Estados Únidos Mexicanos, Mexico, is an interesting, thrilling, weird, and fun country. It is a beautiful country full of fascinating culture and rich history. Mexico is not all about tequila, enchiladas, beaches, and tacos. There is a lot going on beneath the hot, spicy surface.

1. The word “Mexico” is a derivative of Mexica (pronounced “Me-shee-ka”).

2. What today is Mexico City was the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.

3. Mexico was a site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations – including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec.

4. The Mayans and Aztecs (nomadic people indigenous to Mexico: existed between 12th and 15th century) resided in Mexico some 13,000 years ago.

5. The Aztecs sacrificed about 250,000 people, or about 1% of their population, each year. They did this to please their gods. The sacrifices were usually slaves or prisoners.

6. During the pre-Columbian era, highly developed Indian cultures populated the region.

7. Between 1846 and 1848, Mexico fought a war with the U.S. and eventually lost it. As an after effect of the war, Mexico lost half of its territory to the U.S. The war is known as The Mexican–American War, the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexico War. 

8. Mexico was under Spanish rule for more than 3 centuries between the 1500s and 1821.

9. María de Jesús Patricio is the first indigenous Mexican woman to contest for president of Mexico. The country hasn’t had an indigenous president for 150 years, and no woman has held the highest office.

10. A tower containing more than 650 human skulls of men, women, and children was unearthed in Mexico City in 2017. Archeologists are doing more excavation and it is potentially possible that many more skulls would be found in the near future.