People of Mexico

1
People of Mexico
Presented by Brenda Shumate
2
Native Americans

• First people were from Asia
• Maya flourished in Yucatan between A.D. 250 and
  900
• A.D. 1200 Aztecs built Tenochtitlan, now known as
  Mexico City

3
The Spanish Heritage

• 1520 Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec
• Spaniards controlled lives of Native Americans
• 90 percent of people are Roman Catholic

4
Modern Mexico

• Independence from Spain in 1821
• 1910 discontent of people exploded in a
  revolution
• Today Mexico is a federal republic
• A national government and 31 state governments
• Since 1920, Mexico has been ruled by one
  political
• party

5
City Life

• Three out of four Mexicans live in cities
• Tall modern buildings
• Preserved old homes

6
Country Life

• Villages are very poor.
• Homes line narrow streets.
• Marketplaces
• Small church
• Few shops
• Local government building

7
Brenda Shumate

• Summer 2001