This page will contain news stories about pizza, as they become available.PizzaIn its native form, a pizza (occasionally, pizza pie) is an oven-baked, flat, usually circular bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese with optional toppings. The cheese is usually mozzarella or sometimes a mixture of several specialty cheeses. Various other foodstuffs may be added to this design as toppings, most typically:
The crust is traditionally plain but may also be seasoned with butter, garlic, or herbs; or stuffed, with cheese, for example. In some pizza recipes (so-called "white pizzas") the tomato sauce is omitted, or replaced with another sauce (e.g. sauces made with spinach or onions). Pizza is normally eaten hot (typically at lunch or dinner), but leftovers are often eaten cold. The word "pizza" is from the Italian word pizza (IPA: /pittsa/), with plural form pizze (IPA: /pit:tse/). The term was originally used to refer to a range of dough-based dishes, and is thought to be derived from pinza ← Latin pincere "to mash up".[1] [2].
HistoryThe history of food items which may have served as the roots of modern pizza can be traced to the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia (southern Italy). Such products arguably have their first written mention in Book VII of Virgil's Aeneid: In the 3rd century BCE, the first history of Rome, written by Marcus Porcius Cato, mentions a "flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs, and honey baked on stones". Further evidence is found in Pompeii, the city "frozen in time" since 79 CE, where archaeologists have excavated shops that closely resemble modern pizzerias. Though several kinds of flat bread made with flour, often cooked with oil and spices, were familiar to ancient Romans and popular in all the Mediterranean area, they were considerably different from pizza as it is known today. The tomato was still unknown in Europe and the Indian water buffalo, whose milk is used to make the real mozzarella cheese, had not yet been imported to Campania, the area around Napoli (Naples). The crust of pizza is very similar to focaccia bread common in Italian cuisine today. The tomato was first believed to be poisonous (as some other fruits of the nightshade family are), when it came to Europe in the 16th century. However, by the late 18th century even the poor of the area around Naples added it as an ingredient to their yeast-based flat bread, and the dish gained in popularity. Pizza became a tourist attraction, and visitors to Naples ventured into the poorer areas of the city to try the local specialty. The first dynasties of Neapolitan pizza makers (Italian: pizzaioli) originate in these years: modern pizza is attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. In 1889, Raffaele Esposito who worked in the pizzeria "Pietro... e basta così" (literally "Peter... and that's enough", established in 1780 and still in activity; now called "Pizzeria Brandi" - Via Chiaia, Salita S. Anna di palazzo, 1-2 - Napoli - [3] ) baked a special pizza especially for the visit of the King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. The pizza was very patriotic and resembled the Italian flag with its colors of green (basil leaves), white (mozzarella), and red (tomatoes), and was named Pizza Margherita in honor of the Queen and set the standard by which today's pizza evolved and spread worldwide. Until about 1830, pizza was sold from open-air stands and street vendors out of pizza bakeries (including "Pietro... e basta così"), but then the world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, opened in Naples and is still in business today at Via Port'Alba 18. Pizza met the aristocratic taste (the King of Naples Ferdinando II of Borbone greatly enjoyed the pizza made by 'Ntuono Testa at Salita S. Teresa) and an even more decided popular favour, establishing itself as a daily course, dinner and supper of the Neapolitans. An Italian immigrant to the US in 1897 named Gennaro Lombardi opened a small grocery store in New York's Little Italy. An employee of his, Antonio Totonno Pero (also an Italian immigrant) began making pizza for the store to sell. Their pizza became so popular, Lombardi opened the first US pizzeria in 1905 at 53 1/3 Spring Street [4], naming it simply Lombardi's. The price for an entire pizza was 5 cents, but since many people couldn't afford the cost of a whole pie, they could rather say how much they could pay and they were given a slice corresponding to the amount offered (not unlike the method by which pizza is often sold in Italy today). It was closed in 1984 and then reopened in 1994 a block down, at 32 Spring Street. On November 10th, 2005, Lombardi's celebrated its 100th anniversary by selling pizzas at the 1905 price, 5 cents, for the whole day. In 1924, Totonno left Lombardi's to open his own pizzeria on Coney Island called Totonno's. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened in New Haven in 1925. Boston was introduced to pizza in 1926 by Anthony Polcari when he opened Pizzeria Regina in Boston's North End. The D'Amore family brought pizza to Los Angeles in 1939. At this point in time in the U.S., pizza consumption was still limited mostly to Italian immigrants. The international breakthrough came after World War II. Although the birthplace of modern day pizza is Naples, local bakers were at a loss to satisfy the demand from American soldiers. The American troops involved in the Italian campaign took their appreciation for the dish back home. With its rising popularity in the 1950s, especially in the US, pizza became a component of the growing chain-restaurant industry. Some leading early pizza chains were Shakey's Pizza (inventor of the term pizza parlor; formerly, the term pizzeria was preferred) and Pizza Hut, both founded in 1954, in Sacramento and Wichita, respectively. Some later entrants to the dine-in pizza market were Happy Joe's, California Pizza Kitchen, and Round Table Pizza. Today, the pizza business is dominated by companies that specialize in home delivery, including Domino's, Little Caesar's, and Papa John's. Even Pizza Hut has shifted its emphasis away from pizza parlors and toward home delivery. These national pizza chains often coexist with locally-owned pizza restaurants. Pizza is also found in supermarkets as a frozen food. Considerable amounts of food technology has gone into the creation of palatable frozen pizzas. The main challenges include preventing the sauce from combining with the dough and producing a crust that can be frozen and reheated without becoming rigid. Modified corn starch is commonly used as a moisture barrier between the sauce and crust. Traditionally the dough is somewhat pre-baked and other ingredients are also sometimes pre-cooked. Lately, frozen pizzas with completely raw ingredients have also begun to appear. Types of pizzaA "supreme" pizza such as this one includes many different toppings, such as pepperoni (one of the most popular pizza toppings), green peppers, olives, and mushrooms.In recent years, pizza has become an international food since the toppings can be extensively varied to meet local variations in taste. These pizzas consist of the same basic design but include an exceptionally diverse choice of ingredients, such as anchovies, egg, pineapple, grilled lamb, coconut, sauerkraut, eggplant, lamb, couscous, chicken, fish, and shellfish, meats done in ethnic styles such as Moroccan lamb, kebab or even chicken tikka masala, and non-traditional spices such as curry and Thai sweet chili. Pizzas can also be made without meat for vegetarians, and without cheese for vegans. Breakfast pizzas are topped with ingredients such as scrambled eggs. "Supreme" pizzas typically include a thick layer of many different toppings. Pizza styles
Regional specialties
