A World of Words: Mexico - High School

It's time for a vocabulary fiesta! Learn all about the geography, culture, and history of Mexico with this list of essential terms. Travel from the jungle to the desert as you explore the climate of Mexico, the history of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, and contemporary influences on the Mexican economy, such as globalization and free trade. You'll also get a taste of Mexican cuisine, including maize, tortillas, and chili peppers.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acculturation
    the adoption of the behavior patterns of one's surroundings
  2. agriculture
    the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
  3. air pollution
    pollution of the atmosphere
  4. Amerindian
    a dated term applied to an Indigenous person living in the Americas
  5. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
    Mexican general who tried to crush the Texas revolt and who lost battles to Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War (1795-1876)
  6. aquifer
    underground layer of rock or sand that yields groundwater
  7. arable
    capable of being farmed productively
  8. arid
    lacking sufficient water or rainfall
  9. avocado
    a pear-shaped tropical fruit with green or blackish skin
  10. Aztec
    a member of the Nahuatl people who established an empire in Mexico that was overthrown by Cortes in 1519
  11. Baja California
    a mountainous peninsula on northwest Mexico
  12. barrio
    a district in a Spanish-speaking country
  13. biodiversity
    the variety of plant and animal life in a habitat
  14. bloc
    a group united for a particular purpose
  15. border
    a line that indicates a boundary
  16. business district
    the central area or commercial center of a town or city
  17. calendar
    a system of timekeeping that defines divisions of the year
  18. Campeche
    a Mexican state on the eastern part of the Gulf of Campeche
  19. cartel
    a consortium formed to limit commercial competition
  20. Chihuahua
    a state in northern Mexico; mostly high plateau
  21. Chihuahuan Desert
    a desert in western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Mexico
  22. chili pepper
    plant bearing very hot and finely tapering long peppers
  23. chipotle
    a ripe jalapeno pepper that is dried and used in cooking
  24. city-state
    an independent nation comprised of a single town
  25. Ciudad Juarez
    a city in northern Mexico on the Rio Grande opposite El Paso
  26. climate
    the weather in some location averaged over a period of time
  27. Coahuila
    a state in northern Mexico; mostly high plateau
  28. coastal
    of or relating to the shoreline
  29. coastal plain
    a plain adjacent to a coast
  30. coastline
    the outline of a coast
  31. conquistador
    a 16th-century Spanish conqueror of Peru and Mexico
  32. Culiacan
    a city in northwestern Mexico
  33. deciduous
    shedding foliage at the end of the growing season
  34. deforestation
    the state of being clear of trees
  35. depletion
    the state of being used up
  36. desert
    arid land with little or no vegetation
  37. Diego Rivera
    socialist Mexican painter of murals (1886-1957)
  38. district
    a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
  39. diversity
    noticeable variety
  40. dry season
    one of the two seasons in tropical climates
  41. Durango
    a city in north central Mexico; mining center
  42. earthquake
    vibration from underground movement along a fault plane
  43. elevation
    distance of something above a reference point
  44. Emiliano Zapata
    Mexican revolutionary who led a revolt for agrarian reforms
  45. empire
    the domain ruled by a single authoritative sovereign
  46. eruption
    the sudden occurrence of a violent discharge
  47. executive
    persons who administer the law
  48. fiesta
    a public celebration or party
  49. foothill
    a relatively low hill on the lower slope of a mountain
  50. fossil fuel
    energy-producing substance derived from preserved organisms
  51. Francisco Villa
    Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923)
  52. free trade
    the exchange of goods without governmental interference
  53. globalization
    growth to a worldwide scale
  54. Guadalajara
    a city in southwestern Mexico
  55. Guadalupe Island
    a Mexican island in the Pacific to the west of Baja California
  56. Gulf of California
    a gulf to the west of the mainland of Mexico
  57. Gulf of Mexico
    an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico
  58. habitat
    the type of environment in which an organism normally lives
  59. hacienda
    a large estate in Spanish-speaking countries
  60. Hermosillo
    a city in northwestern Mexico near the Gulf of California
  61. Hernando Cortes
    Spanish conquistador who defeated the Aztecs and conquered Mexico (1485-1547)
  62. humid
    containing or characterized by a great deal of water vapor
  63. hurricane
    a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds
  64. immigration
    movement of people into a country or area
  65. indigenous
    originating where it is found
  66. industrialization
    the development of commercial enterprise
  67. industry
    the action of making of goods and services for sale
  68. infrastructure
    basic facilities needed for the functioning of a country
  69. inversion
    when a layer of air is cooler than an overlying layer
  70. irrigation
    the act of supplying dry land with water by artificial means
  71. Isthmus of Tehuantepec
    the narrowest part of southern Mexico is an isthmus between the Bay of Campeche on the north coast and the Gulf of Tehuantepec on the south coast
  72. Juarez
