Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered by the United States to the north, Belize and Guatemala to the south, and the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to the west and east, respectively. It is the third-largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina, and has a population of over 130 million people. Mexico has a rich and diverse culture, with influences from the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, Spanish colonialism, and modern American culture.
Mexico is well-known for its vibrant food, music, and art. The country is famous for its traditional dishes such as tacos, enchiladas, and mole sauce, and its popular music styles include mariachi and banda. Mexico is also home to many ancient ruins, such as the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, the Mayan pyramids of Chichen Itza, and the ancient Olmec heads. The country's capital and largest city is Mexico City, the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world.
Mexico has a complex history, from the ancient civilizations that flourished before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, to the Mexican War of Independence in 1821 and the subsequent formation of the Mexican Republic. Mexico also played a vital role in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, and the country's relationship with the United States continues to shape its politics and economy today. Mexico is a federal presidential representative democratic republic.
83 Mexico Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)
- Although they each use their own version of the currency, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, the Philippines, and Uruguay all use a currency with what four-letter name?
Answer: Peso
- The Nahuas are the largest indigenous group in Mexico. Their language, Nahuatl, has provided a whole party’s worth of words to English, including “chocolate,” “chili,” “guacamole,” and the word for what distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant?
Answer: Tequila
- The largest gulf in the world contains many bays such as Matagorda Bay and Mobile Bay. What is this rather oversized Gulf?
Answer: Gulf of Mexico
- Oh? Oh. Oh! Mexico's Mario Molina picked up a 1995 Chemistry Nobel for his role in discovering that CFCs are a threat to what UV-absorbing portion of Earth's stratosphere?
Answer: Ozone
- English loanwords from the indigenous Nahuatl language of Mexico include coyote, tomato, and what word that names a fast casual restaurant with over 3,000 locations?
Answer: Chipotle
- Celebrated with tequila and sombreros by many Americans, Cinco De Mayo actually commemorates the not-so-boozy defeat of the French by what nation at the 1862 Battle of Puebla?
Answer: Mexico
- Celebrated on December 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe Day draws Catholics from around the world to pay homage to an image of the Virgin Mary located in what country?
Answer: Mexico
- Known as Fright Fest at all U.S. locations, but known as Festival de Terror in Mexico, the Halloween-oriented haunt event with attractions and themed "Scare Zones" is an annual staple at what chain of theme parks?
Answer: Six Flags
- What economic agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada was enacted in 1994 and replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020?
Answer: NAFTA
- In 2019, the last of over 5,900 Special Editions of which famous Volkswagen model rolled off the assembly line? (Hint: The final car was made in Mexico and was denim blue)
Answer: Beetle
- If you head directly south from San Diego, what border town resort will be the first city you hit in Mexico?
Answer: Tijuana
- Which comedy set in Mexico stars Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short as a trio of friends?
Answer: Three Amigos
- A popular brand of beer in Queensland Australia sports four of them on the label, and the labels of Mexico's Dos Equis (naturally) have two. What letter is this?
Answer: X
- What major world capital sits on the site of an ancient body of water named Lake Texcoco, which was almost entirely drained in by Spanish colonists the 17th century?
Answer: Mexico City
- What "sweet" Canadian actor and comedian rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City, starred in major movies like "Uncle Buck," and died of a heart attack in Mexico at the age of 43?
Answer: John Candy
- The archaeological site known as the Toltec Mounds in Arkansas with 18 mounds were mistakenly named for a group of indigenous North American residents that lived in what modern-day country?
Answer: Mexico
- Home to a Great Pyramid of the non-Egyptian variety, which city in Puebla, Mexico gives its name to a wooden-capped brand of hot sauce?
Answer: Cholula
- What crop, North America's most widely grown grain, was developed in southern Mexico from a wild grass called teosinte?
Answer: Corn
- A tall and tubular species of cactus native to the U.S. and Mexico has what name, because of its resemblance to an enormous musical instrument?
Answer: Organ Pipe
- On the eve of the 2018 World Cup, FIFA announced that the U.S. would be hosting an upcoming rendition of the global tournament in partnership with Canada and Mexico. During what year will this trio host the World Cup?
Answer: 2026
- The evidence of the earliest use of chocolate was found at an archaeological site of the pre-Olmec Mokaya people dating back to 1900 BC. In what country is this site located?
Answer: Mexico
- Claudia Sheinbaum remains the frontrunner in the 2024 presidential election in what country, whose current office holder is prohibited for running again because presidents are limited to a single six-year term called a "sexenio?"
Answer: Mexico
- From what present-day country, formerly ancient Mesoamerica, does chocolate originate?
Answer: Mexico
- What is the name of the "J" oil that is made from a shrub native to southern Arizona, southern California, and northwestern Mexico and is purportedly helpful for preventing hair breakage and treating dandruff?
Answer: Jojoba oil
- La Casa Azul, or Blue House, is a museum in Mexico City devoted to the works of what artist, who was born there?
