This page will help you to locate reproductions of Diego's and Frida's paintings, information on the quinceañera, maps of the states, the history of mariachi music and much more. You will find sites that help you locate traditional recipes for mole, soccer scores, information on doing business in Mexico, and links to Mexican newspapers. Sites listed are in English unless otherwise noted.

GENERAL FACTS

Background Notes: Mexico - Released by the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, U.S. Department of State, in May 1996, this site provides a general profile of Mexico with detailed information about the people and history, government and political conditions, the economy, foreign/U.S.-Mexican relations, and travel and business information. You will also find contact information for U.S. Embassy and Consulate officials and a little information about cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico on environmental issues. This would be a great place to start for general information on trade, manufacturing, foreign investment, transportation and communications as well as the history of the government and political structure.

National Statistics, Geography and Informatics Institute (INEGI) - Mexico´s National Statistics, Geography and Informatics Institute (INEGI) is in charge of generating, incorporating, processing and publishing information on the country´s physical environment, geographical features and natural resources, and on its population and productive activities. This information-rich resource offers you general geographic, demographic and economic data in the About Mexico section. For more detailed information, click on Statistical Information, Geographical Information, or Short-Term Economic Indicators. Statistical information includes population figures, birth and death data, literacy and mortality statistics as well as information on housing, communications and transportation. Geographic information includes land area and territorial composition, geology and soils, climate and vegetation. You can find information on employment, foreign trade, prices, and financial indicators in the Short-Term Economic Indicators section.

World Factbook 1997: Mexico - Presented in a frames version only now, you must scroll down to click on Mexico.   Then you will see a map and the article on the right side of your screen.   With the latitude and longitude, a picture and description of the flag, and information on the geography, people, government, economy, transportation, communications, and defense, the information presented here by the Central Intelligence Agency provides a great starting point for research papers on Mexico. The facts are well-organized and often as current as you can get with statistics on population growth, literacy, and net migration rates.

ART & ARCHITECTURE

Diego Rivera Web Museum - Are all your Diego Rivera books checked out? This site will help your students with biographical material as well as reproductions of his work. Click on Gallery for a selection of his colorful paintings or on Murals to view and/or print reproductions of his famous murals. You can click on any of the images to increase their size. The Biography link transports you to a chronology from his birth in 1886 to his death in 1957 as well as a few photographs which can also be increased in size. Follow the Links button for more sites on Diego, and Frida, too.

Frida Kahlo Home Page - Called the "Official Frida Kahlo Home Page" by many, this site is maintained by an individual whose credentials I have not been able to verify. Nevertheless, she provides access to many reproductions of Frida's art as well as a bibliography and a list of other Frida links. There are many self-portraits, including the bizarre, paintings of Frida and Diego, and many more. Use this site when all of your Frida books are checked out.

Main Architectural Sites by State - Covering Aguascalientes to Zacatecas, the Mexico: An Endless Journey site provides you many photographs and descriptions of architectural sites. These range from the Rufino Tamayo Art Museum in Mexico City to St. Domingo de Guzman Temple in Oaxaca to the Cathedral of San Cristobal in Chiapas. Alphabetical by state, each page brings you a photograph of the architecture, directions to get there from within the city, a short description, activities at that location and any recommendations. At the bottom of each page, you will find links to accommodations, restaurants, natural wonders, historical sites, festivals and more in that particular location. If you are looking for a particular architectural site, use the Find menu choice in the Edit menu of Internet Explorer. This site also contains links to archaeological sites in that area at the bottom of the architectural site pages.

Mission Churches of the Sonoran Desert - Useful for patrons seeking photos of Mexican mission architecture. This site features nine Mission churches in the Sonoran Desert with information about the history of the structures as well as photographs of the exteriors and interiors. For information and photographs on a particular mission, click on the Mission on the map or select the name at the bottom of the page. Once you have arrived at a Mission page, you can enlarge the images by clicking on them.

Tina Modotti - Here is a site devoted to the work of the popular Mexican photographer, Tina Modotti. Click on Photographs to find reproductions of her own work. Select Cine/Movie to see movie stills of her. Choose Su Vida/Her Life for a couple photographs of her. On the first page you will find a brief biography.

