var arrayFacts = [ "Southern Mexico is home to some of the most famous (and important) Mayan ruins in the world.

The Mayans were an advanced native race known for their advanced astronomy, hieroglyphic writing, and amazing buildings, temples, and pyramids.", "The Aztecs ruled the largest empire in North America, living around the area that today is known as central Mexico.

The Aztecs were a strong empire who built pyramids, ruled most of central Mexico, and were still growing and evolving as a society until the arrival of Cortes in 1519 and the ensuing conquest by the Spanish", "Southern Mexico was home to the Olmecs before the Maya and Aztec Empires ever appeared.

The Olmec were the first advanced native civilization to appear in North America, and are thought to have influenced the Incas and the Maya. The most famous remains of the Olmec are the giant carved stone heads.", "Cuernavaca is known world-wide as the city of eternal spring.

Cuernavaca gets this name because it enjoys a fantastic temperate (moderate) climate almost the entire year, and is a favorite of tourists because of its location, near by ruins, and fantastic marketplaces.", "Mexico's official language is Spanish

. Mexico was part of the large mass of territory the Spanish conquered when they arrived in the New World, and so naturally, their language prevailed in the region.", "The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is near a famous site Mexico's most famous legends.

The church was built near the spot where the Virgin is said to have appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego in December 1531. The story goes that Juan Diego picked roses out of season to prove the miracle, and when he dropped them to the floor, a painted image of the Virgin was on his cloak.", "Mexican writers such as Carlos Fuentes and Samuel Ramos are renowned worldwide.

Like many Mexican writers, both chose to deal with topics of meaning, philosophy, and universal questions about man and life. The fame of Mexico's writers, along with their artists, shows a strong and admirable creative spirit.", "Mexico is the world's largest silver producer.

Mexico has been the world's largest silver producer for over three decades, and produced more than 250 tons last year. This mineral has been a major factor in the success of Mexico's economy.", "El Dia del Muertos, or 'The Day of the Dead,' is the most famous Mexican holiday.

El Dia del Muertos takes place around the same time as Halloween and is celebrated to honor the dead. It is not uncommon for families to go have picnics in the graveyards, especially by the tombs of deceased family members.", "Tequila is named after the town where it is distilled.

Tequila, famous as a 'Mexican alcohol,' is made from an agave plant near the town of Tequila, Mexico, and so is named such in the same way that champagne is named after a region of France.", "Chapultepec Park is a 1,000 acre park in the middle of Mexico City.

Chapultepec is an Aztec word meaning 'Hill of the Grasshopper.' The area, aside from jus a park, also includes a museum and a zoo.", "Mexico City is the third largest city in the world.

Mexico City can lay claim to the first Christian church, first hospital, first library, and first university in the Americas, and only Tokyo, Japan, and Sao Paulo, Brazil have a larger population.", "Mexico City has extremely polluted air.

Smog (a form of air pollution) is so bad in Mexico City that just spending a day outside does the same damage to your lungs as smoking two packs of cigarettes.", "The Yucatan Peninsula is still home to many Mayans today.

Though the Mayan empire fell with the arrival of the Spanish, there are still over 800,000 people who still speak Mayan as their main language, and usually live in villages around the Yucatan Peninsula.", "The Rio Grande river marks much of the border between the United States and Mexico.

The Rio Grande is the fifth longest river in North America and is actually known in Mexico as the Rio Bravo del Norte, which translates roughly to 'The Angry River of the North.' This was set as the border after Texas seceded from Mexico.", "The peninsula Baja California, located in northwest Mexico, is mostly desert and one of the most isolated places in Mexico.

The only two major centers of population are actually on the far side of each part of the peninsula, one to the far north and one to the far south.", "Monterrey, one of Mexico's largest cities, is actually a very new city and wasn't started until the early 1900's.

The town was created, and then grew into a city, because iron and coal were found in large supply. Monterrey is now considered the iron and steel center of the country.", "The Mexican currency is called the peso.

The peso is the United States' equivalent of the dollar, though it is worth less. Generally the dollar is worth 6-10 pesos depending on how each economy is doing at the time.", "Mexico's Gulf of California is known for its salt water game fishing, like black marlin.

While known as a good place for sportsmen to fish, the Gulf of California is also a large shrimping area.", "Mexico is one of the world's leading producers of vanilla.

A wide range of exotic and valuable crops come from Mexico, including banana, pineapples, papayas, mangos, cacao, coffee, and sugar.", "In the north, many Mexican ranchers raise zebu (also known as brahman) as opposed to normal cattle.

Zebu have a hump in their shoulders and necks, and look like a cross between an ox and a cow. Their beef is known to be very good for you because its low in fat, but the ranchers like them because they are resistant to high heat and humidity.", "Mexican artists are renowned for their murals.

The famous artist Diego Rivera was among the Mexican artists who showed the world the amazing work that could be made through a mural.", "Mexico has over 50 universities.

While this isn't a great number, it is better than many other developing nations, though nearly 1/5 of those schools are actually in Mexico City itself.", "The official sport of Mexico is bullfighting.

This is a nod to their Spanish roots. While soccer remains the most popular sport to play, baseball and boxing have also increased rapidly in popularity as more and more Mexicans have succeeded in both.", "Southern Mexico produces large amounts of 'chicle,' a major ingredient for chewing gum.

Chicle comes mostly from spodilla trees, which can be found on the Yucatan peninsula and Chiapas region.", "Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's independence day.

Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of a military victory over the invading armies of Napoleon III, and is a symbol of Mexico's refusal to bow down to foreign powers, but it is not like the Untied States' Fourth of July.", "Mexico originally owned Texas, California, and most of the United States southwest.

