The 1975 Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from 12 to 26 October 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games were held there. It was the third major sporting event held in the Mexican capital in seven years, after the 1968 Summer Olympics and the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
In 1969, the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) unanimously selected Santiago, Chile, over San Juan, Puerto Rico, to host the games. However, Santiago dropped out from hosting in 1973, and the following year, its replacement São Paulo did the same. Mexico City was selected to host with just 10 months to prepare.
