Mexico Today

1
MexicoToday
2
I. Mexicos Cities and Villages

• In the center of Mexicos cities, large plazasor
  public squaresare found.
• These buildings often have a Spanish style.

3
I. Mexicos Cities and Villages

• Around each citys plaza stand important
  buildings such as a church and a government
  center.
• Many Mexican homes are made of adobe, or
  sun-dried clay bricks.

4
II. Mexican Culture

• Corn was first grown in Mexico and continues to
  be an important part of the Mexican diet.
• Chocolate, tomatoes, and chilies were all Native
  American foods as well.
• Throughout the year, Mexicans enjoy several
  special celebrations called fiestas.

5
II. Mexican Culture

• Mariachi bands play traditional music.
• Many fiestas today feature the fast rhythms of
  Latino bands.

6
II. Mexican Culture

• Two national holidays are Independence Day
  (September 16) and Cinco de Mayo (May 5).
• This holiday honors the day in 1862 that Mexicans
  defeated an invading French army.

7
II. Mexican Culture

• November 2 is a religious holiday called the Day
  of the Dead.
• Families gather on this day and honor their loved
  ones who have passed on.

8
III. Mexicos Government

• Like the United States, Mexico is a federal
  republic.
• The power is divided between national and state
  governments.
• A president leads the national government.

9
III. Mexicos Government

• Unlike the United States, Mexicos national
  government has much more power than the states.
• The Party of the Institutional Revolution (PRI)
  has been the only political party in Mexico for
  many years.

10
III. Mexicos Government

• All presidents and most others elected to office
  belonged to this party.
• In recent years, Mexico has had economic
  troubles.
• The people are growing angry because they do not
  have much say in the government.

11
IV. Mexicos Challenges

• Mexicos population has increased rapidly in
  recent years, straining the countrys resources.
• Many people must accept low wages and crowd into
  cities.
• The Mexicans who cannot find work in Mexico cross
  borders when extra workers or migrant
  workersare needed to plant and harvest crops.

12
IV. Mexicos Challenges

• To help its economy grow, Mexico borrowed money
  from banks in other countries.
• The government had to use taxes to pay back the
  loans.
• Leaders had little money left to spend on the
  Mexican people.

13
IV. Mexicos Challenges

• Mexico still faces the problem of repaying the
  money it owes, or its national debt.
• The mountains that surround Mexico City trap the
  exhaust fumes from hundreds of thousands of cars
  and industrial factories.
• People wake each day to a thick haze of fog and
  chemicals called smog.