Learning A–Z level T Multi-level J T Y

Grade 3 Word Count 1,061

Lexile 860L

Refer to the Focus Question on page 2 of this title to guide

discussion and support additional learning connected to the text.
Nonfiction • Informational

Mexico
Mexico is an amazing country, filled with amazing
landforms, animals, people, and culture. Students
will learn ancient civilizations as well as modern life
in Mexico as they read this book. Detailed maps and
colorful photographs support the text. Part of the
Countries Around the World series, this book is also
available for levels J and Y.

Photo Credits:
Front cover: Marcin Mikolajczuk/Alamy; title page: ZealPhotography/Alamy; page 3: © Subbotina/Dreamstime.com; page 5 (top left):
© Jose Fuste Raga/Corbis; page 5 (top right): © Yyyahuuu/Dreamstime.com; page 5 (bottom): David R. Frazier Photolibrary, Inc./Alamy;
page 6: © Keith Dannemiller/Corbis; page 7: Diego Grandi/Alamy Stock Photo; page 10: © Eberdova/Dreamstime.com; page 11: © Private
Collection/The Stapleton Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library; page 12: frans lemmens/Alamy; page 13 (top): Danita Delimont/Alamy;
page 13 (bottom): © Gerry Ellis/Minden Pictures; page 14: Aurora Photos/Alamy; page 15 (main): © Javiercorrea15/Dreamstime.com; page 15
(inset): © asafta/iStock/Thinkstock

Written by Jesse Brett

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 Mexico
Glossary
basin (n.) page 5
a depression, or low area, in the surface of the earth

canyons (n.) page 8

deep valleys with steep sides that are usually
formed by rivers

cenotes (n.) page 9

deep natural wells created when surface limestone
collapses and exposes groundwater underneath

colony (n.) page 11

an area or a country that is ruled by or belongs to
another country

lagoons (n.) page 9

shallow, calm bodies of water between a reef and
the shoreline or in the center of an atoll

mestizos (n.) page 6

people of Spanish and Indigenous ancestry

peninsula (n.) page 4

a long piece of land almost completely surrounded
by water

plateau (n.) page 8

a large raised area of flat land
Above: Traditional dancers in Mexico wear colorful, twirling dresses.
rainforests (n.) page 9 Cover: Tulum is the site of ancient Mayan ruins on the coast of the Yucatán
dense forests, usually in tropical areas, that receive a Peninsula in Mexico.
Page 3: Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula includes underground caves like this one.
lot of rain and contain diverse animal and plant life
Written by Jesse Brett

16
 Mexico

Focus Question
What makes Mexico
a diverse country?

Population: 127,575,529
Words to Know
basin mestizos Land: 1,964,375 sq km (758,450 sq. mi.)
canyons peninsula Capital City: Mexico City
cenotes plateau
Primary Language: Spanish
colony rainforests
lagoons Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
Currency: Peso (PAY-soh)
Discussion Questions
Cause and Effect
How do caves form in the Yucatán?
Analyze
Why does the author call Mexico a land of
diversity?
Source: Central Intelligence Agency (2019), World Bank

Mexico • Level T 15
 Table of Contents
Mexico’s Copper Canyon is a popular tourist site, although it is difficult
to reach. A train takes visitors through the area. Where Is It? � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4

Conclusion People � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 6

Mexico is a country of diversity� It has Land � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 8

modern cities and ancient ruins� Deep canyons
History � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 10
lie within high mountains� Dry deserts and
wet rainforests cover the land� Its long history Animals � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 12
and natural beauty fascinate people around
Conclusion � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 14
the globe� If you were to visit Mexico, what
would you want to see first? Glossary � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 16

14 Mexico • Level T 3
 Mexico
The sacred bird of the
United ancient Maya and the Aztec,
States the quetzal (keht-SAHL)
lives in the rainforests of
Baja Mexico� Like many types
Gu

Peninsula
of birds, the male is brightly
lf o
f Ca

Mexico Gulf of
Yucatán colored, and the female is
lifo

Mexico
PACIFIC Peninsula
nia r

OCEAN plainer in appearance� The

Mexico male’s head and chest are
City
NORTH
Belize
bright golden green� Its back
AMERICA
is blue, its belly is red, and
Honduras
its tail feathers can be more The bright colors of the male
SOUTH Guatemala
than 1 meter (3 ft�) long� quetzal help it attract a mate.
AMERICA El Salvador

Where Is It? In the mountains of Mexico lives the red-

knee tarantula� This large, hairy spider is
In the southern part of North America named for the reddish-orange patches on
lies the country of Mexico� It is found between its leg joints�
the United States and the countries of Belize The legs of this
and Guatemala� large spider
West of Mexico is the Pacific Ocean� On the span 15 cm
eastern coast is the Gulf of Mexico� The Gulf (6 in�)� It grows
of California divides the main land area of very slowly, and
Mexico from the Baja (BAH-hah) Peninsula� the female spider
Mexico also includes some islands� These lie The ends of the red-knee tarantula’s legs can can live to be
detect vibrations, smells, and tastes.
along the east and west coasts� thirty years old�

