Mexico

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Mexico
The country of Mexico bridges the United States with Central America and is the third most populated country in the Western Hemisphere. Mexico City is the capital and largest city in the country, as well as one of the most populated cities in the world. The Rio Grande River takes up about two-thirds of the border between Mexico and the U.S. Mexico has a multitude of climates and landscapes. Most of the country is made up of mountains and plains with varying climates and plant-life (depending on the altitude). Tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, and mining all contribute to Mexico’s economy. The leading manufacturing products include automobiles, processed foods, steel, and chemicals. The country is also one of the main producers of cacao beans, coffee, oranges, corn, and sugar cane. Mexico is the world’s leading producer of silver and mines large amounts of copper, gold, lead, salt, and sulfur. Since the 1970s, Mexico has become a major exporter of petroleum products, which has had an impact on the economy. One of the biggest impacts on Mexico’s economy, however, is the millions of tourists that visit the country each year.

The Mestizos
The majority of the Mexican population are called Mestizos, meaning of both Spanish and indigenous Mexican ancestry. The Spanish influence entered Mexico in 1521 when they conquered the Aztec Empire (an extremely advanced and powerful Mexican civilization). The Spaniards turned the land of Mexico into a Spanish colony and introduced new techniques in farming, industry, government, and farming and introduced Christianity to the people. The Spanish descendents became the ruling class while the indigenous Mexicans were the poor and uneducated. The Mestizo population began during the Spanish colonial period and is now the majority of the Mexican population. In 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain. In 1910, a struggle for social and economic progress began which led to reforms including a national school system and developments in manufacturing. Due to the increasing population of the country, there are still a large percentage of people in poverty.

Migrant Workers
Many people in Mexico live in impoverished conditions that force them to cross the border to the United States and work as migrant farmers. Migrant labor is temporary work that moves between regions in order to grow and/or harvest crops. It is estimated that there are between 250,000 and one million migrant workers in the United States, with most being Native Americans, Blacks, Mexican Americans, Mexicans, or Puerto Ricans.

One out of ten families in Mexico depend on remittances (wages sent to Mexico from migrant workers in the U.S.) which is the third biggest component to Mexico’s economy, bringing in between six and eight billion dollars a year.

The migrant workers make extremely low wages and because they constantly move, they do not qualify for government assistance. There are no laws that protect them from overworking or low wages. Many workers are forced to live in unsanitary conditions and suffer health problems. Another major problem for migrant workers is that because of having to constantly move, many children only reach the fifth grade in school and are uneducated which leads them into migrant work in their adulthood. In the 1960’s Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta developed the United Farm Workers of America (UFW), which fought for better treatment and wages for the workers. Though some farmers have signed contracts with the UFW, many workers are still unprotected and work in non-union conditions.

Mexico

Home at Last
by Susan Middleton Elya

Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition
by Jewell Reinhart Coburn

Gathering the Sun
by Alma Flor Ada

Going Home, Coming Home
 by Truong Tran