SECTION

3 Mexico Today
If YOU lived there...
TEKS 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C,
3D, 4B, 4C, 4F, 12B, 15A, 15B, 18B,
21B, 21C, 22D
For many years, your family has lived in a small village in southern
What You Will Learn… Mexico. Jobs are scarce there. Your older brother and sisters talk
about moving to a larger city. Big cities may provide some more op-
Main Ideas
portunities, but they can be crowded and noisy. Many people from
1. Government has tradition-
ally played a large role in your village have already gone to the city.
Mexico’s economy.
2. Mexico has four distinct How do you feel about moving to the city?
culture regions.

The Big Idea

Mexico has four culture Building Background After Mexico gained independence,
regions that all play a part in many government leaders did not rule democratically. For years the
the country’s government and
Mexican people had little say in their government. But changes in
economy.
the 1990s and 2000s led toward more democracy and prosperity.

Key Terms and Places

inflation, p. 202
slash-and-burn agriculture, p. 203 Government and Economy
cash crop, p. 203 Today people in Mexico can vote in certain elections for the
Mexico City, p. 204 first time. People can find jobs in cities and buy their families a
smog, p. 204
home. More children are able to attend school. In recent years,
maquiladoras, p. 205
changes in Mexico’s government and economy have made
improvements like these possible.

Government
Use the graphic organizer online
Mexico has a democratic government. However, Mexico is
to take notes on Mexico’s govern-
ment and economy. not like the United States where different political parties have
always competed for power. In Mexico the same political ­party,
the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), controlled the gov-
ernment for 71 years. But this control ended in 2000 when
Mexicans elected Vicente Fox their president. Fox represented
a different political party. However, in 2012 the PRI assumed
the office of president again when Mexicans elected Enrique
Peña Nieto. As president, Peña Nieto hopes to improve Mexico’s
economy and reduce drug-related violence.

Economy
Mexico is a developing country. It has struggled with debts to
foreign banks, unemployment, and inflation. Inflation is a rise
in prices that occurs when currency loses its buying power.

202 Chapter 8
Although living standards in Mexico Industry Oil is also an important export
are lower than in many other countries, for Mexico. Many Mexicans work in
Mexico’s economy is growing. The North the oil, mining, and manufacturing
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), industries. These industries are growing.
which took effect in 1994, has made trade The fastest-growing industrial centers VIDEO
among Mexico, the United States, and in Mexico lie along the U.S. border. Because Mexico in the
Canada easier. Mexico’s agricultural and Modern Era
wages are relatively low in Mexico, many
industrial exports have increased since U.S. and foreign companies have built
NAFTA went into effect. factories in Mexico. Mexican workers in
Agriculture Agriculture has long been a these factories assemble goods for export
key part of the Mexican economy. This to the United States and other countries.
is true even though just 13 percent of the Some Mexican workers also come to the
land is good for farming. Many farmers in United States to look for jobs that pay
southern Mexico practice slash-and-burn more than they can make at home.
agriculture, which is the practice of Tourism Tourism is another important
­burning forest in order to clear land for part of Mexico’s economy. Many tourists
planting. visit old colonial cities and Maya and Aztec
The high market demand for food in monuments. Coastal cities and resorts such
the United States has encouraged many as Cancún and Acapulco are also popular
farmers in Mexico to grow cash crops. with tourists.
A cash crop is a crop that farmers grow
mainly to sell for a profit. Trucks bring cash R eading C heck Summarizing How has
crops like fruits and vegetables from NAFTA affected Mexico’s economy?
Mexico to the United States.

Many people in Mexico are subsistence farmers. They do

not own much land and grow only enough food to feed
their families. To gain more land, farmers in southern
­M exico burn patches of forest. The fires clear the trees
and kill weeds, and ash from the fires fertilizes the soil.
­H owever, growing the same crops year after year drains
Smoke valuable nutrients from the soil. The farmers then have to
burn new forest land.
In the satellite image here, agricultural fires appear
as red dots. As you can see, the fires create a lot of smoke.
Wind then blows the smoke great distances. Every few
Fire years, when the conditions are right, smoke from agricul-
tural fires in Mexico reaches as far as the southern United
States. The smoke can cause health problems for some
people.

Analyzing What direction was the wind blowing in this image?

Mexico 203
Mexico’s Culture Regions

HRW-MS Geography Maps

Northern Mexico Northern Mexico’s land is gener-
mg7fvs_mexmap013ba
ally too dryLocator
Mexico Cultural Regions to be much good for farming, but ranch-
final pass – 7/5/05part of the region’s economy.
ing is an important

ANALYSIS
skill Analyzing Information
How do you think life in greater Mexico
City differs from life in northern Mexico?

Central Mexico The architecture and cobblestone

streets of many towns in central Mexico reflect the
region’s Spanish colonial heritage.

