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© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1248 I Mexico ► Mexico
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PACIFIC OCEAN
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Tapachula,
s) 2002 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Montejo conquered the remnants of Maya civilization in 1526, and Mexico became part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. In 1821 rebels negotiated independence from Spain, and in 1823 a new congress declared Mexico a republic. In 1845 the U.S. voted to annex Texas, initiating the Mexican War. Under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, Mexico ceded a vast territory in what is now the western and southwestern U.S. The Mexican government endured several rebellions and civil wars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries (see Mexican Revolution). During World War II (1939—45) it declared war on the Axis Powers, and in the postwar era it was a founding member of the United Nations (1945) and the Organization of American States (1948). In 1993 it ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement. The election of Vicente Fox to the presidency (2000) ended 71 years of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party. See table on opposite page.
Mexico \'me-he-,ko\ State (pop., 2000: 13,096,686), central Mexico. It covers 8,245 sq mi (21,355 sq mi), and its capital is Toluca. Almost com¬ pletely surrounding the Federal District and Mexico City, it contains many
preconquest ruins, including Tenayuca, Malinalco, and Teotihuacan. The average elevation exceeds 10,000 ft (3,000 m), which creates a cool cli¬ mate. The population density is the highest of any Mexican state. The economy is based on agriculture and manufacturing.
Mexico, Gulf of Gulf, southeastern coast of North America, connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Straits of Florida and to the Caribbean Sea by the Yucatan Channel. Covering an area of 600,000 sq mi (1,550,000 sq km), it is bounded by the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba. It has a maximum depth, in the Mexico Basin, of 17,070 ft (5,203 m). The Gulf Stream enters it from the Caribbean Sea and flows out to the Atlantic. The Mississippi and the Rio Grande are the major rivers draining into the gulf. Its major ports are Veracruz in Mexico, and Galveston, New Orleans, Pensacola, and Tampa in the U.S.
Mexico, National Autonomous University of Mexican government-financed university in Mexico City, founded in 1551. The original university building, dating from 1584, was demolished in 1910, and the university was moved to a new campus in 1954. Between 1553
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Mexico City ► Miami I 1249
Mexican Presidents from 1917
President
Term
President
Term
Venustiano Carranza*
1917-20
Adolfo Ruiz Cortines
1952-58
Adolfo de la Huerta
1920
Adolfo Lopez Mateos
1958-64
Alvaro Obregon
1920-24
Gustavo Diaz Ordaz
1964-70
Plutarco Elias Calles
1924-28
Luis Echeverria Alvarez
1970-76
Emilio Portes Gil
1928-30
Jose Lopez Portillo
1976-82
Pascual Ortiz Rubio
1930-32
Miguel de la Madrid
1982-88
Abelardo L. Rodriguez
1932-34
Carlos Salinas de Gortari
1988-94
Lazaro Cardenas
1934-40
Ernesto Zedillo
1994-2000
Manuel Avila Camacho
1940-46
Vicente Fox
2000-
Miguel Aleman
1946-52
‘Claimed the presidency as early as 1914.
and 1867 the university was controlled by the Roman Catholic church. After 1867, independent professional schools of law, medicine, engineer¬ ing, and architecture were established by the government. The university was given administrative autonomy in 1929. It offers a broad range of programs in all major academic and professional subjects.
Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de Mexico \,syu-'thath- tha- , me-he-,ko\ City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro, area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi (1,477 sq km). Mexico City is one of the world’s largest cities and one of the world’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas. It generates about one-third of Mexico’s industrial production. It lies on an ancient lake bed, the site of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, which was taken by the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes in 1521. It was the seat of the Vice¬ royalty of New Spain throughout the colonial period. Captured by Mexi¬ can revolutionaries under Gen. Agustfn de Iturbide in 1821, it was seized by the U.S. in 1847 during the Mexican War and by the French (1863— 67) under Maximilian. It was greatly improved during the rule of Porfirio Diaz (1876-80, 1884-1911). In 1985 it was struck by a severe earthquake that killed at least 7,000 people. The old city centre, the Zocalo, has many historic buildings, including the Metropolitan Cathedral (built on the site of an Aztec temple) and the National Palace (built on the ruins of the palace of Montezuma II). Its educational institutions include the National Autonomous University of Mexico (founded 1551), the College of Mexico, and the Ibero-American University. The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Meyer Vml-orV Adolf (b. Sept. 13, 1866, Niederweningen, Switz.—d. March 17, 1950, Baltimore, Md., U.S.) Swiss-born U.S. psychiatrist. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1892 and taught principally at Johns Hopkins University (1910-41). He developed a concept of human behaviour— ergasiology, or psychobiology—that sought to integrate psychological and biological study. Meyer emphasized accurate case histories, suggested a role of childhood sexual feelings in mental problems in the years preced¬ ing wide recognition of Sigmund Freud’s theories, and decided that men¬ tal illness results essentially from personality dysfunction rather than brain pathology. He became aware of the importance of social environment in mental disorders, and his wife interviewed patients’ families in what is considered the first psychiatric social work.
Meyerbeer Vml-sr-.barX, Giacomo orig. Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer (b. Sept. 5, 1791, Tasdorf, near Berlin, Ger.—d. May 2, 1864, Paris, Fr.) German composer. Brother of the astronomer Wilhelm Beer and the playwright Michael Beer, he achieved early success as a pianist. After he studied vocal writing in Italy, his Italian operas were well received. In Paris from c. 1825, he undertook work on a libretto by Eugene Scribe, and his Robert le Diable (1831) was one of opera’s greatest tri¬ umphs from its premiere. Three later grand operas also became part of the international repertoire: Les Huguenots (1836), Le Prophete (1849), and L’Africaine (1864). Richard Wagner’s criticism of Meyerbeer’s “deser¬ tion” of German music, tainted by jealousy and anti-Semitism, led to neglect of his music for many years, but Meyerbeer exercised unmistak¬ able influence on both Giuseppe Verdi and Wagner himself.
Meyerhof VmI-9r- 1 hof\, Otto (b. April 12, 1884, Hanover, Ger.—d. Oct. 6, 1951, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.) German biochemist. His work on glycolysis remains a basic contribution to the understanding of muscle action, despite the need for later revision. He shared with Archibald V.