territories were lost. After 25 years, the territorial situation was worsened by the Mexican-American War.

8. The shortest presidential term in history

Once Mexico is mine shortest presidential term made famous by Pedro José Domingo. This man was president for only about an hour. The Mexican Revolution was the cause of this event. General Victoriano Huerta overthrows Madero. The Mexican Constitution refers to the transfer of power from the deposed ruler to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Domingo was just that same minister. Huerta insisted that Domingo be appointed to the presidency. Further, Pedro José Domingo appointed General Huerta Minister of Foreign Affairs and immediately resigned. So he was in office for only about an hour.

7. Some states have a third gender

In Mexico, LGBT people are treated very ambiguous. Some states are trashing gay bars, while others are legalizing same-sex relationships. But besides all this, there is also third gender. It includes men who have chosen the life of a woman. It is surprising for Mexico that such people are perceived normally here. They have the same rights as men and women. In addition, there are annual events especially for them. As it turned out, such people existed in Mexico long before the appearance of the abbreviation LGBT.

6. The smallest volcano on earth

In addition to the shortest presidential term in history, Mexico boasts the smallest volcano. The volcano is called Cuexomate. It started its formation in 1664, having separated from the large volcano Popokatepetsl. Cuexomate began to grow rapidly on its own. True, the growth of the volcano also ended rapidly, reaching only thirteen meters in height. Cuexomate is extremely small and has not been active for a long time, so it can be easily found in the courtyards of residential buildings that are built near this volcano.

5. The oldest university in all of North America is located here.

Most people think that Harvard is oldest North American university. But it’s not. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (NAUM) is considered the oldest educational institution in North America. The year of foundation of this institution is 1553. Its opening took place during the Holy Roman Empire.

Then it was called the Royal and Pontifical University of New Spain. Just think, at the time of the opening of this educational institution, many famous personalities had not even been born yet.

4. Went to war with France over cakes

At all times, peoples and countries waged war with each other for various reasons. But in the history of the world there has never been a war over some cakes. It all started with the destruction of a bakery in the capital of the country, which belonged to a Frenchman. The baker demanded damages, but was only answered with ridicule. Then he demanded an audience with the King of France – Louis Philippe. The king even agreed to help the Frenchman. Mexico filed a claim for damages in the amount of six hundred thousand pesos.

Thus, Mexico refused the demand and found itself under bombardment and shelling. The war lasted 4 monthswhile taking hundreds of human lives. Over two hundred people were injured.

3. Mass exodus of Mexicans from the US, immigration is no longer a problem

Mexican immigration to the US has always been a hot topic. After all, before 2000, over two million Mexicans moved to the United States. But over time, the situation turned around. Nowadays, Immigrants are increasingly returning home from the US of their own accord.. This indicates a total drop in the influx of Mexicans into the United States. There are many reasons: the development of the Mexican economy, the economic crisis in the United States, the strengthening of border controls, and much more.

2. The capital is sinking

No matter how scary it may sound, but, unfortunately, it is true. Every year the capital loses 3 meters in height, despite the fact that Mexico City is on the eighth line in the ranking of the highest capitals. The reason for this is water. Residents of Mexico City use the water of neighboring settlements, thereby depleting the common water basin and affecting the soil. Every year the population of the capital is growing, therefore, in the near future it will continue to sink even faster.

1. The most deceived emperor in history

Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph has the honor of being the second and last emperor of Mexico. A member of the European Habsburg royal line (who ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire), Maximilian received a letter in 1863 that the people of Mexico had voted to make him their emperor. Maximilian fled to Mexico and declared himself emperor.

When Maximilian proclaimed himself Emperor of Mexico, he sparked a civil war that lasted three years. Apparently, Maximilian did not understand this, and thought that he was loved and that he had finally found his true calling. The peasants executed him on the hillside near Querétaro in 1867. The reign of the last emperor of Mexico ended.