Chapter 5 - Lesson 3 Mexico Yesterday and Today

Building a Nation pg 183- 185 Annex – to add a territory to an existing nation Mexico remained a Spanish colony until September 15, 1810 Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, urged Mexicans to rebel against the Spanish so that they could govern themselves For 11 years the Mexican people struggled to gain their independence and finally won it in 1821

Building a Nation pg 183- 185 Finances – matters dealing with money From 1821 to 1877 Mexico was lead by 2 emperors, several dictators, and many presidents None could solve the important issues of democratic rights and land ownership At this time Mexico was also having some trouble with the United States Settlers from both Mexico and the U.S. were settling in the Mexican province of Texas In 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico

Building a Nation pg 183- 185 In 1845 the U.S. voted to annex Texas, which Mexico did not accept This led to a war between the U.S. and Mexico Mexico was defeated by the U.S. and gave up control of Texas The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war that lasted from 1846 to 1848 Under the treaty Mexico Sold the land that is present Day California, Nevada, Utah And most of Arizona and New Mexico as well as parts Of Wyoming and Colorado

Building a Nation pg 183- 185

Building a Nation pg 183- 185 Presidential Democracy – a governing system where the elected president is the chief decision maker During the late 1800s and early 1900s Mexico had many problems Benito Jaurez the president at the time tried many reforms He ended special privileges for the Catholic Church and the army He wanted free elections and education, but the government did not have the finances for all of these reforms Most of the money Mexico received from the United States went to pay for the war The reforms stopped when Jaurez died in 1872

Building a Nation pg 183- 185 The in 1876, Porfirio Diaz took control of the government and named himself president He wanted to reform the governments finances and over his 30 year rule Mexico experienced growth and order but at a cost Foreign investors and wealthy landowners did well while many poor farmers lost their land In 1910 a landowner names Francisco Madero called for the end of Diaz’s rule After a seven year revolution came to an end in 1917, The Constitution of 1917 was written by the leaders of the revolution and returned land to the poor farmers and established a presidential democracy

Building a Nation pg 183- 185 Beginning in 1929 one political party controlled the Mexican government The PRI or Institutional Revolutionary Party candidates won the presidency for 71 years This ended when Vincente Fox won the presidency with the PAN or National Action Party in 2000 Mexico has three branches of government, executive, judicial, and legislative The key difference in a presidential democracy is that the president heads the executive branch and has great influence over the other two branches, they do not have a system of checks and balances like the U.S. The constitution of 1917 limited the president’s rule to one 6 year term with no re-election

Mexico’s Economy pg 185 - 186 Maquiladora – a factory in Mexico run by a foreign country For much of its history Mexico’s economy was based on primary industries – farming and mining In the 1940s the government started manufacturing the finished products many of its people buy and use, they also exported these products to the U.S. The factories were mostly assembly plants called maquiladoras

Mexico’s Economy pg 185 - 186 Mexico City is Mexico’s main manufacturing city, Guadalajara and Monterrey are also important manufacturing cities In 1970, Mexico became a major exported of oil to the United States Now with the help of the oil industry, Mexico has a service industry, employing many people in hospitals, hotels, fire protection, restaurants, schools, and banking Mexico’s GDP is 1.3 trillion dollars but its per capita GDp is about $10,000 Life expectancy in Mexico is about 77 years old

Mexico Today Pg. 187 The nation of Mexico has one of the fastest growing populations in the world In 1970 Mexico had 51 million people, today there are close to 125 million people in Mexico that is more than 4 times as many people as Canada Most Mexican people are under 25 years old

Mexico Today Pg. 187 Most Mexican people live in cities and towns of more than 2,500 people, Mexico has 31 states The largest cities are Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey Mexico City is the capital of Mexico, it is considered a federal district similar to the U.S.’s Washington D.C. Mexico has 31 states

How is Mexico’s democracy different from other democracies? (pg.185) What natural resources does Mexico export? (pg. 186) Where do most people live in Mexico? (pg. 187)

Remember Maquiladora Presidential democracy Annex finances