All about Mexico
is Mexico above or below the United States?
Below
Mexico is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico
What does "queso" mean in English?
Cheese
One popular Mexican cheese is Queso fresco.
Spanish for “fresh cheese”, this cheese is white, soft and crumbly, resembling feta cheese. Traditionally, it’s made of raw cow milk or a combination of goat milk and cow milk. It has both salty and non-salty varieties. Queso fresco is often used as a topping for guacamole, appetizers and beans.
What alcohol was invented in Mexico, and is a key ingredient in a margarita?
Tequila!
Tequila is a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, 40 miles northwest of Guadalajara. The red volcanic soils in the region of Tequila are well suited for growing the blue agave, and more than 300 million of the plants are harvested there each year.
What is the Mexican dish of cheese melted between two tortillas?
Quesadilla
The quesadilla has its origins in colonial Mexico. The quesadilla as a dish has changed and evolved over many years as people have experimented with different variations of it. Quesadillas are frequently sold at Mexican restaurants all over the world.
What is the worlds smallest dog breed, a breed that originated from Mexico?
Chihuahua
Chihuahuas remained a rarity until the early 20th century, and the American Kennel Club did not register a Chihuahua until 1904. Colonial records refer to small, nearly hairless dogs at the beginning of the 19th century, one of which claims 16th-century conquistadores found them plentiful in the region later known as Chihuahua
What currency is used in Mexico?
The Peso
1 U.S. dollar is equal to just over 20 pesos.
What does "hola" mean in English?
Hello
Mexican Engineer Guillermo Camarena revolutionized television by adding what visual feature onto the screen?
Color!
Camarena was only 22 when he introduced his self-built color TV to the country in 1940, and he was to later come up with a ‘trichromatic, field-sequential system’ and ‘improved chronoscopic adapter’ which helped enable the color transmissions. In 1942 he obtained the patent, and in 1946, he finally screened color images direct from his Mexico City lab.
What Mexican dish has meat, cheese, and other toppings inside a tortilla folded in half?
Taco
The taco predates the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico. There is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with small fish
What holiday is celebrated in Mexico to honor passed loved ones?
Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead
During Día de Muertos, the tradition is to build private altars, called ofrendas, containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the words of the living directed to them. These altars are often placed at home or in public spaces such as schools and libraries, but it is also common for people to go to cemeteries to place these altars next to the tombs of the departed.
What is the capital of Mexico?
Mexico City
Mexico City is the oldest city on the American continents. Founded in 1325 by the Aztecs, it was originally called Mexico-Tenochtitlan, after their founder, and served as the capital of the Aztec Empire, with a population of roughly 300,000 people, which was more than any European city at the time.
What does "de nada" mean in English?
you're welcome
Quite possibly the most popular movie theater snack, what salty treat was invented on Mexico?
Popcorn!
If you know how important corn is in Mexico, it makes sense that the Zapotec peoples would have been the brains behind everyone’s favorite cinema snack – popcorn. Afterwards, it fell into the hands of Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés by way of the Aztecs. These popped kernels were known as momochtli. They were made in hot clay pots, and not in the microwave.
What is the name of the Mexican dish where rice, beans, meat, and other ingredients are wrapped up in a tortilla, forming a log shape?
Burrito
The word burrito means "little donkey" in Spanish, the diminutive form of burro, or "donkey". The name burrito, as applied to the dish, possibly derives from the tendency for burritos to contain a lot of different things similar to how a donkey would be able to carry a large burden.
What is the most popular religion in Mexico, practiced by 80% of the population?
Catholicism
What three colors are on the Mexican flag?
Red, White, and Green
The national flag of Mexico is a vertical tricolor of green, white, and red with the national coat of arms charged in the center of the white stripe. While the meaning of the colors has changed over time, these three colors were adopted by Mexico following independence from Spain during the country's War of Independence, and subsequent First Mexican Empire.
What does "agua" mean in English?
Water
Aguas frescas (Spanish for "cool waters", or literally "fresh waters") are light non-alcoholic beverages made from one or more fruits, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water. They are popular in Mexico and parts of the United States such as the Southwest. Some of the more common flavors include tamarind, hibiscus, and horchata.
Often mint flavored, many people chew this treat after meals. What is this Mexican invention that is called "chicle" in Spanish?
Chewing Gum!
First stumbled upon by the Mayans, who extracted the sap that was originally used to make chewing gum from trees, the Aztecs found a more practical use for it – they used the sticky substance to hold things together: a type of ancient Blu-Tack, if you will.
What Mexican dish has tortilla chips covered in cheese and sometimes meat and other toppings?
Nachos
Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya created nachos in 1940 when a customer asked if Anaya could bring her and three other women a different snack than usual. Anaya went to the kitchen and spotted freshly fried pieces of corn tortillas. Anaya cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them, added shredded Colby cheese, quickly heated them, added sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, and served them After tasting the snack, the customers asked what it was called. Anaya responded, "Well, I guess we can just call them Nacho's Special.'
What popular vacation destination is in Mexico? Cancun or Barcelona?
Cancun
What country did Mexico win its independence from?
Spain
Mexico defeated the Royalist forces still opposed to it's independence, and the new Spanish government, lacking money, provisions, and troops, was forced to accept Mexican independence. On August 24, 1821, the Treaty of Córdoba was signed, thus ending New Spain's (Mexico) dependence on Old Spain.
What does "Cinco De Mayo" in English?
Fifth of May
Cinco de Mayo is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It is not Mexico's independence day, and is mostly celebrated by Mexican Americans, and is less commonly celebrated in Mexico.
What sweet dessert ingredient, made from the cocoa bean, was invented in Mexico?
Chocolate!
Pretty much everyone agrees that it was likely the Olmecs who developed this popular treat from cocoa beans, drinking it as a fermented beverage, before the Mayans created hot chocolate and the Aztecs savored it cold and bitter. It was only sweetened with sugar once it began to be exported to Europe.
What Mexican American dish is made up of strips of grilled meat, bell pepper, and onions, often served on a sizzling platter with a side of tortillas?
Fajitas
The word fajita is not known to have appeared in print until 1971, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Although fajita originally referred to these strips of beef skirt, fajitas now are made with a variety of fillings, such as green/red/yellow peppers, onions, chilies, and jalapeño peppers.
What female artist from Mexico is known for her unibrow and self portraits?
Frida Kahlo
Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. She is also known for painting about her experience of chronic pain.