Crusts and baking methodsPizza may be baked with a thin bread bottom (Italian or "hand-tossed" style) or with thicker bread (pan pizza). The crust can be very thick as in Chicago-style pizza or almost non-existent as in the Roman pizza. Some pizzas are now made with a cheese-filled crust. In restaurants, pizza can be baked in a gas deck (stone bricks above the heat source) oven, an electric deck oven, a conveyor belt oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired brick oven. On deck ovens, the pizza can be slid into the oven on a long paddle called a peel and baked directly on the hot bricks or baked on a screen (a round metal pan that has holes in it like a screen). When making pizza at home, it can be baked on a "pizza stone" in a regular oven to imitate the effect of a brick oven. Another option is grilled pizza, in which the crust is baked directly on a barbecue grill. Greek pizza, like Chicago-style pizza, is baked in a pan rather than directly on the bricks of the pizza oven. In home-made pizza, there are many variations on the bread used for crust. In some countries, creations such as pita pizza, bagel pizza, and tortilla pizza are popular, especially with children. In Japan, where full-size ovens are a rarity in the home, pizza toast is a popular version. Frozen pizzas are generally considered inferior in quality to pizzeria-made pizzas, though there are some exemplary frozen pizzas. Recently, frozen pizzas with a rising-crust have appeared on the market. Pizza in cultureIn the film Splendor in the Grass, set in 1929, the character Bud Stamper visits a New Haven pizzeria (see also apizza) as a freshman at Yale University, and has to ask the waitress, "What is pizza?" In the 1920s, pizza would have been virtually unknown to a non-Italian Midwesterner. Pizza plays a prominent role in other films, such as Loverboy, Mystic Pizza and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. Pizza was the food of choice of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Pizza has also been used in teaching fractions and in computer games, such as Pizza Tycoon. Until the early 1990s, pizza delivery was relatively unavailable in England. This deficiency was the focus of an extended passage in the Douglas Adams novel The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Quotation
This page about pizza includes information from a Wikipedia article. Additional articles about pizza News stories about pizza External links for pizza Videos for pizza Wikis about pizza Discussion Groups about pizza Blogs about pizza Images of pizza |
|
This deficiency was the focus of an extended passage in the Douglas Adams novel The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary Pizza plays a prominent role in other films, such as Loverboy, Mystic Pizza and Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. The mere act of using the j spelling is interpreted by some as a form of colonial aggression. In the film Splendor in the Grass, set in 1929, the character Bud Stamper visits a New Haven pizzeria (see also apizza) as a freshman at Yale University, and has to ask the waitress, "What is pizza?" In the 1920s, pizza would have been virtually unknown to a non-Italian Midwesterner. A cultural side-effect of the fact that Mexicans use México /'mexiko/ and Spaniards sometimes use Méjico is the occasional boiling-over of negative sentiment towards the old colonial oppressor. Recently, frozen pizzas with a rising-crust have appeared on the market. Also, in the placenames "Oaxaca" and "Xalapa", the x is pronounced as /x/; in "Xochimilco", however, it sounds as a /ʃ/. Frozen pizzas are generally considered inferior in quality to pizzeria-made pizzas, though there are some exemplary frozen pizzas. Today, even outside of the country, México is preferred over Méjico by ratios ranging from 10-to-1 (in Spain) to about 280-to-1 (in Costa Rica). In Japan, where full-size ovens are a rarity in the home, pizza toast is a popular version. The Real Academia Española states that both spellings are correct, and most dictionaries and guides recommend México first, and present Méjico as a variant. In some countries, creations such as pita pizza, bagel pizza, and tortilla pizza are popular, especially with children. Mexicans have tended to demand that other Spanish-speakers use this spelling, rather than following the general rule, and the demand has largely been respected. In home-made pizza, there are many variations on the bread used for crust. It is regarded as more authentic and less jarring to the reader's eye. Greek pizza, like Chicago-style pizza, is baked in a pan rather than directly on the bricks of the pizza oven. In Mexico, it has become almost a matter of national pride to maintain the otherwise archaic x spelling in the name of the country. Another option is grilled pizza, in which the crust is baked directly on a barbecue grill. Thus, although xabón is now incorrect and archaic, alongside many millions of people called "Jiménez", there also are plenty called "Giménez" or "Ximénez" — a matter of personal choice and tradition. When making pizza at home, it can be baked on a "pizza stone" in a regular oven to imitate the effect of a brick oven. Proper nouns and their derivatives are optionally allowed to break this rule. On deck ovens, the pizza can be slid into the oven on a long paddle called a peel and baked directly on the hot bricks or baked on a screen (a round metal pan that has holes in it like a screen). The old pronunciation is maintained in French "Quichotte", and the English word "quixotic" maintains the spelling while pronouncing it with its English value.). In restaurants, pizza can be baked in a gas deck (stone bricks above the heat source) oven, an electric deck oven, a conveyor belt oven or, in the case of more expensive restaurants, a wood- or coal-fired brick oven. (Another example is the old spelling of Don Quixote which is now Don Quijote. Some pizzas are now made with a cheese-filled crust. So, modern Spanish has ejercicio, ejército, jabón, perplejo, etc. The crust can be very thick as in Chicago-style pizza or almost non-existent as in the Roman pizza. It was j/g that was chosen. Pizza may be baked with a thin bread bottom (Italian or "hand-tossed" style) or with thicker bread (pan pizza). The coalescence of the two phonemes into a single new one encouraged scholars to use the same letter for the sound, regardless of its origin (Spanish scholars have always tried to keep the orthography of their language faithful to the spoken tongue). "Supreme" pizzas typically include a thick layer of many different toppings. The /ʒ/ sound also started to be pronounced this way. Breakfast pizzas are topped with ingredients such as scrambled eggs. Words like Ximénez, exercicio, xabón and perplexo started to be pronounced with a /x/ (this phonetic symbol represents the sound in the word "loch"). Pizzas can also be made without meat for vegetarians, and without cheese for vegans. Over the centuries, the pronunciation of Spanish changed. These pizzas consist of the same basic design but include an exceptionally diverse choice of ingredients, such as anchovies, egg, pineapple, grilled lamb, coconut, sauerkraut, eggplant, lamb, couscous, chicken, fish, and shellfish, meats done in ethnic styles such as Moroccan lamb, kebab or even chicken tikka masala, and non-traditional spices such as curry and Thai sweet chili. These old pronunciations of j and x are still found in Portuguese and Ladino. In recent years, pizza has become an international food since the toppings can be extensively varied to meet local variations in taste. Meanwhile, the letter j (or, rather, the letter i when used as a consonant, since j had not been invented yet) was used for the /ʒ/ sound (as in "vision"), as was g before e or i. Lately, frozen pizzas with completely raw ingredients have also begun to appear. Ximénez); consequently, the letter x was used to write down words like Mexitli. Traditionally the dough is somewhat pre-baked and other ingredients are also sometimes pre-cooked. The Nahuatl language had a /ʃ/ sound (like English "shop"), and this sound was written x in Spanish (e.g. Modified corn starch is commonly used as a moisture barrier between the sauce and crust. When the Spaniards encountered this people and transcribed their language, they naturally did so according to the spelling rules of the Castilian language of the time. The main challenges include preventing the sauce from combining with the dough and producing a crust that can be frozen and reheated without becoming rigid. So, Mexico is the home of the people of Mexitli (the Mexicas), co meaning "place" and ca