1. Mexico

2. Early Mexico  Mixed culture of ancestors  Hunter-gathers, and farmers  Main crops were beans, corn, peppers, and squash.  Lived in complex civilizations i.e. Maya, Olmec, Toltec, and Zapotec.  The last civilization was the Aztecs

3. Aztec Empire  First city, and capital, Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).  Military power.  Aztec religion featured many gods.  Believed that it took them 5 tries to create the world.  Highly focused on keeping nature in balance  Believed one false step could leave to disaster

4. The Colonial Period  In 1519 Spanish adventures called, conquistadores, arrived.  Formed military alliances with people who resented the Aztecs.  They also brought with them new diseases, smallpox, which the American Indians had not yet developed an immune system for.  This disease killed many of the Aztecs.  Gold and silver mining along with farming were the major parts of the economy  Lands they worked in common were called ejidos  Large estates owned by wealthy families were called haciendas.

5. Religion  Most in Mexico are Roman Catholic.  Why?  Today it is a mix or pre-Christian beliefs and Christian beliefs

6. Mexico Today  Rapid and violent political change  In1810, Mexicans began to revolt against Spanish Rule.  Fight lasted until 1821, when Mexico finally won it’s independence.  Little really changed after this  Power was still help by a small segment of the population.  This unequal economy lead to the Mexican Revolution in 1910  This fight lasted until 1920.  Following this revolution a new government was set into place, slightly favored democracy.  But actually wasn’t.

7. Mexico Today  Government became more of a dictatorship.  The President had absolute authority.  Another change that came with the revolution was land reform.  The large haciendas were split up to given to the peasants  Wasn’t a very successful practice  Land was often a bad piece or not a very good area to grow.  Some could not afford to buy the items needed for the up keep of the land i.e. fertilizers, machines etc.  Most got discouraged and left for cities.  In 1992, ejido farmers won the right to sell their land.

8. Mexico Today  Since the 90s Mexico has again opened their doors to foreign business  In 1992 Mexico joined Canada and the United States in signing the North American Free Trade Agreement.  This lowered trade barriers between the countries.  Since this Mexico has expanded even more.  Tourism is becoming more and more important.

9. Mexico  Divided into 31 states and the capital district.  Greater Mexico City  Cultural, economic, and political center of Mexico.  Holds ¼ of Mexico’s entire population.  Generates much of the country’s GDP  Home to the country’s largest university, museums, and theaters.  Central Mexico  Many of the cities here began as colonial mining or ranching areas.  Fertile Valley’s

10. Gulf Lowlands and Southern Mexico  Very sparsely settled.  Mostly commercial farming there today.  Rich deposits of oil and natural gas is the main source of the regions income/

11. Northern Mexico  Large dry region  Most prosperous, infrastructure is modern and new  Draws migrant workers from all over Mexico