Prehistory
Mexico is estimated to have been inhabited more than 20,000 years ago by
hunter-gatherer peoples. More complex cultures started to emerge between
900 and 300 BC and matured into great civilizations such as the Olmec, Toltec,
Mayan and Aztec from AD 100 to 900. The Aztecs were the rulers of much of
Mexico by about 1200.
Spanish conquest
Beginning in 1519, the native cultures were invaded and conquered by Spain.
Several Conquistadores arrived at Mexico, but the most important one was Hernan
Cortes who entered Mexico in 1519 from a native coastal town which has become
today Veracruz. The relationship between the Aztecs and the European
visitors were cordial in the beginning, but as time wore on war broke out
between the two sides which led to the triumph of the Spaniards over the Aztec
Empire in 1521. Another factor that contributed to the weakening of the
native people were the Old World diseases imported from Europe which had
tantamounted to pandemic plagues, killing significant portions of the native
population. This defeat had resulted in the the birth of mestizo as the
conquerors took native women and began fusing both cultures.
The colonial period in which Mexico was known as "Nueva Espana" or
"New Spain" lasted from 1521 to 1821. However, there had been
concerted efforts by the native people against the conquerors and the war for
independence broke out in 1810. The movement was spearheaded by Miguel
Hidalgo who was a priest of Spanish descent leading the unlikely alliance
between the liberales and conservadores. The war lasted 11 years and
finally independence was achieved in 1821. In 1824 "Guadalupe
Victoria" became the first president of the new country.
Instability and dictatorship
Mexico during the period following the independence until the Mexican
revolution in 1911 was largely instable as many presidents came and went.
The new country lost a huge expanse of northern territories to the United States
and there was a growing tension against the excessive privilege of the Catholic
Church. Things began to worsen when the civil war or War of Reform broke
out between the Conservatives and the Liberals in 1858. In the end,
victory was achieved by the Liberal and the Liberal president Benito Juarez came
to power. However, his terms (1858-71) was interrupted when the
Conservatives tried to institute the monarchy by bringing in a prince from the
Royal House of Austria with support from the French army. The Mexicans'
resentment against this French intervention was acute, and eventually the new
monarch was executed and the republic was restored in 1867. Subsequently,
the new Constitution was written to confiscate authority from the Catholic
Church by prohibiting participation of priests in politics and established civil
marriages.
The time of the Conservatives came when general Porfirio Diaz led a rebell
against President Juarez and became president himself for the next 30 years
(1876-1911). Despite his contribution to the improved national
infrastructure, the Mexican people suffered greatly and the width of social
division became even more distinct under his cruel dictatorship. The great
majority of the people was given very low wages and lived in poverty while the
small groups of investors became rich.
Mexican Revolution
When Diaz held a presidential election in 1910, assured that he would get
re-elected since he had eliminated all the potential oppositions, the aged
incumbent was surprised to find out that the majority of the votes was swung to
Francisco Madero who was an academic with a wide base of popular support.
Diaz declared his victory despite the election result which agitated the people
and the state was in uproar. Although Madero was incarcerated away in
Texas across the northern border, his plan for the republic to take up arms and
fight against the oppressor worked and eventually many groups joined forces to
oust president Diaz. After Diaz resigned, Madero became president but only
for 2 years as he was assassinated in 1913. The next president was
Venustiano Carranza who introduced a new Constitution which still guides Mexico
today.
Stabilization and the revolution institutionalized
From 1929 until the end of the 20th century, Mexico was governed by the
National Mexican Party which later became PRI or Partido Revolucionario
Institucional. President Calles' campaign to create the Mexican army
succeeded and some people considered this to be the real end of the Mexican
Revolution. The long rule of the PRI had enabled the stability of the
country as well as the development in education, economy, politics, society and
many other aspects. However, there had also been several instances of
economic collapse and political unrest.
Fall of the PRI and the emergence of opposition
From the mid-1990s several demonstrations and economic crises arose to reveal
the people's dissatisfaction at the government. After the dubitable 1988
election, the IFE (Instituto Electoral - Federal Electoral Institute) was
established in the early 90s to ensure the transparency of the electoral
process. Consequently, PAN's candidate for the 2000 election (Partido
Accion Nacional, National Action Party), Vicente Fox Quesada won the federal
election. What's more, both chambers of Congress are now composed of
members of several different parties of all political persuasions. This
outcome effectively ended the 71 years of uninterrupted rule by the PRI.
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