Mexico's first known settlers were the Olmecs, who lived on the Gulf Coast. They are remembered for the giant head sculptures they carved from stone. One group of Olmecs lived from about 1200 to 900 B.C. The other flourished until about 600 B.C.
Size and Population
Mexico, with 758,249 square miles of land, is the third-largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina. As of 2005, Mexico's population was more than 100 million. The capital, Mexico City, is one of the most populous cities in the world.
Wolves and coyotes inhabit the north while mountain forests are home to bears, jaguars, bears and pumas. Furry seals often live along the coasts. Many different reptiles, including lizards, turtles and rattlesnakes, are found in Mexicon. Birds and fish are plentiful as well.
Mexican cuisine varies by region, but popular foods and dishes include beans, rice, tortillas, soft-shell tacos, spicy crab soup, cornmeal tamales and stuffed chili peppers. Sweet, deep-fried corn tortillas, known as flautas, are a common dessert.
Christmas is often celebrated with candlelit parades, the lighting of sparklers and the breaking open of piñatas. The Day of the Dead remembers the lives of the deceased, while Cinco de Mayo celebrates the 1862 Mexican victory over the French.