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    Mexico History Reading

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    Joaquin
    Early Mexican society was shaped by numerous indigenous civilizations like the Mayans, Olmecs, and Toltecs. The powerful Aztec empire was conquered in 1519 by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, beginning Spanish colonial domination. Cortes captured the Aztec ruler Montezuma, and later revolts against Spanish control were violently suppressed. The Spanish established New Spain in 1535, exploiting native and mestizo laborers and extending control across Mexico and into the southwestern United States. Mexico gained independence in 1823 after the Mexican War of Independence but then experienced political turmoil, civil wars, and the loss of territory to the United States in the Mexican-American War before stabilizing in the 20th century.

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    Mexico History Reading

    Uploaded by

    Joaquin
    422 views2 pages
    Early Mexican society was shaped by numerous indigenous civilizations like the Mayans, Olmecs, and Toltecs. The powerful Aztec empire was conquered in 1519 by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, beginning Spanish colonial domination. Cortes captured the Aztec ruler Montezuma, and later revolts against Spanish control were violently suppressed. The Spanish established New Spain in 1535, exploiting native and mestizo laborers and extending control across Mexico and into the southwestern United States. Mexico gained independence in 1823 after the Mexican War of Independence but then experienced political turmoil, civil wars, and the loss of territory to the United States in the Mexican-American War before stabilizing in the 20th century.

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    Early Mexican society was shaped by numerous indigenous civilizations like the Mayans, Olmecs, and Toltecs. The powerful Aztec empire was conquered in 1519 by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, beginning Spanish colonial domination. Cortes captured the Aztec ruler Montezuma, and later revolts against Spanish control were violently suppressed. The Spanish established New Spain in 1535, exploiting native and mestizo laborers and extending control across Mexico and into the southwestern United States. Mexico gained independence in 1823 after the Mexican War of Independence but then experienced political turmoil, civil wars, and the loss of territory to the United States in the Mexican-American War before stabilizing in the 20th century.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    422 views2 pages

    Mexico History Reading

    Uploaded by

    Joaquin
    Early Mexican society was shaped by numerous indigenous civilizations like the Mayans, Olmecs, and Toltecs. The powerful Aztec empire was conquered in 1519 by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, beginning Spanish colonial domination. Cortes captured the Aztec ruler Montezuma, and later revolts against Spanish control were violently suppressed. The Spanish established New Spain in 1535, exploiting native and mestizo laborers and extending control across Mexico and into the southwestern United States. Mexico gained independence in 1823 after the Mexican War of Independence but then experienced political turmoil, civil wars, and the loss of territory to the United States in the Mexican-American War before stabilizing in the 20th century.

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    History of Mexico

    Early People Endured Conquests


    Mexico's history was born of numerous cultural, ethnic, and political contributions
    from several major indigenous civilizations. Also greatly influencing the early
    Mexican society were were the Spanish colonists and a significant African
    population which served colonial leaders as slaves.

    At least three great civilizations -- the Mayas, the Olmecs, and the Toltecs
    --preceded the wealthy Aztec empire, conquered in 1519 by the Spanish under
    Hernando Cortes. This was the first stage in what would be lasting dominion of
    the Spanish on the history, government and culture of the newly forming country.

    Important Conquests Changed Early Mexican Society


    Hernan Cortes captured the Aztec ruler, Montezuma. Some accounts say that the Aztec believed that Cortés might be
    their god-king Quetzalcoatl, who, according to legend, was supposed to return that year from the east. Later, fearful
    that the Aztec would attack the outnumbered Spanish troops, Cortes held Montezuma hostage. In 1520, the Aztec
    people, growing restive under Spanish control, revolted. Cortes called on Montezuma to quell the revolt, but the
    Aztec ruler was stoned while addressing his subjects.

    The Spanish assault on the Aztec Empire in 1519 represented the second major stage
    of Spanish expansion in the Americas. The first stage had established permanent
    settlements in the Caribbean Sea, including the city of Santo Domingo (now the
    capital of the Dominican Republic) and outposts on the island of Cuba. These
    settlements made it possible for the Spaniards to probe the mainland of Mexico and
    Central America knowing that they could quickly return to their island outposts.

