Mexico
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100 free Mexico trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
62 free Mexico trivia questions with answers. From the pyramids of Teotihuacan to the streets of Mexico City, this Mexican trivia quiz covers a country rich in history, culture and flavour: Aztec emperors and cenotes, Hidalgo's Grito and Zapata's slogan, tacos al pastor and tequila, Frida and Diego, Día de Muertos and what Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates. The last dozen are funny Mexican trivia questions that happen to be true: what makes a jumping bean jump, the border town that invented the Caesar salad, a capital city sinking half a metre a year, a pyramid bigger than Giza with a church on top, an island of haunted dolls, a 'volcano' that is really a geyser, grasshoppers toasted with lime, a Christmas radish-carving contest and the Mexican chemist who synthesised the Pill. Whether you know your mariachi from your norteño, the 100 questions run from easy to genuinely hard. Every answer was checked against a reference page and shows its source once you have answered.
30 of 100 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Mexico co-hosted the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the United States and which other country?
Canada
Canada co-hosted the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and the United States; it was Mexico's third time hosting, after 1970 and 1986.
Q 02Which Mexican food is made from mashed avocados, lime juice, and seasonings?
Guacamole
Guacamole takes its name from the Nahuatl āhuacamōlli, literally 'avocado sauce', from āhuacatl (avocado) and mōlli (sauce).
Q 03Which language is Mexico's de facto national language, spoken by over 90% of the population?
Spanish
The constitution names no official language, partly out of respect for the indigenous communities, yet the country is the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world.
Q 04Which ancient civilization built the pyramid of Chichén Itzá in Mexico?
Maya
The Maya built Chichén Itzá, a large city of the Terminal Classic period that became the focal point of the northern lowlands; its main pyramid is known as El Castillo.
Q 05What Mexican holiday celebrates the memory of deceased loved ones with altars and marigolds?
Día de los Muertos
Día de los Muertos, held on November 1 and 2, features sugar-skull calaveras, cempasúchil marigolds and ofrendas laden with the departed's favourite foods and drinks.
Q 06Which traditional Mexican drink is made by fermenting, not distilling, maguey sap?
Pulque
Pulque is made by fermenting aguamiel, the sap tapped from the heart of the maguey (agave) plant; it is milky and lightly alcoholic, unlike distilled mezcal.
Q 07Which body of water forms the country's eastern maritime boundary along Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Tabasco?
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico washes Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Tabasco; the Caribbean Sea touches only Quintana Roo in the southeast, and the Gulf of California lies on the Pacific side.
Q 08Tacos al pastor descend from the shawarma of Lebanese immigrants to Puebla; what meat is shaved from their rotating trompo?
Marinated pork
Al pastor is marinated pork, though it descends from lamb shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants; the name means 'shepherd style', from asado al pastor.
Q 09Which Mexican artist is famous for her self-portraits and unibrow?
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo painted about 55 self-portraits, famously with her joined eyebrows; The Two Fridas (1939) and Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940) are among the best known.
Q 10How many states does Mexico have?
31
Mexico has 31 states plus Mexico City, a federal entity rather than a state, giving 32 entities; the newest states, Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo, were created in 1974.
Q 11What is the name of the traditional Mexican sauce made with chocolate and chili peppers?
Mole
Mole, above all mole poblano from Puebla, blends dried chiles, spices, nuts and a little chocolate; the name comes from the Nahuatl mōlli, meaning sauce.
Q 12Which Mexican luchador, famous for his silver mask, was buried wearing it in 1984?
El Santo
El Santo (Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta) wore his silver mask in more than 50 films from 1958 to 1982 and was buried in it in February 1984 after one of Mexico's largest funerals.
Q 13What year did Mexico gain independence from Spain?
1821
Mexico won independence in 1821: the war began with the Cry of Dolores in 1810, the Treaty of Córdoba was signed in August 1821, and the Army of the Three Guarantees entered Mexico City on September 27.
Q 21Which Spanish conquistador led the expedition that conquered the Aztec Empire?
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés took the Aztec capital in August 1521 with a force swollen by indigenous allies and helped by disease; he was later made 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca.
