In 2008, while Ted Kennedy was still alive, the Mexican Government announced that he would be awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle for services to their country, and I blogged on it: Ted Kennedy Awarded The Order Of The Aztec Eagle For Services To His Country…Sorry, That’s Services To Someone Else’s Country.

They must not have gotten around to giving it to him before he dropped dead.

Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan tweets

Pres Calderon entrego el Aguila Azteca a la viuda del Senador T. Kennedy por sus invaluables contribuciones a derechos de los inmigrantes

which means that the visiting President held a medal ceremony with Kennedy's widow. The AP, writing in English, says

The late Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy has been awarded Mexico's highest honor for his lifelong support of immigrants and Mexican-Americans.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon (fay-LEE'-pay kahl-duh-ROHN') on Thursday presented the Order of the Aztec Eagle to Kennedy's widow, Vicki, in Washington, D.C. Late Mass. US Sen. Kennedy gets Mexican high honor, May 20, 2010

It's nonsensical to call the "Order of the Aztec Eagle" Mexico's highest honor—if it were Mexico's highest honor, they wouldn't give it to foreigners at all.

In fact, it's a medal only given to foreigners—Mexico's actual highest honor, the Belisario Dom?­nguez Medal of Honor is only ever given to Mexicans.

During the ceremony, Senator John Kerry was quoted as saying that

Kennedy's work as a champion of immigrants made it possible for many Mexican-Americans and others to find new homes in the United States.

That's certainly one way of putting it.