Mexico

Key Terms Tenochtitlan: Aztec capital city, the site today of Mexico City Spanish Conquest: The conquest of the Aztecs by Cortes Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI): political party that arose in Mexico in1929 Mestizo: People of mixed Spanish and Native American Heritage Maquiladoras: Factories in Mexico that assemble imported materials into finished goods for export NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement among Mexico, Canada, and the United States

Colonialism and Independence The area that became Mexico was originally inhabited by many different native people The Yucatan Peninsula was home to the Maya Toltecs, Aztecs, and other small groups 1519 Hernando Cortes landed on the coast He and his men marched to Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztecs They, along with native allies, conquered the Aztecs…Spanish Conquest

Aztecs AD 12oo arrived Empire in Valley of Mexico Tenochtitlan as capital Temples, palaces, gardens, lakes Canals linked the city Grew food on Lake Texcoco which surrounded the city Human sacrifice Cortes destroyed capital and built Mexico City there, still find remains Cultural Diffusion: Spanish, Catholic Large Mestizo population Inca One of the greatest civilizations of the Americas arose in the Andes Mountains of Peru Came from Siberia to Alaska, across Isthmus of Panama into South America Built an advanced civilization From their capital at Cuzco in Peru, extended power 2,500 miles along the west coast of South America Road system 20,000 miles long crossed the mountains and deserts to link the empire Conquered by the Spanish

1821, Mexican soldier Agustin de Iturbide helped Mexico achieve independence Mid-1800s, Benito Juarez led a reform movement and became president Separation of church and state Better educational opportunities More even distribution of land Porfirio Diaz, a corrupt politician took over from Juarez Ruled for 30 years with harsh rule Led to a revolution & civil war Resulted in a new constitution in a new political party Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) arose Introduced democracy and political stability Fraud and corruption hurt democratic process 1997 two parties opposed PRI and won a large number of seats in congress 2000 Vicente Fox elected president, giving Mexico a democratic state with more than one political party

Meeting of Cultures Many advanced native cultures existed in Mexico before the Spanish Aztec Empire: Capital Tenochtitlan Temples Palaces Gardens lakes

Spanish brought their language and religion, which dominated Mexico today Spanish Catholic Still a strong native heritage “Mexico” is an older name for the Aztecs Many Mestizos: mixed Spanish and Native American descent Architecture and art Native temples Spanish missions 20 th century: many of best painters painted Mexico’s history on public buildings

Maquiladoras Factories where imported materials are assembled into Finished products for export, mostly to the U.S. NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement Created a zone of cooperation on trade and economic issues between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada It is expected to contribute to prosperity and create millions of jobs

Challenges Today Safety Jobs Education Violence, increasing drug trade, many killed Hurt tourist industry Workers leave to U.S. in search of work Some return to use the money to help their family 2008 Recession, less $$$ to send home Unemployment Need education and training for young workers to find jobs Attendance at schools has improved As Mexico industrializes, education will become more important

Mexico City Mexico City went from 1 to 8 million people from Population doubled once more by 2000, 30 million today! Huge majority 1 st or 2 nd generation migrant workers from the countryside Fled the continuing poverty in the villages when land reforms of the 1920s and 1930s failed to bring prosperity Privately owned haciendas were turned into communal land Outside the capital, empty country with 15 people per square mile Mexico City 6,800 people per square mile Slum Settlements 30,000 people per square mile! Some 30% of families live in one room Smog blocks sun, causes headaches Lack of basic cleanliness/sanitation Rats run Rivers stink Why go to Mexico City? Migrants believe life will be better there 1 in 10 lack water supply, rural areas 5 in 10 1 in 10 lacks electricity, 7 in 10 in villages 10% are undernourished vs. 90% rural Upgrades, subways, water pipes, electricity, continue to encourage people want to go to the city

In the Headlines: Cancun, Mexico 22-year-old Florida man found strangled Mexico resort of Cancun Jan 03, 2014, 09:27 PM GMT (9mo) 6 Mexican police officers arrested on suspicion of killing a US citizen in their custody near the beach resort of Cancun, authorities say Mexico Mar 16, 2013, 05:00 AM GMT (1y) Mexico: Gunmen kill 7 in Cancun bar, officials said Friday Oct 26, 2012, 10:02 AM GMT (2y) Glasgow airport staff find a snake on a plane which had landed from Cancun, Mexico Most-wanted A Tropical storm (Paula) forms; hurricane warning for Mexico's Cancun, other areas - National Hurricane Centermerican fugitive captured in Cancun, Mexico Update on Mexican bar killings: Bar is outside of Cancun hotel zone, frequented by locals; 10 armed men entered and burned it down 6 bodies found in cavern near Cancun, Mexico; police say victims had been tortured