Mexico – Ring of Fire

Mexico is a unique country. The Spanish conquistadors, who once came to these lands, persistently instilled their customs to the local Indians, but, despite this, the Mexicans managed to maintain their traditions. The culture of modern Mexico is an incredible mix of European and Native American cultures, making this country one of the most unusual and distinctive in the whole world.
The first people appeared on the territory of modern Mexico at least by the 20th millennium BC.
In ancient times, it was inhabited by many powerful tribes, the most famous of which are the Aztecs and Mayans.
Believers from all over the world come to Mexico City to see the main shrine of Latin America – a cloak with the image of the Holy Virgin of Guadalupe.
Here is the only volcano on the planet the beginning and end of growth of which were recorded by scientists. For 8 years, the Paricutin volcano, which appeared in the middle of a local resident’s field, reached a height of 424 meters.

Guanajuato has a mummy museum with 111 exhibits. All the bodies represented in it were mummified naturally due to the peculiarities of the local climate.
Chihuahua dogs got their name in honor of the Mexican state Chihuahua, where this species was first discovered in the middle of the XIX century.
City Metro has special wagons for women and children. This is done in order to protect women from the harassment to which they are subjected in crowded trains of the metropolis. By the way, each metro station not only has a name, but also has its own logo. They say that this was done so that a part of the population who cannot read can use public transport. But for me, such a conceptual branding of each station is just a very cool idea.
In addition, trains in the metro have wheels with tires and ride on special flat metal rails. It is difficult to call this metro because most of the stations are on the surface.

Day of the Dead is a holiday dedicated to the memory of the dead, which is celebrated annually on the 1st and 2nd of November, not only in Mexico, but also in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. According to legend, these days the souls of deceased relatives visit their home. Therefore, people decorate cemeteries with ribbons and flowers, streets and houses with candles and flags so that the deceased can find a way home. What is noteworthy, in 2003, the holiday was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind.
The country’s main university – the National Autonomous University of Mexico is considered the largest university in the number of students in the Americas. Each faculty of the university conducts a variety of outdoor classes every day for everyone. For example, at 7 in the morning, if you wish, you can go for free yoga.
The most popular dish is tacos. Tacos are tortillas with various fillings: minced meat, chicken, sliced and toasted sausages and so on. They are sold in all cities and towns of Mexico 24 hours a day.

In general, Mexican cuisine is recognized as a world heritage. This country has given the world chocolate, chili and corn. Today street food is very cheap, tasty, but at the same time fatty, spicy and very satisfying. Gastronomic shock is the habit of Mexicans eat everything is with chili.
The city has special signs on the asphalt – green circles with white arrows pointing to the center. These are safe areas where you must stand during a strong earthquake. And indeed, all of Mexico is in the so-called Ring of Fire, where the most powerful earthquakes on Earth have been witnessed.
Mexico is a country of ancient civilizations. I used to think that there are several Mayan and Aztec pyramids, but in fact, dozens of different Indian tribes lived on the territory of modern Mexico, which left behind thousands of cities. In fact, all of Mexico stands on the ruins of ancient civilizations. Only a small part of the ancient cities was excavated and found. Today in the country there are dozens of languages and dialects that prevail in number over the languages and dialects of Europe.

The main souvenirs from Mexico are skulls and various skeletons. The fact is that in Mexico there is a widespread cult of death called Santa Muerte (from Spanish Santa Muerte is Holy Death). The cult came about by mixing the culture of the Indians of Mexico (Aztecs and Mayans) with Catholicism. Mexicans have traditionally worshiped death for centuries.
In the world it is believed that the national drink is tequila. In fact, this is not so. Main alcoholic beverage is mezcal. It is made from the Agave plant since Native American times. There are dozens of mezcal species. Unlike tequila mezcal is a completely natural drink, without any chemical additives.
Nature here is very amazing. It ranks fourth in the world in biological diversity. Five types of climate and nine of 11 types of ecosystems are represented here. Almost 80% of the cacti that grow here are not found anywhere else in the world. There are more than 50 different species of hummingbirds, several species of pelicans and many other unique representatives of flora and fauna.

Mexico City is the city with the largest number of museums in the world. One of the most popular museums today is Chapultepec Castle, which was once the residence of governors. It is the only castle built on the entire American continent.
An interesting fact about Yucatan: when the conquistadors arrived here, the Spaniard asked the Indian what the place was called, and he heard the answer – “Yucatan”. But he had no idea that the native answered him: “I do not understand you.”
The beaches of Cancun and Tulum are among the ten best beaches in the world according to TripAdvisor. This is not surprising: the water in the Caribbean is very warm, about 25-28 degrees all year round, and the sand on the Caribbean coast is very fine, white and hardly warms up.
Tree of Tule is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as a tree with the widest trunk in the world, its trunk is 14 meters in diameter.
Cozumel Island is the world’s second largest coral reef, with a length of over 700 km.

The largest pyramid in the world is in Cholula. True, a large part of the pyramid has overgrown with a layer of earth, and on its top there is a Catholic church.
The national currency of the country is very beautiful! There are transparent patches in the shape of butterflies. By the way, peso notes are made not of paper, but of polymer (something like thin plastic).
Mexico is different from other countries in Latin America: here is the highest per capita income in LA, and life expectancy is higher than in other countries – 79 years for women and 74 years for men. In addition, Mexico is the only country in LA to host the Olympic Games.

Mexico – Ring of Fire