Una exhibicion de arte mexicana - Although in Spanish, this site could prove useful to you if your patron needs reproductions of several famous Mexican artists' work. Simply click on the name of the artist -- Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, or Frida Kahlo -- for a list of years when they worked. Then choose the time period of interest to you and you will be presented with several reproductions of the artist's work. Hopefully, you will find what you need here if your library is lacking in books on these popular artists. There is no text other than the titles and dates of the paintings.

BIOGRAPHY

For other biographies, see the Art & Architecture and History sections.

Emiliano Zapata - Good biographical information on Zapata starting with his childhood and his involvement with the Revolution. Ends with a very political essay to the indigenous people to keep fighting for Zapatas’ beliefs. Several photos of Zapata are included.

Miguel Hidalgo - Long essay on the story of Hidalgo’s involvement with the revolution of 1810.

Pancho Villa - Short but good biography on Pancho Villa. This site includes information on the man and his mission, including historical information on his attack of Columbus, NM, and his life as a mythic figure.

Dictionary of Writers in Mexico - This is an alphabetical listing of contemporary authors. This site is still under construction and if the author’s name is not underlined it means his or her biographical information has not been added yet. Plenty of author biographies are included with birth and death dates, education, employment and more along with a list of published works.

Presidents of Mexico - This is a chronological listing of the presidents of Mexico starting in 1822 with Emperor Agustin de Iturbide through 1994 with Ernesto Zedillo. This site does not give biographical information just lists the presidents.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Bancomext - Bancomext is the foreign trade bank of Mexico. From the homepage you will want to scroll to the bottom and click on English. Bancomext provides you with its mission statement and goals. You are also provided with the organizational structure which lists the titles and employee names. If you click on the employee names you will be given an in-depth job description along with a list of functions. Although this is the only information available in English, the rest of the Bancomext site offers a wealth of information on financial statistics, economic outlook, and products and services they offer.

BorderLINK - The mission of the BorderLINK website is to provide timely and meaningful research, information, data, and summaries of current events related to trade, transportation, and technology at the U.S. Mexico border. They fulfill this mission by providing abstracts and summaries of current research (with information on how to obtain full reports), Mexico trade statistics, and a wealth of NAFTA information. You will also find information on the border environment, transportation, and politics.

Mexico Business - Mexico Business on the Web, the official magazine of the NAFTA marketplace, is the leading information source on doing business in and with Mexico. You are able to access past issues of the magazine and valuable Mexican company information. You are also provided with regional information as well as first person accounts of doing business in Mexico.

Mexico Connect - The purpose of Mexico Connect Business is to assist companies everywhere, to develop successful commerce in, with, and from Mexico. You will find a wealth of information on the business, cultural, and economic practices critical for success. Commentary from leading experts in Mexico on the economic outlook is also available. Articles on cultural and managerial differences, finance, trade, and NAFTA are accessible. There is also an excellent business registry with in-depth annotations for each company.

Mexico Consensus Economic Forecast - This is a quarterly report that provides forecasts and analysis of the Mexico economy. The panel of forecasters is comprised of leading finance and economy experts in Mexico. You also have access to current and historical data on Gross Domestic Product, Consumer Price Index, exchange rates, and U.S. dollar imports and exports.

Mexis On-Line - The purpose of the Mexico Information Services Website is to provide businesses in North America with accurate information on Mexico in an effort to facilitate trade and investment. You will have access to research reports, articles on the economy by experts, and city and state information. At absolutely no charge, you can include a company profile in the Mexis Information Database that is available for sale. You will also find links to other Mexico related sources of information.

CULTURE

Mexican Charrería - If you have questions about the Mexican Charrería (Mexican rodeo), this is the place to start. Here you can read about the origins of the Charrería, view and print photographs of the Charros as well as the spurs, saddles and clothing. The site also includes a description of the present day Charrería. Click on Suertes Charrería for photographs of Charros at work.

