Mexicans

Like the United States, the history of Mexico begins millennia ago with the indigenous peoples who migrated to the North American continent and settled throughout, creating culturally and linguistically distinct societies. The majority of these were founded on hunter-gatherer subsistence, but some also practiced agriculture and engaged in activities such as metallurgy, nautical navigation, and long-distance trade. Notable examples include the Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Aztec civilizations, famous for their rich material culture imprint and the impressive stone structures that they erected – sites still frequented by modern tourists. By the 15th century, Europe was undergoing a process of social and economic revolutions marked by, among other things, massive population booms and vibrant trade economies. An allure for luxury resources brought on by the taste that they had through trade partners in the Middle East spurred a desire to explore and establish settlements so as to have direct access to these resources. After Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the Caribbean islands while seeking an alternative western route to East Asia, European settlers began to flock to the so-called “New World” seeking land, wealth, and religious freedom, among other things. The lands comprising the modern Mexican nation were principally frequented by Spanish expeditionary soldiers, explorers, and settlers. These “conquistadors” subjugated the formidable Aztec Empire and various other indigenous inhabitants relatively quickly with their superior weaponry and diseases such as smallpox which decimated the local populations. Exploitative mercantile economies sprouted up in “New Spain”, thriving on mines and encomienda plantation systems, and funneled wealth back to their mother nation for nearly three centuries. By the early 19th century, European colonial powers were gradually losing their grip over their possessions in the Western Hemisphere. As Enlightenment ideals electrified minds irrespective of class divisions, the inhabitants of the United States successfully revolted against their British overlords, setting an example that many of their neighbors were keen to follow. Dissatisfied with centuries of Spanish occupation, New Spain was ripe for such a movement, and the Napoleonic (French) invasion of Spain presented a terrific opportunity. In 1810, decisive steps were taken towards independence when the priest Miguel Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende, a former military officer, rallied mobs of disgruntled peasants and commoners into a loosely-knit army and began ousting the Spanish royalist occupants of several towns on the route to Mexico City. Despite a string of successes, Hidalgo enigmatically refused to attack Mexico City, eschewing his momentum and affording the royalists precious time to react. Shortly thereafter, his disorganized army was crushed and he and Allende were executed – but the spirit of independence that his uprising had stoked would not be quelled so easily. The movement continued under Ignacio López Rayón, José María Morelos, and Mariano Matamoros, who experienced considerably more (and prolonged) successes against the royalists owing mainly to organizational improvements. Despite some infighting which would see Rayón deposed and Morelos catapulted to primacy in the revolutionary Mexican state, the cause continued to progress. While it did experience further setbacks – Matamoros and Morelos would be captured and executed by royalist forces – resistance to Spanish rule continued for several years. In 1821, Augustín de Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero negotiated the Plan of Iguala, an alliance between their factions which all but cemented Mexican independence; an official proclamation would be made later that same year. Spain would unsuccessfully attempt to reconquer her former colony in 1829, but eventually conceded its independence in 1836. During this time, the fledgling nation struggled to establish a robust government and retain control of its vast territory; several of the southeastern regions in Central America seceded nearly immediately, and further problems arose when American settlers in modern-day Texas declared their independence in 1835 and upset the numerically superior Mexican army. After Texas joined the United States in 1845, another catastrophic war erupted and the Mexican forces were defeated, losing California and much of what would become the western USA in the process. In 1855, another revolt overthrew President Antonio López de Santa Anna, causing his conservative supporters to appeal to the French for aid in the conflict. The French briefly invaded and installed Maximilian Habsburg, but American intervention led the French to abandon the conservatives, allowing the liberal revolutionaries to emerge victorious. After several more years of infighting, Porfirio Díaz, known for his role in the renowned Battle of Puebla (1862), assumed control of the Mexican state and launched a series of reform programs, ushering the nation into the modern era.

From the game's History encyclopedia.