Ethnic divisions: mestizo (Indian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, Caucasian or predominantly Caucasian 9%, other 1%
Principal languages: Spanish; various Mayan dialects
Principal religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%
Rank of affluence among U.N. members: 51/183
For 3,000 years (from about 1500 BC to 1500 AD) Mexico was home to a succession of great Indian civilizations, including the Mayas, Toltecs, and Aztecs. At the time Columbus sailed, the Americas had about as many inhabitants as Europe, most of them in Mexico. With its 2 million people, the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan (on the site of present-day Mexico City) may have been the biggest city in the world, as well as one of the most beautiful.
The conquering Spaniards brought with them smallpox and other diseases, which wiped out more than 90 percent of the original inhabitants. Mexico achieved its independence in 1821, at which time its territory included all of the southwest United States from Texas to southern California. Following the Mexican war (1846-48) the present-day borders were established.
In recent decades Mexico has become a growing industrial power, buoyed by huge oil and mineral reserves, agricultural exports, and a stable government. The transformation has led to staggering disparities: as the middle class swells, services can't keep up, and the shanties of the underclass circle big cities. Birth rates, once high, are falling as the standard of living rises.
Meanwhile, the southern forests are vanishing, the northern rivers are thick with pollution, and Mexico City has what may be the world's worst air. With the passage of NAFTA in 1992, Mexico seems ready to test the assertion that the best way to prevent environmental collapse is through economic prosperity.