4 Mexico • Level T 13
Although the jaguar is active during the day, it hunts mainly at night.

Animals
Many different types of animals live in
Mexico� The jaguar plays an important role
in the stories, songs, and prayers of Mexico’s
ancient Indigenous peoples� It lives mainly in A monument to war heroes greets visitors as they enter Chapultepec
Park (bottom). The park includes history museums (top left) as well
the rainforests of Mexico� The largest of all the as lakes (top right).
cat species in North America, it can measure
about 2 meters (6 ft�) in length� It has black Mexico City, one of the oldest cities in
spots and a roar that sounds like a loud cough� North America, is the capital of Mexico� It
sits in a basin surrounded by mountains and
Unlike many other cats, the jaguar likes to
is home to more than nineteen million people�
swim, play, and hunt in water� Its main source
of food is the peccary, a small, wild member of Mexico City contains many beautiful
the pig family� Sadly, the jaguar is in danger of parks� Chapultepec (chah-pool-te-PEK)
extinction; however, many people are trying to Park is the largest� It contains a zoo, gardens,
save them� fountains, museums, lakes, and forests�

12 Mexico • Level T 5
 People
Thousands of years ago, Indigenous
peoples lived on the land that is now Mexico
and built amazing civilizations� Then, Spanish
explorers came to Mexico in 1517� By 1521, the
Spanish had colonized Mexico� As a result,
about two thirds of modern Mexico’s people
are mestizos (mes-TEE-zohz)� This means they
Pancho Villa (left) and Emiliano Zapata (right), were the leaders of the
are the descendants of both Indigenous and Mexican Revolution.
European ancestors� The other third of the
population consists of Indigenous peoples, In 1521, Mexico became a Spanish colony� It
Spanish descendants, and other people who remained a colony until 1821, when the people
have come to the country� fought and won a war to be free from Spanish
rule� In the century that followed, many
Today, Mexico has a people were poor farmers who struggled to
population of more than survive� Wealthy Europeans owned 95 percent
120 million people� Most of the land� Farmers and workers had few
Mexicans speak Spanish� rights and little money� During the Mexican
More people speak Revolution (1910–1920), the people rose up and
Spanish in Mexico than changed the government� Mexico became a
any other country in democracy, which helped to improve daily life
the world� Some people for people who were poor�
speak Indigenous
languages� Most of the Today, Mexico is still a land of extremes�
population lives in cities� There are two main social classes, the rich and
More than three fourths of
Mexico’s people live in cities. the poor, with a very small middle class�

6 Mexico • Level T 11
 History Mexico is rich in natural resources such as
oil and silver� It exports tons of coffee, sugar
The earliest people in
cane, and cotton throughout the world each
Mexico were Indigenous
year� The country is also famous for its art
peoples� One of the most
and artists� Painting, sculpture, and dance
well known groups is the
have a long and rich history in Mexico�
Mayan people� The Maya
built great cities, temples,
and pyramids without Visitors to Mexico can see
El Castillo (kahs-TEE-yoh),
the help of the wheel a pyramid built by the Mayan
or animals� They also people long ago.

created beautiful works of art, studied the

stars and planets, and developed a calendar�

In the early 1300s, the Aztec people arrived

in central Mexico� They built their capital city
on an island in a lake� The Aztec were also
known as the Mexica, and from that name
comes the name Mexico� The site of the Aztec
capital city, Tenochtitlán (tay-nohch-teet-
LAHN), would become Mexico City�
Do You Know?
The Aztec built a huge empire� In 1519, Mexico is famous for its large paintings called murals. One
of its most famous muralists was Diego Rivera. In this famous
the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés arrived mural, he shows the Zapotec and the Mixtec, two Indigenous
in the Aztec capital� Within two years, he groups of ancient Mexico, at work making jewelry from gold
and his followers had taken over the land and precious stones such as jade and turquoise. The mural,
along with many others, is in the National Palace in Mexico
and conquered the Aztec people� City.

10 Mexico • Level T 7
 Mexico’s Landforms
Sonoran Two peninsulas, the Baja and the Yucatán,
Desert
jut into the ocean� The Yucatán Peninsula is
Copper
made of limestone that has dissolved away
Baja
Canyon Chihuahuan over thousands of years in some places�
Desert Sierra Madre Oriental
Gul

Peninsula The result is spectacular caves, including

Mountains
f of

Mexican
Plateau Gulf of underground caves filled with water called
Cal

Yucatán
Mexico
if o r

PACIFIC Mexico Peninsula cenotes (sih-NOH-teez)�

nia

OCEAN
Mexico
City The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts
Pico de
Orizaba
stretch across northern Mexico� The Sonoran
Sierra Madre del Sur
Mountains Desert has more types of plants than any
desert in North America�
Land Warm, wet rainforests cover parts of
Mexico has many mountain ranges, and southeastern Mexico� These forests are home
some mountains are also volcanoes� The to many different types of plants and animals�
highest mountain is a volcano 5,700 meters Mexico’s coastal lowlands contain lagoons,
(18,701 ft�) high named Pico de Orizaba (PEE- marshes, and swamps� Past the eastern
koh day OR-ee-SAH-bah)� Mountains run coast lies the Caribbean Sea�
along the west, east, and south� Mexico also Mexico does not have many lakes and
has canyons that reach amazing depths� rivers, but one is very well known because
Copper Canyon in northern Mexico is known it forms the border between Mexico and
for being larger than the Grand Canyon� the United States� Mexicans call this river
The center of the country is a plateau� The the Rio Bravo del Norte, which means “wild
raised, flat land makes it ideal for building river of the north�” People of the United States
roads and towns� Most people live in this area� call it the Rio Grande�

8 Mexico • Level T 9