meaning "people". Considerable amounts of food technology has gone into the creation of palatable frozen pizzas. The Mexi part of the name is from Mexitli, the war god, whose name was derived from metztli (the moon) and xictli (navel) and thus meant "navel (probably implying 'child') of the moon". Pizza is also found in supermarkets as a frozen food. Mexico is named after its capital city, whose name comes from the Aztec city Mexico-Tenochtitlan that preceded it. These national pizza chains often coexist with locally-owned pizza restaurants. The Mexican distance learning secondary education is also transmitted to some Central American countries and to Colombia, and it is used in some southern regions of the United States as a method of bilingual education. Even Pizza Hut has shifted its emphasis away from pizza parlors and toward home delivery. Schools that use this system are known as telesecundarias in Mexico. Today, the pizza business is dominated by companies that specialize in home delivery, including Domino's, Little Caesar's, and Papa John's. In 2005 this system included 30,000 connected schools, 3 million students and 300,000 teachers, who use televised lectures and education science programs, pre-recorded and transmitted through "EduSat", via satellite. Some later entrants to the dine-in pizza market were Happy Joe's, California Pizza Kitchen, and Round Table Pizza. In the 1970's, Mexico became the first country to establish a system of "distance-learning" satellite secondary education, aimed for the little towns and rural communities. Some leading early pizza chains were Shakey's Pizza (inventor of the term pizza parlor; formerly, the term pizzeria was preferred) and Pizza Hut, both founded in 1954, in Sacramento and Wichita, respectively. Even though different bilingual education programs have existed since the 1960s for the indigenous communities, after a constitution reform in the late 1990s, these programs have had a new thrust, and free text books are produced in more than a dozen indigenous languages. With its rising popularity in the 1950s, especially in the US, pizza became a component of the growing chain-restaurant industry. Primary and secondary education (9 years) is free and mandatory. The American troops involved in the Italian campaign took their appreciation for the dish back home. In 2004, the literacy rate was at 92%, and the youth literacy rate (ages 15-24) was 96%. Although the birthplace of modern day pizza is Naples, local bakers were at a loss to satisfy the demand from American soldiers. Mexico has made impressive improvements in education in the last two decades. The international breakthrough came after World War II. Scandinavian languages and traditions can also be heard in Chihuahua, like Swedish and Norwegian in Nueva Escandinavia and other Scandinavian colonies in the north of the country. At this point in time in the U.S., pizza consumption was still limited mostly to Italian immigrants. Another important French village in Mexico is Santa Rosalía in Baja California Sur, where French language and culture/architecture are still found. The D'Amore family brought pizza to Los Angeles in 1939. Another important French group were the "Barcelonettes" from the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département, whom interestingly the whole town and surrounding towns immigrated specifically to Mexico to find jobs and work in merchendising, they are very notorious in Mexico City, Puebla, and Veracruz. Boston was introduced to pizza in 1926 by Anthony Polcari when he opened Pizzeria Regina in Boston's North End. These French immigrants came from Haute-Saône département in France, especially from Champittle and Borgonge. Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana opened in New Haven in 1925. French is also heard in Veracruz, Jicaltepec, San Rafael and Mentideros, where the architecture and food is also very French. In 1924, Totonno left Lombardi's to open his own pizzeria on Coney Island called Totonno's. Other strong German communities lie in Sinaloa (Mazatlan), Nuevo Leon, Chiapas (Tapachula) and other parts of Puebla (Nueva Necaxa) where the german culture and language have been preserved to different extents. On November 10th, 2005, Lombardi's celebrated its 100th anniversary by selling pizzas at the 1905 price, 5 cents, for the whole day. Other German communities lie in Puebla, Mexico City, Sinaloa and Chiapas, with the largest German school outside of Germany being in Mexico City (Alexander von Humboldt school), these represent the large German populations where they still try to preserve the German culture and language. It was closed in 1984 and then reopened in 1994 a block down, at 32 Spring Street. A similar case is that of the Plautdietsch language, spoken by the descendants of German and Dutch Mennonite immigrants in the states of Chihuahua and Durango. The price for an entire pizza was 5 cents, but since many people couldn't afford the cost of a whole pie, they could rather say how much they could pay and they were given a slice corresponding to the amount offered (not unlike the method by which pizza is often sold in Italy today). In Huatusco and Colonia Gonzalez, Veracruz, Veneto is still heard too. Their pizza became so popular, Lombardi opened the first US pizzeria in 1905 at 53 1/3 Spring Street [4], naming it simply Lombardi's. Nowadays, most of the people who live in the city of Chipilo (and many of those who have migrated to other cities) still speak the unaltered Veneto dialect spoken by their great-grandparents making the Veneto dialect an unrecognized minority language in the city of Puebla. An employee of his, Antonio Totonno Pero (also an Italian immigrant) began making pizza for the store to sell. While other European immigrants assimilated into the Mexican culture, the people of Chipilo retained their language. An Italian immigrant to the US in 1897 named Gennaro Lombardi opened a small grocery store in New York's Little Italy. The immigrants that founded the city of Chipilo in 1882 came from the Veneto region in northern Italy, and thus spoke a northern variant of the Venetian dialect. Teresa) and an even more decided popular favour, establishing itself as a daily course, dinner and supper of the Neapolitans. With respect to other European languages brought by immigrants, the case of Chipilo, in the state of Puebla, is unique, and has been documented by several linguists like Carolyn McKay. Pizza met the aristocratic taste (the King of Naples Ferdinando II of Borbone greatly enjoyed the pizza made by 'Ntuono Testa at Salita S. There are also Mennonite colonies in Chihuahua where education is delivered in English. e basta così"), but then the world's first true pizzeria, Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba, opened in Naples and is still in business today at Via Port'Alba 18. expatriate communities such as those along the coast of Baja California and the town of San Miguel de Allende. Until about 1830, pizza was sold from open-air stands and street vendors out of pizza bakeries (including "Pietro.. English is the main language spoken in U.S. The pizza was very patriotic and resembled the Italian flag with its colors of green (basil leaves), white (mozzarella), and red (tomatoes), and was named Pizza Margherita in honor of the Queen and set the standard by which today's pizza evolved and spread worldwide. Also, the majority of private schools in Mexico offer what they like to describe as "bilingual" education, both in Spanish and English. Anna di palazzo, 1-2 - Napoli - [3] ) baked a special pizza especially for the visit of the King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy. border, in big cities, and in beach resorts. and that's enough", established in 1780 and still in activity; now called "Pizzeria Brandi" - Via Chiaia, Salita S. It is also spoken along the U.S. e basta così" (literally "Peter.. As a result, English language skills are much in demand and can lead to an increase in the salary offered by a company. In 1889, Raffaele Esposito who worked in the pizzeria "Pietro.. Although Spanish is the official language of Mexico, English is widely used in business. The first dynasties of Neapolitan pizza makers (Italian: pizzaioli) originate in these years: modern pizza is attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples in the Italian region of Campania. The Mexican government has promoted and established bilingual education programs in indigenous rural communities. Pizza became a tourist attraction, and visitors to Naples ventured into the poorer areas of the city to try the local specialty. Of these Nahuatl, and Maya are each spoken by 1.5 million, while others, such as Lacandon, are spoken by fewer than 100. However, by the late 18th century even the poor of the area around Naples added it as an ingredient to their yeast-based flat bread, and the dish gained in popularity. The government officially recognizes 62 Amerindian languages. The tomato was first believed to be poisonous (as some other fruits of the nightshade family are), when it came to Europe in the 16th century. About 7% of the population speak an Amerindian language. The crust of pizza is very similar to focaccia bread common in Italian cuisine today. Spanish is the official language of Mexico and is spoken by the majority of the population. The tomato was still unknown in Europe and the Indian water buffalo, whose milk is used to make the real mozzarella cheese, had not yet been imported to Campania, the area around Napoli (Naples). Main article: Languages of Mexico. Though several kinds of flat bread made with flour, often cooked with oil and spices, were familiar to ancient Romans and popular in all the Mediterranean area, they were considerably different from pizza as it is known today. Islam is mainly practiced by members of the Arab, Turkish, and other expatriate communities, though there is a very small number of the indigenous population in Chiapas state that practice Islam. Further evidence is found in Pompeii, the city "frozen in time" since 79 CE, where archaeologists have excavated shops that closely resemble modern pizzerias. Judaism has been practiced in Mexico for centuries, and there are estimated to be more than 45,000 Jews in Mexico today[2]. In the 3rd century BCE, the first history of Rome, written by Marcus Porcius Cato, mentions a "flat round of dough dressed with olive oil, herbs, and honey baked on stones". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) has a growing presence in the major border cities of northeastern Mexico, and over 205,000 members nationwide[1]. Such products arguably have their first written mention in Book VII of Virgil's Aeneid:. [3]. The history of food items which may have served as the roots of modern pizza can be traced to the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia (southern Italy). Wolf, the Guadalupe symbol links family, politics, and religion; the colonial past and the independent present; and the Indian and the Mexican. . According to anthropologist Eric R. Pizza can also be purchased in grocery stores or supermarkets (usually but not always frozen); in many countries, pizza can also be ordered by phone (or, increasingly, via the Web) to be delivered, hot and ready to eat, to the home. The Virgin of Guadalupe has long been a symbol enshrining the major aspirations of Mexican society.
sauces made with spinach or onions). The most common reasons for death in 2001 were heart problems (14.6% for men 17.6% for women) and Cancer (11% for men and 15.8% for women). In some pizza recipes (so-called "white pizzas") the tomato sauce is omitted, or replaced with another sauce (e.g. The mortality rate in 1970 was 9.7/1000 people and by 2001 the rate had dropped to 4.9/1000 for men and 3.8/1000 for women. The crust is traditionally plain but may also be seasoned with butter, garlic, or herbs; or stuffed, with cheese, for example. The lowest levels are found in Chiapas (72.9), Oaxaca (73.2) and Guerrero (73.2 years), although the first two have had the highest increase (19.9 and 22.3% respectively). Various other foodstuffs may be added to this design as toppings, most typically:. The Federal District has a life expectancy of the same level as Baja California. The cheese is usually mozzarella or sometimes a mixture of several specialty cheeses. The states with the highest life expectancy are Baja California (75.9 years) and Nuevo Leon (75.6 years). In its native form, a pizza (occasionally, pizza pie) is an oven-baked, flat, usually circular bread covered with tomato sauce and cheese with optional toppings. Life expectancy in Mexico increased from 34.7 for men and 33 years for women in 1930 to 72.1 for men and 77.1 years for women in 2002. "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie,That's Amore." sung by Dean Martin, reached US number 2 in 1953. 4.2% of male immigrants and 3.8% of female immigrants did not have formal education while 20.2% of male immigrants and 17.7% of female immigrants had a college degree [INEGI, 2004. Borders are sometimes optionally filled with cheddar or catupiry. More than 54.6% of the immigrant population are 15 years old or younger, while 9% are 50 or older. In São Paulo, Brazil, pizzas are often made without cheese (if they are not cheese flavoured), emphasizing the topping ingredients. The five states with more immigrants are Baja California (12.1% of total immigrants), Federal District (11.4%), Jalisco (9.9%), Chihuahua (9%) and Tamaulipas (7.3%). In India, pizza toppings include curry and other traditional sauces or chunks of tandoori chicken. The official figures for foreign-born citizens in Mexico are 493,000 (since 2004), with a majority (86.9%) of these born in the United States (with the exception of Chiapas, where the majority of immigrants are from Central America). Some pizzas include ingredients such as beans, beef, poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, corn nibblets, chorizo, onion, etc. A clear example of the latter phenomenon is provided by San Miguel de Allende and many towns along the Baja California peninsula and around Guadalajara, Jalisco. In Mexico, pizza is often enjoyed dipped in ketchup and/or hot sauce. This may be due to the growing economic and business interdependence of the two countries under NAFTA, and also that Mexico is considered an excellent choice for retirees. In Hong Kong, Pizza Hut customers may choose to have their pizzas dressed with Thousand Island dressing instead of tomato sauce. Mexico is the country where the greatest number of U.S citizens live outside the United States. In addition, sweet potato puree in a circular ring near the edge of the crust is very popular. The states of Aguascalientes (0.2%), Coahuila (0.2%), Zacatecas (0.2%) and Nuevo León (0.5%) have the lowest proportion of speakers of indigenous languages ([INEGI, 2004]). In South Korea, kimchi and bulgogi are used as toppings, as well as many of the toppings used in Japan. Judging by the proportion of people speaking indigenous languages, the states with the highest proportion of indigenous people are Yucatán (37.3%), Oaxaca (37.1%), Chiapas (24.6%) and Quintana Roo (23%). [7] The Japanese dish okonomiyaki is occasionally referred to in English as "Japanese pizza", although its ingredients, preparation method, and taste are substantially different from traditional pizza. In 2004, the National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatic had estimated this figure to be 12,089,094 (~11.4% of Mexico's population) of indigenous people of which, more than one million do not speak Spanish and almost five million are bilingual (INEGI, 2004). [6] Another variation is rice pizza, substituting baked rice for the crust. However, the Mexican government does not collect racial information during censuses. Salad pizza, a pizza topped with tossed salad, is occasionally seen. According to the Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas ("The National Council for the Development of Indigenous People") the Amerindian population in Mexico is approximately 12.7 million. Tabasco sauce is often used as a condiment. In Mexico the biggest foreign colonies are:. In Japan, pizza toppings may include corn, diced potatoes, scrambled eggs, mayonnaise, Camembert cheese, curry sauce, and various kinds of seafood. There are also a few Lebanese and Arabs. "Hawaiian pizza" (see above) is the most popular topping combination in