A country of south-central North America. Southern Mexico was the site of various advanced civilizations beginning with the Olmec and including the Maya, Zapotec, Toltec, Mixtec, and Aztec cultures. Mexico was conquered by Cortés in 1521 and held by the Spanish until 1821. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican War (1846-1848) awarded all lands north of the Rio Grande to the United States. Mexico City is the capital and the largest city. Population: 109,000,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
