MEXICO CITY, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe
Calderon has one non-urgent item pending on his agenda in the
dying days of his presidency - he wants to change his country's
name.
Calderon sent a bill to Congress on Thursday to change the
constitution to tweak his nation's official name from Estados
Unidos Mexicanos, or United States of Mexico, to plain old
Mexico - as the country is already known the world over.
Mexico was given its name of Estados Unidos Mexicanos in the
19th century, when the country's post-revolutionary founders
harked to the United States of America as an example of
democracy and freedom to follow.
"The name of our country no longer needs to emulate that of
other nations," Calderon said. "Forgive me for the expression,
but Mexico's name is Mexico."
The country's name is derived from the nomadic Mexica tribe
that in 1325 settled present-day Mexico City, which later grew
into the imperial Aztec capital before succumbing to Spanish
conquerors two centuries later.
Calderon staked his presidency on the much larger issue of
fighting the country's drug cartels, and about 60,000 people
have died in drug violence during his term. The bloodshed hurt
his National Action Party's candidate in a presidential election
in July.
He hands Mexico's reins to president-elect Enrique Pena
Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party on Dec. 1.„