Australia, accounting for 20 percent of all sales. Mexico has a sizeable population of Asians numbering around 200,000, many of them Chinese and Japanese, the majority of which reside in Mexicali, Baja California. In Australia, a commonly sold style is the Aussie pizza, which is topped with ham, bacon, cheese and egg. The PRI governments in power for most of the 20th century had a policy of granting asylum to fellow Latin Americans fleeing political persecution in their home countries. A pizza with mushrooms, pepperoni, and green bell pepper is referred to as "all-dressed". Mexico is also home for many other Latin American groups: mostly Argentines, but also Brazilians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, Colombians and Venezuelans. In Quebec, the same topping combination is called a 'Québécois Pizza'. The remaining 1% includes Afro-Mexicans, Asians, Jews, and Middle Easterners. In Canada, the topping combination of bacon, pepperoni and mushrooms is called 'Canadian Pizza' . Some 9% is white (of European descent), the majority being from Spain, though there are also large numbers of people of German, Italian, French, Portuguese, British, Irish, Russian (Molokans), Dutch, Greek, and Scandinavian (particularly in Nueva Escandinavia, Chihuahua) ancestry. In Scotland, a "pizza supper" commonly sold in fish and chip shops consists of a portion of fried chips (french fries) and a frozen pizza which has been deep fried rather than baked. According to the CIA World Factbook, about 60% of the population is mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white), another 30% is Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian. This style also is sometimes called "bakery pizza." A similar product is made in bakeries in Italy. Mexico is ethnically and culturally diverse. It is usually (but not always) wrapped in individual strips (hence the name). With an estimated 2005 population of about 106.5 million, Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. It has a minimal amount of cheese and is served cold. Main article: Demographics of Mexico In Dayton, Ohio, the local preference is for pizza with thin crust and a light sauce cut into small squares. Mexico has opened its markets to free trade like few other countries have done, lowering its trade barriers with more than 40 countries in 12 Free Trade Agreements, including Japan and the European Union. This type of pizza is usually served cold, and is topped only with a light layer of Pecorino Romano cheese. Trade with the United States and Canada has tripled since NAFTA was implemented in 1994. In Utica, New York, a type of pizza called tomato pie is common. dollar. In Buffalo, New York, pizza is made with a thicker, doughier crust than traditional New York style pizza, with a slightly thicker and sweeter sauce, mozzarella cheese and (usually) pepperoni cooked until it is burned and crispy on the edges. Positive developments in 2001 included a drop in inflation to 6.5%, a sharp fall in interest rates, and a strong peso that appreciated 5% against the U.S. Louis, Missouri, Saint Louis-style pizza is made with a thin crispy crust, often heavily seasoned with salt and oregano, topped with provel cheese, and served in small squares rather than pie-like slices. Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in 2001, with the United States' economic slowdown appearing to be the principal cause. In St. Income distribution is very unequal, with the top 20% of income earners accounting for 55% of income. Made popular by the originating restaurant, BeauJo's, it is piled high with toppings and kept from spilling over by a large, hand-rolled crust that can also be used as an in-pie dessert. Mexico still needs to overcome many structural problems as it strives to modernize its economy and raise living standards. In Colorado, a type of pizza, called mountain pie, is a regional favorite. Private consumption became the leading driver of growth, accompanied by increased employment and higher wages. In Baltimore, Maryland, pizza is traditionally served with a thick, doughy crust and a heavy amount of sauce. A strong export sector helped to cushion the economy's decline in 1995 and led the recovery in 1996–1999. Sourdough crust pizza is the type most commonly associated with San Francisco, however. The administration of President Ernesto Zedillo (1994–2000) continued a policy of privatizing and expanding competition in sea ports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity, natural gas distribution, and airports which was initiated by his predecessors Miguel de la Madrid and Carlos Salinas. In San Francisco, California, the Indian Pizza (see below) has become a source of pride. The number of state-owned enterprises in Mexico has fallen from more than 1,000 in 1982 to fewer than 200 in 1999. The canonical New Haven-style pizza is a white clam pie. Mexico has a free-market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. This thin-crust pizza originated with the Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in the Wooster Square neighborhood of New Haven. According to the director for Colombia and Mexico of the World Bank, the population below the poverty level has decreased from 24.2% to 17.6% in the general population and from 42% to 27.9% in rural areas from 2000-2004 [2]. In New Haven, Connecticut, the local specialty is known as apizza. Since the economic crisis of 1994–1995 the country has made an impressive economic recovery. In Long Island, New York, aka the birthplace of the "pizza bagel", which substitutes bread with a half sliced bagel, but otherwise has normal toppings and ingredients. According to the World Bank, Mexico ranks 12th in the world in regard to GDP and has the highest per capita income in its region; and it is firmly established as an upper middle-income country. Pizza Puffs are dough pouches, usually deep fried, filled with the ingredients of a pizza, such as cheese, pizza sauce, sausage, and pepperoni. Grilled pizza, invented in Providence, Rhode Island, uses a fairly thin crust cooked on a grill; the toppings are placed on the baked side after the pizza has cooked for a bit and flipped over. Estimates of the number of dead range from 6,500 to 30,000 (see 1985 Mexico City earthquake). Ham and pineapple is also a popular topping combination in Australia although, notably, not in Hawaii, this type is also common within the EU as Pizza Hawaii. On September 19, 1985, an earthquake measuring approximately 8.0 on the Richter scale struck Michoacán and inflicted severe damage on Mexico City. A style referred to as "The Perfect Pizza" consists of Hawaiian-style on one half and pepperoni on the other. Mexico's major rivers include the Río Bravo del Norte (Rio Grande) and the Usumacinta on its northern and southern borders, respectively, together with the Grijalva, Balsas, Pánuco, and Yaqui in the interior. Hawaiian pizza has Canadian bacon and pineapple toppings and is especially popular in the Western United States. The terrain and climate vary from rocky deserts in the north to tropical rain forest in the south. Plain olive oil is the predominant sauce. Mexico is about one-fourth the size of the United States. It has a thicker, chewier crust and is baked in a pan in the pizza oven, instead of directly on the bricks. (See list of mountains in Mexico). Greek pizza is a variation popular in New England. The center of Mexico is a great, high plateau, open to the north, with mountain chains on the east and west and with ocean-front lowlands lying outside of them. In Rome, the term pizza bianca refers to a type of bread topped only with olive oil. In the east are the Gulf of Mexico and the Bay of Campeche, which is formed by Mexico's other peninsula, the Yucatán. Most commonly, the toppings consist only of mozzarella and ricotta cheese. Baja California in the west is a 1,250-km peninsula and forms the Gulf of California. White pizza (pizza bianca) uses no tomato sauce, often substituting pesto or dairy products such as sour cream. Mexico is bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. California-style pizza (often termed in the United States gourmet pizza) refers to pizzas with non-traditional ingredients, especially those that use a