    a city in northern Mexico on the Rio Grande opposite El Paso
  73. judicial
    relating to the administration of justice
  74. jungle
    an impenetrable equatorial forest
  75. legislative
    relating to a lawmaking assembly
  76. maize
    corn
  77. manufacture
    put together out of artificial or natural components
  78. maquiladora
    an assembly plant in Mexico
  79. mariachi
    a group of traditional Mexican folk musicians
  80. Maya
    a member of an American Indian people of Yucatan and Belize and Guatemala who had a culture (which reached its peak between AD 300 and 900) characterized by outstanding architecture and pottery and astronomy
  81. Mesoamerica
    Mexico and Central America
  82. Mexicali
    a city in northwestern Mexico near the California border
  83. Mexican Revolution
    a revolution for agrarian reforms led in northern Mexico by Pancho Villa and in southern Mexico by Emiliano Zapata (1910-1911)
  84. Mexico
    a republic in southern North America
  85. Mexico City
    the capital and largest city of Mexico is a political and cultural and commercial and industrial center; one of the world's largest cities
  86. migrant
    traveler who moves from one region or country to another
  87. migration
    the movement of persons from one locality to another
  88. mining
    the act of extracting ores or coal from the earth
  89. mole
    spicy sauce often containing chocolate
  90. Monroe Doctrine
    an American foreign policy opposing interference in the western hemisphere from outside powers
  91. Monterrey
    an industrial city in northeastern Mexico
  92. mountainous
    containing many mountains
  93. mountain range
    a series of hills or mountains
  94. NAFTA
    an agreement for free trade between the United States and Canada and Mexico; became effective in 1994 for ten years
  95. Nahuatl
    a member of any of various Indian peoples of central Mexico
  96. natural gas
    a fossil fuel in the gaseous state
  97. natural resource
    material in the environment that can be used by people
  98. Nogales
    a town in northern Mexico on the border of Arizona
  99. Oaxaca
    a city of southeastern Mexico
  100. Olmec
    a member of an early Mesoamerican civilization centered around Veracruz that flourished between 1300 and 400 BC
  101. Orizaba
    a city of east central Mexico ; a popular resort
  102. peninsula
    a large mass of land projecting into a body of water
  103. petroleum
    a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
  104. Pico de Orizaba
    an extinct volcano in southern Mexico between Mexico City and Veracruz; the highest peak in Mexico (18,695 feet)
  105. plateau
    a relatively flat raised area of land
  106. plaza
    a public square with room for pedestrians
  107. population
    the number of inhabitants in a given place
  108. president
    the leader of a republic or democracy
  109. Puebla
    a city in south central Mexico (southeast of Mexico City) on the edge of central Mexican plateau
  110. Quintana Roo
    a Mexican state on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula
  111. rainy season
    one of the two seasons in tropical climates
  112. raw material
    material suitable for manufacture or use or finishing
  113. revolution
    the overthrow of a government by those who are governed
  114. Roman Catholicism
    the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church based in Rome
  115. San Luis Potosi
    a city in central Mexico
  116. Sierra Madre Occidental
    a mountain range in northwestern Mexico that runs south from Arizona parallel to the Pacific coastline
  117. Sierra Madre Oriental
    a mountain range in northeastern Mexico the runs parallel to the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico
  118. Sonoran Desert
    a desert in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico
  119. Spanish
    the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
  120. state
    a politically organized body under a single government
  121. Tabasco
    a Mexican state on the Gulf of Campeche
  122. tamale
    corn and cornmeal dough stuffed with a meat mixture then wrapped in corn husks and steamed
  123. tariff
    a government tax on imports or exports
  124. tectonic
    pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust
  125. temperate
    mild or free from extremes
  126. textile
    artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting fibers
  127. Tijuana
    a Mexican city just to the south of San Diego on the Lower California peninsula; popular among American tourists for racetracks and bullfights
  128. Toltec
    a member of the Nahuatl speaking people of central and southern Mexico
  129. tortilla
    thin unleavened pancake made from cornmeal or wheat flour
  130. tourism
    the business of providing services to travelers for pleasure
  131. traffic
    deal illegally
  132. tribute
    payment by one nation for protection by another
  133. tropical
    hot and humid
  134. Tropic of Cancer
    a line of latitude about 23 degrees to the north of the equator
  135. urbanization
    the social process whereby cities grow
  136. Veracruz
    a major Mexican port on the Gulf of Mexico in the state of Veracruz
  137. Villahermosa
    a city in southeastern Mexico
  138. volcano
    a fissure in the earth's crust through which gases erupt
  139. Yucatan Peninsula
    a peninsula in Central America extending into the Gulf of Mexico between the Bay of Campeche and the Caribbean Sea
  140. Yucatec
    a member of the Mayan people of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico
Created on Tue Jan 17 15:07:48 EST 2017 (updated Tue Apr 04 14:39:52 EDT 2017)

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