FACTS ABOUT MEXICO THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU, 🇲🇽:

🇲🇽 Mexico City is built on top of a lake, and its name in the Aztec language Nahuatl, Tenochtitlan, means "place of the prickly pear cactus."

🇲🇽 Mexico introduced chocolate, corn, and chilies to the world.

🇲🇽 The world's smallest volcano, Cuexcomate, is located in Puebla, Mexico.

🇲🇽 Mexico has the second-highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Americas, after the United States.

🇲🇽 The "Mexican Hat Dance" is the official dance of Mexico.

🇲🇽 Mexico City is sinking at a rate of about 10 inches per year due to the depletion of underground aquifers.

🇲🇽 The Monarch butterfly migration, from Canada to Mexico, is one of the longest migrations of any insect.

🇲🇽 The world's largest population of wild jaguars is found in Mexico's southern jungles.

🇲🇽 Mexico is home to the world's largest biosphere reserve, the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve.

🇲🇽 The national symbol of Mexico is the golden eagle devouring a snake, which is depicted on the country's flag.

🇲🇽 Mexico has a rich tradition of muralism, with famous murals by artists like Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

🇲🇽 Mexico has 68 official languages recognized by the government, with Spanish being the most spoken.

🇲🇽 The world's largest bullring, the Plaza de Toros México, is located in Mexico City.

🇲🇽 The Mexican Revolution lasted from 1910 to 1920 and resulted in the overthrow of the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz.

🇲🇽 Mexico is the birthplace of the color television and the contraceptive pill.

🇲🇽 The state of Oaxaca is known as the "Land of the Seven Moles" due to its variety of mole sauces.

🇲🇽 Mexico has the largest population of Spanish speakers in the world.

🇲🇽 The world's smallest volcano, Cuexcomate, is located in Puebla, Mexico.

🇲🇽 Mexico City is the oldest capital city in the Americas, founded by the Aztecs in 1325.

🇲🇽 Mexico is the world's largest producer of silver.

🇲🇽 The world's largest pyramid, by volume, is the Great Pyramid of Cholula, located in Puebla, Mexico.

🇲🇽 Mexico's cuisine was the first to be recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

🇲🇽 The tradition of Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) originated in Mexico and is celebrated on November 1st and 2nd.

🇲🇽 Mexico is the leading exporter of avocados, with the state of Michoacán producing the most.

🇲🇽 The Mexican flag features three vertical stripes: green, white, and red, with the national coat of arms in the center.

🇲🇽 Mexico is home to the largest population of bottlenose dolphins in the world.

🇲🇽 The Mariachi music originated in the state of Jalisco, Mexico.

🇲🇽 Mexico has 32 states, plus the capital city, Mexico City.

🇲🇽 The Yucatan Peninsula is home to the largest underwater cave system in the world.

🇲🇽 The Xoloitzcuintli, or Mexican hairless dog, is one of the oldest and rarest breeds in the world.

🇲🇽 Mexico has a desert where hundreds of huge, surreal cacti grow, known as the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve.

🇲🇽 The Sierra Madre mountain range runs through Mexico and is one of the longest continuous mountain ranges in the world.

🇲🇽 The Olmec civilization, one of the earliest in Mesoamerica, flourished in what is now Mexico around 1400 BCE.

🇲🇽 The world's smallest breed of rabbit, the volcano rabbit or zacatuche, is found only in Mexico.

🇲🇽 The Mayan civilization, known for its advanced mathematics and astronomy, thrived in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

🇲🇽 Mexico has the world's largest population of wild flamingos.

🇲🇽 The Mexican gray wolf, also known as the lobo, is one of the most endangered wolf subspecies in the world.

🇲🇽 The Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlan was built on a series of artificial islands connected by causeways.

🇲🇽 Mexico has more than 10,000 known archaeological sites.

🇲🇽 The city of Guadalajara, Mexico, is known as the birthplace of mariachi music.

🇲🇽 Mexico's official name is the United Mexican States.

🇲🇽 The Caribbean coast of Mexico is home to the world's second-largest barrier reef, the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.

🇲🇽 The Mexican tradition of breaking piñatas originated in China, brought to Mexico by Spanish missionaries in the 16th century.

🇲🇽 The largest pyramid in Mexico's Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza is called El Castillo and aligns with the movements of the sun.

🇲🇽 Mexico City is one of the highest capitals in the world, sitting at an elevation of 7,382 feet (2,250 meters) above sea level.

🇲🇽 Mexico is the world's leading producer of silver, and the city of Taxco is known for its silver jewelry.

🇲🇽 Mexico's Copper Canyon, or Barrancas del Cobre, is larger and deeper than the Grand Canyon in the United States.