Q 22What is the name of the active volcano near Mexico City that is the second-highest peak in Mexico?
Popocatépetl
Popocatépetl, roughly 5,400 m high, straddles Puebla, Morelos and the State of Mexico and has erupted repeatedly since 1994; in legend it is a warrior mourning his beloved Iztaccíhuatl.
Q 23Which Mexican author wrote the 1950 essay collection The Labyrinth of Solitude?
Octavio Paz
Q 14What are cenotes?
Water-filled sinkholes
Cenotes are water-filled sinkholes formed where limestone collapses to expose the groundwater; the Yucatán Peninsula has thousands of them, many ringing the buried Chicxulub impact crater.
Q 15Which Mexican muralist painted the famous Detroit Industry murals?
Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera (1886-1957) painted the Detroit Industry murals (1932-33) at the Detroit Institute of Arts, depicting workers at the Ford Motor Company. He was one of Mexico's "Big Three" muralists.
Q 16What does Cinco de Mayo actually commemorate?
The 1862 Battle of Puebla
Cinco de Mayo marks the 1862 Battle of Puebla, where General Ignacio Zaragoza's army beat a larger French force on May 5; a year later France won a second battle there and took the capital. Independence Day is September 16.
Q 17Which Mexican peninsula is home to popular resort cities like Cancún and Playa del Carmen?
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico is home to resort cities like Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, as well as numerous Maya ruins and cenotes.
Q 18What is a quinceañera?
A 15th-birthday celebration
It often opens with a religious ceremony before a party of food, music and dancing; historically girls spent the preceding years learning cooking and weaving from older women.
Q 19Which country borders Mexico to the south?
Guatemala
Guatemala and Belize border Mexico to the south. Guatemala shares a longer border with Mexico along the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Campeche, and Quintana Roo.
Q 20What music features trumpets, violins and guitars played by musicians in wide-brimmed sombreros?
Mariachi
Mariachi arose in western Mexico, notably Jalisco, by the 18th century; the trumpet and the charro suit were 20th-century additions, and UNESCO inscribed mariachi as intangible cultural heritage in 2011.
Octavio Paz (1914-1998) wrote 'The Labyrinth of Solitude' (1950), a landmark essay on Mexican identity. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990.
Q 24What was the name of the Aztec capital built on an island in Lake Texcoco?
Tenochtitlan
Its founding date is uncertain; 13 March 1325 was chosen in 1925 so the city could celebrate a 600th anniversary.
Q 25Mexico is the world's largest producer of which precious metal?
Silver
In 2014 it mined 5,000 tonnes, 18.7% of world output; between 1500 and 1800 Mexico, Bolivia and Peru together supplied 85% of the world's silver.
Q 26For playing Frida Kahlo in the 2002 biopic Frida, who became the first Mexican woman nominated for the Best Actress Oscar?
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek produced Frida as well as starring in it, courting the painter's estate administrator Dolores Olmedo for the rights; the role made her the first Mexican Best Actress nominee.
Q 27Which Mexican spirit, unlike mezcal, may be made only from the blue variety of its source plant?
Tequila
Tequila must be made from blue Weber agave, whereas mezcal may use dozens of agave species; the spirit is named after the town of Tequila, whose red volcanic soils suit the blue plant.
Q 28Which sport is most popular in Mexico by both viewership and participation?
Football
Football (soccer) is Mexico's most popular sport; Liga MX's Club América and Chivas de Guadalajara are the biggest clubs, and the national team, El Tri, won Olympic gold at London 2012.
Q 29What animal is depicted on the Mexican coat of arms, sitting on a cactus while eating a snake?
Eagle
A golden eagle perched on a prickly-pear cactus devouring a snake: the Mexica legend said this sign would mark where to found their capital, and the Codex Mendoza shows the eagle without a snake.
Q 30The peninsula from Mexicali to Cabo San Lucas is divided into which two states?
Baja California and Baja California Sur
Baja California (capital Mexicali) and Baja California Sur (capital La Paz) share the 1,247 km peninsula; the south was a federal territory until it became a state in 1974.