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Weekly Online LessonOnline Lesson ArchiveGrade Level: 5-8
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Border to Border
On
Friday, February 16, 2001, President George W. Bush visited the neighboring
country of Mexico to meet with Mexican President Vincente Fox about current
and future relations with the U.S. Mexico's history with its northern
neighbor includes border disputes, immigration issues, and trade agreements.
Mexico has also become a popular vacation destination for American tourists.
But Mexico itself is a diverse and sometimes divided nation, which has
grown over many years and has seen the rise and fall of many powerful
cultures and conquerors. Meanwhile, the varied landscapes and religious
roots continue to influence people's way of life throughout the county.
In this week's lesson, you will travel to Mexico to learn more about its history, culture and people.
Modern Mexico
First,
pinpoint Mexico's general geography by looking at some facts from the
CIA World Fact Book at Geographic.org.
Start by looking at Mexico's flag,
and then view a map
of the country to get a better idea of where the nation is located relative
to its neighboring lands and oceans. Next, learn some basic facts about
Mexico's
people, like the population's age structure, birth and death rates
and migration rate, and compare those facts with the U.S.
population.
Take
a virtual tour of Mexico at National Geographic's site, Discovering
Mexico. After reading the introduction, visit the Journeys
section, where you can explore the four different regions of the country—Tijuana
and the Border, the Heartland,
Mexico City, and Chiapas.
Read the articles and view the colorful photos for each of the areas.
If your computer has Real Player, you can also hear the author reveal
more about his journeys to these places. What are the differences and
similarities between the regions? You can also explore the Daily
Dispatches to see more photos and read more about these interesting
people and their cultures. Some of the links also provide audio clips
of local music.
The Ancient Ancestors
People
have lived in the area now known as Mexico for thousands of years, and
during that time, the region and its people have had many struggles and
triumphs. Start your journey into these ancient times by visiting the
Different
World site and reading Mexico:
A Brief History. This feature compares the early civilization
of Mexico with the development of Rome, 900 B.C. to 1500 A.D. Here, you
can learn about the ancient groups, such as the Olmecs, Toltecs and Mayans,
and their cities while exploring this timeline and the related locations.
Just click on the underlined links within the timeline to view the brief
histories and see the photos of the ancient pyramids and other artifacts.
The Struggle for Independence and Identity
As
Mexico has developed over time to become a united and independent nation,
the people have experienced many struggles. After the arrival of Hernan
Cortes from Spain, who came to explore and conquer the area of Mexico,
the native people fought for their rights and for their land, not only
with Spain, but also with French invaders and the Americans who were working
hard to expand their frontiers from the northern Atlantic coast.
Explore the history of these struggles at PBS's site, The Border. In the History section, open the Interactive Timeline or view the faster loading Text Timeline. Study the history of Mexico and its people from 1519-1998. You can click on the underlined sentences to read the more detailed summaries and learn about important events such as Mexico's independence from Spain, the U.S.-Mexican War, the Mexican Revolution, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and other events that especially relate to U.S. and Mexican relations.
How would you describe the relationship between these two neighbors over time? How has the involvement and independence of Texas affected events? How do you think history has influenced the current relationship between these countries? Also check out the Morphing Map, an animation that shows how the Mexican-U.S. border has changed over time.
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Learners Online, Inc.