Mexico



Folk dancers in Merida. Enlarge image

Mexico is situated south of the USA bordering on the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. To the south lie the Central American countries of Guatemala and Belize. The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea are off the east of the country with the Pacific Ocean on the west. The long narrow peninsula of Baja California extends into the Pacific.

Before the Spanish arrived in Mexico in 1519 there were about ten million Indian inhabitants with a civilization over three thousand years old. The three hundred years of Spanish rule has left its mark on the population: sixty percent of Mexicans are of mixed Spanish and Indian descent. Thirty percent of the people are Native American Indians whilst the remainders are mainly European including some Spanish migrants who have recently settled in Mexico.


Map of Mexico. Enlarge map
The estimated population in 2003 was 105 million.

Mexico's official language is Spanish although native Indian languages are spoken. There are a number of distinct Indian languages and many dialects.

Featured tours

Colonial Mexico
Visit the colonial cities in the heart of Mexico. In additional to Aztec temples, you will see Spanish colonial churches, colourful plazas, and tranquil cloisters.

Chacmool Tour: Mexico City - Yucatan
Explore the Aztec sites around Mexico City and the heart of the Mayan empire in the Yucatan Peninsula including the famous Chichén Itzá, followed by relaxation on the beach at Cancun.