1. Chapter 5 - Lesson 3 Mexico Yesterday and Today

2. Building a Nation pg
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

3. Building a Nation pg
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

4. Building a Nation pg
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

5. Building a Nation pg

6. Building a Nation pg
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

7. Building a Nation pg
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

8. Building a Nation pg
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

9. Mexico’s Economy pg
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

10. Mexico’s Economy pg
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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. Remember
Maquiladora
Presidential democracy
Annex
finances