The maps below show the distribution in 1980 of three distinct types of commercial establishments in the mid-sized city of Zitácuaro in Michoacán. Founded hundreds of years earlier, the city grew spontaneously, almost organically, with little planning; its population by 1980 was 100,000. Cars were not a necessity. The residents of Zitácuaro did not have […]
A recent report from the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (Instituto Mexicano para la Competitividad, IMCO) provides some interesting insights into which areas of Mexico are “most competitive” in business terms. The latest report relies on 2008 data. The IMCO Competitiveness figures are usually compiled for a major urban area or a state, and international comparisons […]
Kudos to the the New Mexico-based Grassroots Press, for the enticing title “Weaving Webs of Resistance in Chiapas” on an article by Crystal Massey and Rebecca Wiggins. The article reports on a visit to Chiapas earlier this year by a small group from the Las Cruces-Chiapas Connection (since renamed Weaving for Justice), which helps weaving […]
In several previous posts we examined the megadiversity of Mexico’s ecosystems which include more than 10% of all the world’s living species. Mexico’s mega-biodiversity The diversity of species (plants and animals) in Mexico Which areas of Mexico have the greatest biodiversity? Mexico’s biodiversity is under pressure from several quarters. Plant and animal trafficking Plant and […]
A previous post focused on the economic reforms of President Ernesto Zedillo, 1994-2000. This article discusses his very important political reforms. 1994 was a very important and difficult year for Mexico. It started with the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, which the PRI (Partido Revolucionario Insititucional) government brutally put down, infuriating many Mexicans and leading to […]
The Colorado River flows almost entirely in the USA, though its extensive delta is in Baja California. The USA and Mexico have negotiated usage rights designed to guarantee a minimum flow reaching Mexico and to safeguard the water available for numerous cities in the USA that depend on water from the Colorado, and for the […]
The disposal of solid wastes has become a serious problem almost everywhere in the world. In general the more affluent a society, the more solid waste it generates. Technologically-advanced civilizations tend to produce many wastes that are not biodegradable, further complicating the disposal problem. With each succeeding decade, Mexico faces greater and more complex challenges […]
By common consent, the history of blacks in what-is-now Mexico is a long one. The first black slave to set foot in Mexico is thought to have been Juan Cortés. He accompanied the conquistadors in 1519. It has been claimed that some natives thought he must be a god, since they had never seen a […]
A recent article on Wired.com drew my attention to these spectacular Landsat photos of Chihuahua, Mexico. Link to high resolution Landsat images (clicking on the images in this link reveals amazing detail) These false-color remote sensing images were taken by the Landsat 5 satellite in August 1992 (left) and August 2010 (right). Red = vegetation […]
President Ernesto Zedillo (in office from 1994 to 2000) took unprecedented steps that set the stage for Mexico’s 21st century economy. Before discussing Zedillo’s economic reforms, it is useful to review the recent history of Mexico’s economy. Following the fifty year “Mexican Miracle” of unprecedented economic growth and low inflation, the economy entered some very […]
Until relatively recently, Mexican authorities have staunchly resisted the introduction of GM corn into the country. Significant improvements in Mexico’s wheat and corn yields have been achieved in the past by long-term programs of selective breeding, such as that which was later dubbed the “Green Revolution“. In 2009, however, Mexico’s Agriculture and Environment Secretariats approved […]
In an earlier post, we looked briefly at Females, males and gender inequality in Mexico. Gender inequality is unfortunately still alive and well in Mexico. It is often shown through discrimination and human rights violations. Several women’s empowerment groups aim to change the status quo. Perhaps the most successful to date has been an organization […]
A previous post noted that Mexico’s very wide range of ecosystems make it one of the six most biodiverse countries on earth. We also looked at the states in Mexico with the greatest biodiversity. Given its deserts, it is not surprising that Mexico ranks first in the world in cactus species and second in reptile […]
Q. Mexico is one of the six most biologically diverse countries on the planet. But which states in Mexico have the greatest biodiversity? A. In general, the southern states (which receive the highest amounts of rainfall) have the greatest biodiversity: Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. To answer this question in more detail, it is useful to […]
People from elsewhere generally think of Mexico as an arid country with lots of cacti. The general impression is that Mexico has relatively little biodiversity in comparison with equator-hugging tropical countries such as Brazil and Indonesia. These impressions could not be farther from the truth. While northern Mexico is indeed arid, many areas in southern […]
