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Period: 1492 to
Spanish Colonial Period
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Nov 8, 1519
Hernán Cortés Arrives at the Aztec Capital, Tenochtitlán
Cortés and his group of conquistadors entered the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán. Historians today say a centuries long quasi-war between the native people of modern-day Mexico and the spanish soldiers, european diseases, the Spanish Catholic Church, and pressures to convert to western european cultures ensued. Caste systems were created and the natives became victim to Spanish colonization and forced assimilation. -
Napoleon Occupies Spain
During the Peninsular War Napoleon, the French emperor, gained control of the then Kingdom of Spain. While Spain was preoccupied with French Imperialism many Latin American nations began to rise up against their colonial governments, including (with the help of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla) Mexico. -
Hidalgo's Grito de Dolores
Hidalgo cried out in the city of Dolores calling for the end of 300 years of Spanish rule in Mexico, redistribution of land and racial equality. Thousands of Natives flocked to Hidalgo’s banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and soon the peasant army was on the march to Mexico City. -
Period: to
Mexico's Fight for Independence
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Hidalgo is Captured and Executed
Hidalgo and his army are defeated at Calderón, fleeing north where Hidalgo is eventually captured and executed. This, however, did not kill the revolutionary spark that spurred on the Mexican Independence Movement. -
New Liberal Government is Established in Spain
In 1820, liberals took power in Spain, and the new government promised reforms to appease the Mexican revolutionaries. They hoped to quiet ideas of independence by appeasing certain demands that Mexico had. -
Period: to
Trienio Liberal
"A period of three years in the modern history of Spain between 1820 and 1823, when a liberal government ruled Spain after a military uprising in January 1820 by the lieutenant-colonel Rafael de Riego against the absolutist rule of Ferdinand VII. It ended in 1823 when, with the approval of the crowned heads of Europe, a French army invaded Spain and reinstated the King's absolute power." -
Spain Recognizes Mexico's Independence
The new government of Spain eventually made a monumental move with the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba, finally recognizing the independence of the First Mexican Empire. -
Period: to
An Independent Mexico