Michoacán

We just learned about the Mexico State of Neuvo León.

Another Mexico State is Michoacán.

This state is on the south west part of Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean.
It's name means place of the fishermen.

(from: wikipedia - michoacán)

The coat of arms has a fish at the top for the place of fishermen. On the left is a person on horseback for the famous General José María Morelos y Pavón.
On the right are three crowns for the history of the Purépecha empire.
The bottom left and right are for the workers and people of the state.

(from: wikipedia - michoacán)

There are ancient pyramids called yacatas in the area called Tzintzuntzan

(from: wikipedia - tzintzuntzan (mesoamerican site))

The Sierra madre del sur mountains go through the state, along the ocean front.

(from: wikipedia - michoacán)

Before the Spanish came in to Mexico, the Purépecha people lived there

(from: wikipedia - tarascan state)


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Nuevo León

We just learned about the Mexico State of Chiapas.

Another Mexico state is Nuevo León, which means New Lion, and is named after the state in Spain called León.

This state is north part of Mexico, and has one small 9 mile stretch where it connects to the US at the state of Texas.


(from: wikipedia - nuevo león)

The coat of arms for Nuevo León shows the Cerro de la Silla mountains, next a lion for the state's name.
Below that is the temple of San Francisco which was part of Nuevo León but is now in Texas.
Next to the temple are chimneys showing the workers of Mexico.
In the borders are old weapons from the warriors from long ago, and chains for the group of all the people working together.
On the bottom is a ribbon that says "Semper Ascendens" which means "Always Ascending".

(from: wikipedia - nuevo león)

La Huasteca is a place where a lot of people like to go rock climbing.


(from: wikipedia - la huasteca (climbing area))

Cerro de la Silla which means hill of the chair is a mountain area where a lot of people like to go hiking.


(from: wikipedia - cerro de la silla)

The state has a large farm of wind turbines that can bring electricity to over 630,000 homes.


(from: wikipedia - nuevo león)


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Chiapas

We just learned about the Mexico state of Guanajuato.

Another Mexico state is Chiapas.
This state borders the Pacific Ocean, and the country of Guatemala.


(from: wikipedia - chiapas)

The coat of arms of Chiapas is a shield with a red background, for the dangers of the past.
There are two cliffs, with the Grijalva river in the middle, for the justice of the state.
On the left cliff there is a lion with a castle, for heroism and strength.
On the right cliff is a lion and a palm tree, for victory and protection.


(from: wikipedia - chiapas)

There are ancient ruins from over 1,000 years ago in a place called Palenque.


(from: wikipedia - palenque)

Chiapas has some of the oldest fossils found in North America, with one building uncovered from 700 BC, over 2,700 years ago!

(from: wikipedia - chiapa de corzo (mesoamerican site))


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Guanajuato

We just learned about the Mexico State of Puebla.

Another Mexican state is Guanajuato.

This state is in the middle of Mexico, and does not border either ocean.


(from: wikipedia - guanajuato)

The flag of Guanajuato has the coat of arms on it, which shows a person in the middle holding a cross, to show the battles that the Catholic church had helped with for Mexico.


(from: wikipedia - guanajuato)

Mammillaria duwei is a species of flowering cactus, sometimes called the biznaguita.
The only place it grows in the whole world is in the state of Guanajuato.
These cacti are endangered and there are maybe only around 500 left in the wild.


(from: wikipedia - mammillaria duwei)

There is a museum called the "Museo de las Momias" in Mexico, that has Mummies on display!


(from: wikipedia - guanajuato)

There are ancient ruins from people who lived in Mexico long ago, in the town of Plazauelas.


(from: wikipedia - guanajuato)

There is an old convent called San Agustín de Yuriria, built in 1550.


(from: wikipedia - guanajuato)


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Puebla

We just learned about the Mexican State of Jalisco.

Another state in Mexico is Puebla.

Puebla is in the southern middle part of Mexico, but does not touch water on either side.


(from: wikipedia - puebla)

The Coat of Arms of Puebla is a shield with four of the state's mountains on the top.
Around the outsides of the shield are two snakes, with corn for their tails, masks of Tlaloc as their heads, with footprint marks and suns on their bodies.
The snakes are for Quetzalcoatl, who long ago people believed created the world.
Below the shield are the words Estado Libre Sobrano de Puebla, which means "Free and Sovereign State of Puebla".
There are four boxes in the shield. The top left is for the textile industry, the top right is for the Necaxa dam.
The bottom left is for the rebellion of the Mexican people, and the bottom right are for the growing of corn.


(from: wikipedia - puebla)

One of the holidays popular in Puebla is Day of the Dead, where people pray for the people that have died.

(from: wikipedia - day of the dead)

Another one of the many pyramids in Mexico is called the Cholula Pyramid.

(from: wikipedia - great pyramid of cholula)

There are many beautiful cathedrals in Mexico, like the Templo de San Francisco de Asis Acatepec.

(from: wikipedia - puebla)


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Jalisco

We just learned about the Mexico State of Veracruz.

Another state it Mexico is Jalisco.

This state is on the west coast of Mexico, on the Pacific ocean.
Jalisco has all different types of land, like forests, beaches, plains and lakes.


(from: wikipedia - jalisco)

The flag of Jalisco is blue and yellow, with the coat of arms in the middle.
The coat of arms has two bronze climbing lions with their paws on a pine tree, for victory.

(from: wikipedia - flag of jalisco)

In the town of Tequila, there is a volcano called the Tequila Volcano that erupted long ago, and the lava that poured out turned the ground there into a place where the agave cactus grows.
This cactus is one of the main ingredients for the drink called tequila, which is made in the town called Tequila.


