Mexico: Empire, Independence, and Nation Building Part One

Empires, Colony and Independence Mexico is a large, geographically diverse nation Northern Mexico is largely desert Southern Mexico is mostly tropical rain forest

Mexico’s Topography The Sierra Madre mountains run north and south A high plain to plateau runs down the central part of Mexico The altitude of Mexico City is 7200 feet

Aztec Mexico The Aztecs or “Mexica” were the last of the mainly nomadic tribes to enter the valley of Mexico from the north Wherever they appeared, they were violently driven away from the native population

Aztec Mexico The Aztec’s spoke the same language as the old Toltecs, (Nahuatl) They were considered “uncivilized” by their neighbors

Aztec Mexico After a series of defeats and humiliations, the Aztecs established themselves on an Island in Lake Texcoco. They would achieve independence , eventually conquering their neighbors and building a large Empire

Aztec Mexico The Aztec’s required all conquered peoples to pay a heavy and burdensome tax After only one century the Aztec empire grew rich and powerful

Aztec Mexico Hernando Cortez, a Spanish adventurer, marched his soldiers into Tenochtitlan in 1519 It’s magnificent size and engineered temples, places, and gardens astonished the Spanish “Conquistadors”

Aztec Mexico The Spanish, with the help of native allies that resented Aztec Rule, would defeat the Aztecs This Began the 300 year long colonial period called, “New Spain”

Hernando Cortes Ferdinand VII

New Spain One “empire” was replaced by another Cortes and the Spanish are often “demonized” by historians Should both the Aztecs and Spanish be considered brutal and exploitative and “oppressive” in their rule over Mexico?

Four Social Classes Peninsulares- Spanish born Criollos- Mexican-born Spaniards Mestizo- Mixed native and Spanish race (replaced dying off population) Native- indigenous population, mostly died off from disease

Peninsulares Criollos Native Americans Mestizo

New Spain The Colonial Government of New Spain was dominated by “Peninsulares” despite the Criollos being a ten to one majority

New Spain The Spanish King had rewarded the “Conquistadors” by granting them both hacienda’s and the Natives who worked them in a forced labor system known as Encomienda Native Americans lived a peasant like existance

New Spain On ejidos, community lands, peasant (”peon-es”) did “subsistent” farming to meet their own basic needs Many landless, jobless peasants traveled from place to place as migrant workers

New Spain An elite few owned most of the land Land distribution and lack of economic opportunity for the masses would be a recurrent theme in Mexican History

Mexican Independence In 1807, Napoleon’s French forces occupied Spain, setting up his brother, Joseph, as King Confusion spread through out Mexico The French Revolution and Napoleonic wars diverted the attention of Spain, leading to increasing discontent and desire for an Independent Mexico

Napoleon

Mexican Independence Neither Peninsulares nor the upper class Criollos desired to involve the majority of Native Americans and Mestizos in government Lack of political participation and “elitist”rule would also be a recurrent theme in Mexican History

Mexican Independence Mexican born Criollos resented the Spanish born “gachupines”, who had legal and social priority and “privilege” over them With French control of Spain, the Criollos recognized an opportunity to overthrow Peninsular rule

Mexican Independence Father Miguel Hidalgo was a well educated priest sympathetic to the Native Americans Unusual for most Mexican Clergymen Against Colonial Law, Hidalgo taught Native Americans to grow olives, mulberries, grapevines, and how to make pottery

Father Miguel Hidalgo

Hidalgo Hidalgo had close ties with the Criollo revolutionaries He called on Native Americans and Mestizos to his church in Dolores, calling for a rebellion so that Mexicans could govern themselves

September 16th, 1810 Hidalgo called on them to rebel against the hated Gachupines, who had exploited and oppressed the Mexican people for ten generations (200 years) His revolt was a radical change from the original plot devised by the Criollos

Hidalgo’s Revolution

Revolt With clubs, axes, slings, knives, and machetes and intense hatred that Native Americans took the Spanish military armed with guns and artillery ended up being a bitter class struggle instead of a political struggle

Father of the Mexican Independence Criollos withdrew support because of the level of violence Hidalgo regretted the violence and said he did not know it was going to get so bad Hidalgo was captured and executed by Spanish Military

Execution

King Ferdinand VII King Ferdinand VII was put back on the thrown and he thought everyone in Mexico was a traitor of Spain Sent Military to “put down the Revolution” Showed Criollos that Spain could not be trusted