Quinceañera Web Page  - Here is some help for a somewhat frequent reference question. What is the history of quinceañera? Ana Serrato has provided an overview with sources of the origins and the current practice of this rite of passage as well as a bibliography and a few traditional songs. As she mentions in her essay, there is a serious gap in the amount of information on this subject, so check her page out!

CUISINE

Authentic Mexican Salsa Recipes - Lists recipes for all different types of salsa from verde salsa to pumpkin seed salsa. Has a salsa glossary and salsa canning tips.

Mexican and Southwestern Favorites - This site is maintained by a woman in Mississippi who has collected Mexican and New Mexican recipes. The site has won several awards and includes a wonderful graphic of a dancing Indian at the opening.

Mexican Cuisine - This site is produced by the Universidad de Guadalajara in Mexico and can be accessed in English or Spanish. The recipes are traditional Mexican including salsa and moles.

Mexican Cuisine and Cooking - Gives a brief introduction to the importance of food in Mexican society followed by links to Mexican recipes, information about chile peppers, and tips for shopping for fruits and vegetables. It has a link to a food term translator (Spanish to English) and has metric conversions and an equivalent table for fluid and dry measures and a temperature conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Mexican Cuisine and Its Origin - A good article from the Consul General in Austin written in 1996 about the history of Mexican cuisine. It begins with the pre-Columbian period and what the Indians used in their diet. It goes on to discuss the Spanish influence and how it was combined with the Indian cooking. It even mentions the contributions of the nuns, monks and priests to Mexican cooking.

Mexican Food - This is the Mexican food section of a larger site called Recipe Archives. It is maintained by Stephanie da Silva. It is a collection of recipes sent in through different newsgroups. Each recipes tells who it came from and the date submitted. The recipes are not necessarily authentic recipes from Mexico although some are.

Mexican Food - Recipes from a family collection of favorite dishes. It begins with a recipe for tortillas and discusses their importance in the Mexican diet.

The Mexican Kitchen - This site lists food items that you would find on a menu or grocery store and translates them from Spanish into English. It is divided into sections such as Carnes (meats), Frutas (fruits), Bebidas (drinks), etc. No recipes are given.

DANCE & MUSIC

History of the Mariachi - Excerpted from Mexico, The Meeting of Two Cultures, this site provides a great overview of the past and present of mariachi music. You can find out the meaning of the word, the traditional makeup of the ensemble, the relationship between the music and dance, the famous Mariachi Vargas, and the ways mariachi is used in celebrations. At the bottom of the page, select Conference & Concert Pictures to see photographs of mariachi groups. It is difficult to find good information on this music form. Perhaps this site will help.

Regional Dances of Mexico - The most useful reference tool at this site is the alphabetical listing of regional Mexican dances with short descriptions of the origin and the meaning of these dances. This page includes a map so you can readily see the area where each dance originated. The Mexican Folk Dance Directory listed on the sidebar is potentially useful to patrons wishing to contact folk dance groups, schools and organizations. The list includes over 25 groups in Texas, many in San Antonio. These same patrons may be interested in the Mexican Folk Dance Calendar of Events, which is very current and extends through 1999, as well as the Mexican Dance, Music, Art and Culture Web Sites, including several sites on mariachi.

EDUCATION

Amigo! Mexico Online: University & College Directory - Sponsored by Amigo! Mexico Online, here comes an extensive list of universities, colleges, and educational resources organized by state. Amigo! also has a link on this page titled Mexico Education Directory. On that page you will find information on language schools, business language, educational information, workshops, and general Spanish language information. Each of these links is briefly annotated.

Mexico Web Guide: Education - Created in 1995, Mexico Web Guide is a directory of web pages based in Mexico. From this homepage you can click on Education to view the directory of colleges, universities, workshops, and many other types of schooling available in Mexico. Although the homepage is available in English, the annotations are mostly in Spanish. A few of the schools do offer English versions of their websites

Web66 International School Directory - The Web66 directory is one of the few places you can find information on elementary and secondary schools in Mexico. From the homepage of the Web66 directory you will want to click on Mexico on the world map. This will take you to a list of elementary and secondary schools in Mexico. You will also find information on educational organizations and links to other educational directories. The Web66 school directory is also located on our homepage in the Education section. Although it is not all-inclusive, this is a useful education directory.