Answer: Frida Kahlo
- Existing for less than 20 years, the United Provinces of Central America consisted of modern-day Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico and what other country?
Answer: Honduras
- Gabrielle Solis, the character played by Eva Longoria in Desperate Housewives, was born in what large "G" city in Mexico?
Answer: Guadalajara
- In 2019, Walmart opened 134 new locations the country in which it has its second-most locations (after the United States of course). What is this country?
Answer: Mexico
- In the 1990s, Walmart went global for the first time when partnering with Cifra, who was a retailer in what country?
Answer: Mexico
- A trilateral trade bloc between Canada, Mexico, and the United States was formed by what agreement in 1994?
Answer: NAFTA
- What two-word organic mattress company, started in 2016, uses both the tree fruit originating from Mexico, and its color, in its name?
Answer: Avocado Green Mattress
- What “T” resort town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast is home to a 13th century walled Mayan archaeological site? Its Coba region contains pyramid shaped temples that overlook the jungle.
Answer: Tulum
- What beach in its namesake “C” San Diego County city shares its name with a 16th-century Spanish conquistador who led an expedition from Mexico to present day Kansas in the 1540s?
Answer: Coronado Beach
- What is the name of the tallest compliant tower in the world, finished in 200, standing in the Gulf of Mexico at a whopping 640 meters tall, and operated by Chevron?
Answer: Petronius
- If you’re in Mecca near the border of Mexico, what’s the name of the saline lake you can visit that’s saltier than the ocean and full of dead fish?
Answer: Salton Sea
- Which fintech company in Mexico has a feminine name that starts with C and helps companies streamline their cash flow?
Answer: Clara
- Popular in Northern Mexico and among Spanish-speaking Texans, “La Canícula” refers to the rainless, hot, stagnant days between July and August. It's equivalent to what 2-word alliterative idiom that's more common to English speakers?
Answer: Dog days
- In this borough, you can take a ride on a boat called a trajinera on canals which are all that remains of an ancient lake. What name is shared by that lake, and this modern-day borough of Mexico City?
Answer: Xochimilco
- Arabica coffee, combined with rum and sugar, is the main ingredient of what liqueur produced in Veracruz, Mexico?
Answer: Kahlua
- When it was formed by the Mexica around 1325, what was the original name of what is now Mexico City? (Hint: The meaning of the name, which starts with T, is not agreed on but it might mean something like: “rocks growing among prickly pears")
Answer: Tenochtitlan
- Franklin Pierce is surely one of history's lesser-known presidents, but he did sign the bill acquiring what piece of land in modern-day Arizona and New Mexico from Mexico, the last addition to the continental United States?
Answer: Herbert Hoover
- What reservoir on the Texas border, jointly managed by the United States and Mexico, gets its name from the "friendship" shared by the two nations?
Answer: Amistad Reservoir
- Jalisco, Guerrero, and Coahuila are just a few of the 32 Federal Entities of which Latin American country?
Answer: Mexico
- Found on its national flag as well as many other national symbols, what species of eagle is the official animal emblem of the country of Mexico?
Answer: Golden Eagle
- Ernesto Zillo, Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon have all served one six-year term as president of which North American country?
Answer: Mexico
- A common misconception that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day. It's not, as Mexico’s Independence Day actually falls on which date?
Answer: September 16
- What network, which has had better luck with its Real Housewives franchises, canceled its 2019 reality show about Mexico City families, "Mexican Dynasties," after one season?
Answer: Bravo
- What 1819 treaty gave Spain control of Texas for relinquishing claims to Florida? Just two years later in 1821, Mexico became independent and Texas was part of the new country.
Answer: Adams-Onis Treaty
- Now buried under the ground west of the Junípero Serra Museum, what was the first permanent European structure built in what would become California? Construction began in 1769 by soldiers and priests from Mexico (then called New Spain).
Answer: The Presidio
- In 2016, a hacker named Andres Sepulveda claimed to have been paid to hack files and create thousands of enthusiasm-feigning bots to help Enrique Pena Nieto win a presidential election in what country?
Answer: Mexico
- The official seal of the City of Los Angeles contains the coat of arms of Mexico, and the lion and castle from the coat of arms of what other country?
Answer: Spain
- In which 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War did Mexico cede the territory that would become the state of Colorado?
Answer: Guadalupe-Hidalgo
- High floodwaters in 1864 caused the Rio Grande to shift, creating a "banco" of land that would be disputed for 100 years between Texas and Mexico. What was the name given to the disputed area, which is marked by a memorial and museum today?
Answer: El Chamizal
- The second largest marine oil spill in history (after Deepwater Horizons) occurred in 1979 after the oil well Ixtoc 1 suffered a blowout - this disaster took place 60 miles off the coast of what country?
Answer: Mexico
- Taking its name from an Arawak word for "barbeque," barbacoa is slow-roasted meat usually taken from the cheeks of what animal in Mexico? You could also ask for "cabrito" to order this animal's meat in a different style.
