SECTION

2 History and
21C, 22D
TEKS 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 3C,
3D, 4B, 4C, 4F, 15B, 18B, 19B, 21B, Culture
What You Will Learn… If YOU lived there...
Main Ideas You belong to one of the native Indian peoples in southern Mexico
1. Early cultures of Mexico in- in the early 1500s. Years ago, the Aztec rulers went to war against
cluded the Olmec, the Maya,
your people. They took many captives. They have always treated
and the Aztec.
2. Mexico’s period as a Spanish you cruelly. Now some strangers have come from across the sea.
colony and its struggles since
They want your people to help them conquer the Aztecs.
independence have shaped
its culture.
3. Spanish and native cultures
Will you help the strangers fight the Aztecs?
have influenced Mexico’s Why or why not?
customs and traditions today.

The Big Idea

Native American cultures and Building Background Mexico was home to several of the
Spanish colonization shaped earliest advanced cultures in the Americas. Early farmers there
Mexican history and culture.
developed crops that became staples in much of North America.
Mexico also has valuable minerals, which drew Spanish conquerors
Key Terms and colonists. Spanish culture blended with native Mexican cultures.
empire, p. 197
mestizos, p. 198
missions, p. 198
haciendas, p. 198 Early Cultures
People first came to Mexico many thousands of years ago.
As early as 5,000 years ago, they were growing beans, peppers,
and squash. They also domesticated an early form of corn.
Use the graphic organizer online Farming allowed these people to build the first permanent set-
to organize your notes on Mexico’s tlements in the Americas.
history and culture.

Early Cultures of Mexico

Olmec

n The Olmec made

sculptures of
giant stone heads.
n The heads may have
represented rulers or
gods.

196 Chapter 8
Olmec connecting to
By about 1500 BC the Olmec people
Technology
in Mexico were living in small villages.
The Olmec lived on the humid southern Chinampas
coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where they The Aztecs practiced a form of raised-field farming in the
built temples and giant statues. They also swampy lake areas of central Mexico. They called these raised
traded carved stones like jade and obsidian fields chinampas. To make them, Aztec farmers piled earth on
with other cultures in eastern Mexico. rafts anchored to trees in the lake. There they grew the corn,
beans, and squash that most people ate.
Maya Analyzing Why do you think the Aztecs decided to build raised
A few hundred years later, the Maya built on fields for their crops?
the achievements of the Olmec. Between The Aztecs planted
about AD 250 and 900, the Maya built trees in the lake to
anchor the rafts.
large cities in Mexico and Central America.
In these cities they built stone temples to
worship their gods. They studied the stars
and developed a detailed calendar. They
also kept written records that scholars still
study today to learn about Maya history.
However, scholars do not fully understand
why Maya civilization suddenly collapsed
sometime after 900.

Aztec
After the decline of the Maya civilization,
people called the Aztecs moved to central
Mexico from the north. In 1325 they built The Aztecs built their empire through
their capital on an island in a lake. Known conquest. They defeated their neighboring
as Tenochtitlán (tay-nawch-teet-lahn), this tribes in war. Then they forced the other
capital grew into one of the largest and people to pay taxes and to provide war
most impressive cities of its time. captives for sacrifice to the Aztec gods.
The Aztecs also built a large, powerful
empire. An empire is a land with different R eading C heck Summarizing What were
territories and peoples under a single ruler. some achievements of Mexico’s early cultures?

Maya Aztec

n The Maya had a n The Aztecs built

trade network the first empire in
between cities. the Americas.
n This Maya n Aztec artisans
pyramid stands made art like this
in Uxmal. turquoise mask.

mexico 197
 Colonial Mexico and Colonial Times
Independence After the conquest, Spanish and American
Indian peoples and cultures mixed. This
F OCUS ON In spite of its great size and power, the
mixing formed a new Mexican identity.
R EADING Aztec Empire did not last long after the
What do you think Spaniards called people of mixed European
first Europeans landed in Mexico. In 1519
will happen to the and Indian ancestry mestizos (me-stee-
Aztec Empire? Hernán Cortés, a Spanish soldier, arrived
zohs). When Africans were brought to
in Mexico with about 600 men. These
America as slaves, they added to this mix
conquistadors (kahn-kees-tuh-dawrz), or
of peoples. The Spaniards called people
conquerors, gained allies from other tribes
of mixed European and African ancestry
in the region. They also had guns and
mulattoes (muh-lah-tohs). Africans and
horses, which the Aztecs had never seen
American Indians also intermarried.
before. The new weapons terrified the
Life in colonial Mexico was greatly
Aztecs and gave the Spanish an advantage.
influenced by the Roman Catholic Church.
The Spanish also unknowingly brought
Large areas of northern Mexico were left
European diseases such as smallpox. The
to the church to explore and to rule.
Aztecs had no resistance to these diseases,
Church outposts known as missions were
so many of them died. Greatly weakened
scattered throughout the area. Priests at
by disease, the Aztecs were defeated. In
the missions learned native languages and
1521 Cortés claimed the land for Spain.
taught the Indians Spanish. They also
worked to convert the American Indians
to Catholicism.
In addition to spreading Christianity,
Hidalgo Calls for Independence the Spaniards wanted to find gold and
silver in Mexico. American Indians and
enslaved Africans did most of the hard
physical labor in the mines. As a result,
many died from disease and overwork.
Like mining, agriculture became an
important part of the colonial economy.
After the conquest, the Spanish monarch
granted haciendas (hah-see-en-duhs), or
huge expanses of farm or ranch land, to
some favored people of Spanish ances-
try. Peasants, usually Indians, lived and
worked on these haciendas. The haciendas
made their owners very wealthy.

