11/04/2024
21 Facts about Mexico you didn't know!
1. Cuexcomate in Puebla state holds the title of the world's smallest volcano, standing at a mere 43 feet (13 meters) tall.
2. Mexico is the world's leading producer of avocados.
3. Mexico City is the second-largest city in the Western Hemisphere, after São Paulo, Brazil.
4. The Mexican Great Pyramid of Cholula is the world's largest pyramid by volume, even exceeding the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt!
5. Mexico boasts the world's greatest diversity of cacti, with over 1,500 species found throughout the country's varied landscapes.
6. Mexico is the only country north of the Rio Grande where jaguars, the largest cat species in the Americas, can be found in the wild.
7. Mexico holds the crown for the most reptile species in the world, with over 700 slithering and scaly residents!
8. The Mexican flag's three colors – green, white, and red – symbolize hope, unity, and the blood of national heroes, respectively.
9. Mexico is the birthplace of chocolate, with the word "chocolate" itself derived from the Nahuatl word "xocolatl."
10. Papantla, Veracruz, is considered the birthplace of vanilla cultivation. The Totonac people cultivated the precious vanilla bean for centuries before the Spanish arrived.
11. Mexico holds the crown for the world's largest Spanish-speaking population, with over 121 million native speakers.
12. Mexican cuisine was inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage due to its rich history, diversity, and unique flavors.
13. Located at over 2,200 meters above sea level, Mexico City holds the title of the highest capital city in North America.
14. Mexico is the world's largest beer exporter, with over 2.8 billion liters shipped worldwide annually.
15. The Chihuahua, the world's smallest dog breed, comes from Mexico and was named after the state of Chihuahua.
16. Mexico is the world's largest silver producer.
17. Mexico City was built on top of a drained lake called Lake Texcoco.
18. Mole, a complex and rich Mexican sauce, can have over 100 ingredients and take days to prepare!
19. Mexico City has the second most musuems of any city in the world.
20. The meteorite that wiped-out dinosaurs 65 million years ago struck Mexico in the Yucatán peninsula.
21. Mexico is home to the oldest university in North America. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) was founded in 1551.