(from: wikipedia - tequila volcano)

The state of Jalisco is where Mariachi music comes from.

(from: wikipedia - mariachi)

The biggest city in Jalisco is Guadalajara. It has many famous places like the cathedral of Guadalajara.
(from: wikipedia - guadalajara)


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Veracruz

We just learned about the state of Mexico City.

Another Mexican state is Veracruz which means True Cross.
The state is long and thin, bordered on the west by mountains and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico.


(from: wikipedia - veracruz)

The seal for Veracruz is a golden shield with a green top and a blue bottom, with a red cross on top.
On the cross is the word "vera" which means true.
In the green part of the shield is a castle, and in the blue below it are two columns with the words Plus and Ultra.
There are 13 stars in the gold shield, for the 13 provinces that were part of Veracruz when it started.


(from: wikipedia - veracruz)

The largest city in Veracruz is called Veracruz!
There is a large palace there that was built for the rulers of the state.


(from: wikipedia - veracruz (city))

The highest mountain in Mexico is a stratovolcano called Pico deo Orizaba.


(from: wikipedia - pico de orizaba)

El Tajín is a famous city where they have large pyramids from people who used to live there.

(from: wikipedia - el tajín)


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Mexico City

We just learned about the State of Mexico.

The next largest state in Mexico is actually the city of Mexico City.
It is not actually a state, but it is counted as it's own district, kind of like Washington, D.C.

Mexico City has the most people of any city in North America.
It is the capital city of Mexico.


(from: wikipedia - mexico city)

The coat of arms of Mexico City is a castle with three bridges, and two golden lions on a blue background.
The lions are for the Spanish settlers in the country, and the blue background is for the water that was in Mexico City long ago.
There are 10 cacti around the flag because those nopal cacti grow in that area.


(from: wikipedia - mexico city)

Long ago Mexico City was an Aztec place full of temples called Tenochtitlan.
The Aztecs had a legend about finding the best city, that said they would see an eagle landing on a cactus while catching a snake.
They saw this happen on an island, and that is where they started building this city.


(from: wikipedia - tenochtitlan)

When the Spanish people came to Mexico, they took over the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, destroyed the Aztec temples, and built the new buildings on top of it, like the Zocalo Cathedral.


(from: wikipedia - mexico city)

There is a castle called Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City, where royals or presidents have lived through the years.

(from: wikipedia - chapultepec castle)

The National Palace of Mexico City is the home for the rulers of Mexico, like the President.


(from: wikipedia - national palace (mexico))


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State of Mexico

Let's keep learning about Mexico States.

The most populated state in Mexico is actually called the State of Mexico, or "Estado de México" in Spanish.

So you could live in Mexico State and Mexico Country.

This state has the most people in it, and it is also the most densely populated, which means it is the most crowded, with 16 million people living there.
If this was a state in the US, it would be the 5th most populated state.
It surrounds Mexico City, which is it's own state.


(from: wikipedia - state of mexico)

The flag is just the seal with a white background.
The seal has the words "Patria, Libertad, Trabajo y Cultura" which means (Homeland, Liberty, Work and Culture).
Each word has pictures to show it's meaning.
Homeland: The Nevado de Toluca volcano, Pyramid of the sun in Teotihuacan, and a person dressed like an Aztec.
Liberty: A cannon with two crosses on it, for the Battle of Monte de las Cruces.
Work and culture: An open book for knowledge, with farms, a gear, sickle, shovel and flask to show the hard working people.


(from: wikipedia - state of mexico)

The Aztec people lived in the Valley of Mexico, where the State of Mexico is now, and there are many ancient pyramids and buildings from their time, in cities like Teotihuacan.


(from: wikipedia - teotihuacan)

One famous church from when the Spanish people came in and took over the land is the Cathedral of Tepotzotlan.


(from: wikipedia - tepotzotlan)

The highest point in the state is the Popocatépetl volcano, which is still active and still sometimes erupts!


(from: wikipedia - popocatépetl)


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Mexico States

We just learned a lot about the Canadian Provinces and territories.

Let's move on and talk a little about the States in the country of Mexico.

Mexico has 31 states, and one of them is the big city of Mexico City.

The states are: Baja California Sur, Colima, Campeche, Nayarit, Tlaxcala, Aguascalientes, Quintana Roo, Zacatecas, Durango, Morelos, Querétaro, Yucatán, Tabasco, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Hidalgo, Coahuila, Sinaloa, Baja California, Tamaulipas, Guerrero, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Nuevo León, Chiapas, Guanajuato, Puebla, Jalisco, Veracruz


(from: wikipedia - states of mexico)


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Yukon

We just learned about the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Another Canadian territory is Yukon.

This territory has the smallest number of people of any province or territory, with only about 36,000 people in the whole territory.

It is up in the north west part of Canada, and borders with Alaska.


(from: wikipedia - yukon)

The Yukon flag is green for the forests, white for snow and blue for the lakes and rivers.
In the middle is the coat of arms, above a wreath of fireweed which is the flower of Yukon.


(from: wikipedia - flag of yukon)

The coat of arms has red mountains with gold discs, for the mountains in the area and the rich gold minerals in the area.
Above that is the red and white cross for England, with a disc in the middle showing a "vair" which is squirrel fur.
Above the shield is an Alaskan Malamute dog standing on snow.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of yukon)

The most popular job in Yukon is mining.
In 1897 there was a big rush of people called the Klondike Gold Rush, where people went into northern Canada looking for gold or other precious materials like silver or copper.

(from: wikipedia - klondike gold rush)

The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, in Yukon.


(from: wikipedia - mount logan)

The lowest temperature ever in North America was at a town called Snag, where it got down to -81 F.

(from: wikipedia - yukon)


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