How long was mexico a colony of spain

Remembered for the giant head sculptures they carved from native stone, the Olmecs had two main population centers: San Lorenzo, which flourished from about to B. By B. Between B. At its zenith, with a population estimated at ,, the civilization is thought to have controlled a large portion of southern Mexico.

They developed a calendar and writing system and built cities that functioned as hubs for the surrounding farming towns. The Mayan civilization collapsed in the early 10th century, likely due to overpopulation and the resultant damage to the ecological balance.

Historians have determined that the Toltec people appeared in central Mexico near the 10th century and built the city of Tula, home to an estimated 30,, people. Some have speculated that the Toltecs performed human sacrifices to appease the gods. One of their kings, Tezcatlipoca, is said to have ordered mass sacrifices of captured enemy warriors. This triple alliance conquered smaller cultures to the east and west until the Aztec empire spanned Mexico from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf Coast.

At their height, the Aztecs ruled 5 million people via a tightly-structured system of self-supporting units called calpulli. Each unit had its own governing council, schools, army, temple and land but paid tribute to the supreme leader of the empire. Influenced by earlier Mexican civilizations, the Aztecs conducted extraordinary religious ceremonies that featured dances, processions and sacrifices.

By , Spain controlled a large portion of the Aztec empire and had enslaved most of the indigenous population. The missionaries built many monasteries and converted millions of people to Catholicism. Many criollos had become rich and wanted equal political power, which now resided with the peninsulares. Together they drafted a Mexican constitution. He was later defeated by American forces during the Mexican-American War and, by , had gone into exile. The Mexican people, tired of the unbalanced distribution of wealth and power, initiated the Mexican Revolution in The year civil war resulted in at least 2 million casualties.

The system benefited both the citizens and the economy. Due to negligible legislative assistance, the poor are generally unable to improve their socio-economic status.

The state of Chiapas exemplifies the problems caused by financial imbalance. Although their rebellion was unsuccessful, the Zapatistas continue to fight against imbalanced land ownership and power distribution, with little success. Further complicating the already problematic social division is the ever-growing problem of drug trafficking, which has contributed to political and police corruption and helped widen the gap between the elite and the underprivileged.

Despite its problems, the Mexican economy, with its growing industrial base, abundant natural resources and variety of service industries, remains important to Latin America.

Today, tourism is a major contributor to the Mexican economy. At its peak, around A. Many of the original stone palaces, temples and markets remain throughout the city.

The city rose to power in A. Turkeys and parrots were kept in special cages, possibly to supply feathers used for ceremonial and personal adornment. Cuarenta Casas Cuarenta Casas Forty Houses are cliff dwellings located in the state of Chihuahua and discovered by the Spaniards around the 16th century. Despite the name, only about a dozen adobe apartments are carved into the west cliff-side of a dramatic canyon at La Cueva de las Ventanas Cave of the Windows.

Originally, the palace housed all three branches of the government. Today, however, only the executive branch resides there. Palacio Nacional was destroyed by fire twice, once in and again in It was reconstructed in and remains largely unchanged today. Hidalgo was captured and executed. After two years of fighting and several victories, in , Morelos called together a congress, which declared Mexican independence and drafted a constitution.

But Morelos was defeated in battle soon after. In he, too, was executed, leadership of the movement passing to Vicente Guerrero. Although independent, Mexico had as yet no real government. Iturbide seized power in , declaring himself emperor. Their successful revolt overthrew Iturbide and, in , made Mexico a republic. For a short period the country enjoyed constitutional rule under Guadalupe Victoria, its first president, and Guerrero, its second.

Mexico's progress to nationhood, however, was to be slow and difficult. Conflicts between conservatives and liberals weakened and divided the country. The conservatives supported a strong national government and sought to maintain their traditional privileges; the liberals advocated decentralized rule, sharply diminished church influence, and broad social reforms. In l the presidency passed to Santa Anna, who dominated the country's life for more than twenty years.

It was a time of political turmoil, with numerous governments succeeding one another. Foreign wars also sapped the country's strength.

A dispute with France over Mexican debts brought French troops to Veracruz in The French were repulsed, but in a war with the United States , Mexico lost nearly half of its territory. The liberals exiled Santa Anna in and began to lead the country out of chaos.

Conservatives violently opposed the constitution, and Mexico was plunged into a three-year civil war known as the War of the Reform But the conflict had bankrupted the country. The British and Spanish soon departed, but France's emperor Napoleon III, urged on by the conservatives, seized the opportunity to establish a monarchy in Mexico.

French troops invaded the country in and captured Mexico City the following year. Meanwhile, Napoleon III and the conservatives had chosen as emperor of Mexico the archduke Maximilian of Austria, who arrived in with his wife, the empress Carlota, to assume the throne. Maximilian was a well-meaning but weak ruler who tried to govern benevolently. His moderate policies and acceptance of the reforms that had deprived the church of much of its land cost him the support of the church hierarchy and conservative political leaders, however.

When Napoleon III, under pressure from the United States, withdrew the support of French troops in , Maximilian was left isolated in the nation he supposedly ruled. In he was captured by republican forces and executed. Certain rights of indigenous peoples now had to be accepted, including the one to safeguard the languages.

It felt like a cold shower to Mestizo who had thought the identity question had been dealt with. Other segments of Mexican society opposed celebrating what was increasingly being called genocide.

Five centuries after Columbus, after all, Mexico was still a poor and backward country, the natural resources of which were being exploited — and the deep disparities brought about by colonial rule were obviously the root cause.

The indigenous peoples of America — from Canada to Patagonia — decided to meet in Mexico in The connotations of the year anniversary had to change.

Celebration gave way to commemoration. Columbus fell from the heaven of national heroes. Christianisation was certainly an important part of the Conquista. Churches were built on the foundations of pre-Hispanic temples; sacred places and religious holidays were re-defined. For a very long time, church institutions handled matters like education and the registration of births, marriages and deaths.

The missionaries learned the indigenous languages to convert people. In some ways, they were the friendly face of the conquest. The faiths became amalgamated, and such syncretism is evident in every major Catholic festivity today.

One example is the cult of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Its symbolism matches indigenous ideas of Mother Earth in a cosmic surrounding, placed between Sun and Moon. The Holy Virgin is celebrated at the location and on the very date that Tonantzin, Mother Earth, was worshipped in the past.

The ceremony, under watchful eye of the modern church, still resembles pre-Hispanic rituals. Another lasting colonial legacy is the way in which economic and political power are wielded. Class divisions and racism matter very much see box , and members of the elite tend to be beyond the law. In the eyes of many people, state institutions have only limited legitimacy. Foreign rule certainly laid the foundations for contemporary Mexican society, but that did not result in lasting political or diplomatic tensions.

Soon after independence, Mexico and Spain developed friendly relations in a sense of solidarity, and that has not changed in good or bad times ever since. English Deutsch. Montgomery of the U. At the Castillo de San Joaquin , the marines found three brass guns that they believed to be 12 and 18 pounders, made in , , and In addition, seven iron guns were found at the Castillo. These guns are currently on display at the Presidio.

Nothing remains of El Castillo or the above ground elements of Bateria de Yerba Buena , but the archaeology remains of the latter are unstudied. Dana, Richard Henry Jr. Boston: James R. Osgood and Company, Explore This Park. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. The Spanish and Mexican period, to Spanish Era - In an effort to solidify their control over North American resources and territory, European colonial powers began to construct fortifications to protect their settlements from foreign encroachment.

The Mexican Presidio as painted by Richard Beechey in