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tapir

(Encyclopedia)tapir tāˈpər [key], nocturnal, herbivorous mammal, genus Tapirus, of the jungles of Central and South America and SE Asia. The tapir is somewhat piglike in appearance; however, it is not related to...

Espejo, Antonio de

(Encyclopedia)Espejo, Antonio de äntōˈnyō ᵺā āspāˈhō [key], fl. 1582–83, Spanish explorer. In 1582 he was sent out from San Bartolomé, Mexico, to rescue missionaries said to be menaced by the Pueblo p...

orientation

(Encyclopedia)orientation, in architecture, the disposition of the parts of a building with reference to the points of the compass. From remote antiquity the traditional belief in the efficacy of religious ceremoni...

Michoacán

(Encyclopedia)Michoacán mēchōäkänˈ [key], state (1990 pop. 3,548,199), 23,202 sq mi (60,093 sq km), S Mexico. Morelia is the capital. Dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the volcanic...

Contreras

(Encyclopedia)Contreras kōntrāˈräs [key], village, central Mexico, near Mexico City, site of an important battle (Aug. 19–20, 1847) of the Mexican War. Gen. Winfield Scott, continuing his advance after the ba...

Xochimilco

(Encyclopedia)Xochimilco sōchēmēlˈkō [key], town (1990 pop. 271,151), Federal District, S central Mexico, suburb of Mexico City. Mainly a commercial and tourist center, it is famous for its canals lined with p...

Popocatépetl

(Encyclopedia)Popocatépetl pōpəkătˈəpĕtəl, pōpōˌkätāˈpətəl [key] [Nahuatl,=smoking mountain], volcano, 17,887 ft (5,452 m) high, in the Cordillera de Anáhuac, central Mexico, on the Puebla-Mexico s...

Andhra Pradesh

(Encyclopedia)Andhra Pradesh änˈdrə präˈdāsh [key], state, 61,855 sq mi (160,205 sq km), SE India, on the Bay of Bengal. The state was created in 1956 from the Telugu-speaking por...

cacomistle

(Encyclopedia)cacomistle kăkˈəmĭsˌəl [key], small New World mammal, genus Bassaricus, related to the raccoon. There are two species, one found in Mexico and the SW United States, the other in Central America....

Balsas, Río

(Encyclopedia)Balsas, Río rēˈō bälˈsäs [key], river, c.450 mi (720 km) long, rising in the state of Puebla, E central Mexico. One of Mexico's longest rivers, it flows in a curve from south to northwest throu...