Mexico

a republic of North America. It lies between the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific, and comprises about one-fifth the area of the United States. It borders on the north with California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas; on the south with Guatemala and Belize. At its southern termination is a range of lofty volcanoes, including Orizaba and Popocatepetl. The extreme length of the country is 1900 miles. Its width at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is about 130 miles. The country is for the most part a plateau, leaving but a narrow strip of low land along each coast. This lofty table-land is a prolongation of the Rocky Mountain plateau. Viewed from either coast, the edges of this table-land have the appearance of mountains, rising either precipitously or by terraces; but, as a matter of fact, the borders are a little higher than the central portion. If we except the Rio Grande on the American border, there is no navigable river. The streams are rocky torrents. Evaporation is so rapid that many of them become smaller as they pass through the lowlands to the ocean. Lakes are numerous. The location of Mexico, the capital, is determined by the presence of lakes.

CLIMATE. Mexico lies in the north temperate and in the torrid zone. Three zones of temperature are recognized according to altitude; the torrid climate of the coasts, the temperate climate of the uplands lying from 3,000 to 6,000 feet above the sea, and the cool climate of sections having an altitude of over 8,000 feet. Perpetual snow rests on a few elevated peaks. The temperate region has a climate ranging from 65 deg. to 75 deg. the year through. It has been called a "terrestrial Eden." The tropical coasts are subject to malaria.

MINERALS. The geological basis of the country is granite. Rocks and soils of volcanic origin overlie the granite in many localities. The country is rich in minerals. It has long been noted as one of the chief silver - producing regions of the world. Gold and copper abound. A mile from Durango there is a celebrated mountain, a solid mass of magnetic iron ore. Zinc, tin, platinum, and bismuth are found in abundance, as well as sulphur, asphalt, and petroleum. There are mines of rock salt and alum and excellent quarries of marble and gypsum. Mexico is noted for mineral springs. It is one of the chief commercial sources of mercury. The mountains abound in native gems, opals, emeralds, agates, garnets, and topazes.

FORESTS. A considerable portion of the country, especially the borders of the plateau and swampy portions of the lowlands, are covered with heavy forests. Those of the lowlands supply mahogany, ebony, and rosewood for cabinet work. The oak and the pine grow in the temperate zone. Mexico yields enormous quantities of India rubber, and is one of the chief sources of dyewoods. The exports of chicle, the basis of chewing gum, amount to nearly 5,000,000 pounds a year. The makers of patent medicines draw a part of their supplies of sarsaparilla from Mexico. Over sixty medicinal plants and dyewoods are native. Vanilla and cacao are exported in large quantities.

AGRICULTURE. Although the country has great possibilities, agriculture languishes. It is in the hands of descendants of the ancient Aztecs and other Indians, or else it is carried on by people of mixed blood. The two classes comprise over four-fifths of the entire population. The chief field crop is Indian corn or maize; the yield is about 100,000,000 bushels a year. Barley, wheat, beans, cacao, sugar, tobacco, coffee, and cotton are produced. Sisal, the fiber obtained from the leaf of the agave, is the second crop of importance. The annual yield is valued at $20,000,000 a year. The northern part of the country is well adapted to cattle raising. The herds rival those of Texas in size.

MANUFACTURES. The manufactures of Mexico are also behindhand. The most important is that of cotton cloth, woven from cotton native to the country. There were in 1909 750,000 cotton spindles with over 18,000 looms and thirty-seven machines for printing calico; 90,000,000 pounds of cotton were consumed, and over 20,000,000 pieces of cloth were produced. The mills are owned in part by investors of American capital. The woolen goods of the country are produced largely on hand looms. Pottery of a rude description, cigarettes, and straw hats are produced in almost every town. Yucatan is celebrated for the manufacture of hammocks; Leon, for cutlery and leather work. Chocolate and confectionery are manufactured universally.

COMMERCE. The exports of Mexico go largely to the United States. Precious metals and sisal make up over a half of the whole. About one-half of the imports come from the United States. The country is traversed by numerous railways, in all about 15,000 miles, centering chiefly in the capital city.

POPULATION. The Statesman's Year Book for 1909 gives the area of Mexico at 767,005 square miles, and the population at 13,605,919, an average of 17.7 per square mile. Nineteen per cent are white, the rest are natives descended from Indian tribes, or are of mixed blood. Of whites, the Spaniards and Americans are nearly equal in number. There are a few thousand each of French, British, Germans, and Italians, as well as a few Chinese. There are twenty-one cities having a population of over 20,000 each. Mexico, the capital, is the largest, having a population of 344,721.

EDUCATION, ETC. The prevailing language is the Spanish. The prevailing religion is Roman Catholic. The people of Indian and of mixed blood are mostly illiterate. The government is making an effort to build up a system of schools. There are about 10,000 common schools, forty-two preparatory schools, and sixty-two institutions giving professional or collegiate instruction. The expenditure for education is about $8,000,000 a year. The country has a foreign debt of $225,000,000, and an annual income of $65,000,000.

HISTORICAL. The early inhabitants of Mexico were the Aztecs and other native races. Cortez invaded the country in 1519 and captured the city of Mexico. The country was made a Spanish colony and remained under Spanish rule until 1821, when it achieved its independence under a leader named Iturbide (e-toor-be'da). The country at that time included what is now the southwestern part of the United States. Texas seceded in 1836. A large slice of territory was lost in the war with the United States, 1846-48. During the American Civil War the Mexican government was subverted by French troops, and Maximilian, an Austrian prince, was placed on the throne. In 1867 the French troops were withdrawn and the present "republic" was reestablished.

Diaz, the president, is a strong executive, ruling with ruthless disregard of constitutional restrictions or the dictates of humanity where necessary to gain his point. The condition of a large part of his subjects is little better than slavery, declare some writers, while others assert that Diaz is a wise and enlightened ruler doing all that may be done for a primitive people.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Aztecs; Cortez; Agave; Chocolate; Vanilla; Cochineal; Silver; Iturbide; Juarez; Maximilian; Diaz