Answer: Goat
- Known to nest in saguaro cacti, the Elf Owl is only found in the wild in which two countries?
Answer: U.S. and Mexico
- How humiliating for Puma: the Pumas, AKA U.N.A.M., are kitted out in Nike and play home games at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in what host city of the 1968 Olympics?
Answer: Mexico City
- Founded in 2012, Buho logistics has specialized in printed items supply chains, and was founded in which North American country?
Answer: Mexico
- What Tex-Mex dish is the primary legacy of Ignacio Anaya, a maitre 'd at the Victory Club restaurant in Piedras Negras, Mexico in the 1940s?
Answer: Nachos
- Following Costa Rican independence in the early 1820s, the Imperialists were in favor of joining forces with what other nearby Empire? The competing viewpoint was put forward by the Republicans who defended full independence.
Answer: The Mexican Empire
- Written in Spanish, "Like Water for Chocolate" is the 1989 debut novel by Laura Esquivel, an author from what country?
Answer: Mexico
- Name one of the two states which were partially acquired by the U.S. via the Gadsden Purchase of 1853.
Answer: Arizona
- “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado and rapper Peso Pluma topped the global Billboard Charts in the first half of 2023. What country is Pluma from?
Answer: Mexico
- Flooding in Texas is most likely along an escarpment, a long geographic slope, running from Del Rio on the U.S.-Mexico border to Dallas-Fort Worth. What's the name of this escarpment, which comes from the Spanish word for features you might look for in the upper story of a house?
Answer: Balcones Escarpment
- Originating in Mexico, the axolotl is a paedomorphic species of which order of amphibians?
Answer: Salamander
- The United Kingdom was the first country on which the U.S. formally declared war. What was the second?
Answer: Mexico
- The English word "chocolate" comes from a Spanish word which comes from a classic word in what language spoken widely in Central Mexico during the 16th century Spanish Conquest?
Answer: Nahuatl
- Prior to 2016, what capital city in the Americas was technically referred to as a “District Federal” in its native language?
Answer: Mexico City
- The Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica operates under what "Hollywood"-esque name in much of Latin America, including Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica?
Answer: Movistar
- What 1836 battle, which secured independence for Texas from Mexico, is memorialized by name in the lyrics of "Texas, Our Texas," the state's official song?
Answer: San Jacinto
- The Pobladores ("townspeople") is the name given to the 44 original settlers from Sonora, Mexico who established a new settlement that flourished decades later upon completion of the Santa Fe railroad line. By what name is this settlement known today?
Answer: Los Angeles
- What Costa Rican-Mexican singer was called "la voz áspera de la ternura" and was known for her rendition of Mexican rancheras? She live to the age of 93 before passing away in Mexico in 2012.
Answer: Chavela Vargas
- Chocolate making “O”riginated with what prehistoric people who lived on the Gulf of Mexico from 1200-400 BC? They were likely the first Meso-American civilization.
Answer: Olmec
- Runners start at Estadío Olimpico Universitario before running 10km down Insurgente Sur to begin the marathon in what world capital city?
Answer: Mexico City
- What Latina and Chicago native wrote "Caramelo," a novel about a Mexican American family in Chicago who takes an annual road trip to visit their “Awful Grandmother” in Mexico City?
Answer: Sandra Cisneros
- The Ariel Awards, or Premio Ariel, is considered which country’s equivalent to the Oscars?
Answer: Mexico
- Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, what Mexican state sounds like it might contain Australian mammals but is actually named for a lawyer who fought for Mexican independence?
Answer: Quintana Roo
- When the first Civil War of Costa Rica occurred in the 1820s, one side wanted full independence and the other side were in favor of joining what other nation?
Answer: Mexico
- Under what man's presidency did the following three events occur: U.S. acquires border territory from Mexico for $10 million via the Gadsden Purchase, Congress passes the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the repeal of the Missouri Compromise.
Answer: Franklin Pierce
- In 1913, Pedro Lascuráin was made president during a military coup. However, he holds the world record for shortest-ever presidency, since it lasted less than one hour. What country was he the (temporary) leader of?
Answer: Mexico
- What owl is named for the mask around its eyes, which is dark on light plumage in young birds and light on dark plumage in adults? These owls can be found in Mexico and Central America and throughout the northern two-thirds of South America.
Answer: Spectacled
- Feeding almost entirely on insects (rare for an owl), what is the small "F" owl with a 14-inch wingspan that gets its name from ember-like markings on its face that is found across Canada, the United States, and Mexico?
Answer: Flammulated Owl
- Which species of bird, including the green-tailed and white-chinned, is often spotted in South America and southern Mexico?
Answer: Jacamar
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About the Author
Eli Robinson is the Chief Trivia Officer at Water Cooler Trivia. He was once in a Bruce Springsteen cover band called F Street Band.
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