Introduced by penguin person General Pancho Siesta Knowledge :-)
The Young, New, Mexican Puppeteer
Hello Buddy. I bet you have all seen those spaghetti western films they always seem to include a Mexican revolution and always refer to an El President. But who really were the Presidents of the time and how long was the revolution? Well you can find notes on them below in the list and some more interesting facts about my chosen country that I take notes of.
Mexico has had a really long and varied history and is not all sleepy villages in the desert, all that stuff you may have seen in Western films. (Those western films and were actually shot in Spain with many Italian actors). There are rainforests and lush vegetation, as well as desert areas in the north of the country (Lower California is still part of Mexico there).
In the old days Mexico had a civilisation to rival the ancient Egyptians, called the Aztecs. Today she is the fifth largest producer of crude oil in the world, and if it were not for the many revolutions and government changes probably today she would have been the largest. But that is history and what makes history so interesting.
My history notes of Mexico
1000-500BC Zapotec civilisation in southern Mexico (Monte Alban area).
800-400BC The First known `American Indian` peoples called the Olmec emerged in the Mexico area.
900-300BC After First originating around 2000BC in the Yucatan Peninsula A Strong Maya civilisation was in existence.
900-1200AD The Toltec civilisation dominated the area from their Capital at Tula.
1100-1200AD Aztec civilisation emerged from The American Indian peoples Migrating Southwards to Mexico and dominated the central plateau region to wage continual war with the neighbouring tribes and eventually subjugate the region. Their Capital City of Tenochtitlan (built around 1325) was an area the Aztecs reclaimed from marshlands on an island in the middle of lake Texcoco and is now the site of present day Mexico City.
As (like the Ancient Egyptians) they built Pyramids and temples. Here they worshiped the Sun (as giver of all life and this Sun-God they called Tonatiuh. The Aztecs practised in human sacrifices (cutting out hearts, drowning or beheading their victims) to win`Gods` favour, ensure good harvests, and fortune.
1517 Fernandez de Cordeoba was the first European to explore Mexico.
1519-1521 Hernan Cortes led the conquistadors into the Aztec territory.
The Aztec king Montezuma II believed Cortes to be the God Quetzalcoatl, but in 1520 rebelled against the conquistadors. The Spanish overthrew the Aztec King, killing him (1520), and captured the capital city (1521), to turn Mexico into a Spanish Colony to be officially announced as the Spanish vice-royalty of `New Spain` in 1535.
The native population was decimated by disease brought to the New World by the New conquerors and numbers reduced to a Million or so from originally some twenty-plus Millions.
1810 Unsuccessful Revolt by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costillo to repressive and vicious Spanish rule.
1821 Mexico declared independence General Augustin de Ituride (becoming the first Emperor of Mexico) with Landowner and Church support. [ More]
Mexico history notes
Early Civilisations
Mexico history notes
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