9781422278864

M E X I C O

Mexico: An Introduction

“ M exico” is a word that comes from the word Mexica (pronounced “Me-shee-ka”). The Mexica, or the Aztecs, were the indigenous group that settled in central Mexico centuries ago. The name gives a hint of Mexico’s diversity of people and landscape. Mexico is located inNorthAmerica and bordered by theUnited States, Belize, and Guatemala. It is about 760,000 square miles (2 million sq km), or three times the size of Texas. Even though Mexico and the U.S. share a very long, almost 2,000-mile (3,200-km) border, Mexico is often identified as being part of Central and South America.

Words to Understand conquistador  Spanish word for “conqueror,” given to Spanish soldiers who came to the New World indigenous  native to a place literacy rate  the percentage of people in a group who can read

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