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Estados Unidos Mexicanos Mēxihcatl Tlacetilīlli Tlahtohcāyōtl | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Capital and largest city | Mexico City |
| Recognised national languages | Spanish |
| Dominant mode of production | Capitalism |
| Government | Federal presidential republic |
• President | Andrés Manuel López Obrador |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,972,550 km² |
| Population | |
• 2020 census | 126,014,024 |
Mexico, officially the Mexican United States, is a country in Latin America.
History
Pre-Columbian history
The earliest advanced civilization in Mexico was the Olmecs, which lasted from 1500 to 400 BCE.[1] They were succeeded by the Mayans and the Zapotecs. In 1428, the Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance, was established, which ruled until Mexico was colonized by Spain.[2]
Colonial era
Mexico was colonized by Spain in 1521, killing 200,000 Aztecs,[3] and the Viceroyalty of New Spain was established. The Spanish replaced the indigenous modes of production with feudalism and introduced European-style patriarchal gender roles. The 1527 Narváez expedition to modern-day Florida was a failure and only four men returned to Mexico City alive.
In 1598, Juan de Oñate established the province of Santa Fe, which was inhabited by Pueblo people, and enslaved the native population. The colonizers demanded labor and agricultural goods from the Pueblo and attacked them for practicing their traditional religion. This led to a revolt in 1680 led by a San Juan Pueblo named Popé which gave the Pueblo independence for thirteen years. While independent, they sold guns and horses to the Navajo and Apache, who had previously been their enemies. In the 1690's, the Spanish recolonized the area and defeated a second attempted revolt.
In the 18th century, the Spanish continued colonizing western North America and established settlements in modern-day New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona. Many expansion efforts were prevented by the nomadic Apache and Comanche peoples. Towards the end of the century, the Spanish began the Franciscan Mission system in California and enslaved natives and forced them to convert to Christianity.[4]
Independence
In the 1810's, Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos started a revolt of the lower classes, including indigenous people and Africans, in southern Mexico. They were defeated in the mid-1810's. In 1821, Mexico won its independence from an urban movement of merchants and landlords. It briefly had an emperor but became a republic a few years after independence. In 1829, chattel slavery was abolished, although it was still practiced by English-speaking settlers in Texas in exchange for protection against the Apache. In the 1830's, the government expropriated much of the church's land and gave it to private owners.[4]
Texas Revolt and Mexican–American War
In 1835, white settlers in Texas began a revolt against Mexico and established their own republic in 1836 with a constitution that allowed slavery. In 1845, the United States admitted Texas as a state even though it was still claimed by Mexico. This led to an attack from Mexico, beginning the Mexican–American War. Mexico City was occupied by the U.S. in 1847 and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, ceding Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah to the U.S.[4]
References
- ↑ Richard A. Diehl (2004). The Olmecs: America's First Civilization (pp. 9–25). London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500285039
- ↑ Frances Berdan. "El tributo a la Triple Alianza" Arqueología Mexicana. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
- ↑ Clodfelter (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts (p. 32). ISBN 9781476625850
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Nodrada (2020-08-03). "The Chicane National Question and the Era of Neocolonialism" Medium. Retrieved 2022-05-08.