considerable amount of fresh produce. Its width is varied, from more than 2000 km in the north and less than 220 km at the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the south. Louis-style Pizza chains are Imo's Pizza and Cecil Whittaker's Pizzeria. Situated in the southwestern part of mainland North America and roughly triangular in shape, Mexico stretches more than 3000 km from northwest to southeast. The two largest St. Main article: Geography of Mexico. Sauces tend to have a sweetness to them, some more noticeably than others. The following is a list of the biggest Metropolitan Areas of Mexico in order of population:. Despite its thin crust, it can be layered deeply with many different toppings. Much of the capital city's metropolitan area overflows the limits of the Federal District. It is often salty and seasoned with more oregano than other pizza types. It enjoys more limited local rule than the nation's "free and sovereign states": only since 1997 have its citizens been able to elect a Head of Government, whose powers are still more curtailed than those of a state governor. Louis pizza is somewhat crisp and cannot be folded easily, and is typically cut into three- or four-inch squares instead of the pie-like wedges typical of other pizza. Louis-style pizza is the distinctively St. His victory ended the Institutional Revolutionary Party's 71-year hold on the presidency. It is also sometimes duplicated in other areas of the Midwest.The most notable characteristic of St. Fox began his six-year term on December 1, 2000. Louis-style pizza is a distinct style of pizza popular in Saint Louis, Missouri and its surrounding areas. The PRI did not lose a senate seat until 1988 or a gubernatorial race until 1989.[1] It wasn't until July 2, 2000, that Vicente Fox of the opposition "Alliance for Change" coalition, headed by the National Action Party (PAN), was elected president. St. After it was founded in 1929, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) monopolized all the political branches. Deep dish pizza was purportedly invented and first served in 1943 at Pizzeria Uno, which is still operating along with its twin restaurant, Pizzeria Due, in the River North neighborhood. There is no vice-president in the republic. Some versions (usually referred to as "stuffed") have two layers of crust with the sauce on top. The president is elected by universal adult suffrage for a six-year term and may not hold office a second time. It reverses the order of ingredients, using crust, cheese, filling, then sauce on top. The president also legislates by executive decree in certain economic and financial fields, using powers delegated from Congress. Chicago-style pizza, or deep dish pizza contains a crust which is formed up the sides of a deep dish pan. Congress has played an increasingly important role since 1997, when opposition parties first formed a majority in the legislature. Many pizza establishments in the New York metropolitan area offer two varieties of pizza: "Neapolitan", or "regular", made with a relatively thin, circular crust and served in wedge-shaped slices, and "Sicilian", made with a thicker, rectangular crust and served in large, rectangular slices. Historically, the executive is the dominant branch, with power vested in the [[President of Mexico|president who promulgates and executes the laws of the Congress. This style of pizza tends to dominate the Northeastern states and is very similar to the basic style common through the United States and known simply as pizza. The 1917 Constitution provides for a federal republic with powers separated into independent executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half, as its size and flexibility may otherwise make it unwieldy to eat by hand. Mexico’s political model has much in common with that of the United States. It is traditionally hand-tossed and light on sauce. On March 23, 2005, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America was signed by the elected leaders of those countries. New York-style pizza is a style originally developed in New York City, where pizza is often sold in oversized, thin and flexible slices. On January 1, 1994, Mexico became a full member of the North American Free Trade Agreement, joining the United States of America and Canada in a large and prosperous economic bloc. American pizzas:
An authentic recipe uses neither cheese nor anchovies. Accused many times of fraud, the PRI's candidates held almost all public offices until the end of the 20th century. Sicilian-style pizza has its toppings baked directly into the crust. However the management of the economy collapsed several times afterwards. Four Cheeses Pizza: tomato, mozzarella, other cheeses;. This was in spite of falling foreign confidence in investment, first through the assumption of mineral rights and subsequent nationalisation of the oil industry into Pemex during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río. Pizza Quattro Stagioni ("Four Seasons Pizza"): same ingredients for the Capricciosa, but ingredients not mixed;. During the next four decades, Mexico experienced impressive economic growth, and historians call this period "El Milagro Mexicano", the Mexican Miracle. Pizza Capricciosa ("Caprice Pizza"): mozzarella, tomato, mushrooms, artichokes, cooked ham, olives, oil (in Rome raw ham is used and half hard-boiled egg is added ;. The creation of the National Revolutionary Party (which later became the Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI), in 1929 ended the struggles, uniting all generals and combatants of the revolution. Pizza with Ham and Mushrooms: tomato, mozzarella, ham, mushrooms;. Revolutionary forces defeated the federal army, but were left with internal struggles, leaving the country in conflict for two more decades. Pizza Viennese: tomato, mozzarella, German sausage, oregano, oil;. His fraudulent victory in the 1910 elections sparked the Mexican Revolution. Pizza Romana (in Naples): tomato, mozzarella, anchovies, oregano, oil;. Growing social inequalities, restricted freedom of the press, and his insistence to be reelected for a fifth term led to massive protests. Strange enough, there is no such "Pizza Napoletana" in Naples and no "Pizza Romana" in Rome. His mandate, however, was mostly undemocratic and benefited the middle and upper classes, while the Amerindian indigenous population continued to live in precarious conditions. In Rome a "Pizza Napoletana" is topped with tomato, mozzarella, anchovies and oil (thus, what in Naples is called "Pizza Romana", in Rome is called "Pizza Napoletana"). This period of relative peace and prosperity is known as the "Porfiriato". It is mostly cooked in a wood-fired oven which gives pizza its unique flavour and taste. Foreign investment allowed the development of the oil industry and the construction of a railroad system across the country. 2) In Pizza Restaurants (Pizzerie), where it is served in a dish in its traditional round shape, it features a very thin crust compared to Neapolitan recipe. After Juárez's death, Mexico experienced economic growth under the liberal and pro-European rule of Porfirio Díaz. When purchased, it is usually cut with scissors or knife and priced by weight. From then on, Juárez remained in office until his death in 1872. The crust similar to that of an English Muffin and mostly cooked in an electric oven. In mid-1867, following repeated losses in battle to the Republican Army, Maximilian was captured and murdered by Juárez's soldiers, along with his last loyal generals, in Querétaro. Pizza is cooked in long, rectangular baking pans and relatively thin (1-2cm). Napoleon III of France, Emperor of France, returned Maximillian as Emperor of Mexico from 1864 to 1867. Lazio style: Pizza in Lazio (Rome), as well as in many other parts of Italy is available in 2 different "flavours": 1) In take-away shops so-called "Pizza Rustica" or "Pizza a Taglio". However, after his death, the city was lost in early 1863, following a renewed French attack which penetrated as far as Mexico City, forcing Juárez to organize an itinerant government. Little sauce is used and a popular topping is strips of Prosciutto. General Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French