Mexico Today

Section 3

Pages 193-198

Population Density

• 3rd largest country in Latin America

• 70% live in cities

Cities & Villages

• Central Plazas– public squares in

Mexico’s cities and villages.

– Churches and government buildings

– Rural & Urban

Urban vs Rural

Muralists

• Jose Clemente Orozco

• Diego Rivera• Frida Kahlo

Diego Rivera

Writers

• Carlos Fuentes• Octavio Paz

– 1990 Nobel Prize for Literature

Food

• Corn! • Tomatoes• Chocolate• Chilies• Tacos • Enchiladas

– Beef, chicken, cheese, olive oil

Fiestas

• Parades, Fireworks and Dancing

• Mariachi Bands• Independence Day• Dias de la Muertos• Cinco de Mayo

Mexico’s Economy

• 12th largest economy in the world

• Agriculture– Corn, rice, beans, wheat– Exports coffee, cotton,

vegetables, fruit, livestock and tobacco

• Industry– Cars, consumer goods,

and steel• Natural Resources

– Petroleum and natural gas• Service Industries

– Banking and Tourism

Free Trade

• In the mid-1990’s, Mexico, Canada, and the US signed NAFTA

• 1999, Mexico signed a free trade agreement with European countries.

Mexico’s Challenges

• Population– People moved to the cities

looking for work.– End up living in slums and

working for low pay.

• Migrant Workers– Immigration – Move from place to place

seeking work. Work for low pay.

Drug Cartels

Foreign Debt

• Economic Growth was slow for many years.– Factories weren’t built for fear of loss of

revenue to foreign countries.

• Mexico borrowed money from foreign banks.

• Have to make payments on the debt, not invest in their country.

Pollution

• Smog in Mexico City– Mountains trap the

pollution in the city.

• Rio Grande one of the most polluted rivers in North America