Mexico's equivalent of the Domesday book was compiled in the sixteenth century. History shows that conquerors often have very little idea of what they have really acquired until it is firmly within th... read more

In 1897, Carl Lumholtz, the famous Norwegian ethnologist, who spent several years living with remote Indian tribes in Mexico, found that the Huichol Indians in eastern Nayarti distilled agave juice usi... read more

Several famous Mexican artists had serious physical disabilities. Three Mexican artists, whose very different works are admired annually by thousands, and who were born in successive decades of the ni... read more

Many Mexicans, especially campesinos, who are closer to the land than most, believe that the weather during the month of January serves as a long-range forecast for the entire year. The precise predict... read more

Rubber balls wouldn't bounce very high if it wasn't for some Mexican ingenuity. The Morning Glory Ipomoea alba, the tropical white-flowering morning glory (moonflower or moon vine) is a perennial in ... read more

Mexico's pioneering "telesecundaria" or "television secondary school" system began back in 1968. It now provides junior high school classes in remote areas, serving about one million students in grades... read more

Studies of the Mexican wave may suggest how to control unruly mobs Defined as "a rippling wave effect that passes right around a stadium full of spectators, achieved when all the spectators in turn ... read more

The first Whitbread Round-The-World yacht race was won by a Mexican. Most people do not associate Mexico and Mexicans with yachting, but it’s a fact that the first Whitbread Round-The-World Yacht Ra... read more

A charwoman-actress once captivated Mexican high society in her alter ego as Don Carlos Balmori. An elaborate tomb in Mexico City's main cemetery, the Panteón Civil de Dolores, is a lasting reminder ... read more

The American White Pelican is Mexico's largest bird, while its relative the Brown Pelican is one of the most fun to watch. White Pelicans on Lake Chapala; photo: John Mitchell, Earth Images Foundat... read more

What the Spanish Conquistadors thought was gold was often only an alloy called tumbaga. As they explored the New World, the early conquistadors were spurred on by the possibility of finding treasure a... read more

With more than 30,000 native flowering plants to choose from, who would have thought that the humble dahlia would become Mexico's national flower? The earliest known description of the dahlia (known t... read more

Five places in Mexico are on the list of the world's 100 most endangered heritage sites. "The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the foremost private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation o... read more

ROMANS in Mexico? I've always tried to maintain an open-minded attitude towards history, but even I was incredulous when I first heard this suggestion. And you certainly won't find it in most history ... read more

The Cuexcomate volcano, in a suburb of the city of Puebla, is generally considered to be the world's smallest volcano.   The world's smallest volcano Weighing in at an estimated 40 metric tons, i... read more

Father Alonso Ponce and Friar Antonio de Ciudad Real were probably Mexico's first ever tourists. Father Alonso Ponce de León arrived in Veracruz in September 1584 and spent the next five years travel... read more

The oral contraceptive pill, often referred to simply as "the Pill" was officially fifty years old on October 15, 2001. In the words of The Economist: it "was arguably the first lifestyle drug t... read more

Mexican kapok trees once helped the U.S. war effort. During the Mexican dry season, a peculiar and very distinctive leafless tree often attracts attention because it appears to have large balls of flu... read more

The oldest winery in the Americas is in Parras de la Fuente In Mexico, vineyards and wineries exist in several states, including Baja California, Sonora, Zacatecas, Querétaro, and Coahuila. Wine expe... read more

G. M. Bashford's Tourist Guide to Mexico was first published exactly fifty years ago in 1954. It was one of a spate of motoring book guides written after World War II as Americans began to hit the open... read more

When someone mentions "dogs" and "Mexico" in the same sentence, most people think immediately of the cute Chihuahua, small in proportions and large in personality but commonly dismissed by lovers of larger dogs as a small and unimportant "toy" breed. read more

The world's first patent for a color TV was granted to a young Mexican inventor. Guillermo González Camarena was just 23 years old in 1940 when he submitted his application in Mexico for a US Patent.... read more

In the current edition of Guinness, the Mexican responsible for most records is Sergio Rodriguez Villarreal from the northern state of Nuevo León. He specializes in creating giant Christmas figures an... read more

Mexico has more than one geographic center. I've often been asked, "Where's the center of Mexico?", and I've always deliberately fudged my reply, but is there a simple answer to this question? Well, p... read more

Organic farming has helped some indigenous peoples in Mexico to reinvent themselves. How many people are there? According to INEGI figures, about six million Mexicans over the age of five speak at le... read more