Army (arguably the most powerful in the world at the time) at the city of Puebla on May 5, 1862, celebrated as Cinco de Mayo ever since. Veneto style: Pizza in Veneto (Venice, Padova) is very thin (0.5cm), crispy in the outer ring but soft, almost flimsy, in the inner portion. The Second Mexican Empire was then overthrown by President Benito Juárez, with diplomatic and logistical support from the United States and the military expertise of General Porfirio Díaz. Pizza Margherita Extra: tomato, buffalo mozzarella from Campania in listels, basil and oil. In the 1860s, the country again suffered a military occupation, this time by France, seeking to establish the Habsburg Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria as Emperor of Mexico, with support from the Roman Catholic clergy and conservative criolloss. Pizza Margherita: tomato, mozzarella in listels, basil and oil;. Mexico was defeated by the United States, resulting in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hildalgo, where the United States purchased the remaining disputed territories for $15 million, from which were formed the modern states of California, Nevada, and Utah, and most of Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado (see Mexican-American War). Pizza marinara: with tomato, garlic, oregano and oil;. This resulted in the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848. This admit only three official variants:
The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire. Mexican troops then attacked and captured one of the American detachments near the Rio Grande. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by the right hand and the first two fingers of the left without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. Mexico saw this as an US intervention on internal affairs by supporting a rebel province. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with an approved mixer that moves in a clockwise direction. The US government sent troops to Texas in order to secure the territory ignoring the Mexican demands of withdrawal. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. In 1845, voters in Texas approved to be annexed by the United States, and was passed by Congress and signed into law by President John Tyler. The genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flour (type 0 and/or 00), natural Neapolitan yeast or brewer's yeast, and water. Texas won its independence in 1836, further reducing the territory of the fledgling republic. According to the rules proposed by the Associazione vera pizza napoletana and other sources quoted by the BBC [5], and the legal EU document with the Vera Pizza Napoletana Specification in translation. The inhabitants of Tejas, calling themselves Texans and led mainly by relatively recently-arrived English-speaking settlers, declared independence from Mexico at Washington-on-the-Brazos, giving birth to the Republic of Texas. Neapolitan pizza (pizza Napoletana). While negotiations eventually brought Yucatán to again recognize Mexican sovereignty, Santa Anna's army turned to the northern rebellion. Italian pizzas:
mushrooms. As president, in 1834 Santa Anna abrogated the federal constitution, causing insurgencies in the southern state of Yucatán and the northernmost portion of the northern state of Coahuila y Tejas. meat, seafood or fish products, sausage, (especially pepperoni or salami), ham, bacon, ground beef, anchovies and shrimp. The first Republic was formed with Guadalupe Victoria as its first president, followed in office by Santa Anna. vegetables such as bell peppers, asparagus, broccoli, olives, onions. The Empire soon fell to rogue republican forces led by Antonio López de Santa Anna. herbs and seasonings such as basil, oregano, and garlic. It also forbade the importation of slaves, a condition that, like the others, was largely ignored. Soon after achieving its independence from Spain, the Mexican government, in an effort to populate its sparsely-settled hinterlands, awarded land grants in a remote area of the northernmost state of Coahuila y Tejas to hundreds of immigrant families from the United States, on the condition that the settlers convert to Catholicism and assume Mexican citizenship. After independence, Spanish possessions in Central America which also proclaimed independence were all incorporated into Mexico from 1822 to 1823, with the exception of Chiapas. Then, as the war escalated, the objective change to independece from Spain. The initial intention of the movement then, was to be obtain independence from France, but still being part of Spain. Actually, Hidalgo declared the independence from France, as José Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother), also known in Mexico as Pepe Botella (Spanish: Bottle Joe, as he had a fame of a heavy drinker), was ruling Spain at that time. On September 16, 1810, independence from Spain was declared by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest in the small town of Dolores, causing a long war that eventually led to the official recognition of independence from Spain in 1821 and the creation of the First Mexican Empire. At the end of the 16th century, New Spain was an underpopulated country with abandoned cities, which would be the main cause of collapse of the Mesoamerican cultures. Of the estimated 15 to 20 million of the original prehispanic population, less than two million survived. There were three separate epidemics that decimated the population: Smallpox (1520-1521), measles ( 1545-1548) and typhus (1576-1581). Most of the settlers had developed an immunity from childhood, but the indigenous peoples had not. Spanish settlers brought with them smallpox, typhus, and other diseases. Louis) and "Vera Cruz" ("True Cross"). Numerous churches and other buildings were constructed in the Spanish style, and cities were named after various saints and objects of veneration, such as "San Luis Potosí" (after St. During the following centuries, under Spanish rule, a new culture developed that combined the customs and traditions of the indigenous peoples with that of Catholic Spain. In modern México, mestizo has became more a cultural term, since a Native American that abandons his traditional ways is considered a mestizo, also most Afromexicans prefer to be considered mestizo, since they feel more identified with this group. Mestizos, while they no longer have a separate legal status from other groups, comprise approximately 60% of the population. With independence, the caste system and slavery were abolished. Mestizos and criollos were not allowed in the upper levels of the government, and eventually they joined forces for the independence of México. Those who were wealthy enough also tried to have a Spanish wife, who was sent to give birth in Spain to prevent their children from becoming criollos. The Spanish "peninsulares" tried by all means to keep their status, even if they took native women. Mestizos and then mulattos were next, followed by the unmixed natives, zambos (amerindian mixed with black), and blacks, respectively. There were even two different kinds of whites, those born in Spain, or "peninsulares", and in a lower level, those born in America, or "criollos". Each different mix had a name and different privileges or prohibitions. A system was created to keep each mix in a different social level: "El sistema de castas" (the caste system). But even if mixes were allowed, the white population tried to keep their status. As a result of these unions, as well as concubinage, a vast class of people known as "Mestizos" and mulattos came into being. However, they eventually mixed with the population resulting in only a few black communities left to date (see Afro-Mexican). After the native population was decimated by epidemics and forced labor, black slaves were imported, and for a time in certain areas they even outnumbered the white populations (few modern Mexicans are aware of or acknowledge this). The first Spanish colonists were mainly only males, so they took native women, and although rarely, also black women. Unlike the English-speaking colonists of North America, the majority of the Spanish colonists married the natives, and were even encouraged