Mexico — books & literature

The story of Mexico

Mexico's story runs through some of the deepest roots in the Americas. The Olmec, often called Mesoamerica's "mother culture", rose along the Gulf coast by around 1200 BCE, followed by the vast city of Teotihuacan, the Classic Maya city-states of the south and Yucatan, and finally the Mexica (Aztec) Empire, whose capital Tenochtitlan was founded in 1325 and grew into one of the largest cities on Earth. In 1521 Hernán Cortés and his allies conquered Tenochtitlan, and Spain built the colony of New Spain on its ruins for three centuries. On 16 September 1810, the priest Miguel Hidalgo's "Grito de Dolores" launched the war of independence, won in 1821. The young nation then endured the loss of half its territory to the United States in the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the Reform era under Benito Juárez, and the long Porfiriato dictatorship, before the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) reshaped the country and produced the 1917 constitution still in force today. Modern Mexico is a federal republic and one of the world's great cultural and economic powers, blending its indigenous, Spanish colonial, and modern heritage into a singular identity.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 1200 BCE

   Olmec civilization rises along the Gulf coast, Mesoamerica's foundational culture.

2. circa 100-650 CE

   Teotihuacan flourishes as one of the largest cities in the ancient world.

3. circa 250-900 CE

   Classic Maya civilization thrives across the south and the Yucatan Peninsula.

4. 1325

   The Mexica (Aztecs) found Tenochtitlan, later capital of their empire.

5. 1521

   Hernán Cortés and allied forces conquer Tenochtitlan; Spain establishes New Spain.

6. 1810

   Miguel Hidalgo's "Grito de Dolores" (16 September) launches the war of independence.

7. 1821

   Mexico achieves independence from Spain under the Treaty of Córdoba.

8. 1846-1848

   Mexican-American War; Mexico cedes roughly half its territory under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

9. 1910-1920

   The Mexican Revolution overthrows the Porfiriato and reshapes the nation.

10. 1917

    The current Mexican Constitution is adopted.

Top 10 things to know about Mexico

1. Mexico has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the Americas.
2. Mexico City was built atop Tenochtitlan, the former capital of the Aztec (Mexica) Empire.
3. Mexico is the birthplace of chocolate, chili peppers, maize (corn), and vanilla.
4. Spanish is the official language; Mexico has more native Spanish speakers than any other country.
5. Mexico recognizes 68 indigenous languages still spoken today, including Nahuatl and Maya.
6. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
7. Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth, ranking among the "megadiverse" nations.
8. Chichén Itzá, a Maya city, is one of the New7Wonders of the World.
9. Mariachi music, born in Mexico, is UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage.
10. Mexico is the world's largest producer of silver.

Famous people from Mexico

Say it in Mexico's language

Did you know?

• ★Mexico City is slowly sinking because much of it was built on the drained lakebed beneath ancient Tenochtitlan.
• ★The Aztecs used cacao beans as a form of currency, and "chocolate" comes from the Nahuatl word "xocolatl".
• ★The name "Mexico" derives from "Mexica," the name the Aztec people used for themselves.

Mexico culture

• Día de los Muertos honors deceased loved ones with home altars (ofrendas), marigolds, and painted skulls (calaveras).
• Mariachi bands, with trumpets, violins, and the guitarrón, are one of Mexico's most recognizable musical traditions.
• Lucha libre, masked professional wrestling, is a beloved national spectacle and cultural icon.
• Regional cuisine ranges widely, from mole in Oaxaca to tacos al pastor in Mexico City to cochinita pibil in the Yucatan.

Why read Mexico's books

Mexican literature spans pre-Columbian codices, colonial chronicles, and a modern boom that produced a Nobel laureate and some of Latin America's most influential novelists , a tradition worth exploring on the shelves below.