In 1796, George Scriba received a patent for the town of Mexico, a large tract of land in central New York. One town after another was formed from the territory, and by 1830, Mexico reached its present size. It was a self-contained town where people raised their own food and bought necessities they were unable to make from local merchants. From the late 1800s to the mid-1900s, Lake Ontario was a great influence on the local community and prompted the building of two large inns at Mexico Point. Historic Mexico depicts the early businesses in the village, churches, schools, general stores, cheese factories, and inns that have shaped Mexico's history.