Mexico City, Spanish Ciudad de México, City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi (1,477 sq km). Mexico City is one of the world’s largest cities and one of the world’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. It generates about one-third of Mexico’s industrial production. It lies on an ancient lake bed, the site of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, which was taken by the Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés in 1521. It was the seat of the Viceroyalty of New Spain throughout the colonial period. Captured by Mexican revolutionaries under Gen. Agustín de Iturbide in 1821, it was seized by the U.S. in 1847 during the Mexican War and by the French (1863–67) under Maximilian. It was greatly improved during the rule of Porfirio Díaz (1876–80, 1884–1911). In 1985 it was struck by a severe earthquake that killed at least 7,000 people. The old city centre, the Zócalo, has many historic buildings, including the Metropolitan Cathedral (built on the site of an Aztec temple) and the National Palace (built on the ruins of the palace of Montezuma II). Its educational institutions include the National Autonomous University of Mexico (founded 1551), the College of Mexico, and the Ibero-American University. The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Mexico City Article
Mexico City summary
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Olympic Games Summary
Olympic Games, athletic festival that originated in ancient Greece and was revived in the late 19th century. Before the 1970s the Games were officially limited to competitors with amateur status, but in the 1980s many events were opened to professional athletes. Currently, the Games are open to
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North America, third largest of the world’s continents, lying for the most part between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer. It extends for more than 5,000 miles (8,000 km) to within 500 miles (800 km) of both the North Pole and the Equator and has an east-west extent of 5,000 miles. It
Mexico Summary
Mexico, country of southern North America and the third largest country in Latin America, after Brazil and Argentina. Mexican society is characterized by extremes of wealth and poverty, with a limited middle class wedged between an elite cadre of landowners and investors on the one hand and masses