In an earlier post, we described the El Zacatón sinkhole, the deepest water-filled sinkhole known at present anywhere on the planet. Such a large sinkhole begs some important questions: How did such a large sinkhole form? Most major sinkholes form as a result of the collapse of the ceilings of underground cavities which have been […]
This year marks the centenary of the start of the Mexican Revolution. One of the fundamental causes of the Mexico Revolution in 1910, though by no means the only one, was the demand by landless campesinos (peasant farmers) for access to the means to control their own supplies of food. Revolutionary leaders called for the […]
The map shows the coasts of the states of Colima, Jalisco and Nayarit. These states all have some great beaches, and tourism is an important activity in many of the towns shown on the map. Some of the beaches are so exposed that the Pacific Ocean waves arriving to smash into the sand offer outstanding […]
For a fascinating overview of caves and caving in Mexico, see John Pint’s great article and image gallery (link below) on MexConnect. Pint is an accomplished caver and author who has explored caves on several continents. His writing is clear and authoritative, much of it based on his own first-hand experiences and investigations. Exploring caves […]
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas which has been processed to allow for transportation to international markets well beyond the reach of pipelines. The process enables major producers of natural gas such as Australia, Qatar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Abu Dhabi and Oman to supply markets almost anywhere in the world. The stages involved in […]
The state of Quintana Roo (see map below) has an area of 42,360 square kilometers and a population of 1,361,821 (2010 estimate). The state is one of Mexico’s flattest states, with its highest point being only 230 meters above sea level. Its distinctive landscapes include coastal barrier islands (such as the one Cancún’s hotel zone […]
Data from the Mexican National Public Security System (SNSP) indicate that Mexico’s homicide rate has declined by 23% from 37 (homicides per 100,000 population) in 1997 to 29 in 2009. It declined in 20 of Mexico’s 32 states. The states with the homicide rates below 20 and their change since 1997 are shown below. All […]
Corn (maize) originated in Mexico, and has long been the staple subsistence crop among Mexico’s campesinos, as well as being one of the essential ingredients in Mexico’s varied cuisines, from tortillas to tamales, and pozole to enchiladas. It was recently announced that Mexico’s federal Agriculture Secretariat is financing a germoplasm bank to preserve the genetic […]
Mexico’s first international scientific expedition in 1874 left Mexico City with only a few months to travel half way around the world to Japan to set up their instruments in time for the transit of Venus on 9 December. Mexico’s international scientific expedition to observe the 1874 transit of Venus Looking at a map, the […]
Many remote settlements in the mountains of Oaxaca are still not connected to the national electricity grid. A project based in the municipality of Ejutla (60 km south of Oaxaca City) aims to bring affordable renewable energy to isolated hamlets. The innovative scheme relies on a design for a power-producing wind-vane, complemented by a solar […]
All the recent media attention to drug war violence suggests that homicide rates in Mexico are increasing rapidly. This is undoubtedly true, but only in certain areas. The available data from the Mexican National Public Security System (SNSP) does not uniformly support the contention that homicide rates are on the rise. SNSP data show that […]
In an earlier post, Novelist who loved geography set a story in Mexico, which his publisher labeled South America, we referred to Mexico’s first international scientific expedition in 1874. This is the expedition that social historian William H. Beezley says was linked by many Mexican writers to Jules Verne’s fictional epic, Around the World in […]
Mexico is celebrating its bicentennial. The long struggle for independence began on this day in 1810; independence was finally “awarded” by Spain in 1821. By happy coincidence, 2010 also marks the centenary of the start of the Mexican Revolution. This has a less clear-cut ending date, with some Mexicans saying that it is still on-going […]
The remote Copper Canyon region in northern Mexico is the home of 50,000 Tarahumara Indians who have preserved much of their distinctive culture (language, dress, customs, beliefs) into this century, partly because of their extreme remoteness. Many live untouched by the trappings of modern civilization, moving between caves just below the canyon rim and warmer, […]
In April 2010, a large earthquake rattled the Mexicali area, causing significant damage. It was so powerful that it even moved the southern part of California! The magnitude 7.2 earthquake damaged the irrigation infrastructure used by Mexican farmers on land along the lower Colorado River and in the Colorado River delta region. Mexico and US […]