This was from when the Spanish laid claim to large tracks of land, though Mexico lost much of this during the Mexican-American war, though the last little bit was actually bought from Mexico with the Gadsden Purchase.", "Pancho Villa was not just an outlaw, but also a revolutionary.

Perhaps one of the most recognized Mexican figures, Pancho Villa revolted against three different dictatorships, and was loved by the poor people especially and seen as a freedom fighter, though he was seen badly by the United States, as he killed U.S. citizens in Mexico, and then attacked a New Mexico town.", "Sombreros led to modern day cowboy hats.

These distinctive broad-brimmed, high-crowned hats made of felt or straw are mostly worn in Spain, Mexico, and the southwestern United States. Sombrero comes from the Spanish word sombra, meaning 'shade,' first appeared in the 15th century, and the idea of a cowboy hat came off that design.", "The oldest winery in the Americas is in Parras de la Fuente in Mexico.

Located in 1549, the Spanish priests and soldiers who explored the area discovered native vines growing in a valley and chose the spot to found a mission, which soon began to make wine from the local grapes, which was then shipped around the rest of the Americas.", "The highest point in Mexico is Volcan Pico de Orizaba.

This dormant volcano stands over 17,000 feet tall and is the highest elevation of any mountain peak in the country.", "Thousands of dinosaur bones have been found in northern Mexico.

Most of the dinosaurs dug up in northern states date back 70 million years, though some found in the Huizachal canyon in Tamaulipas include the oldest known dinosaur bones in Mexico, from the Jurassic period 180 million years ago.", "The world's largest natural crystals have been discovered in Chihuahua caverns.

These amazing crystals, some over six meters (over 19 feet) long, were discovered by accident early in 2001.", "At over 2,000 years old, El Arbol del Tule, is amongst the oldest living trees in the world.

The tree's trunk measures over 33 feet in diameter and is also considered by many to be the broadest tree in the world. The circumference is an amazing 178 feet. The tree is also 130 feet high. The different shapes of the trunk give the appearance of the faces of goblins and monsters.", "Mexico is home to more than 50 species of hummingbirds.

The climate and vegetation are ideal for these little guys, who not only fly forward, but backwards and even briefly upside-down. They can also hover for extended periods. When heard close-up, the rapid flapping of their wings produces the humming sound that gives them their name.", "The town of Chicxulub, on the Yucatan peninsula, is where many scientists believe the comet hit that killed the dinosaurs.

Scientists know this because satellite pictures show a huge crater, and there are strange readings from tests on gravity. The comet would have struck sixty million years ago and caused an ice age.", "The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan is the third largest pyramid in the world.

Its sides are 700 feet long, about 200 feet high, and the pyramid actually a succession of pyramids built one on top the other over the centuries.", "Chichén Itzá is one of the greatest wonders of the archaeological world.

This archaeological site is rated among the most important of all the Maya discoveries. Chichen Itza covers approximately six square miles where hundreds of buildings once stood. Not nearly that many still remain, but about thirty may still be seen by tourists", "The Aztec city of Teotihuacán may have been the largest city in the world at one time, with a population of up to 200,000.

This would have been at the height of the Aztec empire, and at the center of the city was the amazing Pyramid of the Sun, which is a favorite tourist site today.", "México has over 6,300 miles of coastline.

Mexico's coasts are famous, and known for containing some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Fancy resorts in cities such as Cancun were created especially for tourism because of this.", "All colonial Mexican cities have the common trait of a central plaza.

The plazas and have always played a major role in theses cities. Government buildings were usually built on the plaza or close by and these buildings. The weekly market was usually held in the plaza and important speeches were given from balconies of the government buildings while the citizens gathered in the plaza below.", "Mexico is the third largest country in North America.

Mexico is slightly less than three times the size of Texas, and is smaller only than Canada and the United States in North America, though it has the second most people.", "Mexico City was originally built on a lake.

The Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Mexico around the 13th century. According to legend, they founded Tenochtitlan after much wandering when they saw on an island in Lake Texcoco the sign that their god Huitzilopochtli had indicated-an eagle perched on a cactus, eating a serpent. They built the original city on an island and continued expanding.", "Mexico has the most Spanish speakers of any country in the world.

Originally a colony of Spain, but because Mexico has so much more land, they also have a larger population and now can claim more people with Spanish as their native tongue than any other country.", "Chocolate was introduced to the Spanish by the Aztecs and neighboring native tribes.

Chocolate was not a food, but a drink, and ironically enough, it was not sweet, but bitter. Sweet chocolate came when the Spanish added sugar cane, and the rest was history.", "Frida Kahlo, one of the world's most famous woman painters, was from Mexico.

Mexican painter noted for her intense, brilliantly colored self-portraits painted in a unique and intense style. She was also married to muralist Diego Rivera.", "Mexico's modern Constitution came about in 1917.

After a revolution that included famous militant Pancho Villa, a new constitution was formed. This was seen as a turning point in Mexican history, since the new constitution demanded a strong, not weak, federal government to help the people and made major land reforms.", "The first horses in North America came with the arrival of the Spanish.

Contrary to popular belief, there were no horses in North America until Cortes and the Spanish appeared in 1519.", "Mexico's Flag reflects their Aztec heritage.

On the flag is a picture of an eagle eating a snake while standing on a cactus. This is from the legend of how the Aztec capital was built, since this was the sign they were looking for to found their city (now present day Mexico City).", "Citizens of Mexico consume more Coca-Cola per person than any other country.

According to a recent study, the average comes to each person having 412 servings (8 oz.) per year, more than any other nation."];