Courtesy of the University of Texas Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin
History of Country: Indigenous civilizations, among them the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Mixtec, and Zapotec, existed in Mexico long before the Spanish conquistadors. In 1521 Hernan Cortes and some 500 Spanish adventurers conquered the Aztec capital, Tenochitlan, and captured its ruler, Montezuma. For the next 300 years, Mexico was governed under the colonial rule of Spain. A social structure emerged with the top being wealthy Spanish nobles (born in Spain) who ruled the lands and held political power. Second in the social structure were the Creoles who were Spaniards born in Mexico; third were the Mestizos, who were of mixed Spanish and Indian blood. At the bottom were the Indians. The Mestizo and the Indians suffered abuses due to the inequalities in this class-based society. They were forced to labor on the lands of their Spanish landlords, in the mines, and in the small factories. Conflicts between the Spanish nobles and the Creoles started to emerge. Resentment and desire of individual rights and freedom which was inspired by the American and French revolutions led to the movement for independence from Spain in 1810. On September 27, 1821, the Treaty of Cordoba was signed, which recognized Mexican independence. In 1858, conflicts between Church and State started a civil war called the War of the Reform, led by Benito Juarez. He led the liberals to victory and instituted the reforms. However, in 1864, with the help of France, the Church regained power and exiled Juarez. With the help of the United States, Juarez was restored to power in 1867 and the reform laws became a permanent part of the Mexican government. When Juarez died in 1872, Mexico had a constitutional and democratic government. In 1917, Venustiano Carranza called a convention to prepare a new constitution, which laid the groundwork for a new Mexican nation. Though much progress has been made there is still great economic inequality and much needs to be done to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizen.
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