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

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