Scribd
Upload
28 views1 page

Mexico,: Porfiriato Era

Mexico is a country located in North America between the United States and Central America. It has a population of over 126 million people and was home to many advanced pre-Columbian civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs. After being conquered by Spain in the 16th century, Mexico gained independence in 1821 and experienced political and territorial turmoil throughout the 19th century, eventually stabilizing as a one-party state in the 20th century.

Uploaded by

eduard.florin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
28 views1 page

Mexico,: Porfiriato Era

Mexico is a country located in North America between the United States and Central America. It has a population of over 126 million people and was home to many advanced pre-Columbian civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs. After being conquered by Spain in the 16th century, Mexico gained independence in 1821 and experienced political and territorial turmoil throughout the 19th century, eventually stabilizing as a one-party state in the 20th century.

Uploaded by

eduard.florin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Mexico,[a][b] 

officially the United Mexican States,[c] is a country in the southern portion of North


America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific
Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by
the Gulf of Mexico.[11] Mexico covers 1,972,550 square kilometers (761,610 sq mi),[12] making it the
world's 13th-largest country by area; with approximately 126,014,024 inhabitants,[1] it is the 10th-
most-populous country and has the most Spanish-speakers. Mexico is organized as
a federation comprising 31 states and Mexico City,[13] its capital and largest metropolis.
Other major urban areas include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, Ciudad
Juárez, and León.[14]
Pre-Columbian Mexico traces its origins to 8,000 BC and is identified as one of the six cradles of
civilization;[15] it was home to many advanced Mesoamerican civilizations, most notably
the Maya and the Aztecs. In 1521, the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the region from
its base in Mexico City, establishing the colony of New Spain. The Catholic Church played an
important role in spreading Christianity and the Spanish language, while also preserving some
indigenous elements.[16] Native populations were subjugated and heavily exploited to mine rich
deposits of precious metals, which contributed to Spain's status as a major world power for the
next three centuries,[17] and to a massive influx of wealth and a price revolution in Western
Europe.[18] Over time, a distinct Mexican identity formed, based on a fusion of European and
indigenous customs; this contributed to the successful Mexican War of Independence against
Spain in 1821.[19]
Mexico's early history as a nation state was marked by political and socioeconomic upheaval.
The Texas Revolution and the Mexican–American War in the mid 19th century led to
huge territorial losses to the United States. Liberal reforms were enshrined in the Constitution of
1857, which sought to integrate indigenous communities and curtail the power of the church and
the military. This triggered an internal war of Reform and intervention by France, in which
conservatives installed Maximilian Habsburg as emperor against the Republican resistance led
by Benito Juárez. The last decades of the 19th century were marked by the dictatorship of Porfirio
Díaz, who sought to modernize Mexico and restore order.[19] The Porfiriato era ended in 1910 with
the decade-long Mexican civil war, which killed approximately 10% of the population and after
which the victorious Constitutionalist faction drafted a new 1917 Constitution, which remains in
effect to this day. The revolutionary generals ruled as a succession of presidents until the
assassination of Alvaro Obregón in 1928. This led to the formation of the Institutional
Revolutionary Party the following year, which governed Mexico until 2000.[20][21][22][23]

You might also like