Beer was introduced to New Spain by the Spanish. The first permit to produce beer in New Spain was awarded by Spain’s King Charles V to Alonso Herrera in 1544. Initially, beer was a pleasure of the upper classes, and a series of local beer shops supplied their needs. During the 17th and 18th centuries, […]
At first sight, this would seem like an easy question to answer but, in fact, it is not exactly clear whether tourism in Mexico in 2010 is increasing, decreasing or holding steady. Flows of tourists are affected not only by any changes in the situation of the destinations (receiving countries) but also by the situation […]
The Copper Canyon area is one of Mexico’s most popular destinations for eco-tourism activities. The canyons offer plenty of opportunities for canyoneering (like mountaineering, but starting from the top!), wilderness hikes and adventure trips. Mexico’s two highest waterfalls—Piedra Volada and Baseaseachi— are also in this area. The Basaseachic Falls are about 250 meters (820 ft) […]
In two previous posts, we examined the historical connections between Mexico and the Philippines. Mexico’s long connection with the Philippines – exploration, seafaring and geopolitics Cultural exchanges between Mexico and the Philippines A news story (on mb.com.ph) a few months ago alerted us to another, much more recent link between the two countries. The Philippine […]
When complete, this dramatic new highway will have significant economic impact. Drivers using the old road report that it can take from five to nine hours to make the 325 kilometer trip, depending on traffic and one’s willingness to risk passing slow trucks on virtually blind curves. Buses allow 6.5 hours. When completed, the driving […]
Bike riding is quite a common recreational activity in Mexico, as well as being many people’s chosen means of transport to work. In recent years, an increasing number of cities have started regular bike festivals or other events. The Festival de Bicicleta in Xalapa, the state capital of Vercaruz, is just one example. Back in […]
The “China galleons” greatly stimulated spatial interactions between Acapulco and Manila, 15,000 km away. Many Mexicans settled in Manila and scores of Nahuatl words entered Tagalog, the main Filipino language. These included atole, avocado, balsa, cacao, calabaza, camote, chico, chocolate, coyote, nana(y), tata(y), tocayo and zapote. As well as vocabulary, some aspects of Mexican cuisine, […]
The Copper Canyon region is one of the most remote parts of Mexico. This remoteness helps to explain why the area is the home of about 50,000 Tarahumara Indians, and how they have managed to preserve much of their highly distinctive culture to this day. The Copper Canyon railroad line, “the most dramatic train ride […]
Several famous writers wrote about Mexico despite having no direct geographic experience of the country. In an earlier post, we looked at the case of Jules Verne. This time, we look at Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. There is some sound historical geography in the famous poem The Bells of San Blas, yet author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow […]
Geographers have long been interested in the distinctive contribution of sounds to landscapes, especially urban landscapes. Some sounds are associated with pleasure, some with danger, others with impatience. The soundscapes of cities have become a legitimate area of study. Early work tended to focus on traffic noise or on identifying areas where ambient noise from […]
Corn is one of the world’s major cereal crops and has long been a vitally-important crop to Mexico. However, is it more efficient in energy terms to be a slash-and-burn farmer of corn in the jungle or a technologically-sophisticated corn farmer on the US or Canadian prairies? David and Marcia Pimentel have compiled data from […]
The Copper Canyon, one of Mexico’s most amazing natural wonders The rugged ranges of the Western Sierra Madre in the state of Chihuahua conceal several massive canyons, giving rise to incomparable scenery. The Copper Canyon (Cañon del Cobre) region is the collective name given to this branching network of canyons, larger in many respects (see […]
The table shows the top 10 exports relating to food and drink. The actual value of exports for each product varies widely from year to year. The figures quoted in the table are an average of the last few years for which data are available. They underestimate the importance of strawberries, exports of which have […]
The New York City area is now home to over half a million poblanos, natives of the Mexican state of Puebla. A 2005 Smithsonian article by Jonathan Kandell (available here as a pdf file) takes a close look at their expectations and aspirations. Most started as undocumented workers, but many have gained legal status through […]
According to the 1.5 million votes cast in a Televisión Azteca survey in 2007 (published in the always interesting glossy magazine mexicanísimo), the top 13 natural wonders in Mexico are (in no particular order): The Copper Canyon region (Chihuahua) The El Cielo Biosphere Reserve (Sierra Madre Occidental, Tamaulipas) The Sumidero Canyon (Chiapas) Cuatro Ciénegas oasis […]
