Mexico is a country that thrives from their resources and

continues to do so even to this day. It is a country with a diverse

geographical composition and history of agricultural production. They
seem to provide resources that help their economy flourish such as the
fact they are the worlds leading producing of silver. Also, they have
been known to grow crops because of their well fertile soil near the
Gulf Coast and since it is the coast, it is therefore a well-watered area.
The first society known to Mexico was the Olmecs who established
themselves on the Gulf of Mexico. Even though they have all these
resources, their economy is still unbalanced due to the unbalanced
distribution of wealth.
The Olmecs were first established on the Gulf of Mexico around
1200 BC. They were on the Gulf to grow crops such as corn and beans
because of the fertile and well-watered area. They established
monumental sacred complexes and sculptures that are still recognized
today. Their culture was then passed onto those who followed them.
The next main societal group that was established in Mexico was the
Mayans. They were around between 250 and 900 AD. They were
important because they developed a calendar and a writing system.
They also built cities that functioned as hubs for the surrounding
farming towns. However, their society collapsed in the early 10th
century due to overpopulation and damage to the ecological balance.
The Aztecs were around in Mexico in 1427 along with the Toltecs
and the Mayans. They conquered small countries until Mexico spanned
from the Pacific Ocean to the Golf Coast. However, their downfall was
the invasion of the Spaniards. The Spanish led an expedition to Mexico
on April 22, 1519. The Aztecs ere forced to relocate to Tlatelolco. This
is because the Spanish captured Tenochtitlan in 1521, which is where
the Aztecs were settled. The capturing of this city lead to Mexico being
called New Spain. The Spaniards discovered the gold, silver and
mineral resources, which still flourish today in Mexico, and are
resources that help their economy. However, the diseases bought in by
the Spaniards devastated the population and killed about 24 million
people. This has to do with the information learned in Guns, Germs and
Steel because it was mentioned how it is harder for a country to grow
and develop when new diseases are introduced. The people that catch
these diseases because they have never been exposed to them before,
end up dying because they dont have the antibodies to fight them off.
This therefore, can lead to a devastation of an environment.
Following the Mexican Revolution in 1910 that lasted about 10
years, Lazaro Cardenas became president in 1934. He established
communally shared tracts of farmland, which benefited citizens and
the economy. Following this, WW2 was another factor that helped
Mexico thrive. This is because the war helped with the development of
roads, building factories and irrigation systems. Even with all this
growth, Mexico still has an unbalanced distribution of wealth.

According to the information that was learned from Guns, Germs

and Steel, a country has to develop from an abundance of resources.
They have to have access to vegetation, climate that allows storage
and the ability for animals to be domesticated and for them to be able
to survive. If all this occurs then the abundance of food supply leads to
population growth, which then leads to social and technological
innovations. Mexico seems to fit that description because they do have
changing seasons that enable crop growth. They also have fertile land
and the well-watered areas near the coast, as mentioned before.
Mexico also has a lot of natural resources such as minerals and silver
that help the economy grow. Mexico is still a growing country because
of all the resources the population has.
Today, Mexico has an ever-growing problem of drug trafficking
which leads to political and police corruption. Recently, foreign owned
factories and plants have been built in rural areas that helped draw
people away from Mexico City to help redistribute the wealth. However,
the Mexican economy does have a growing industrial base and an
abundant amount of natural resources and service industries. Another
big contributor is tourism, which helps the Mexican economy as well.
Overall, Mexico is a country that still has room for growth and
development and they are showing this throughout the years.
Sources:
History.com Staff. (2009). History of Mexico. Retrieved January 21, 2017, from
http://www.history.com/topics/mexico/history-of-mexico
Cartwright, M. (2013, August 30). Olmec Civilization. Retrieved January 21, 2017, from
https://www.ancient.eu/Olmec_Civilization/