50 Things You Didn't Know about Mexico

RedChairPress — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 23:49:15 +0000

Young readers will learn about Mexico's history and ancient cultures, discover unique foods, and learn about daily life in this fascinating country.

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Pages:

Intermediate (6 to 9)

Language:

English

ISBN:

978-1643713250

Red Chair Press

Sean O'Neill

Categories:

Educational, Environment, History

Features:

Illustrations

Keywords:

mexico, history, culture, food, ancient, facts, surprises, daily-life

https://www.amazon.com/Things-Didnt-Know-about-Mexico/dp/1643713256

THINGS YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT Written and Illustrated by Sean ONeill THINGS YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT Written and Illustrated by Sean ONeill Egremont Massachusetts Things You Didnt Know About is produced and published by Red Chair Press wwwredchairpresscom Publishers CatalogingInPublication Data Provided by Cassidy Cataloging Services Inc Names ONeill Sean author illustrator ONeill Sean things you didnt know about Series Title things you didnt know about Mexico written and illustrated by Sean ONeill Other Titles Mexico Description Egremont Massachusetts Red Chair Press Interest age level Includes bibliographical references and index Summary With Things You Didnt Know About Mexico young readers will learn about Mexicos history and ancient cultures discover unique foods and learn about daily life in this fascinating countryPublisher Identifiers ISBN library hardcover softcover ebook LCCN Subjects LCSH MexicoHistoryJuvenile literature MexicoDescription and travelJuvenile literature MexicoSocial life and customs Juvenile literature CYAC MexicoHistory MexicoDescription and travel MexicoSocial life and customs BISAC JUVENILE NONFICTION Travel JUVENILE NONFICTION People Places Mexico Classification LCC F12085 O54 DDC 972dc23 Copyright Red Chair Press LLC RED CHAIR PRESS the RED CHAIR and associated logos are registered trademarks of Red Chair Press LLC All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced stored in an information or retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic mechanical including photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior written permission from the Publisher For permissions contact inforedchairpresscom Printed in the United States of America 1P F24CG TABLE of CONTENTS Chapter NATURAL WONDERS Chapter ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS Chapter A NEW NATION Chapter TRADITIONS AND CULTURE Chapter DAILY LIFE Glossary Explore More IndexAbout the Author 11C H A P T E R NATURAL WONDERS W ith miles of coastline Mexico is famous worldwide for the tropical beauty of its beaches But Mexicos rich biodiversity offers more than just sun sand and surf High desert in the north fertile plateaus in the central valleys as well as rainforest mountains canyons and even a few volcanoes combine to create habitats for a wide variety of plant and animal life making Mexico truly a land of natural wonders NATURAL WONDERS Mexico is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world It is home to species of plants kinds of reptiles over one thousand species of birds and about species of mammals including of course the jaguar One of the most amazing species of reptile in Mexico is the collared lizard Named for the two black stripes around its neck this quick little lizard uses its tail for balance and can run on two legs like an Olympic sprinter The huge asteroid that is believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs million years ago struck the Earth in Mexicospecifically near the current town of Chicxulub on Mexicos Yucatn peninsula NATURAL WONDERS Butterflies and tourists arent the only ones that like to spend the winter in Mexico Each December thousands of gray whales swim from Alaska to give birth in the warm water off the coast of Mexico One of the most impressive creatures native to Mexico is the quetzal bird Its long green tail feathers were used to decorate the headdresses of ancient Aztec rulers and in ancient times killing a quetzal was punishable by death When Spanish explorers arrived in Mexico in the 16th century they learned of a native insect called cochineal that could be used to make bright red paints and dyes Because Europeans loved red for royal garments this little bug became one of the most valuable exports from the New World The Mesoamerican Reef off the coast of Yucatn is the worlds secondlargest coral reef and is home to hundreds of species of sea life including fish turtles and sharks Every year in November millions of monarch butterflies make the mile journey from the United States and Canada south to central Mexico The butterflies gather in the Mexican state of Michoacn where the Mexican government has created a national refuge for them 22C H A P T E R ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS The oldest known civilization to have lived in Mexico ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS T hroughout history Mexicos rich natural landscape has given rise to many great civilizations At different periods in history indigenous cultures such as the Olmec Maya Toltec and Aztec ruled parts of Mexico As archaeologists continue to unearth remnants of these historic civilizations were learning more and more about how truly amazing they were is the Olmec Very little is known about this ancient culture but they left behind mysterious stone sculptures of giant headssome as large as feet tall and weighing tons Ancient Maya farmers were masters of an agricultural system called irrigation in which water is diverted to dry areas to water crops One of the most important crops grown by Maya and Aztec farmers was the cacao bean better known to us as chocolate from the Aztec word xocolatl Cacao beans were dried ground up and mixed with honey and hot waterthe worlds first hot chocolate Chocolate wasnt just for drinking It was such a desirable crop that the ancient Aztecs also used cacao beans as currency or money beans could buy you a turkey and to buy a jade necklace Hot chocolate might sound pretty good but you might be less interested in other parts of the ancient Mexican diet Maya and Aztecs enjoyed crunchy grasshoppers and caterpillars called maguey worms ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS The Maya and the Aztecs both were experts at building pyramids The famous temple of Kukulkan in the Maya city of Chichen Itza has exactly steps to the topone for each day of the year The largest pyramid in Mexico is the Temple of Cholula although until fairly recently nobody even knew it was there It had been so overgrown with plants and vegetation people assumed it was just a big hill until archaeologists began excavating it in the 1930s The Aztecs believed in many frightening gods The war god Huitzilopochtli was armed with a fire serpent and his evil sister Coyolxauhqui goddess of the moon according to legend murdered her own mother Ancient Maya were very knowledgeable about the movements of the stars and planets They observed the planet Venus closely and when they saw it in the sky it was a sign to go to war They called this a star war Rubber trees grow throughout Mexico and the Maya learned how to tap the sap from these trees and use it to make waterproof cloth glue and even rubber balls Another type of sap from a tree called the sapodilla was called chicle and turned rubbery when chewed Thats rightthe Maya invented chewing gum In fact chicle from the Yucatn was used to make gum up until the 1940s ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS The primary grain product in ancient Mexico was corn or maize The Aztecs and Maya used this to make everything from tortillas to popcorn Both the Maya and the Aztecs played a ball game called tlachtli Teams of two or three players wearing headdresses and large belts would try to hit a rubber ball through a stone ring Much like Roman gladiators the losers were usually put to death

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