European Conquest  Pre-Columbian civilizations include the Olmec, Teotuhuacan, Mayan, Zapotec, Toltec, Aztec  1519: Conquest of Mexico by Cortes  Aztec Emperor Moctezuma  Prophecies of Quetzlcoatl  La Malinche -- mestizaje  New Spain – included Central America, southwestern North America, the Caribbean, the Phillipines

New Spain  Feudal social system  Conservative Roman Catholicism throughout the Empire  Class divisions  Spaniards – in charge of government  Criollos (Creoles) – Spanish descent born in New Spain – major land holders  Mestizos – mixed Spanish and Indian descent  Indians – peasants, agricultural workers, often tied to landholdings as serfs had been in Europe

19 th Century Mexico  1807: Napoleon invaded Spain  1810: Declaration of Mexican Independence  : War of Independence  1821: 1 st Empire of Mexico > Republic  1836: Republic of Texas declares independence 1845: Texas is annexed to the United States  : Dominance of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in Mexican government  : War with U.S. led to annexation of territory that became CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM and CO  1855: Santa Anna overthrown

19 th Century Mexico  1857: new Constitution that did not mandate Roman Catholicism as state religion  : War of Reform – civil war  1860s: military occupation by France  2 nd Mexican Empire: installation of Emperor Maximilian and Empress Carlota – favored limited monarchy  Emperor overthrown and executed by Benito Juarez’s forces  1867: Restoration of Republic  : Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz

20 th Century Mexico  : Mexican Revolution  Leaders with conflicting aims included Francisco Madero, Emiliano Zapata, Pancho Villa, Pascual Orozco, Venustiano Carranza – most assassinated during revolution  1917: Mexican Constitution of 1917  1920: Alvaro Obregon elected President – instituted many reforms in social liberalizalition, curbed the power of the Roman Catholic church, improved education, granted women’s civil rights  : Cristero War  1929: Formation of National Mexican Party (PNM) > Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) – dominant throughout 20 th c.