FESTIVALS & HOLIDAYS

Mexico: An Endless Journey - Sponsored by the Ministry of Tourism of Mexico, this website offers a wealth of information on some of the most popular Mexican fiestas and holidays. From the homepage, click on Fiesta and Events, which will take you a list organized by state. From this page you can also click on another link titled Fiesta and Events. This will take you to a page of religious, patriotic, and regional celebrations organized by date. Each one of these lists provides you with the location, origin, and a brief description of each festival.

Viva Mexico - This website offers brief information on holidays and festivals important to Mexican culture. From the homepage click on Holidays for a list of the holidays organized by name. Here you will find a brief history, dates celebrated, and occasionally a photograph of the celebration. On the homepage you can also click on Events for different fairs and festivals in Mexico. Organized by date, this page will provide the month the fair is celebrated and a brief explanation of what is being celebrated.

GEOGRAPHY & MAPS

See also the General Facts section for more geographical information and the Travel section for maps.

Mexico - This site comes from the World Factbook 1997 produced by the CIA.  Scroll down and click on Mexico.

Mexico 1997 - This is a large map from the Perry Castaneda Library map collection at the University of Texas. It does not print out on one page.

Welcome to Mexico - On this map you can click on the red highlighted cities and it brings up more information on that particular city giving brief information on the population, date founded, climate, etc.

GOVERNMENT, POLITICS & LAW

Guide to Law Online: North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - This Library of Congress site provides several links to excellent resources for patrons interested in learning more about NAFTA. You will find the full-text of the agreement as well as a keyword search option. Look at the NAFTA Home Page by the U.S. Department of Commerce for "NAFTA Facts" with information on customs, doing business in Canada and Mexico and much more. The Commission for Environmental Cooperation web site provides lists of the environmental laws and regulations of Canada, Mexico and the United States, along with various articles on this area of law.

International Web Site of the Presidency - This Mexican governmental web site provides biographies of the Mexican President and his Cabinet as well as highlights of his administration including economic and social statistics. Check The Briefing Room for statistical charts providing information on housing, job training, medicine and education as well as the trade balance and growth of import and export businesses, employment and the price index. For an overview of the structure of the Mexican Republic, click on the Mexican Government. In the Library, you will find speeches by the President as well as official documents and special publications including some on education, drug control, and the environment. You can also link to other government sites in English (most are in Spanish), including the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Introduction to the Legal System:Mexico - From the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, this site offered in English, Spanish and French, offers a basic introduction to the structure of the Mexican government as well as the roles of its judicial, executive, and legislative branches. You can also visit other sections on environmental law, policies, and issues. Some of this information is very detailed including information on particular industries and particular environmental problems.

Political Database of the Americas: Mexico - Here is a wealth of political and government information from a joint project by Georgetown University's Center for Latin American Studies, the Organization of the American States, and the Canadian Foundation for the Americas. From election results to information on political parties, including contact information, to reports about the Zedilla administration and links to government agencies, this site has it all. Some of the links take you to Spanish sites but most are in English. There is information about the Zapatista National Liberation Front in Spanish and English under Political and Interest Groups.

HISTORY

Historical Text Archive - From Mississippi State University, this covers historical documents and other information from the pre-Columbian period to the post-Salinas era. Need biographies or photos of Pancho Villa or Emiliano Zapata? Choose Revolution. Or do you want poetry written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz? Click on Conquest and Colonial Period. How about the results of the 1994 presidential elections? Try the Years of Salinas (1988-94). In the General section, you will find a mixed bag of goods--the Constitution of 1917 in English, a listing of Mexican rulers from 1821 to the present, and a Mexican Heritage Almanac with dates of important events, among other things.

