San Luis Potosí

We just learned about the Mexico state Sonora, where they do the Deer Dance.

Another Mexico State is San Luis Potosí.
It was named after Louis IX of France, and because they found gold and silver in this state they compared it to the mines in Potosi, Bolivia.


(from: wikipedia - san luis potosí)

The coat of arms of San Luis Potosí shows Louis IX of France on a mining hill, with gold and silver bars on either side for the mining in the area. The blue and yellow backgrounds are for night and day.


(from: wikipedia - san luis potosí)

There are many old gold and silver mines in the area that are not used anymore.


(from: wikipedia - san luis potosí)

There are some beautiful waterfalls and natural swimming places in the town of Tamasopo.


(from: wikipedia - tamasopo)

In the Wirikuta mountains, the Huichol people celebrate their ancient traditions with art, song and food.


(from: wikipedia - huichol)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Oregon Coast Range

Sonora

We just learned about the Mexico state of Hidalgo.

Another Mexico State is Sonora.

This state is on the north part of Mexico, bordering the US States of Arizona and New Mexico.
To the south is the Gulf of California.


(from: wikipedia - sonora)

The coat of arms of has a blue border, and the words "Estado de Sonora" which means "State of Sonora".
The top left has a mountain with a pick and shovel, for the mining in the state.
The top middle is a dancer doing a special Yaqui dance called the deer dance.
The top right shows some harvested crops, for the farms.
The bottom left is a bull for the ranches in the state.
The bottom right shows the coast with an island and a shark, over Tiburon Island, which means Shark Island.


(from: wikipedia - seal of sonora)

The Yaqui native people came from this state, and they have a well known dance called the Deer Dance, where they thank the deer for giving itself to nature so people can hunt it and have food.


(from: wikipedia - sonora)

The city of San Carlos is on the ocean, and has many nice rocks and marinas for people to visit.



(from: wikipedia - san carlos nuevo guaymas)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Cascade Range

Hidalgo

We just learned about the Mexico State of Coahuila.

Another Mexico State is Hidalgo.
It is one of the smaller states, but has many famous things like ancient ruins, hot springs and mountains.

Hidalgo is in the middle of Mexico, surrounded by other states.


(from: wikipedia - hidalgo (state))

The coat of arms of Hidalgo shows green mountains for the natural beauty of the state.
On the left is the Bell of Dolores, a famous bell used in the state's fight for independence.
On the right is a red cap with laurel branches, for victory.
The bottom has a round drum for the military battles they won.
The holes in the ground are for the mining that makes a lot of money for the state.


(from: wikipedia - hidalgo (state))

Tula is a famous city in Hidalgo, where there are ancient pyramids, buildings and statues going back over 2,000 years.


(from: wikipedia - tula (mesoamerican site))

The Basaltic Prisms of Santa María Regla are tall rocks with water running down them, and then turning into a waterfall.
The tall rocks were made by cooling volcanic lava.


(from: wikipedia - basaltic prisms of santa maria regla)

In Huasca de Ocampo there is a large canyon made by the Hueyapan river.


(from: wikipedia - huasca de ocampo)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Olympic Mountains

Coahuila

We just learned about the Mexico state of Sinaloa where some people still play the Mesoamerican ballgame.

Another Mexico state is Coahuila, which is on the north east part of Mexico, bordering the US state of Texas, along the Rio Grande river.


(from: wikipedia - coahuila)

There are many trees in the bottom and top left of the coat of arms, for the many trees that are found in the state.
The bottom part has the Monclova river that runs through the state, and the rising sun which is for the Mexican Revolution.
The top right has a lion and a column with the words Plus Ultra, which means Further Beyond.
The top left has two wolves by a tree.
The animals in these top two crests come from the people of Spain that came to Mexico.


(from: wikipedia - coahuila)

In the city of Torreón, there is a statue of Jesus called Cristo de las Noas.
It is the largest statue of Jesus in North America, and is over 70 feet tall.


