How much do you really know about Mexico?
From a famous salad to a sinking capital, Mexico is full of facts that surprise even people who know it well. Six questions, no easy ones.
Did you know?
- Corn was domesticated in southern Mexico roughly 9,000 years ago.
- The axolotl, a salamander that keeps its juvenile features all its life, lives in the wild only around Mexico City.
- Some historic buildings in central Mexico City visibly tilt because the ground beneath them sinks unevenly.
Why Mexico keeps surprising people
Mexico has given the world far more than most people realize, and its capital city has one of the most unusual foundations of any on Earth.
Gifts to the world's kitchens
Vanilla, corn, tomatoes and chili peppers were all domesticated in Mexico and the surrounding region. Many cuisines that seem 'traditional' elsewhere would be unrecognizable without them.
A country of many languages
Spanish is the most widely spoken language, but Mexico is also home to dozens of indigenous languages. Many have their own regional variants that are as different as separate languages.
A city built on a lake
The Aztec capital Tenochtitlan stood on an island in Lake Texcoco. Today's Mexico City grew over the drained lakebed, which is why parts of it sink year after year.