Skip to content
Trivia Questions Digest

Interesting facts about Mexico

Sixteen facts about Mexico's history, food, languages and landscape, from the lake beneath Mexico City to the monarch butterflies of Michoacán, each with a source.

By Eren ŞimşirUpdated How we write questions

Key numbers

Facts
16
Sources
Named for every fact
Country
Mexico
Good for
Class, quiz night or travel

16 facts about Mexico

  1. Mexico City is built on a lake. The Aztecs founded Tenochtitlan on an island in Lake Texcoco in 1325. The soft lakebed is why parts of the city are sinking, in places by tens of centimeters a year. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  2. Mexico's flag shows the legend of the city's founding. The eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake is the sign the Mexica were told to look for when choosing where to build. Source: Government of Mexico
  3. The largest pyramid in the world by volume is in Mexico. The Great Pyramid of Cholula, in Puebla, has a base about four times that of Egypt's Great Pyramid. A church now sits on top. Source: Guinness World Records
  4. Chichén Itzá is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The Maya city in Yucatán was chosen in a worldwide vote in 2007 and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  5. Corn was first domesticated in Mexico. Farmers in southern Mexico bred maize from a wild grass called teosinte about 9,000 years ago. Source: Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
  6. Vanilla comes from a Mexican orchid. The Totonac people of Veracruz cultivated it long before it spread to the rest of the world. Source: Smithsonian Magazine
  7. Mexico has the largest Spanish-speaking population of any country. Around 130 million people live there, more than twice the population of Spain. Source: Instituto Cervantes
  8. Mexico recognizes 68 Indigenous languages as national languages. They have the same legal standing as Spanish. Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, is the most widely spoken. Source: INALI (National Institute of Indigenous Languages)
  9. Mexico has 32 federal entities. There are 31 states plus Mexico City, which became a federal entity in its own right in 2016. Source: INEGI
  10. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. It marks the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Independence Day is September 16, recalling the 1810 call to revolt. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  11. Millions of monarch butterflies spend the winter in Mexico. They fly up to about 4,000 km from Canada and the US to fir forests in Michoacán and the State of Mexico. Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  12. The Chihuahua is named after a Mexican state. The breed takes its name from Chihuahua, Mexico's largest state, where it was first documented. Source: American Kennel Club
  13. The axolotl lives wild only near Mexico City. This salamander, which can regrow lost limbs, survives in the canals of Xochimilco and is critically endangered. Source: IUCN Red List
  14. UNAM's main campus is a World Heritage Site. The Central University City Campus of Mexico's National Autonomous University was added to UNESCO's list in 2007. Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  15. A Mexican engineer patented an early color TV system. Guillermo González Camarena patented a color television system in Mexico in 1940. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
  16. Mexico City's main square is one of the largest in the world. The Zócalo, formally the Plaza de la Constitución, sits on the center of the old Aztec capital. Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica

Ancient cities, modern country

Mexico's capital stands on the site of Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital built on an island in Lake Texcoco. The lakebed beneath it is one reason parts of Mexico City are slowly sinking. Older still are the pyramids: the Great Pyramid of Cholula is the largest in the world by volume, and Chichén Itzá was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

Food the world eats every day

Corn was domesticated in Mexico about 9,000 years ago, and vanilla, chocolate and chili peppers all come from Mexico and Mesoamerica. A few common beliefs need correcting, too: Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's independence day, which is September 16.

Using these facts

These facts suit a geography or food round, or a classroom unit on Mexico. Pair them with the North and South America map quiz, and see our food trivia for the Caesar salad's surprising birthplace in Tijuana.

Questions people ask

What are some interesting facts about Mexico?

Mexico City is built on a former lake, the Great Pyramid of Cholula is the world's largest pyramid by volume, and corn was first domesticated in Mexico about 9,000 years ago.

Is Cinco de Mayo Mexico's independence day?

No. Cinco de Mayo marks the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Independence Day is September 16.

How many states does Mexico have?

Mexico has 32 federal entities: 31 states and Mexico City, which became a federal entity of its own in 2016.

More country facts

Sources