The Compass: Mexico ~ Historian Fact

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The Compass: Mexico

May 02, 2020 No comments

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Mexico

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With deep cultural roots, Mexico is a country filled with rich ancient history and extraordinary sights. This week we journey into the sacred "Cave of the Jaguar God", explore the mysterious origins of ancient Teotihuacan, and learn about the Mexican Hairless dog (the xoloitzcuintli), believed to be a guide to the Underworld.
Let’s explore Mexico.

HISTORY & CULTURE

National Geographic Explorer Guillermo de Anda examines a cache of ritual vessels inside the Balamku (Jaguar God) cave in Yucatán, Mexico. The objects have been untouched for at least 1,000 years.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KARLA ORTEGA

Maya ritual cave ‘untouched’ for 1,000 years stuns archaeologists

Exploration of Balamku (Cave of the Jaguar God) reveals ancient religious practices—and may hold clues to the rise and fall of the Maya empire.

Performers pose for a photo during Mexico City's Independence Day celebrations in 2016.

PHOTOGRAPH BY PEDRO GONZALEZ CASTILLO, GETTY IMAGES

Mexico Independence Day: What you need to know

Commonly confused with Cinco de Mayo in the U.S., the celebration of Mexican independence focuses on the moment the revolt began in September 1810.

The Pyramid of the Sun is the largest structure in the ancient city of Teotihuacan, Mexico, and one of the largest buildings of its kind on the Western Hemisphere.

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARTIN GRAY

Who built the great city of Teotihuacan?

The Mayan city in today's Mexico has mysterious origins.

Musicians wait for clients in Plaza Garibaldi. On normal evenings, crowds would throng to hear their songs, but with COVID-19 restrictions in place, customers are few and far between.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RUBÉN SALGADO ESCUDERO

A pandemic quiets mariachis and tourism in Mexico City

What a tepid government response and fragile economy mean for musicians, taco stands, and other gig workers in Mexico’s capital.

General Zaragoza’s Mexican army outside repels French forces during the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Painting by Patricio Ramos Ortega. National History Museum, Mexico City.

PAINTING BY PATRICIO RAMOS ORTEGA. NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM, MEXICO CITY

The victorious origins of Cinco de Mayo

Behind modern Cinco de Mayo celebrations is the 1862 Battle of Puebla, a Mexican triumph over French colonial forces.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

Ash spews from Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano in July 2013. The peak is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, a region which seismologists say may present a greater earthquake hazard than anticipated.

PHOTOGRAPH BY J. GUADALUPE PEREZ, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Ancient Aztec records reveal hidden earthquake risk

Scientific examinations of historical accounts suggest that up to 40 percent of Mexico’s population lives along a zone that is more seismically active than suspected.

Carlos Rafael Ortegon Cervera blows against his bees to move them. He owns 600 hives, many of which sit inside Mennonite property, where he says his father kept bees long before the religious sect arrived.

PHOTOGRAPH BY NADIA SHIRA COHEN, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

An unlikely feud between beekeepers and Mennonites simmers in Mexico

Survival is at stake as Mennonite colonies’ illegal soy farms threaten the livelihood of Maya beekeepers.

The xoloitzcuintli gets its mouthful of a name from two words in the language of the Aztecs: Xolotl, the god of lightning and death, and itzcuintli, or dog.

PHOTOGRAPH FROM AUSCAPE, UIG
VIA GETTY IMAGES

This hairless Mexican dog has a storied, ancient past

With a history going back more than 3,500 years, the xoloitzcuintli dog played a significant role in Precolumbian life.

Fireflies dart in the forest at Santa Clara Sanctuary.

PHOTOGRAPH BY KIRSTEN LUCE, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

See thousands of fireflies light up a
Mexican forest

A photographer shifts her gaze from the ongoing instability and violence in Mexico to the fleeting beauty of one of the country’s natural wonders.

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VIDEO STORY

Explore the world's largest underwater cave.

READ THE STORY

WHERE WILL WE JOURNEY TO NEXT?

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