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Mexico and the U.S. share many connections. Two of the most important things that link the two countries are trade (buying and selling goods) and tourism.
There are millions of Mexicans living in the U.S. They crossed the border looking for jobs that would allow them to send money to their families back in Mexico. These workers are key to the economies of states like California and Texas. They are also important in places farther from the border, like New York and Washington State.
The United States and Mexico are important trading partners. The U.S. buys around 80 percent of Mexico’s exports. Many tourists go to Mexico to explore the ancient ruins. Some shop for folk art and colorful handmade crafts. Others just go to relax on its beautiful beaches.
Mexico’s culture is one of its biggest exports to the U.S. Mexican music, dance, food, and language have mixed with American traditions to create unique blends. This is especially true in the southwestern U.S. ▼
▲ Many cities on the Mexico–U.S. border have special relationships. El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico, are called sister cities. Their state and local governments work closely together. They deal with issues such as trade, immigration, crime, and pollution cleanup. The walkway and the highway linking the cities are always crowded.
◀ Fences on the border between the United States and Mexico can keep families apart. Here, at the border in Calexico, California, family members meet and reach out to one another. The boy and his father live on the U.S. side. The boy’s grandfather and aunts live on the Mexican side. Saying goodbye is often hard for everyone in the family.
▲ Factories called maquiladoras are found in Tijuana and many other Mexican border cities. Here, workers put together products from parts sent by U.S. companies. The finished products are sent back to the U.S. Why did so many U.S. companies set up these plants? Mexican workers are paid less, so it costs less to make things.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) links Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. Companies in these countries can sell many goods to one another without paying tariffs (taxes on goods). After NAFTA came to be, more maquiladoras opened along the U.S.–Mexico border. But some industries, like agriculture, suffered. That’s because Mexican farmers could not compete with the low prices of imported produce. ▶
Mexican-American War
In the 1800s, Mexico and the United States went to war over Texas. From the time of Spanish rule, Mexico had claimed most of the land that is today the southwestern United States. Many Mexicans lived there. However, by the 1830s, Texas also had many settlers from the U.S.
◀ A large group of Americans living in Texas became unhappy with Mexican rule. In 1836, they decided to break away from Mexico. They declared Texas an independent country. Mexico’s President General Antonio López de Santa Anna rushed his soldiers to San Antonio to stop the rebellion.
▲ The main goal of the “Texan” forces was independence. But they did not win. They made their last stand at a fort in San Antonio called the Alamo. Almost all of them died. This crushing defeat, in 1836, stirred U.S. patriotism. “Remember the Alamo” became a rallying cry. Later that year, U.S. forces defeated Mexican soldiers at San Jacinto, California, and captured General Santa Anna. The general signed a treaty accepting Texas independence, but the Mexican government refused to recognize it.
The U.S. government made Texas a part of the United States in 1845. Mexicans were angry about this. They knew Texas would become a state where slavery was legal. In Mexico, slavery had been banned since independence. In 1846, U.S. troops entered Mexico and triggered a war. They took control of Mexico City and raised the U.S. flag in the Zócalo. The war, which lasted two years, ended when both countries signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It gave the U.S. control of the land that is now California, Nevada, and Utah, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. ▶
