Yucatán

We just learned about the Mexican state of Tabasco where the Spanish first landed in Mexico.

Another state in Mexico is Yucatán.

This state is on north end of the bottom tail of Mexico, right on the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.


(from: wikipedia - yucatán)

Yucatán's coat of arms is green and yellow.
It shows a deer for the native Mayan people, jumping over an agave plant which grows in the area.
On the top and bottom are Mayan arches, and the left and right are Spanish towers, for the two different people that live there.


(from: wikipedia - yucatán)

There are ancient buildings in the city of Chichen Itza, like an ancient pyramid nicknamed "el castillo" which means "the castle"


(from: wikipedia - el castillo, chichen itza)

In Cuzuma and some other cities are some caves on the water that people can go tour.

(from: wikipedia - yucatán)

Another big pyramid on Yucatán is the Pyramid of the Magician in the town of Uxmal, which is over 13 stories tall.
The name of the pyramid comes from old legends that said a magician built it in one night.

(from: wikipedia - pyramid of the magician)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Klamath-Siskyou Mountains

Tabasco

We just learned about the San Luis Potosí where they have many gold and silver mines.

Another Mexico state is Tabasco.

This state is on the south part of Mexico, right on the Gulf of Mexico which opens up to the Atlantic Ocean.


(from: wikipedia - tabasco)

The coat of arms of Tabasco has a picture of the Virgin Mary in the middle, for Catholic church.
The top left has four castles, for the Spanish kingdom of Castile.
The top right has a sword and shield for the power of the Spanish.
The bottom left has a native holding flowers for the farms.
The bottom right has a lion for the Spanish kingdom of León


(from: wikipedia - tabasco)

There are many ancient pyramids in Tabasco, like the one in the city of Comalcalco.


(from: wikipedia - tabasco)

There is a special dance in Tabasco called "Zapateo" which means "toe tapping" and is a type of tap dancing.


(from: wikipedia - tabasco)

Tabasco was the place where the Spanish people first landed over 500 years ago, and met the Native people who lived there.


(from: wikipedia - tabasco)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Calapooya Mountains

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