HRW-MS Geography Maps While this region does provide job and
mg7fvs_mexmap013aa Mexico’s Culture Regions educational opportunities not so easily
Mexico’s Cultural Regions
Although all Mexicans share some cultural
Final pass--7/5/05 found in the rest of the country, its huge
characteristics, we can divide Mexico into population causes problems. For example,
four regions based on regional differences. Mexico City is very polluted. Factories and
These four culture regions differ from cars release exhaust and other pollutants
each other in their population, resources, into the air. The surrounding moun-
climate, and other features. tains trap the resulting smog —a mixture
of smoke, chemicals, and fog. Smog can
Greater Mexico City cause health problems like eye irritation
Greater Mexico City includes the capi- and breathing difficulties.
tal and about 50 smaller cities near it. Another problem that comes from
With a population of about 20 million, crowding is poverty. Wealth and poverty
Mexico City is one of the world’s largest exist side by side in Mexico City. The city
and most densely populated urban areas. has large urban slums. The slums often
Thousands of people move there every exist right next to modern office buildings,
year looking for work. apartments, museums, or universities.

204 Chapter 8
Greater Mexico City Traffic clogs Mexico City’s
busy streets. Taxis, buses, and private cars zoom past
modern office buildings and old colonial govern-
ment buildings.

E
W

Southern Mexico While poverty is a problem in

much of southern Mexico, some people make money
selling traditional handicrafts to tourists.

Central Mexico While central Mexico has always been

North of greater Mexico City lies Mexico’s a mining center, in recent years the region
central region. Many cities in this region has also attracted new industries from
were established as mining or ranching overcrowded Mexico City. As a result, some
centers during the colonial period. Mex- cities in the region, such as Guadalajara,
ico’s colonial heritage can still be seen are growing rapidly.
today in these cities and towns. For exam-
ple, small towns often have a colonial- Northern Mexico
style church near a main central square. Northern Mexico has become one of the
The central square, or plaza, has served for country’s richest and most modern areas.
hundreds of years as a community meet- Trade with the United States has helped
ing spot and market area. the region’s economy grow. Monterrey
In addition to small colonial towns, and Tijuana are now major cities there.
central Mexico has many fertile valleys and Many U.S.- and foreign-owned factories
small family farms. Farmers in this region called maquiladoras (mah-kee-lah-dorh-
grow vegetables, corn, and wheat for sale, ahs) have been built along Mexico’s long
mostly to cities in Mexico. border with the United States.

Mexico 205
A CADEMIC Northern Mexico’s closeness to the Another place in southern Mexico that
V OCABULARY border has affected the region’s culture as has grown in recent years is the Yucatán
affect to change
well as its economy. American television, Peninsula. Maya ruins, beautiful sunny
or influence
music, and other forms of entertainment beaches, and clear blue water have made
are popular there. Many Mexicans cross tourism a major industry in this area.
the border to shop, work, or live in the Many cities that were just tiny fishing
United States. While many people cross villages only 20 years ago are now
the border legally, the U.S. government booming with new construction for the
tries to prevent Mexicans and others from tourist industry.
crossing the border illegally. Mexico will continue to change in the
future. Changes are likely to bring more
Southern Mexico development. However, maintaining the
Southern Mexico is the least populated country’s unique regional cultures may be
and industrialized region of the country. a challenge as those changes take place.
Many people in this region speak Indian
languages and practice traditional ways of R eading C heck Comparing and Contrasting
life. Subsistence farming and slash-and- What similarities and differences exist between
burn agriculture are common. greater Mexico City and southern Mexico?
F OCUS ON However, southern Mexico is vital to
R EADING the country’s economy. Sugarcane and
What do you think
makes southern
coffee, two major export crops, grow well   
SUmmary and PReview Mexico has a
Mexico vital to in the region’s warm, humid climate. democratic government and a growing
the country’s Also, oil production along the Gulf coast economy. It also has distinct regions
economy?
has increased in recent years. The oil with different cultures, economies, and
business has brought more industry and environments. In the next chapter you
population growth to this coastal area of will learn about the countries to the
southern Mexico. south of Mexico.

Section 3 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places Critical Thinking

1. a. Define What is the term for the practice of burn- 3. Finding Main Ideas Review your notes on Mexico’s
ing forest in order to clear land for planting? economy. Then use a chart like this one to identify
b. Compare and Contrast How is Mexico’s govern- the geographic factors responsible for the location
ment similar to and different from the government of economic activities in each region of Mexico.
of the United States?
Greater Central Northern Southern
2. a. Identify What is an environmental problem Mexico City Mexico Mexico Mexico
found in Mexico City?
b. Make Inferences What conditions in Mexico
lead some Mexicans to cross the border into the
United States? Focus on Writing
c. Develop If you were to start a business in
Mexico, what type of business would you start and 4. Describing Mexico Today Write some details
where would you start it? Explain your decisions. about the four culture regions of Mexico. Which
details will you include in your poem?

206 Chapter 8