History Essay Research Paper Mexico was the

History Essay, Research Paper

Mexico was the site of some of the earliest and most advanced

civilizations in the western

hemisphere. The Mayan culture, according to archaeological research,

attained its greatest

development about the 6th century AD. Another group, the Toltec,

established an empire in

the Valley of Mexico and developed a great civilization still evidenced

by the ruins of

magnificent buildings and monuments. The leading tribe, the Aztec,

built great cities and

developed an intricate social, political, and religious organization.

Their civilization

was highly developed, both intellectually and artistically. The first

European explorer to

visit Mexican territory was Francisco Fern ndez de C rdoba, who in 1517

discovered traces of

the Maya in Yucat n. In 1535, some years after the fall of the Aztec

capital, the basic

form of colonial government in Mexico was instituted with the

appointment of the first

Spanish viceroy, Antonio de Mendoza. A distinguishing characteristic

of colonial Mexico was

the exploitation of the Native Americans. Although thousands of them

were killed during the

Spanish conquest, they continued to be the great majority of

inhabitants of what was

referred to as New Spain, speaking their own languages and retaining

much of their native

culture. Inevitably they became the laboring class. Their plight was

the result of the

‘encomienda’ system, by which Spanish nobles, priests, and soldiers

were granted not only

large tracts of land but also jurisdiction over all Native American

residents. A second

characteristic of colonial Mexico was the position and power of the

Roman Catholic church.

Franciscan, Augustinian, Dominican, and Jesuit missionaries entered the

country with the

conquistadores. The Mexican church became enormously wealthy through

gifts and bequests that

could be held in perpetuity. Before 1859, when church holdings were

nationalized, the

church owned one-third of all property and land. A third characteristic

was the existence of

rigid social classes: the Native Americans, the mestizos, mixed Spanish

and Native American

(an increasingly large group during the colonial era), black slaves

which were brought from

Africa and the Caribbean, freed blacks and white Mexicans. The white

Mexicans were

themselves divided. Highest of all classes was that of the

peninsulares, those born in

Spain, as opposed to the criollos, or Creoles people of pure European

descent who had been

born and raised in New Spain. The peninsulares were sent from Spain to

hold the highest

colonial offices in both the civil and church administrations. The

peninsulars held

themselves higher than the criollos, who were almost never given high

office. The

resentment of the criollos became an influential force in the later

movement for

independence. In 1808 the viceroy, under pressure from influential

criollos, permitted them

to participate in the administration. Other peninsular officials

objected and expelled the

viceroy. In the midst of these factional struggles a political

rebellion was begun by the

Mexican people. Mexico has been rocked by political rebellion during

most of its entire

history in one way or another. Under the various dictatorships that

Mexico found itself

under at times in history, it made tremendous advances in economic and

commercial

development. Many of the new undertakings were financed and managed by

foreigners (mostly

American and European). This was and continues to be a major factor in

the discontent of

most Mexicans. Moreover, the government favored the rich owners of

large estates,

increasing their properties by assigning them communal lands that

belonged to the Native

Americans. When the Native Americans revolted, they were sold into

peonage. Discontent,

anger and a spirit of revolt continued to grow throughout Mexico.

Madero was elected

president in 1911, but was not forceful enough to end the political

strife. Other rebel

leaders, particularly Emiliano Zapata and Francisco (Pancho) Villa,

completely refused to

submit to presidential authority. Victoriano Huerta, head of the

Madero army, conspired

with the rebel leaders and in 1913 seized control of Mexico City. New

armed revolts under

Zapata, Villa, and Venustiano Carranza began, and Huerta resigned in

1914. Carranza took

power in the same year, and Villa at once declared war on him. In

addition to the ambitions

of rival military leaders, intervention by foreign governments seeking

to protect the

interests of their nationa

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