Important Dates in Mexican History - From the Universidad de Guadalajara, this site takes you from 50,000 B.C. when the first inhabitants of the Americas arrived from Asia crossing the Bering Strait to 1986 when petroleum prices collapsed and Mexico entered GATT (General Agreement on Tarrifs and Trade). Many important dates are highlighted here in timeline form with the year of Zapata's assassination (1919), the arrival of the first printing press in Mexico (1539), and the beginning of stabilized agriculture (7,000 B.C.). At the bottom of the page is a link to a site on the History of the National Flag, which is in Spanish. If you don't read Spanish, the site is still useful because it shows reproductions of the flag throughout Mexico's history in chronological order.

Mexican-American War Memorial Homepage - Brought to you by Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, this is a compilation of documents written about the Mexican-American War. This would be a great place to start a student writing a paper on this topic as there is a wide range of material, including primary sources. Read a chronicle of the war-- a day-by-day play from September 15-28, 1846. Read the message from U.S. President Polk to Congress asking to declare war on Mexico. Or view a map of the war produced in 1877. There are documents and histories from both sides of this war making it a fascinating and useful resource.

U.S.-Mexican War 1846-1848 - Recommended by Britannica Online and based on the Descendants of Mexican War Veterans publication, A Documentary History of the Mexican War, this site offers a well-organized look at this war from the Countdown to War to The Peace. Organized in chapters, it provides a great overview of the war and this time period in history. Choose U.S.-Mexican War Index at the bottom of the page to find out more about historic sites and battles of this war as well as a list of suggested reading.

NEWS & MEDIA

AJR Newslink - AJR Newslink is a joint venture between American Journalism Review magazine and Newslink Associates, an online research and consulting firm. From the homepage, click on Newspapers and then on Mexico to access the newspaper directory. You will be provided with a list of links to newspapers organized by state. AJR only lists newspapers that are available online.

Fred Cantu’s Mexico Radio & TV Lists - Brought to you by Fred Cantu, top news anchor at KVUE-TV in Austin, comes this extensive Mexico Radio and TV List. You will find Mexican broadcast groups and trade organizations, Mexican radio and TV stations on the Internet, and links to other Mexican broadcast lists. This site is searchable by state or type of media you need.

Mexican Newspapers Online - This comprehensive directory of Mexican newspapers online is compiled by librarian, Rita Wilson, who has done extensive research on Latin America and particularly on Mexico. Organized by state, you will find a list of Mexican newspapers online with some brief annotations and a note as to whether an English version is available. You are also provided with links to journals, Mexican news sources, and other directories of Mexican newspapers online.

PRE-COLUMBIAN MEXICO
General Pre-Hispanic | Aztec | Maya

General Pre-Hispanic

Pre-Columbian Cultures - An excellent site covering Mexicas (Aztec), Mayans, and Olmecs. This site starts out with a colored map showing the approximate locations of each culture. The section on the Aztecs is the most comprehensive, covering the Aztec calendar, music, art and literature, and a link to Quetzalcoatl . The section on the Mayans is mainly on their architecture, discussing its origins and building descriptions with photos. The section on Olmecs gives a brief introduction to their history followed by their art and sculpture.

Prehispanic Calendars - This site offers an interpretation of the Mayan and Aztec calendars. It provides the name of each month in the Mayan and Aztec languages and gives the meaning in English. There is also a very good colorful graphic of the Aztec calendar.

Prehispanic Literature of Mexico - Gives very brief biographical information on different Aztec and Mayan writers giving their dates and references to their works but without a listing of their works. These are mainly Aztec and Mayan kings.

Aztec

Aztec Creation Story - One page story telling the myth of "Coatlique" who is the mother of the Aztec creation story.

Nahuatl Borrowings in Mexican Spanish Vocabulary - This site gives a list of words taken from the Nahuatl language and now used in the Mexican Spanish vocabulary. It provides the English translation for each word.

Nahuatl Culture - Nahuatl is the language of the Aztecs. This is a very interesting site that covers facts about the Aztecs that other sites do not, such as the cosmetics they used and their personal hygiene habits. It starts with the history of ancient Mexico followed by a list of links to different topics on the Aztecs. Has links to Nahualt literature and poems as well as to the social organizations of the Aztecs.

