1. Mexican Revolution via Murals
Dan Lutgen
Rancho Bernardo High School

2. Mexican Revolution via Murals
Teotihuacan
Mexican Revolution via Murals
As early as 1000 BCE – Toltecs, Aztecs and Maya adorned temples and public building with murals. Murals told stories of everyday life (Mexican Realism).
Post-Spanish invasion = Christian murals
Mexican Revolution = native Mexican culture again

3. Aztecs called themselves Mexica
Tenochtitlan Marketplace by Diego Rivera
Mountains and lake provide natural defense of city
1345 Aztecs built Tenochtitlan at Lake Texcoco
Snake on cloth represents Quetzalcoatl- goddess of creation
The city was an important religious center filled with pyramids topped with temples
What raw materials would be used to create mats?
Petates, or mats, were woven out of reed
Importance of family as mother carries child in rebozo
Slave laborer is identified by simple loin cloth
Moctezuma II 1502

4. Small pox decimated Aztecs
Conquest by Jose Orozco
Spanish Conquest
Hernan Cortes 1519
Aztecs surrender 1521
Winged angel shows partnership of Church and Cortes
Fire in background represents widespread destruction of Spanish soldiers and smallpox.
Cortes is carrying an iron sword – resting on dismembered bodies of Aztec victim
Aztecs had no metal to match iron’s strength
What is this?
Cortes is a machine… symbolic of European technology
Small pox decimated Aztecs

5. United Streaming European Rule video clip under Mexican Rev

6. Absorption of the Indian by Jose Orozco
White European, Hernan Cortes, sits with an Indian woman, Malinche.
Partnership
Symbolic of mixing of two groups to create mestizo people.
Mestizo make up majority of Mexicans today
Yet, restraint – many Mexicans consider Mayan Malinche a traitor
Legend: Malinche was given to Cortes as a translator – later they produced a son
Dead mestizo shows unhappiness and ill-treatment of mestizo

7. Brutal labor of gold mines Colonial Domination by Diego Rivera
Cross, Spanish flag and sword represent colonization
Yoked to plow
Cuauhtemoc, last Aztec emperor, bowing to conquistadors
Huge land grants given to Spanish - encomiendas
Conquistadores use branding iron to brand Indian slave
Total Indian population fell from 25 million to 1 million by 1700
Rivera attempted to summarize 300 years
Describe the European faces…
Bag of gold
Euro faces drawn as animals

8. United Streaming Mexican independence clip

9. Mexican Independence 1810-1821
Fight for Liberty by Jose Orozco
Mexican Independence
Father Hidalgo (killed 1811) against Spanish rule
Criollos – Spanish descent
Color red – death and violence
Priest’s collar and cross – role of Church in rebellion
Masses of people – popularity of independence movement among Indians and mestizos.
Hidalgo and Father Morelos both executed during war by Mexican creoles (Spanish decedents)
Creole Agustin Iturbide then lead independence from Spain, but without reforms of masses
What do you think a fiery machete represent?
Machete is symbol of agriculture and fire is revolt.

10. United Steaming video Mexican Revolution

11. Juaraz 1831-1872 and the Fall of the Empire by Jose Orozco
Juarez - Zapotec Indian - first to bring legitimate reforms to Mexico
Mexican flag – patriotism of middleclass
Machetes in hands of peasants
Violent colors
Juarez leadership came against European intrusion from Spain and France
Control of Church
1855 – overthrew dictator Santa Anna, began reforms
1862 – Mexico conquered by France (Napoleon III). Archduke Maximilian of Austria became Emperor of Mexico. Cinco de Mayo = Mexican victory, though French eventually won war.
1867- Juarez conquered Mexico City and executed Maximillian Then continued his reforms until his death in 1872

12. Repression during rule of Porfirio Diaz (34 year rule)
Repression – History and Perspective of Mexico
Repression during rule of Porfirio Diaz (34 year rule)
1876 Diaz came to power – dictator for 34 years.
Welcomed foreign investors
Government forces on horse heavily loaded with weapons
Police enforced Diaz’ laws
Sickle represents farm workers
Note force used to control farmers (land fell into hands of huge hacienda owners).

13. Revolution against Porfirian (Porfirio Diaz) Dictatorship 1911 unseated Diaz
Peasants lost lands and were forced to work on large haciendas for little wage – conditions near slavery
Government forces used to coerce the farm hands to work.
Peasants responded by rebelling against government.

14. The Trench by Jose Orozco
Mexican Revolution
By 1910, dissatisfaction of Diaz regime lead to open revolt.
“Viva la Revolucion”
Red – violent and bloody nature of 10-year long revolution
Three soldiers mirroring the Christian Trinity, add religious element to the movement
Sharp angles of bodies inject drama
The carbines and rifle reinforce the atmosphere of revolution

15. Nation Culture changed as Zapata and Madero became heroes.
Land Distribution by Diego Rivera
Nation Culture changed as Zapata and Madero became heroes.
1910 – 2% owned land
1940 – 33% owned land (President Lazaro Cardenas)
Madero became president 1911
Most tangible result of revolution was the redistribution of hacienda land to landless
1917 Constitution guaranteed lands and factory workers protection

16. 1913 – Madero was assassinated
Revolts against the new president, Gernal Huerta (died in jail of liver failure 1816) came from caudillos (strongmen) Emiliano Zapata and Pacho Villa (assassinated 1923).
1920 Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled Mexico from

17. Mural by Diego Rivera showing a unified Mexican society

18. Baile en Tehuantepec, 1928 Diego Rivera painting showing indigenism