Next up on @blackhaddock’s list is the 10th most populous country in the world.
Based on the news, you’d think Mexico was run by drug cartels, with the main industries being drug trafficking, kidnapping, dinosaur extinction and besieging the US border. You see less mention of some of the positives – it has the 5th most biodiversity of any country, the 7th most world heritage sites, and is home to the world’s largest pyramid (by volume).
Fortunately most people see the good side of the country rather than the bad, as apparently Mexico has the 6th highest number of tourists of any nation. The most popular tourist draws are the beach resorts (such as Cancún), the archaeological remains from the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, and of course “goin’ loco down in Acapulco” (whatever that means?).
Mexico is also famous for its chilli-based cuisine – although realistically what we generally think of as Mexican food is an American derivation of the real thing. Tequila is also a big deal here, with or without worms in the bottle.
Beerwise, Mexico is dominated by pale lager – two lager breweries account for 90% of the local market, and Corona, Sol and Modelo have become some of the biggest-selling beers globally. However, there has been notable growth in craft beer in recent years and there are now an impressive 651 breweries (and 12 meaderies and 19 cideries) on Ratebeer. The top Mexican brews on Ratebeer are:
Insurgente Xocoveza
Fauna Nox Arcana
Cucapá Barley Wine (Centenario)
The top raters of Mexican beers are @solidfunk, @Nekronos and @Sdaniel90. If you want to join them in the Mexican top 50, you’ll need just 51 ratings. @Nekronos and @Sdaniel90 are also our top raters from Mexico, although sadly @Sdaniel90 doesn’t seem to have rated anything for a couple of years.
So… what are your Mexican stats and stories?