Authors:
Suzanne Schadl, Chief, Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division
María Daniela Thurber, Reference Librarian, Hispanic Reading Room, Latin American, Caribbean, and European Division
Created: February 12, 2019
Last Updated: December 27, 2019
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The Library of Congress holds thousands of collection materials about and from Mexico. Curated by Hispanic Reading Room librarians, this guide is part of a series of Country Guides that provide quick references for countries and regions from the Luso-Hispanic world. The Hispanic Reading Room is the Library’s portal to the Caribbean, Latin America, Spain and Portugal; the indigenous cultures of those areas; and peoples throughout the world historically influenced by Luso-Hispanic heritage, including Latinos in the U.S. This guide offers links to diverse resources on Mexico from across the Library including digitized primary sources, selected books and periodicals, online databases, and tips for searching. For specific questions or assistance using the Library’s resources, use the Ask a Librarian service to contact a reference librarian.
On February 1, 1849, Benajah Jay Antrim (1819-1903), a young mathematical instrument maker, departed Philadelphia for an ultimate destination of California. With a company of men, he travelled by sea from the Atlantic coast to eastern Mexico, then overland across Mexico to the west coast. Antrim traveled in a guided party by pack horse that started from Tampico on February 21, 1849, and arrived at Mazatlán on April 17, 1849. Journey alongside Antrim and company as you transcribe his journals.
He created a written and visual record of what he witnessed along the way in his journals and sketchbooks. Though he viewed Mexico from preconceived Anglo-American perspectives and with the biases of a foreigner having a first-time encounter with the country, he possessed a strong desire to see and learn. He observed stirring landscapes, fertile crops, foodways, flora, fauna, geology, the engineering of bridges and roads, everyday life in small villages and ranchos, and the grand architecture and design of parks, cathedrals, and government buildings in urban centers.
Official Name: United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos)
Capital: Mexico City (Ciudad de México)
Date of Independence: September 16, 1810, not to be confused with May 5 (date observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862). You can read more about the Battle of Puebla and Cinco de Mayo in this blog post.
Head of State/Government: President Claudia Sheinbaum
Population: 126 million
Languages: Spanish, Nahuatl, Yucatec Maya, Zapotec, Mixtec, Mayo, Yaqui, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Chol, Totonac, Purépecha, Otomi, Mazahua, Mazatec, Chinantec, Mixe, Zoque, Popoluca, Popoloca language, Me'phaa, Wixarika, Chontal, Huave, Pame, Teenek, Kickapoo, Kiliwa, Paipai, Cucapá, Amuzgo, Triqui, Lacandon Maya, Mam Maya, Jakaltek, Matlatzinca, Tepehua, Chichimeca Jonaz, Pima Bajo, Ngiwa, Ixcatec, Ayapanec.
States: (31 states - select a state name below to display a map of that state from Atlas mexicano, 1884-1886) Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Distrito Federal, Durango, Estado de México, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas.