9781422286937

Guanajuato City, located in the state of Guanajuato, stretches toward the horizon. Located near the major mining area of Mexico, this area produced much of the world’s silver until around 1970.

West of Querétaro lies Hidalgo, another landlocked state. San Luis Potosí lies to the north of Hidalgo; Veracruz to

the east; Morelos, Puebla, and Tlaxcala to the south and southeast; and the states of México and Querétaro to the west. This state is shadowed by tall volcanic mountains, but farms flourish in the valleys, and rich mines lie beneath the mountains. The tiny, landlocked state of Tlaxcala is surrounded on three sides by Puebla. Hidalgo lies along Tlaxcala’s southwestern border. Although this is Mexico’s smallest state, many residents of Mexico City flock here to escape the city’s congestion and smog. The mountainous land is dotted with ancient ruins. If travelers leave Tlaxcala going any direction except northwest, they find themselves in the state of Puebla. Veracruz runs along Puebla’s eastern border, Oaxaca lies to the south, Guerrero and Morelos are to the west, and Hidalgo lies to the northwest. This state is home to Mexico’s second- and third-highest mountains, the snow-capped volcanoes of Popocatépetl and Ixtaccíhuatl. In Nahuatl, the ancient Aztec language, Popocatépetl means “Smoking Mountain,” and Ixtaccíhuatl means “Sleeping Woman.” According to native legends, “Popo”