Chapter 10 Mexico

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Chapter 10 Mexico

• Section 2
• A Place of Three Cultures

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A Brief History

• By the middle of the 1400s, The Aztecs had
  built up the largest empire in Mexico.
• The Capital city was Tenochititlan.
• In the 1400s the capital city was actually one
  of the largest cities in the world.

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The Spanish Conquest

• Hernan Cortes with about 600 soldiers marched
  into the Aztec capital city in 1519.
• It took Cortes only two years to destroy the
  Aztec empire.
• The territory in present day Mexico that was
  taken was declared to be New Spain.

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New Spain

• The four social classes of New Spain.
• Peninsulares-the top of the social classes, born
  in Spain.
• Criollos-people of Spainish ancestry born in the
  Americas.
• Mestizos-people of mixed ancestry.
• Indians-native people groups.

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The Road to Democracy

• Spanish colonial rule continued in Mexico until
  1800s.
• In 1810 a Spanish priest named Miguel Hidalgo
  called for armed rebellion against Spanish rule.
• In 1821 Mexico finally achieved independence.
• Mexico went through a series of military
  dictatorships until the late 1800s.

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The Mexican Revolution

• In 1910 Mexico underwent a second revolution.
  This time the peasants rose up against the
  government and the wealthy.
• In 1920 Mexico finally had a new president that
  operated on the moto, land, bread, and justice
  for all.

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Social Conditions of Mexico Today

• Rural Life- most people in rural Mexico work in
  the field of agriculture.
• Ejidos-land redistributed and owned collectiv.ely
  by members of a rural community.
• Major cash crops- corn, sugar cane, coffee, and
  various forms of fruit

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Urban Life

• Most of modern Mexicos population resides in
  urban cities. ¾ of the total population.
• Urban life means better job opportunities. Most
  of the urban dwellers are urban poor with little
  to no education.