The Founding Of Mexico City

The city of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) was founded by the Aztecs in 1325. It was the capital city of the Aztec civilization. Now it's the capital city of Mexico, Mexico City. It grew to be the biggest and strongest city in Mesoamerica.

It was originally on an island in Lake Texcoco. Now it extends throughout the Valley of Mexico. Lake Texcoco has drained out and none of the waters have remained since the 17th century. It drained because of earthquakes. In the process, some parts of the city have sunk as much as nine meters. It is on saturated clay from the drainage of Lake Texcoco.

In 1519, Hernando Cortez came to Mexico and invaded the Aztecs. The Aztecs thought he was the god Quetzalcoatl and did not attack him. Cortez defeated the Aztecs and took over Tenochititlan and built a palace on the ruins. He even used some of the Aztec materials. Mexico became a Spanish colony.

Birds of Mexico

There are many kinds of birds in Mexico. There are city birds, mountain birds, desert birds and jungle birds.

One kind of city bird is the lesser goldfinch. They like to eat dropped bits of tortilla and vegetables. It is said to be the smallest bird in Mexico.

A mountain bird is the Inca dove. It eats whatever plants it finds. It is one of the most amazing bird tourists like to see. It is mostly gray and likes to fly.

A jungle bird is the ant bird. Can you guess why it's called that? That's right! It eats ants. It mostly lives in the rainforests where it is warm. It also likes living there because all the rain makes the worms come to the surface of the ground.

A desert bird is the cactus wren. It eats insects and cactus fruit. It's the largest North American wren that lives in Mexico.

Aren't there are a lot of different kinds of birds in Mexico?

Mexican Terrain

Hola, this is Wilber. Today I'm going to write to you about the land in Mexico.

There are two peninsulas in Mexico: the Baja and the Yucatan peninsulas. Cactus and quiet sea coves are both in the Baja Peninsula. The Baja peninsula touches California. The Yucatan peninsula sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico. A popular place to visit, Cancun, is located on the Yucatan. Both peninsulas have beaches to visit.

There are three mountain ranges in Mexico. The three mountains make a V formation. These mountain ranges are called Sierra Madre.

Mexico also has jungles and deserts.

Mexican Food

Hi, this is Orville and I want to write about the food in Mexico.

The early inhabitants of Mexico mostly were vegetarians. They planted corn, beans, potatoes and peppers. Then they started making tortillas.

After the bow and arrow were invented, early inhabitants of Mexico started hunting and ate meat more often than vegetables. They considered it important to teach their children how to fish.

Today Mexicans eat a lot of the same foods which includes beans, squash, tomatoes, fish, peppers, tacos and tortillas. My favorite Mexican food is tacos, with no lettuce!!

Here's how to make tortillas like the Aztecs*.

First you need: scales, 8oz of flour, 1tsp salt, 11/2 cup cold water, 11/2 oz butter, bowl, jug, spoon, rolling pin, pastry board, frying pan and oil for frying. Then, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Weigh your ingredients carefully.

Step 2: Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the butter (with your hands) and pour in the water.

Step 3: Mix it with your hands until you have a loose ball of dough.

Step 4: Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes until it is smooth.

Step 5: Move the dough to the pastry board and cut the dough into egg-sized balls.

Step 6: Sprinkle the board and rolling pin with some plain flour to stop the dough from sticking. Then roll out the balls into pancakes.

Step 7: Put oil in the non-stick frying pan and ask an adult to fry the tortillas one minute per side.

Make sure to join us next time when Wilber will write about the Mexican terrain. Until next time, this is Orville saying, "Adios Amigos!"

*from the book, Step into the Aztec and Maya Worlds by Fiona Macdonald, Lorenz Books, 1998