    The first governor of Cuba, Diego Velazquez, sponsored three expeditions in the early
    1500's that sought to explore the Gulf Coast of Mexico. The first expedition,
    commanded by Spanish navigator and conqueror Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba,
    set sail from Cuba in 1517 and explored uncharted territory along the Yucatán
    Peninsula. When Spanish soldiers went ashore to seek water and food they were often
    attacked by Maya warriors. The Spaniards and the Maya engaged in a major battle in
    Champoton. More than half the Spanish expedition was killed. While the expedition
    ended in failure, it provided the Spaniards with more detailed knowledge of the native
    inhabitants of the region and sparked new interest in Mexico.
    The territory became the viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535. Spanish conquerors
    exploited the mineral wealth of the land, using as laborers the native population and a growing mestizo class; at the
    same time they extended Spanish rule to the remainder of Mexico and to what is now the SW U.S.

    The effort to overthrow the colonial government soon turned into a social rebellion as tens of thousands of Native
    Americans near Mexico City -- suffering from the effects of rising food prices and declining wages --joined
    thousands of mestizos in the uprising. Hidalgo recruited an army of at least 60,000 troops and enjoyed some initial
    military success. When they encountered armed resistance in the city of Guanajuato, the rebels massacred loyalist
    forces and looted the city. The extreme violence and destruction of the revolt appalled many criollos, and few of them
    joined the rebellion; many sided instead with the peninsulares, who offered stability.

    The rebels marched south toward Mexico City, fighting royalist forces near the capital on October 30, 1810. The
    royalists retreated from the battle, opening the way for Hidalgo's troops to march on the city. Hidalgo's force had
    suffered heavy casualties, however, and many of his inexperienced soldiers deserted. Aware that a large royalist force
    was approaching, and fearing that his army would turn into an unruly mob if it entered the capital, Hidalgo
    abandoned his plans to occupy the city. As the rebels withdrew to the northwest, many of Hidalgo's followers drifted
    away. In January 1811, the remains of Hidalgo's army were soundly defeated near Guadalajara by a smaller group of
    Spanish soldiers. Hidalgo fled to the north but was captured in March and executed on July 30, 1811.

    In 1823, army officers overthrew the empire and established a federal republic. The early years were marked by
    turmoil and corruption. Texas broke free of Mexican rule in 1836, and in the ensuing Mexican War (1846-48) with
    the U.S., Mexico lost much territory. Mexico's postindependence period was characterized by violence and civil war,
    including European intervention and a long domestic dictatorship. The latter led to the Mexican Revolution -- the
    most important event in 20th-century Mexican history. Mexico's political system emerged from this era and has
    provided political continuity from 1929 to the present, a record achieved by few other governments.

    Recent History: The Rise of Opposition Leaders


    In 1929, the last military revolt of the country's Revolution saw the formation of the National Revolutionary Party
    (PNR). In 1934, President General Lazaro Cardenas implemented land reforms, cooperative farms and the
    nationalization of U.S. and British oil companies. In 1938, the PNR was renamed the Mexican Revolutionary Party
    (PRM) and in 1946 the PRM was renamed the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). During the 1940's Mexico
    experienced an "Economic Miracle" after receiving a boost to the economy, resulting from US collaboration during
    World War II.

    Uncontrolled urbanization began to pose a major social problem in the 1970s, when annual population growth
    reached 3.4 percent. Between 1940 and 1970, 4.5 million Mexicans moved from rural areas into cities. By 1975 about
    2,600 people a day were arriving in Mexico City. Unemployment increased, and malnutrition became commonplace,
    with over half the population severely undernourished. Cities were unable to house the massive influx of residents
    and urban slums grew unchecked. In 1976, widespread voter apathy resulted in the PRI candidate, José López
    Portillo, being elected without opposition. A former finance minister, López Portillo followed a program of economic
    austerity after taking office. He called on workers to reduce wage demands and asked businesspeople to hold down
    prices and to increase investment expenditures.

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