(from: wikipedia - cristo de las noas)

The name of the city comes from the towers that were built to monitor the floods.


(from: wikipedia - torreón)

Underneath the city is a canal called "Canal de la Perla" which means the Pearl Watercourse, that was made to help bring the river water to the fields long ago.
It is not used anymore so they have opened it up like a museum that people can walk through.


(from: wikipedia - torreón)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Insular Mountains

Sinaloa

We just learned about the Mexico state Baja California on the northwest part of Mexico.

Another Mexico State is Sinaloa.
This state borders the Gulf of California, which is a gulf on the west part of Mexico, and it also borders the Pacific Ocean.


(from: wikipedia - sinaloa)

The coat of arms of Sinaloa has four parts, for the four main cities in the state.
The top left is an Aztec picture for the city of Culiacán, the capital of the state, showing the bended mountain Colhuacan.
The top right is a fortress for the city of El Fuerte.
The bottom right is an anchor and deer's head for the city of Mazatlán, which is the place of the deer.
The bottom left is a torn rosary with a broken chain, for the city of El Rosario.


(from: wikipedia - sinaloa)

The oldest sport in the world to use a rubber ball is the Mesoamerican ballgame, where people would play on a court and hit a rubber ball around.
In Sinaloa they still play a type of game like that one, called ulama, where people have to hit the ball with their hips to keep it moving on the court.


(from: wikipedia - ulama (game))

There are many large rivers that go through the state.
The three largest are the Culiacán, Fuerte, and Sinaloa.


(from: wikipedia - culiacán river)

On the coast of Mazatlan are many beautiful rock formations to see from the ocean.

(from: wikipedia - mazatlán)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Coast Mountains

Baja California

We just learned about the Mexico State of Tamaulipas and the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains.

Another Mexico State is Baja California.

This state is just below the US State of California, and has small borders with the US state of Arizona, the Mexico State of Sonora to the East, and the Mexico state below it called Baja California Sur.


(from: wikipedia - baja california)

The coat of arms of Baja California has a sun for the state's energy.
There is a man holding a book and a woman holding a test tube, and together they are holding lightning bolts. This means that together culture a science can be powerful.
Below that there is a person with their arms stretched out around farms, factories, gears and fish.
All of that is for the different business in Baja California.
The words at the top say "Trabajo y Justicia Social" which means "Work and Social Justice".


(from: wikipedia - seal of baja california)

The busy city of San Diego in California is less than an hour away from the Mexico border, so many of the Baja California cities are right up next to the border of the US.


(from: wikipedia - baja california)

Tijuana is one of the biggest cities in Baja California, where they have the Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT) that has a large omnimax theater in a ball shaped building nicknamed "La Bola".

(from: wikipedia - tijuana cultural center)

The highest mountain peak on Baja California is the Picacho del Diablo, which means peak of the devil. It is also sometimes called Cerro de la Encantada, which means Hill of the Enchanted.


(from: wikipedia - picacho del diablo)

Guadalupe Island is an island in the Pacific on the west coast of Mexico. It is part of Baja California, and is the farthest west part of the whole country of Mexico.


(from: wikipedia - guadalupe island)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Yukon Ranges

Tamaulipas

We just learned about the Mexico State of Guerrero, home of Acapulco.

Another Mexico State is Tamaulipas.

It is on the Northeast part of Mexico, with the US to the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east.


(from: wikipedia - tamaulipas)

On the the coat of arms of Tamaulipas, the top left shows corn for farming, the top center is the shield of the Count of Sierra Gorda and the top right is cattle for the animal farms.

In the middle is the large hill the Cerro del Bernal.
The bottom left has boats for fishing, farming in the middle, and oil machines on the right side.


(from: wikipedia - tamaulipas)

The Sierra Madre Oriental mountains go through this Mexico State.


(from: wikipedia - sierra madre oriental)

The Rio Grande is a river that is on the north border of the state, with the US on the other side.


(from: wikipedia - tamaulipas)

There is a plaza called Plaza de Armas in Tampico, with many famous old buildings.


