On May 23, 1940, David Alfaro Siqueiros, a famous Mexican painter, is said to have attempted to kill Lev Trotsky. At the head of twenty men in the uniforms of soldiers and policemen, he broke through the guards of Trotsky's villa, fired machine guns at the building, and pelted it with dynamite, but both Lev Trotsky and his regular partner Natalia Sedova emerged from the attack unscathed. ¹⁾

The city of Teotihuacan is very old. Its largest pyramid, now called the Pyramid of the Sun, was completed around 100 A.D. These times predate most of the known cultures of Mesoamerica. It is not known who the builders of the city were or what it was really called (the current name comes from the Aztecs, who were more than a thousand years later). The city was home to over 150,000 people, making it one of the largest cities in the world at the time (though far behind Rome). ²⁾

The Mexican Wave, also known as La Ola, is a type of cheering performed by the audience during sporting events. The Estadio Universitario is a football stadium in the Mexican city of San Nicolás de los Garza. It is in this stadium that the so-called Mexican wave was created — this type of cheering was used for the first time on September 18, 1984 during a friendly match between Mexico and Argentina. ³⁾

A sombrero is a tall straw or felt hat with a soft, wide brim. It was used in Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries. From there it made its way to the Spanish colonies in Central and South America. It is the national headgear of Mexicans and Chileans. ⁴⁾

Popocatépetl (also known as El Popo) is an active stratovolcano in Mexico with an elevation of 17,802 ft. It is located southeast of Mexico City. It is the second-highest peak in Mexico after Pico de Orizaba, which reaches 18,491 ft. The name Popocatépetl is derived from the Aztec language and means “smoking mountain,” referring to the thick clouds of smoke that rise from the crater during times of increased activity. ⁵⁾

Mexico declared independence from Spain on September 16, 1810, and it was internationally recognized on September 24, 1821. ⁶⁾

Pico de Orizaba is the highest point in Mexico. This dormant stratovolcano is the third highest peak in North America after Denali and Mount Logan. ⁷⁾

The flag of Mexico consists of three equal vertical stripes in the colors (from left to right) of green, white, and red. In the center is an eagle sitting on a prickly pear tree devouring a rattlesnake, which is the symbol of the former Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán. ⁸⁾

Mexico's longest river is the Rio Grande. ⁹⁾

The leading religion in Mexico is Catholicism practiced by 82.7% of the population. ¹⁰⁾

The country's constitution lists 64 languages that are considered official. Most people communicate in Spanish, the other 63 belong to the group of Indian languages. ¹¹⁾

The largest pyramid in the world by volume is located in Mexico, specifically in the city of Cholula. It is believed to have been built by the giant Xelhua in the 3rd century BC. The process of creation was supposed to take him even a few centuries. The temple was built in honor of the god Quetzalcoatl. ¹²⁾

Mexican commander Santa Anna held a state funeral for his amputated limb. ¹³⁾

Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Aztecs. ¹⁴⁾

About 75 percent of all sesame seeds grown in Mexico end up on the McDonald's chain's buns. ¹⁵⁾

Each year the Aztecs sacrificed 1% of their population to the gods - about 250,000 people. ¹⁶⁾

Pedro Lascurain is the 34th president of Mexico elected to office on February 19, 1913. He made history as the world's shortest-serving president. According to some sources, Lascurain was expected to resign between 15 and 55 minutes after the results were announced. ¹⁷⁾

There is only one store in the country that sells guns. It is estimated that nearly 90% of the weapons on the market are illegally smuggled from the United States. ¹⁸⁾