50+ Fun Facts Everyone Should Know About Mexico

Viva Mexico! Mexico is a wondrous country filled with colors, delicious food, and fascinating history. Many people just think that Mexico is a place to lay on the beach and drink beer, but the reality is that Mexico is so much more than that. Many of the foods that millions of people eat would not exist if it weren’t for Mexico and the Mexican civilizations that lived there. 

There are so many interesting facts about Mexico worth knowing and some that are even shocking or make you go, “Wow!” Let’s take a look at 50+ fun facts everyone should know about Mexico.

History

1. Mexico is home to the world’s largest pyramid, which is located in Cholula, an area in the city of Puebla.

2. The meteor that hit Earth 65 million years ago killed all the dinosaurs, and that meteor struck the Yucatan Peninsula. 

3. Historians have determined that Mexico was inhabited more than 22,000 years ago when they found evidence of human life in the Tlapacoya archeological site.

4. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes officially defeated the Aztec Empire on August 13, 1521, which began 300 years of Spanish rule.

5. Mexicans celebrate Mexican Independence Day every September 16, which is when priest Miguel Hidalgo gave a rallying cry of independence, which started the war against the Spanish.

6. There are over 37,000 archeological sites in Mexico, according to the National Institute of Anthropology and History.

7. The same political party, PRI, controlled Mexico for 70 years until Vicente Fox Quesada from PAN was elected in 2000.

Geography

8. Mexico City is built on top of a lake and it sinks 12 cm every year. That’s because the Spaniards decided to build the capital on top of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital that was built on top of a lake.

9. Mexico is the 13th largest country by area in the world, with 760,000 square miles.

10. There are over 7,000 miles of coastline in Mexico, the majority of it being beaches.

11. One of the largest blowholes in the world, La Bufadora, is located outside of Ensenada, Baja California. It shoots water up to 100 feet above the ocean.

12. Mexico has 48 active volcanoes.

13. Mexico has 31 states and one federal district, which is its capital, Mexico City.

14. Mexico produces the most silver in the entire world.

15. Mexico claims the top spot in the most natural sinkholes in the entire world, most of them are located in the Yucatan Peninsula.

16. Mexico was a much larger country that also consisted of California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. After the Mexican-American War, both countries signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding 55% of their territory to the United States.

Wildlife

17. Mexico has 12% of the world’s biodiversity, which makes it the 4th most biodiverse country in the world.

18. Mexico has the most reptile species in the world with over 700.

19. Mexico is home to the second-most mammal species in the world with over 430.

20. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, located around the Yucatan Peninsula coast and extends as far south as Guatemala, is the second-largest coral reef in the world.

21. Gray whales migrate from Alaska to the waters of Baja California to breed.

22. There is a rare species of rabbit called the volcano rabbit that is native to Mexico.

Inventions

23. Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena, who was from Guadalajara, Jalisco, invented the color television.

24. Luis Ernest Miramontes Cardenas, who was from Nayarit, invented birth control pills.

25. The first printing press in North America was located in Mexico City.

26. Alejandro Alagón Cano invented scorpion antivenom in 1994.

27. Dr. Maximiliano Ruiz Castañeda developed the typhus vaccine in 1940.

28. The world-famous Caesar salad was invented in Tijuana, Baja California.

Arts and Culture

29. There are 68 indigenous languages spoken in Mexico.

30. Chichén Itzá, a pyramid in Yucatan, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

31. There are 177 pueblos magicos, or magic towns, in Mexico. Pueblos magicos are like cultural sites that are exclusive to Mexico.

32. Mexico celebrates those who have passed away with a holiday called Dia de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead” every October 31, November 1, and November 2.

33. Mexicans do not celebrate Cinco de Mayo, however, the day is a holiday commemorating the Battle of Puebla where the Mexican army defeated the French in 1862.

34. There are more than 170 museums in Mexico City, which makes the city the one with the second-most museums in the world.

35. World-famous artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were from Mexico.

36. When it comes to symbols, the eagle is the national animal, the jaguar is the national mammal, the dahlia is the national flower, and the grasshopper is the national insect.

37. The name Mexico comes from the Nahuatl language. It is widely accepted that it comes from the words metztli meaning moon; xictli meaning belly button or center; and -co meaning place.

Food

38. The entire Mexican cuisine is UNESCO World Heritage.

39. Chocolate emerged in Mexico because ancient Mexican civilizations cultivated cacao trees.

40. Several foods are native to Mexico, which include maize, avocados, cacao, tomatoes, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cactus, turkey, beans, chili pepper, and more.

41. Mexico is the world’s largest exporter of beer, followed by the Netherlands.

42. Mexico produces tequila, which comes from the agave plant, and it’s the only place in the entire world where the liquor is produced.

43. Tamales originated in Mexico and were popular with ancient Mexican civilizations, often seen as the “food of the gods.”

Randoms

44. Mexico City has the most registered taxis in the world with over 60,000.

45. Mexico is the #1 consumer of Coca-Cola in the world, drinking over 163 liters per person every year.

46. The Chihuahua is the world’s smallest dog, which is named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

47. The largest university in the world is located in Mexico. The National University of Mexico renamed UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) is also the oldest university in North America, founded in 1551.

48. Mexico hosted the FIFA World Cup twice, in 1970 and 1986.

49. Mexico City is the fifth-largest city in the world, with 21.8 million people living in its urban area.

50. The busiest border crossing in the world is the San Diego-Tijuana border between the US and Mexico. A whopping 48 million vehicles and 106 million people cross every year.

51. Mexico has the most Spanish speakers in the world.

52. Although football (soccer) is the most popular sport, the national sport of Mexico is charreria, an equestrian activity.

Conclusion

And there you have it, these are 50+ fun facts everyone should know about Mexico. When you visit the country, you’ll have facts you can share with your friends. You’ll look like the smart one in the group and your friends will rely on you to share amazing information about this great nation.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © R.M. Nunes/iStock via Getty Images