Capital: Mexico city
president: Enrique Peña Nieto
population: 121,876,056 (2015 Estimate)
Year | Event |
1519 | Spanish forces led by Hernando Cortés arrive and conquer Mexico. |
1810 | Mexico wins Independence from Spain in 1821. |
1836 | Texas declares its independence from Mexico. Mexicans and Texans battle at the Alamo and San Jacinto. |
1848 | The U.S. wins the Mexican-American War and gains Mexican territory. The land includes what are now Nevada and Utah, plus parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado. |
1910 | The Mexican Revolution begins when citizens rise up against oppressive rulers. A new constitution is adopted in 1917. |
1968 | Mexico City hosts the first Olympic Games ever held in Latin America. |
1985 | An earthquake of magnitude 8.1 strikes Mexico City. Nearly 10,000 people are killed. |
2006 | U.S. President George W. Bush signs a law that authorizes the building of a 700-mile fence between Mexico and the U.S. in order to help stop illegal immigration. |