A Brief Taste of Mexico essays

A Brief Taste of Mexico essays Aztec natives, who have been traced back thousands of years, originally inhabited Mexico. Despite their natural claim to the land, Hernn Corts was easily able to lead the Spaniards to conquer much of their territory in the 16th century. For this reason, it was Spain that maintained absolute control over Mexico, a gargantuan region that extended as far North as todays Oregon, and as far west as todays Texas. Between the years of 1750 and 1811, various Spanish monarchs ruled the territory. These rulers prevented revolution by strictly enforcing the separation of the inferior masses, denying any resistance opportunities. Although local white Mexicans (of Spanish decent) governed their respective colonies, it was the rulers back in Spain that controlled Mexico as a whole. Spaniards were a minuscule minority; however, until 1822, they used force and strategy to successfully exploit Mexicos resources in search of wealth. In 1811, rebel groups began to fight against their government. Distre ssed by the long war overseas, the Spaniards surrendered to the rebellion, allowing for Mexicos independence in 1822. From 1822-1841, Mexico attempted to use democracy, but the democratic system was misused; other than electing leaders, people still made few political decisions. In addition, leaders were constantly assassinated. In 1841, a lied war hero known as The Unsinkable Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna declared dictatorial power over Mexico, and backed by fearsome soldiers, he showed his Unsinkable side by refusing to lose his power. Santa Annas advantage lay in his large amount of supporters, allowing for better protection than previous leaders. The conservative leader lost his edge when Mexico lost land and lives to the U.S.-Mexican war. Benito Juarez, a liberal, overthrew Santa Anna in 1855. He gained support by writing a constitution, which called for a democracy based on equality. ...