to do so by Queen Isabella during the earliest days of colonization. Bartolome later repented when he saw the treatment given to the black slaves. Due to some horrifying instances of abuse against the indigenous peoples, Bishop Bartolome de las Casas suggested bringing black slaves to replace them. Although officially they could not become slaves, the system, known as encomienda, came to signify the oppression and exploitation of natives, although its originators did not set out with such intent. Eventually, the natives were declared minors, and forbidden to read and write, so they would always need a white man in charge of them to be responsible of their indoctrination. The Mesoamerican sex education system was set aside and replaced by church education; even some foods associated with religion, like amaranto, were forbidden. Hundreds of thousands of codices were destroyed, priests and teachers were persecuted, and the temples and statues of the gods were destroyed. As a result, a second wave of missionaries began a process attempting to completely erase the old beliefs, and thus wiped out many aspects of Mesoamerican culture. While it was an important god, because it was the god of the conquerors,they did not see why they had to abandon their old beliefs. The colonists brought with them the Catholic faith, to which the population seemingly converted rapidly, but soon they found that the natives had adopted "the god of the heavens", as they called it, as just one of their gods. Particularly fierce were the "Chichimeca wars" in the north of Mexico (1576-1606). After the fall of Tenochtitlan, it would take decades of continuous war to pacify Mesoamerica. The arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century and their defeat of the Mexica in 1521 marked the beginning of the 300 year-long colonial period of Mexico as New Spain. The small Spanish force was reinforced with thousands of indian allies, who were schooled on European warfare. Tlaxcalteca and other nahuatl nations were forced into such wars, so they joined the Spaniard forces against the Aztec. In order to acquire captives in time of peace, the Aztec resorted to ritual warfare, or flower war. This penchant for human sacrifice proved to be the undoing of the Aztecs, for when they confronted the Spaniards, who fought to the death, their less effective weapons made resistance difficult. As a result, Aztec warfare was conducted with an aim to only injure the enemy, so that he could later be sacrificed, and weapons were constructed with this in mind. This belief was common throughout nahuatl people. The Aztecs' religious beliefs were based on a fear that the universe would cease functioning without a constant offering of human sacrifice. There were two types of schools: the telpochcalli, for practical and military studies, and the calmecac, for advanced learning in writing, astronomy, statesmanship, theology, and other areas. The Mexica, one of the Aztec groups, were the first people in the world to practice mandatory education for all people, regardless of gender, rank, or station. For them, highly-civilized arts, sculpture, architecture, engraving, feather-mosiac work, and the invention of the calendar were due to the former inhabitants of Tula, the Toltecs, who reached the height of their civilization in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Latecomers to Mexico's central plateau, the Mexica, or Aztec, as they were sometimes called in memory of Aztlán, the starting point of their tribes wanderings, never thought of themselves as anything but heirs of the brilliant civilizations that had preceded them. Many made war with them, but almost all found themselves within these four spheres of influence. Other regional power players made economic and political alliances with these four civilizations over the span of 4,000 years. They consolidated power and distributed influence in matters of trade, art, politics, technology, and theology. These four civilizations extended their reach across Mexico and beyond like no others. While many city-states, kingdoms, and empires competed with one another for power and prestige, Mexico had four major, unifying civilizations: The Olmec, Teotihuacan, Toltec, and the Aztec. In turn, they radiated influence outwards onto neighboring cultures. These cities, among several others, blossomed as centers of commerce, ideas, ceremonies, and theology. At different points in time, three different Mexican cities were the largest cities in the world: Teotihuacan, Tenochtitlan, and Cholula. In fact, the later Mexican civilizations would all carefully build their cities and ceremonial centers according to specific astronomical events. These very early and ancient count-markings were associated with astronomical events and underscore the influence that astronomical activities had upon Mexican natives, even before they possessed civilization. Archaic inscriptions on rocks and rock walls all over northern Mexico (especially in the state of Nuevo León) demonstrate an early propensity for counting in Mexico. These indigenous civilizations are credited with many inventions: pyramid-temples, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, writing, highly-accurate calendars, fine arts, intensive agriculture, engineering, an abacus, a complex theology, and the wheel. For more than 3,000 years, Mexico was the site of several Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Aztec, the Olmec, Teotihuacan, the Toltec, Mixtec, Zapotec and the Mayan. and the beginning of intensive farming between 1800 and 1500 BC. Evidence shows the explosion of pottery works by 2300 B.C. Ancient Mexicans began to selectively breed corn plants around 8,000 B.C. Hunter-Gatherer peoples are thought to have discovered and habitated its territory more than 28,000 years ago. . It is the northernmost and westernmost country in Latin America, and also the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world. The United Mexican States or Mexico (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered by the United States to the north, and Belize and Guatemala to the southeast. ISBN 0844227838. "When in Mexico, Do as the Mexicans Do." In depth information about life in Mexico, including culture, history, economy, language and more in 176 comprehensive pages. Kernecker, Herbert. Beezley, editors, The Oxford History of Mexico, 736 pages, Oxford University Press 2000, ISBN 0195112288 – 20 essays, also covers cultural history. Meyer, William H. Michael C. Maciel, Mexico's Cinema: A Century of Film and Filmmakers, SR Books 1999, ISBN 0842026827 – comprehensive survey. Joanne Hershfield, David R. Julia Preston and Samuel Dillon, Opening Mexico: The Making of a Democracy, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2004, hardcover, 608 pages, ISBN 0374226687 – recent history since the Tlatelolco massacre of 1968 told by two journalists. A history of Modern Mexico 1810-1996, 896 pages – Perennial 1998, ISBN 0060929170 - standard work by a renowned Mexican author. Enrique Krauze, Mexico: Biography of Power. Cockcroft, Mexico's Hope: An Encounter with Politics and History, 320 pages, Monthly Review Press 1999, ISBN 0853459258 – leftist view of Mexican history. James D. Most information summarized from articles in Introduction to Comparative Politics, as part of an AP outline (sorry if some of the sources below have been removed). African. British, Irish, Dutch and Russian. Arab and Lebanese. Central American and South American. Jewish. East Asian. American and Canadian. Argentinean. German, Italian and French. Spanish. Chihuahua, Chihuahua (0.7 million). Cuernavaca, Morelos (0.7 million). Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes (0.7 million). Santiago de Querétaro, Querétaro (0.8 million). Mérida, Yucatán (0.8 million). San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí (0.8 million). Torreón, Coahuila (1.1 million). Toluca, México (1.2 million). León, Guanajuato (1.2 million). Tijuana, Baja California (1.5 million). Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua (1.8 million). Puebla, Puebla (2.6 million). Monterrey, Nuevo León (3.6 million). Guadalajara, Jalisco (4.7 million). Mexico City, Distrito Federal (22.0 million). |