Latin American Revolutions Case Study Mexico

Haiti was the only the tip of the Iceberg As you noticed Revolutions were becoming common throughout the world during this time. Haiti was the first in Latin America, but it was not the only country in Latin America. The next country is Mexico.

How did Napoleon cause a revolution in Mexico? Mexico was still under the Spanish flag in the late 1790s. Napoleon installing his brother to the Spanish throne greatly upset the regional rulers in the Spanish colony. One of the first countries to express their discontent was Mexico. Yet, Mexico and Spain looked very different in their societies.

Peninsulares The peninsulares had the best jobs in the colonial government and the Catholic Church. They tend to have strong connections to the Spanish crown. Peninsulares were Spanish borned on the Iberian peninsula. (Spain)

Creoles Creoles were white Spanish colonist born in New Spain. The creoles were rich, wealthy, and well educated. They owned farms and ranches, taught at universities, and practiced law. Yet, they did not have the same rights as peninsulares In the cities, they worked as carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, and bakers

Mestizos Mestizos were people who has one parent that was Peninsulares/creoles and the other Native American. Mestizos worked on farms and ranches owned by the two upper classes. Along with Native Americans and Enslaved people from Africa made up the lowest tiers in this system.

New Spain (Mexico) Society New Spain operated on a hierarchy system. The top of the hierarchy was Peninsulares and at the bottom was enslaved people. This pyramid is a simple summarization of the class structure in New Spain’s casta system.

Father Miguel Hidalgo Hidalgo was a creole priest and was known for challenging authority. September 16, 1810, Hidalgo famously cried to his hometown calling for independence against the Spanish peninsulares. Spanish authority capture and executed him for trying to start a revolution.

José María Teclo Morelos Another creole priest, Morelos more formally organized the revolution movement. He established a congress as well as a strong military. He too would be captured and executed for treason.

Simon Bolivar •Simon Bolivar was the son of a wealthy aristocrat and young man at the time that he joined the revolutionary movement •A Creole who joined sides with the natives and the llaneros in order to win the revolution •He was the greatest key figure in Latin American Independence