Mexican independence

Mexican independence

Introduction

Mexico was first attacked in 1521 when the Spanish army led by Hernan Cortes entered Mexico and overthrew the Aztec empire and sparked the beginning of colonial rule in Mexico that ran for over three decades. Charles V, who was by then the King of Spain founded a capital city in the ruins of Tenochtitlan and named it Ciudad de Mexico in the heart of Mexico country. This was followed by the entry of Spanish commanders that took charge of Mexico and called the place New Mexico. During this period, Mexicans intermingled with the Europeans to produce a hybrid culture that is depicted in their local languages which consist of Spanish language and Native Americans’ languages. Mexico’s independence was a struggle that led to numerous resistances by the locals to get their freedom back.

Significant events

The first event was resistance against the Spanish colonial rule, which was led by the Martin Cortes who was born out of the wedlock by Spanish army general Hernan Cortes and his translator. In the coming years before the start of Mexican struggle for independence,  most of the plans to end the colonial rule were started by the Spanish people who were born in Mexico and ranked up high in the Mexican caste system but slightly below the native Europeans and their resistances excluded the native Mexicans. Martin Cortes tried to fight justice for the local Mexicans but was killed in the process.

The second significant event during the struggle for Mexico’s independence was witnessed when a respected catholic priest known as Miguel Hidalgo issued a cry that later would be referred to as Grito de Dolores which invited the Mexican locals to rise against the colonial government (Whealey & Powell, 1982). Grito de Dolores called for the end of Spanish rule and reallocation of lands that the colonial government had grabbed from the locals. Although the movements against the colonial government had long been started, Hidalgo’s act was considered a swift decision that sparked motivation to the locals to demand their rights.

The war between Mexico and America began in 1846 when Texas gained independence from Mexico but were not incorporated in the United States union. The government of Mexico was involved in border raids and was to determine to start a war in case there would be an attempt of annexation (Gilmore, 1963). The Mexican soldiers attacked and killed US soldiers in one of the areas the two countries were fighting for and seized the city. The American general called for support, and the Mexicans were defeated. Following a series of such events, the congress of the US declared war on Mexico.

Social, political and cultural changes

The Spanish rule on the Mexican land was characterized by intermarriages between the Mexican locals and Spanish authorities that led to a rise a new group of people known as mestizos who were able to speak both Spanish and local languages. There was also the Criollos who were Mexican Born Spaniards and had a significant impact in the struggle for independence for the Mexicans. The economy of Mexico came at a significantly high cost after the independence considering that the economic elites of the country were Spanish who had dominated the land and owned the silver mining sites. The locals were mainly subsistence farmers who were living in the Centre and south of Mexico (Gilmore, 1963). The country lost its supply of mercury from Spain following the independent. The country continued with their agricultural activity after the independent, but in the nineteenth century, the liberal Reforma tried to reform and industrializes the country. After the civil war, Mexico attained political stability, and for once the country was open for foreign investments which gradually improved the economy of the country.

Works cited

Gilmore, N. (1963). Mexico and the Spanish-American War. The Hispanic American Historical Review, 43(4), 511. https://doi.org/10.2307/2509899

Whealey, R., & Powell, T. (1982). Mexico and the Spanish Civil War. The American Historical Review, 87(1), 293. https://doi.org/10.2307/1863514

The Process of Mexican Independence. (2000). https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/105.1.116