Nahuatl Language - This site provides a list of Nahualt words and their English translations. It says it is updated weekly but the last update was June 1997.

Maya

Maya Adventure - Maintained by the Science Museum of Minnesota, this is an excellent site especially as an educational tool. It has a rustic looking map with red crosses on it that will link you to more information about the Mayans in that geographical area. Has very good pictures and explanations.

Mayan Astronomy - The Mayans were accomplished astronomers and this site explains their views and ideas about Venus, the sun and moon and the Milky Way. There are further links to Mayan mathematics, their calendar and their writing.

The World of the Mayan Culture - Has a great colorful map. Click on different countries and pull up information on archeological sites in the Mayan world as well as Mayan handicrafts and cuisine. Some links do not work but others lead to more detailed maps of the countries with links to information on different cities. Some links go to Spanish-only sites but will all be translated to English in the future.

SPORTS

Beisbol Liga Mexicana - The official homepage of the Mexican Baseball League offers a wealth of information on statistics, updated sports news, and player profiles. You will also find links to the homepages of several Mexican baseball teams and other baseball related sites. Although this site is only available in Spanish it is easy to navigate.

Fronton Palacio Jai Alai - For information on the rules, history, game terminology, and player profiles of Jai Alai, you will want to visit the Fronton Palacio Jai Alai website. You will find a complete explanation of how Jai Alai is played and notes on the most popular shots. You can also access information on Jai Alai news from around the world and links to other Jai Alai sites. The webmaster of this page is a Jai Alai player and consistently updates the site.

Futbol Mundial - Are you trying to find the latest news, commentary, and statistics on soccer in Mexico? Then Futbol Mundial is the place for you. Although this page is in Spanish, it’s fairly easy to find the information you need. On the homepage click on Futbol Mexicano for the latest sports statistics. For news and commentary, click on Television y Comentarios. This website also provides great photographs of the major soccer players. Simply click on the words Galeria Fotografica and then click on Galeria Mexico and finally on the player's name. Futbol Mundial also has great links to other soccer sites in Mexico. Just click on the words Links Interesantes.

TRAVEL

Destination Mexico - From the Lonely Planet, this site provides great information for your patrons seeking adventure. There is a nice map of Mexico as well as a selection of photographs (click on Slide Show) depicting the culture and sites of Mexico. Lonely Planet offers useful facts about Mexico as well as a general history and overview of the economy and culture. You also have access to a list of events and information specifically for travelers regarding health and safety, money, climate and attractions. There is even a list of recommended reading.

Excite Travel : Mexico - This site is mainly a travel guide for visitors to Mexico. At the bottom of the site you will find a list of cities, islands, regions and states of Mexico which you can click on for information on each place. Exite Travel also provides a basic map of Mexico with a few of the main cities marked.

Mexico Travel Guide - This travel site provides a nice mix of travel tips and information on particular destinations as well as cultural and historical information. There is a list of Mexican holidays and a great overview of the history of the country by century. You will also find a good climate overview by region and average temperature chart in the When to Go section. If you are seeking information about a particular location, simply click on the name of it. Once there, you will see links that provide information on lodging, restaurants, attractions, history and sometimes on specific indigenous peoples of that area. This site covers most of the popular destinations, including Copper Canyon, which isn't highlighted on all travel sites.

Microsoft Expedia: Mexico - Another very good travel site with lots of useful information on the attractions of Mexico in general as well as five particularly popular destinations (Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, and Mexico City). In the Background area, you will find information on the geography, the people, history, and arts and culture of Mexico. Check the Fast Facts area for quick information on currency, customs, passport/visa requirements, climate, tipping and taxes. For information on accommodations, travelers with special needs, transportation and health and safety, see Travel Essentials. Click on Worldwide Links for other useful sites on Mexico including the U.S. State Department Travel Advisory for Mexico which provides information on safety and security when traveling in Mexico.

The links in this section were selected and evaluated by the staff of the San Antonio Public Library for their high quality content.

Report broken links to: librarywebadmin@sanantonio.gov.