Exam topic 5 of 10
Civics and institutions, for the naturalization exam.
How the Mexican state is organised — and, since you are applying to join it, the part of the syllabus most worth knowing beyond the exam.
What this topic gets asked about
Names of powers, terms of office, and the institutions the exam names. Numbers matter here: how many states, how many senators, how many years.
The official name of the country is the Estados Unidos Mexicanos.
Mexico is a representative, democratic, secular and federal republic, under the Constitution of 1917.
Power is divided into three: Ejecutivo, Legislativo y Judicial — executive, legislative and judicial.
The executive is held by the President of the Republic, elected for six years — the sexenio — with no re-election.
The legislative is the Congreso de la Unión, with two chambers: the Cámara de Diputados, with 500 members elected for three years, and the Senado, with 128 members elected for six.
The judicial power is headed by the Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación.
Mexico has 32 federative entities: 31 states plus Mexico City, which became a federative entity with its own constitution in 2016.
The capital is Mexico City, seat of the federal powers.
Article 3 of the Constitution establishes education as free, secular and compulsory. Article 27 covers land and the nation’s ownership of subsoil resources. Article 123 covers labour rights.
Elections are organised by the Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE), which also issues the credencial para votar, the country’s most-used identity document.
Voting is a right and an obligation of citizens, from the age of 18.
Mexican citizenship is held by Mexican nationals aged 18 and over who have an honest way of living — nationality and citizenship are related but not identical.
Some offices are reserved by the Constitution to Mexicans by birth, which is the practical difference between nationality by birth and by naturalization.
The Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH) is the national human rights body.
Mexico is a member of the United Nations and of the Organization of American States, and its foreign policy principles — non-intervention, self-determination, peaceful settlement of disputes — are in Article 89 of the Constitution.
A practice question from this topic
In Spanish, like the real exam. Open the answer to read the Contexto, or pick an option first.
Question 1 of 1 · Civics & Institutions
Según la Constitución, una persona nacida en territorio mexicano adquiere la nacionalidad mexicana por...
Show the answer
Answer
Nacimiento
Contexto
La nacionalidad por nacimiento se adquiere, entre otros supuestos, por nacer en territorio mexicano. La naturalización es una vía distinta y está regulada principalmente por el artículo 30 constitucional y la Ley de Nacionalidad.
The other 626, with an explanation each.
Start free with 40 Core questions, 40 flashcards and the full Guía document checklist.
Questions people ask
How many states does Mexico have?
31 states plus Mexico City, which makes 32 federative entities. The exam asks this both ways, so know both numbers.
How long is a presidential term?
Six years, the sexenio, with no re-election.
Will I be able to vote once I naturalize?
Citizenship and the political rights that come with it follow from nationality under the Constitution, with some offices reserved to Mexicans by birth. Ask about your own situation rather than relying on a summary.