The most interesting facts about Mexico, from ancient civilisations home to the worldโs largest pyramid to its sinking capital city.
Fast facts
Official name: United Mexican States
Population: 129 million
Area: 1,964,375 sq km
Capital city: Mexico City ย (Ciudad de Mexico)
Major languages: Spanish
Major religions: Christianity
Time zone: UTC-6
Interesting facts about Mexico
1. Mexico is a country located inย North Americaย bordering Belize, Guatemala and the USA.
2. Mexico has been home to several ancient civilisations including the Olmec, Maya, Toltec and Aztec peoples.
3. Spain colonised Mexico in the 16th century until 1821 when Mexico became an independent country following the War of Independence (1810-21).
4. The worldโs largest pyramid is in Mexico. The Great Pyramid of Cholula has a base four times larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and nearly twice the volume. However, it is significantly shorter than many pyramids around the world. Built around 300 BC by the Choluteca people, it is the worldโs largest monument ever constructed by any civilisation and contains over 8km (5 miles) of tunnels.
5. Following Spanish colonisation, the pyramid became overgrown and was mistaken for a large hill. As such, the Spanish constructed many buildings on top of the Great Pyramid of Cholula including a church.
6. Mexico is also home to the worldโs third-largest pyramid, the Pirรกmide del Sol in the UNESCO-listed ancient city of Teotihuacรกn. The Pirรกmide del Sol was built around 100 AD.
7. The countryโs capital, Mexico City used to be known as the Federal District or โDFโ. However, in 2016, the city officially changed its name to Mexico City, or Ciudad de Mรฉxico in Spanish. As such, it is now also known by the new acronym, CDMX.
8. If you include the wider metropolitan area, Mexico City has a population of nearly 22 million people, making it the worldโs fifth biggest city.
9. The countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, along with the US states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and parts of Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Kansas were initially all part of Mexico. During the 19th century, however, the territories all became independent countries or were ceded to the USA.
10. Mexicoโs flag is made up of three stripes of green, white and red with Mexicoโs coat of arms in the center. Green originally represented independence, white represented the Roman Catholic religion and red represented union.
11. Mexicoโs coat of arms depicts an Aztec prophecy, predicting that an eagle with a snake in its beak standing on a cactus growing out of rocks in the middle of water will be the site of the new city of Tenochtitlรกn (now Mexico City).
See how Mexicoโs flag compares to other North American flags.
12. By population, Mexico is the 11th-largest country in the world, the third-largest in the Americas, and the second-largest in Latin America.
13. By area, Mexico is the 13th-largest country in the world; the fifth-largest in the Americas; and the third-largest in Latin America.
14. Mexico is the third most-visited country in the world, receiving 51 million visitors in 2019 according to the World Population Review.
15. The first printing press in the Americas was established in Mexico City in 1539 by publisher Juan Cromberger.
16. In total, Mexico has 35 properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List โ the seventh highest of any country.
17. The ancient Maya city of Chichรฉn Itzรก is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
18. Mexico City is sinking at a rate of almost 50cm (20 inches) per year. As the city is built on a mix of clay and volcanic soil, the ground beneath the city is steadily compacting causing subsidence.
19. Mexico takes its name from a Nรกhuatl term derived from the words metztli (moon), xictli (navel or center) and co (place). As such, the name Mexico means โthe place in the center of the Moonโ and refers to when the Aztecs built Tenochtitlรกn in the middle of the Lake of the Moon (later named Lake Texcoco).
20. Jaguars can be found in Mexico. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat species in the Americas and the third-largest in the world after tigers and lions. Jaguars are also the only big cat species in the Americas.
21. Mexico has had three Nobel Prize winners. Alfonso Garcรญa Robles won the 1982 peace prize, Octavio Paz won the 1990 literature prize and Mario Molina won the 1995 chemistry prize.
22.ย Mexico has 8.8% of the worldโs Catholics โ the worldโs second-largest Catholic population after Brazil.
23. Mexico Cityโs Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the largest churches in the world and one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites. It houses the nearly 500-year-old tilma of Saint Juan Diego, bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who according to Catholic tradition appeared to him in 1531.
24. Mexican Guillermo Gonzรกlez Camarena invented the color television in the late 1930s.
25. Mexicoโs minimum wage is $3 per hour, or $5,892 per year, when converted using purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP adjusts wages to show their real value in local terms. While Mexicoโs figure is lower than most OECD nations, its overall cost of living is also considerably lower.
26. The worldโs smallest recognised breed of dog, the Chihuahua, is from Mexico. Chihuahuas are named after the Mexican state of Chihuahua and typically only stand around 13-20 cm (5-8 inches) tall.
27. Mexico is one of 17ย megadiverse countriesย in the world. Megadiverse countries are the worldโs most biodiversity-rich countries.
28. Mexico has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world.
29. Mexico has an annual holiday called Dรญa de Muertos (Day of the Dead), which takes place on the eve of October 31 through November 2. The festival is in remembrance of departed souls and draws on a belief system inherited from the Aztecs that sees the souls of the dead return to their homes at this time of the year.
30. Mexico is the worldโs largest exporter of delivery trucks ($29.1 billion), beer ($5.95 billion), tropical fruits ($3.39 billion) and tomatoes ($2.74 billion).
Explore more from North America
We strive to verify all facts using authoritative and primary sources where possible. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.