(from: wikipedia - tampico)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Talkeetna Mountains

Guerrero

We just learned about the Mexico State of Chihuahua, the biggest state in Mexico.

Another Mexico State is Guerrero.

This state was named after the second president of Mexico, Vicente Guerrero, and is the only state named after a Mexican president.

It is on the southwest part of Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean.

(from: wikipedia - geurrero)

The coat of arms of Guerrero is a blue shield with a tiger knight on it, who is wearing a battle suit with a jaguar skin.
In his left hand he has a Mexica shield, and his right hand a weapon called a Maccahuitl, which is a piece of wood with sharp edged stones on it.

(from: wikipedia - geurrero)

The largest city is Acapulco. It is a famous place for people to go to on vacation for it's beaches and sunshine.


(from: wikipedia - acapulco)

There are famous cliff divers in Guerrero, called the La Quebrada cliff divers.
These divers dive into water from cliffs that are 135 feet tall, that's like a 13 story building!


(from: wikipedia - la quebrada cliff divers)

There are large caves called the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa, some of the largest caves in the world, with tunnels and rivers.


(from: wikipedia - grutas de cacahuamilpa national park)

Some of the oldest cave paintings ever found are in Juxtlahuaca. People believe they are about 3,000 years old.

(from: wikipedia - juxtlahuaca)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Chugach Mountains

Chihuaua

We just learned about the Mexico State of Oaxaca that has wind farms and palaces like Mitla.

Another Mexico State is Chihuahua.

We learned before about the type of dog named a chihuahua, and that dog was named after this state.

Chihuahua borders the US states of New Mexico and Texas to the north.
It is the biggest state in Mexico, and is even bigger than the whole United Kingdom in Europe!

Because it is so big, it has the nickname of El Estado Grande, which means The Big State.


(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (state))

The coat of arms of Chihuahua has a picture of the old water system called an aqueduct. In the middle is the head of a Spaniard and an Amerindina, to show that the people of Chihuahua are a mixture of people from different places.
The bottom is a picture of the Chihuahua Cathedral.


(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (state))

There is a large group of canyons called the Copper Canyon, that is a lot like the Grand Canyon in the US.
It's name comes from the copper and green color of the canyon.

(from: wikipedia - copper canyon)

There is a beautiful mansion that is now a museum in the city of Chihuahua, called Quinta Gameros

(from: wikipedia - quinta gameros)

Because Chihuahua is so big, it has all types of land, from the sand dunes of Samalayuca, to the tall grassy mountains of Cerro Mohinora, to the tall snowy mountains of Tarahumara.



(from: wikipedia - chihuahua (state))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Kenai Mountains

Oaxaca

We just learned about the Mexico state of Michoacán, home of the Purépecha long ago.

Another Mexico state is Oaxaca.
This state is on the south part of Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean.


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)

The coat of arms of Oaxaca has a red background, for the freedom of the people.
At the top is the coat of arms of Mexico.
The coat of arms has seven stars for the seven regions of the state.
In the middle are three areas. The left is for the fruits and flowers from the Leucaena leucocephela tree, and the face of a native.
The right has a side view of a palace in Mitla, and a Dominican cross.
On the bottom are two strong arms breaking a chain, for the battle for freedom of the Oaxacan people.

The words on the seal say: "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" which means "Respect for the rights of others is peace"
and "Estado libre y soberano de Oaxaca" which means "Free and sovereign state of Oaxaca".


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)

Oaxaca is the state that has the most wind power in all of Mexico, and the Eurus Wind Farm in Juchitán de Zaragoza is the largest wind farm in all of Latin America.


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)

There are many ancient places in Oaxaca, like the pyramids in Monte Albán.


(from: wikipedia - monte albán)

Another ancient place is a palace in a place called Mitla.


(from: wikipedia - mitla)

Since Oaxaca is on the ocean, it has some beautiful coast areas, like Punta Cometa.


(from: wikipedia - oaxaca)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Pacific Coast Belt