In 1559, King Philip II of Spain ordered a fleet to be prepared to sail west from New Spain (Mexico) to the Philippines. Barra de Navidad, on the shores of Jalisco, was one of the centers of New Spain’s maritime activity at the time. It offered a sandy beach in a well-protected bay; with tall […]
Mexico is the world leader for avocado growing, accounting for almost 35% of global production. Other important avocado producers include the USA and Indonesia (each with 7% of the world total), Colombia (6%), Brazil (5%) and Peru (4%). In Mexico, avocado production is heavily concentrated in the state of Michoacán. The main areas of avocado […]
The table shows the 10 states in Mexico which have the fewest inhabitants. (a) Can you suggest any characteristics which many of these small states might share? (not counting, obviously, their small population!) (b) What implications might a relatively small population have for a state, and for its economy and administration? (c) What geographic and […]
People in the small village of Napizaro near Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán are very familiar with North Hollywood, California, which is over 2400 km (1500 miles) away. Almost everyone born in Napizaro now over 20 years old is living, or has lived, in North Hollywood, which is home to at least one member of virtually […]
The Historic Center of Mexico City was originally founded in 1524 atop the Aztec capital of Tenochititlan. The Historic Center declined considerably during the 20th century. The government froze rents in the 1940s and they stayed frozen until 1998. With constant inflation, the real price of rents declined to almost nothing. Without meaningful rental incomes, […]
The Río Colorado formed a vast delta in the otherwise arid Sonoran desert in northern Mexico where it enters the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California, see map.) The delta wetlands created ideal conditions for a rich variety of wildlife. The river enters Mexico at the Southerly International Boundary where a gauging station records the […]
The table shows the eleven states in Mexico which have the oldest population (defined by average age of the population). (a) What factors might explain why the inhabitants of some states in Mexico have a high average age than others? What might these 11 states have in common? Hint: Do not just think about why […]
The municipality of Aguililla, Michoacán, is closely linked to Redwood City, California, over 2900 kilometers (1800 miles) away. Redwood City has about 37,000 Latino residents, perhaps half of which were originally from Aguililla. There are almost as many Aguilillans in Redwood City as there is in the municipality of Aguililla, which has about 25,000 residents. […]
Transportation improvements can have profound impacts on the areas they serve. A major highway improvement in the 1970s revolutionized the rural economy of Chilapa, a small town about 40 km east of Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero. Prior to 1970, the area was essentially self-sufficient, as it had been for hundreds of years. All the […]
A recent short piece in The Economist, “A breath of fresh air” (31 July 2010) echoes Geo-Mexico’s contention that air quality has been improving in Mexico City in recent years, but declining in other large cities, especially Monterrey. The improving air quality in Mexico City is attributed to: relocation of heavy industry away from the […]
The Bracero program started in 1942 as a way to alleviate the severe US labor shortage during the second world war. It gave selected Mexicans renewable six-month visas to work temporarily on US farms. Most workers came from Michoacán, Jalisco, and Guanajuato. Many US farmers became very dependent on the productive and relatively cheap Mexican […]
The copper industry in Mexico embraces two extremes: from a major Mexican multinational, Grupo México, to hundreds of dedicated, but poorly remunerated coppersmiths living in a small town in Michoacán. Large-scale copper mining in Mexico Grupo México is the largest mining corporation in Mexico, and the world’s third largest copper producer. The company has faced […]
The rapid spatial expansion of Mexico City is not slowing down in the 21st century but accelerating. The main stimulus of this sprawl is income growth, which leads to widespread ownership of private automobiles and the desire of Mexican families to own homes. The number of automobiles in Metropolitan Mexico City (ZMCM) is approaching 10 […]
The table and map show the eleven states in Mexico which have the youngest population (defined by average age of the population). This map does not appear to reveal any obvious spatial pattern. What do these 11 states have in common, apart from (presumably) a high percentage of young people? (a) Can you suggest what […]
By the start of the 16th century, the Aztec Empire had a well developed system of “roads”. However the Aztecs had neither wheels nor beasts of burden to transport themselves or their goods. Obviously this limited transportation to the speed, range and endurance of foot power. Their system of roads was essentially a system of […]