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Period: Jan 1, 1350 to Jan 1, 1581
Aztecs
The Aztec civilization inhabited Mexico during this time period. -
Period: Jan 1, 1519 to
Spanish Rule
For this time period, Mexico was controlled by Spain. This area was known as "New Spain". -
Mar 2, 1519
Cortez Arrives
A Spanish explorer, by the name of Hernan Cortez, arrives in Mexico. He arrived in March with his crew. He befriends the Aztec leader, Montezuma. He then gets into their society and forces the Aztecs to surrender. -
Oct 2, 1521
"New Spain"
Hernan Cortez overtakes the Aztecs and then claims the new area for Spain. It was called "New Spain". -
Declaring Independence
The Patriots of Mexico declare independence from Spain. Miguel Hidalgo is one of the leaders in this revolution. -
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Mexico's Independence
After eleven years of fighting, the Mexican Patriots finally win the battle against Spain and become an independent country. -
Mexico becomes Independent
The war for independence came to an end. Mexico was then officially recognized as its own country. -
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First Empire
Right after winning their independence, Mexico creates an empire. They put Agustin de Iturbide into power as emperor. He was placed as Emperor because he was one of the many Patriot leaders during Mexico's fight for independence. -
New Emperor
Agustin de Iturbide is put into power as Emperor after Mexico wins its independence. -
Independent Mexico
People begin settling into the northern regions of Mexico. The population is smaller than before the war, and Americans start moving into Mexican territory. -
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United Mexican States
After the overthrow of the Mexican Empire and Agustin de Iturbide, the United Mexican States was established. This was Mexico's first republic. -
Battle of the Alamo
Santa Anna launched an attack on the Texas fort and Tejanos. The battle lasted for thirteen days. Texas lost this battle badly but still went on to win their war of independence from Mexico. -
Texas joins U.S.
After breaking away from Mexico, Texas decides to join the United States. This causes Mexico to break off friendly ties with the U.S. This also leads to the start of the Mexican-American War. -
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Mexican-American War
A battle between the United States and Mexico involving the land of Northern Mexico. Mexico still was upset about Texas's annexation, and the U.S. wanted as much land as they could get. The United States ends up winning the war which leads to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty was signed to end the Mexican-American War with the U.S. victory. With this treaty, Mexico surrendered up 1/3 of its land called the Mexican Cession. This land included Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, and Colorada. In return, the United States was to pay $15 million dollars to Mexico for damages from the war. The United States only ended up paying $6 million. -
Gadsden Purchase
Santa Anna sells the Gadsden Strip to the United States for $5 million dollars. Many people were upset over the loss of land, but Santa Anna said that he needed the money to help rebuild the Mexican Army. In the end, he wasted all of the money. -
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Reform War
It was a struggle between the Conservatives and Liberals in Mexico. The Liberals wanted a Federalist government while the Conservatives wanted a Centeralist government. The Liberals ended up winning the Reform War, but guerillas still remained in Mexico. -
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French Intervention in Mexico
Napoleon III of France wanted to expand into North America, so he sent Maximilian to Mexico. Maximilian then took over and lead Mexico. -
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Second Mexican Empire
This empire was created by Napoleon III. He wanted to turn it into a monarchy, but failed. -
Cristero War
This was an uprising against the Mexican government lasting for three years. It was set off by religious persecution of Christians. The Mexican Constitution of 1917 enforced some laws that were unfair to Christians. This resulted in many small fights in Mexico. -
Mexican Oil Expropriation
This was when Mexico's President and General Lázaro Cárdenas declared that all of the mineral and oil reserves on Mexican soil belonged to the Mexican government. This caused a boycott of Mexican products around the world. The United States, Netherlands, and United Kingdom stopped buying Mexican products for this reason. -
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"La Década Perdida"-The Lost Decade
This was decade of financial crisis throughout Latin America. It affected Mexico the most though. After a boom of petroleum, Mexico relied heavily on export barrels to support the financial needs. Most of the exports were directed to the United States. When the price per barrel was reduced, Mexico's economy was in danger. Because of this, the Mexican Peso was devalutated 500%. This caused many problems.
