Central America · MEX

Mexico

The story · 13 chapters

How it was drawn

Olmec, Maya and Aztec lands conquered as New Spain, independent in 1821, cut down to today's shape when half its territory went to the United States, then remade by foreign invasion and revolution.

Play the story Take the first lesson

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Mexico fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Tarascan State1470 to 1521
The Tarascans of Michoacán were the Aztecs' great western rival. In the late 1470s they routed a large Aztec army under the emperor Axayacatl, and the two empires faced each other across a fortified frontier until the Spanish conquest.
Kingdom of Spain1519 to 1521
Hernán Cortés and his Tlaxcalan allies fought the Aztec Empire for two years. After the Spanish were driven out of Tenochtitlan in 1520, they returned with a fleet built for the lake and took the city in August 1521.
Spanish Empire1810 to 1829
Royalist armies fought Mexican insurgents from 1810 to 1821. Spain then held the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa off Veracruz until 1825, and its last attempt at reconquest was defeated near Tampico in 1829.
Guatemala1824 to 1882
Guatemala long disputed Mexico's hold on Chiapas, which joined Mexico in 1824, and on the Soconusco coast, which Mexico occupied in 1842. A treaty in 1882 settled the border, and Guatemala gave up its claims.
Republic of Texas1835 to 1845
American settlers in Texas revolted in 1835. Santa Anna's army took the Alamo in March 1836 but was routed at San Jacinto in April, and Texas lived as a republic Mexico refused to recognise until it joined the United States.
Kingdom of France1838 to 1839
In the Pastry War, France blockaded Mexico's ports and bombarded the fortress of Veracruz to force payment of damages claimed by French citizens, among them a pastry cook. Mexico agreed to pay in 1839.
United States1846 to 1848
After the annexation of Texas, a border clash started the Mexican American War. American armies took Monterrey, Veracruz and finally Mexico City in September 1847, and Mexico ceded about half its territory at Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.
Maya of Chan Santa Cruz1847 to 1901
In the Caste War the Maya rebels of eastern Yucatán formed their own state around Chan Santa Cruz, traded arms with British Honduras and held off Mexican armies for half a century until 1901.
France1858 to 1931
France claimed the remote Pacific atoll of Clipperton in 1858, while Mexico later stationed a small garrison there. The two countries let the King of Italy arbitrate, and in 1931 he awarded the island to France.
Second French Empire1861 to 1867
Napoleon III sent an army to put a European emperor on Mexico's throne. Despite defeat at Puebla in 1862 the French took the capital, but Juárez's guerrilla war and American pressure forced them out, and Maximilian's empire fell in 1867.
United States1914 to 1917
During the Revolution American forces occupied Veracruz for seven months in 1914. After Pancho Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico, in March 1916, General Pershing led an expedition deep into Chihuahua that failed to catch him and left in 1917.

Today

Mexico now

Mexico was the site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations -- including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec -- until Spain conquered and colonized the area in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved independence early in the 19th century.

Capital: Mexico City
Government: federal presidential republic
Head of government: Q5771800
Languages: Yucatec Maya, Nahuatl, Spanish
Area: 1,957,194 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population130 million2023 · 27.6 million in 1950
Life expectancy75.1 years2023 · 43.8 years in 1950
GDP per person$16,2352022 · $3,510 in 1950
Living in cities80%2025 · 43% in 1950
Literacy96%2024 · 63% in 1950
Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesNone of these2024 · Rio Pact in 1950
Military spending0.7% of GDP2025 · 0.9% of GDP in 1950
War deaths5.9 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

United States
Canada

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Mexico fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Tarascan State1470 to 1521

The Tarascans of Michoacán were the Aztecs' great western rival. In the late 1470s they routed a large Aztec army under the emperor Axayacatl, and the two empires faced each other across a fortified frontier until the Spanish conquest.

Kingdom of Spain1519 to 1521

Hernán Cortés and his Tlaxcalan allies fought the Aztec Empire for two years. After the Spanish were driven out of Tenochtitlan in 1520, they returned with a fleet built for the lake and took the city in August 1521.

Spanish Empire1810 to 1829

Royalist armies fought Mexican insurgents from 1810 to 1821. Spain then held the fortress of San Juan de Ulúa off Veracruz until 1825, and its last attempt at reconquest was defeated near Tampico in 1829.

Guatemala1824 to 1882

Guatemala long disputed Mexico's hold on Chiapas, which joined Mexico in 1824, and on the Soconusco coast, which Mexico occupied in 1842. A treaty in 1882 settled the border, and Guatemala gave up its claims.

Republic of Texas1835 to 1845

American settlers in Texas revolted in 1835. Santa Anna's army took the Alamo in March 1836 but was routed at San Jacinto in April, and Texas lived as a republic Mexico refused to recognise until it joined the United States.

Kingdom of France1838 to 1839

In the Pastry War, France blockaded Mexico's ports and bombarded the fortress of Veracruz to force payment of damages claimed by French citizens, among them a pastry cook. Mexico agreed to pay in 1839.

United States1846 to 1848

After the annexation of Texas, a border clash started the Mexican American War. American armies took Monterrey, Veracruz and finally Mexico City in September 1847, and Mexico ceded about half its territory at Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848.

Maya of Chan Santa Cruz1847 to 1901

In the Caste War the Maya rebels of eastern Yucatán formed their own state around Chan Santa Cruz, traded arms with British Honduras and held off Mexican armies for half a century until 1901.

France1858 to 1931

France claimed the remote Pacific atoll of Clipperton in 1858, while Mexico later stationed a small garrison there. The two countries let the King of Italy arbitrate, and in 1931 he awarded the island to France.

Second French Empire1861 to 1867

Napoleon III sent an army to put a European emperor on Mexico's throne. Despite defeat at Puebla in 1862 the French took the capital, but Juárez's guerrilla war and American pressure forced them out, and Maximilian's empire fell in 1867.

United States1914 to 1917

During the Revolution American forces occupied Veracruz for seven months in 1914. After Pancho Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico, in March 1916, General Pershing led an expedition deep into Chihuahua that failed to catch him and left in 1917.

Mexico now

Capital

Mexico City

Government

federal presidential republic

Head of government

Q5771800

Languages

Yucatec Maya, Nahuatl, Spanish

Area

1,957,194 km²

Then and now

Population130 million2023 · 27.6 million in 1950

Life expectancy75.1 years2023 · 43.8 years in 1950

GDP per person$16,2352022 · $3,510 in 1950

Living in cities80%2025 · 43% in 1950

Literacy96%2024 · 63% in 1950

Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesNone of these2024 · Rio Pact in 1950

Military spending0.7% of GDP2025 · 0.9% of GDP in 1950

War deaths5.9 per 100,0002025