Gap Year Destinations

Where to go

Mexico

Megadiverse Mexico – the mountainous home of Frida Karlo, Hugo Sanchez and quesadillas...

Environment

Mexico straddles the bottom of North and the top of Central America. It is bisected by two mountain ranges, the Sierra Madre Oriental and Occipital which are extensions of the Rocky Mountains, and is largely separated from the USA by the Río Bravo del Norte, which is known as the Rio Grande north of the border. From east to west runs the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt, or the Sierra Nevada. Due to all this elevation, most Mexican cities are found at high altitudes. Mexico is also considered megadiverse, and is home to more reptile species than any other country on earth. The capital is Mexico City.

Climate

Mexico is crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, which means some of it is in the temperate zone, whereas the rest is in the tropical zone. South of the 24th parallel, temperature doesn’t really vary all year round, except with elevation. North of this parallel, however, it does tend to get cooler during the winter.

Demographics and Language

Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, with a population of over 100 million people. Like many Latin American countries, the ethnic spread encompasses Amerindians, Mestizos (mixed race Amerindian and white) and white people. 75% of the population lives in urban environments and up to 1% consists of people from the United States.

There is no official language in Mexico, but Spanish is spoken by 97% of the population. Amerindian languages such as Nahuatl and Yucatec Maya are still spoken by many people, however some are dying out.

Cuisine

Mexican cuisine is famous all over the world, and is almost as popular in its northern neighbour than in Mexico! Some example dishes are Burritos (soft corn tortillas wrapped around rice, meat and refried beans), Chilli (tomato based meat stew with beans and chocolate, served with rice) and Quesadillas (tortillas with cheese and vegetables). The cuisine is a mixture of Spanish and Amerindian influences, incorporating chillis with maize products, cheese, vegetables (especially peppers, avocados, onions and tomatoes), and meats. Churros, a type of doughnut, and flan are favourite desserts, as well as arguably Latin America’s most famous culinary export: chocolate.

Religion

Most Mexicans (89%) are Roman Catholics, while roughly 6% of the population adhere to other types of Christianity. Just under 3% of the population classes themselves as having no religion, while Mexico is also home to a small (45,000) but longstanding community of Jews.

Economy and money

Mexico has a free market mixed economy, with oil being its biggest earner. In recent years, instability of the past has been left behind and infrastructure has been heavily invested in. However, extreme poverty in rural areas still stands at over 25% of people (reducing to over 15% for the population in general) and income disparity is endemic. The currency is the Mexican peso.

Culture and politics

Mexico is a federal presidential representative democratic republic, with a President and a multi-party electoral system. Modern politics in Mexico began in 1929 with the Mexican Revolution, where land was given to peasants, a welfare state was created and industry was nationalized. However, since the 1970s successive governments have moved towards more capitalist regimes.

Central to Mexico’s culture is the concept of the mestizaje – a cultural as well as biological mestizo; the melting pot of race and tradition. As such, Mexican culture is open, vibrant and popular and has been most recently celebrated in the world of film with Mexican filmmakers Alejandro González Iñárritu, who directed Amores Perros and Babel, Alfonso Cuarón of Children of Men and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Guillermo del Toro of Pan’s Labyrinth being universally lauded. Mexico has also produced respected artists, such as Frieda Kahlo, and great footballers, like Hugo Sanchez.