Transcript The Roots of Modern Day Mexico - Mexico-Unit

The Roots of Modern
Day Mexico
6th Grade Social Studies
The Arrival of the Spanish
 Hernan Cortes first landed in Mexico
 Hoped to gain new lands for Spain and
gold and glory for himself
 Landed in 1519 with 500 soldiers
 Claimed land for king and queen
 However, he quickly learned this land
was ruled by Aztec emperor Montezuma
II
A Clash of Cultures
 Montezuma II ruled a empire between 5
and 6 million people
 Some wanted to be free so they helped
Spanish conquer the Aztec king
 However, they did not expect the
Spanish would become their new rulers
The First Encounter
 Montezuma II first welcomed Cortes with
gifts, even allowed Cortes to stay in a
royal palace
 Within a week, Cortes took Montezuma
II prisoner and took control of the Aztec
Empire
The Spanish Takeover
 Other leaders drove the Spanish from
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Tenochtitlan (the capital)
During that fighting, Montezuma II was killed
Spanish retook the city, greatly aided by their
Native American allies
Another advantage: their weapons
Aztec had clubs, spears, and arrows
Spanish had steel swords, armor, guns, and
cannons, as well as horses
Explain why it was so easy for the Spanish to
take over.
The Founding of New Spain
 Fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521 marked the
end of the Aztec empire and beginning of
Spanish rule
 Called “New Spain”
 Established Mexico City as their capital
in the spot the Aztec capital used to
stand
 Ruled Mexico for 300 years
A New Way of Life
 Changed a lot about the Mexican way of
life
 Brought new animals – horses, cattle,
sheep, and pigs
 New trades – ironsmithing and
shipbuilding
 New religion - Christianity
The Influence of the Church
 Catholic church quickly became a
powerful influence
 Set up churches, schools, and hospitals
 Some Native Americans accepted it
willingly, sometimes they were forced to
become a Christian against their will
A Cultural Blend
 Old ways were not lost entirely
 Essential element of Native American
cooking was the tortilla
 Tortillas are still made daily all over
Mexico
 As with food, many other aspects of the
two cultures blended in the new Mexican
culture
 Ever tried a tortilla? Want to taste one?
The War of Independence
 Many Mexican political and religious
writers in the early 1800s were saying
Mexicans should be free to choose their
own government
 Demand for freedom grew stronger after
1808 when France conquered Spain
A Cry for Freedom
 Before dawn of September 16, 1810 –
farmers in the mountain village of
Dolores heard their church bells ringing
 Father Miguel Hidalgo gave a fiery
speech urging them to throw off Spanish
rule
 Known as Grito de Dolores (Cry of
Dolores) – marched to Mexico City and
thousands joined them along the way
A Difficult Challenge
 Father Hidalgo’s army had few weapons
– mostly carried clubs and farm tools
 When they faced the government
soldiers, farmers were soon defeated
 Father Hidalgo was captured and
executed, but the revolution he had
sparked did not die
Independence at Last
 New leaders took Father Hidalgo’s place
 Struggle lasted for 11 years
 1821 – rebels finally overthrew the Spanish
government and Mexico became independent
 Peninsulares and criollos still ruled the country
 Native Americans and mestizos benefited little
from idependence from Spain
The Mexican Revolution
 Francisco Madero – one of the first
revolutionary leaders
 Wanted land of their own
 Emiliano Zapata – legendary fighter for
farmers’ rights
 Between 1910 and 1920 more than 1
million Mexicans died in battles of the
Revolution
 1917 – new constitution written – one
promise was to distribute land equally
 Institutional Revolutionary Party
 Won all elections from 1929 - 2000
Government Today
 Vicente Fox – new president
 31 states make up nation
 They have elections
 State and local governments