Mexico is a country in southern North America, bordered by the United States to the north and by Belize and Guatemala to the southeast, with coastlines on the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea to the east. With a population of nearly 132 million people, it is the most populous Spanish speaking country in the world and, by land area, the third largest country in Latin America.

Where Is Mexico Located?

Mexico occupies the southern portion of North America, spanning roughly 1,957,000 square kilometers, according to World Bank data. Its geography is defined by two major mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, which flank a high central plateau where the capital, Mexico City, sits at an elevation of over 2,200 meters. The country’s terrain ranges from arid deserts in the north to tropical rainforest in the southeast, and it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to earthquakes and home to active volcanoes such as Popocatepetl.

A Brief History of Mexico

The region was home to some of the Americas’ most advanced pre-Columbian civilizations, including the Olmec, Zapotec, Teotihuacan, Maya, and Mexica, commonly known as the Aztec, whose capital Tenochtitlan stood where Mexico City stands today. Spanish forces led by Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire between 1519 and 1521, and the territory became the colony of New Spain for nearly three centuries. Mexico won independence from Spain following a war that began in 1810 and concluded in 1821. The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries brought territorial loss in the Mexican-American War, foreign intervention, and, from 1910 to 1920, the Mexican Revolution, a period of civil conflict that reshaped the country’s land, labor, and political systems and led to the 1917 constitution still in force today.

Government and Economy

Mexico is a federal presidential republic made up of 32 states. According to the World Bank, the country ranks among the fifteen largest economies in the world and is the second largest in Latin America, with strong macroeconomic institutions, an open trade policy, and a diversified manufacturing base integrated into global value chains. Mexico is a party to the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, which links its economy closely to its northern neighbors through trade in automobiles, electronics, and other manufactured goods.

Culture and People

Spanish is Mexico’s national language, though the government also recognizes 68 indigenous linguistic groups, including Nahuatl and the Mayan languages, as national languages with equal validity. The country’s cultural output has global reach: traditional Mexican cuisine, mariachi music, and the Day of the Dead observance have each been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The majority of Mexicans identify as Roman Catholic, a legacy of Spanish colonization layered over persistent indigenous traditions that continue to shape regional food, festivals, and religious practice.

What Is Mexico Known For?

Mexico is known globally for the scale and sophistication of its pre-Columbian heritage, and no single site represents that heritage more widely than Chichen Itza, the ancient Maya city in Yucatan state. Its central step pyramid, El Castillo, also called the Temple of Kukulkan, was built by the Maya civilization and stands roughly 30 meters high. The pyramid’s four staircases each have 91 steps, which together with the top platform total 365, matching the days of the solar year, a design that also produces a shadow effect resembling a serpent descending the staircase around the spring and autumn equinoxes. Chichen Itza was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and was named one of the New7Wonders of the World in a widely publicized global poll in 2007.

Why Mexico Matters

Mexico’s significance extends well beyond its borders. It is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, home to a large share of the planet’s documented species, and its economy functions as a manufacturing bridge between North and South America. Its cultural exports, from cuisine to music to cinema, have shaped popular culture across the Americas and beyond, while its archaeological record preserves one of the most complete pictures available of pre-Columbian civilization in the Western Hemisphere.

Key Takeaways

• Mexico is a federal republic of 32 states in southern North America, with a population of nearly 132 million people.
• It was home to the Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations before Spanish colonization began in 1519.
• Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821 after an eleven year war, and underwent a second transformative conflict, the Mexican Revolution, from 1910 to 1920.
• It is among the world’s fifteen largest economies and the second largest in Latin America, according to the World Bank.
• Chichen Itza’s Temple of Kukulkan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988, is Mexico’s single most recognizable landmark.

Sources

• The World Bank: Mexico Overview
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
• The World Bank: World Development Indicators, Mexico

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed September 28, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue