Mexico

1
Mexico
Social Studies 6th Grade
2
Key Terms

• Land bridge
• Service industry
• Subsistence farm
• Mestizo
• Adobe
• Peninsula

3
The Land

• Mexico forms a land bridge, or narrow strip of
  land that joins two larger landmasses. This land
  bridge connects North America and South America.
• Mexico is a peninsula, or piece of land
  surrounded by water on three sides.
• Mexico was once called land of the shaking
  earth because of its many earthquakes.
• Mexicos climate is hot and humid in the lower
  valleys and cooler in the mountain tops.

4
The Economy

• Service industries strengthen the countrys
  economy. A service industry is a business that
  provides services to people instead of making
  goods.
• Banking and tourism are Mexicos main service
  industries.

5
Economy cont.

• Although rich in minerals, Mexico is poor in
  fertile land.
• Central Mexico is the economic heart of the
  country, home of Mexico City.
• In the south are subsistence farms,small plots
  where farmers grow only enough food to feed their
  families.
• Tourism is also important in the south with
  beautiful beaches.
• Mexico has become less a country of farms and
  villages and more of a country of factories and
  cities, this is a result of industrialization.

6
The People

• 60 of Mexicos people are mestizos.
• Mestizos are people of mixed Native American and
  European ancestries.
• Mexican homes are usually made of adobe, or
  sun-dried clay brick.

7
People cont.

• Every village has a marketplace where families
  sell or trade clothes, food, baskets, or pottery.
• For celebrations, Mexicans throw fiestas.
  Fiestas are festivals that include parades,
  fireworks, music, and dancing.
• Soccer is the countrys most popular sport.

8
The Food

• Traditional Mexican food combines Spanish and
  Native American cooking.
• Corn has always been the most important food in
  Mexico.

9
Food cont.

• Mexicans make tortillas, a thin flat cornmeal
  bread shaped by hands and cooked on a griddle.
• A folded tortilla filled with vegetables, cheese,
  beans, and meat becomes a taco.
• Tacos are not only a favorite Mexican food, they
  are also enjoyed by many Americans.

10
Mexican Wrap Up

• The culture of modern Mexico mixes old and new
  art, music, and literature grown from Native
  American, Spanish, and Mexican roots.
• Por Favor, Adios!