Miguel Hidalgo (center, in black) calls for

independence from Spain in 1810. The
famous Mexican painter Juan O’Gorman
painted this image.

Analyzing Visuals What kinds of

people joined Hidalgo in his revolt?

198 Chapter 8
Independence
Spain ruled Mexico for almost 300 years
before the people of Mexico demanded
B iographY
independence. The revolt against Spanish Benito Juárez
rule was led by a Catholic priest named (1806–1872)
Miguel Hidalgo. In 1810, he gave a famous Benito Juárez was Mexico’s first
speech calling for the common people to president of Indian heritage. A wise
rise up against the Spanish. Hidalgo was and passionate leader, Juárez stood
killed in 1811, but fighting continued until up for the rights of all Mexicans. As
the minister of justice, he got rid of
Mexico won its independence in 1821.
special courts for members of the
church and the military. As presi-
Later Struggles dent, he passed reforms that laid
Fifteen years after Mexico gained its the foundation for a democratic
independence, a large area, Texas, broke government. Today he is consid-
away. Eventually, Texas joined the United ered a national hero in Mexico.
States. As a result, Mexico and the United
Drawing Conclusions How may
States fought over Texas and the location
Juárez’s heritage have affected his
of their shared border. This conflict led efforts for Mexico’s citizens?
to the Mexican-American War, in which
Mexico lost nearly half its territory to the
United States.
In the mid-1800s, Mexico faced other
challenges. During this time, the popular
president Benito Juárez helped Mexico sur-
Culture
vive a French invasion. He also changed Mexico’s history has influenced its culture.
Mexican society by making reforms that For example, one major influence from
reduced the privileges of the church and history is language. Most Mexicans speak A CADEMIC
the army. Spanish because of the Spanish influence V OCABULARY
in colonial times. Another influence from influence change
In spite of these reforms, in the early
or have an effect
1900s the president helped the hacienda Spain is religion. About 90 percent of all on
owners take land from peasants. Also, for- Mexicans are Roman Catholic.
eign companies owned huge amounts of However, Mexico’s culture also reflects
land in Mexico and, in turn, influenced its American Indian heritage. For example,
Mexican politics. Many Mexicans thought many people still speak American Indian
the president gave these large landowners languages. In Mexico, a person’s language
too many privileges. is tied to his or her ethnic group. Speaking
As a result, the Mexican Revolution an American Indian language identifies a
broke out in 1910. The fighting lasted 10 person as Indian.
years. One major result of the Mexican Mexicans also have some unique
Revolution was land reform. The newly cultural practices that combine elements
formed government took land from the of Spanish influence with the influence
large landowners and gave it back to the of Mexican Indians. An example of this VIDEO
peasant villages. combining can be seen in a holiday called The Peasant
Revolution
Day of the Dead. This holiday is a day
R eading C heck Sequencing What events to remember and honor dead ancestors.
occurred after Mexico gained independence?

mexico 199
 FOCUS ON C ULTURE

Day of the Dead

Everyone is sad when a loved one dies. But during Day of
the Dead, Mexicans celebrate death as part of life. This
attitude comes from the Mexican Indian belief that the
souls of the dead return every year to visit their living
relatives. To prepare for this visit, Mexican families gather
in graveyards. They clean up around their loved one’s grave
and decorate it with flowers and candles. They also set out
food and drink for the celebration. Favorite foods often
include sugar candy skulls, chocolate coffins, and sweet
breads shaped like bones.

Summarizing Why do Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead?

Mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead

on November 1 and 2. These dates are   
SUmmary and PReview Mexico’s early
similar to the dates that the Catholic cultures formed great civilizations, but
Church honors the dead with All Souls’ after the conquest of the Aztec Empire,
Day. The holiday also reflects native power in Mexico shifted to Spain. Spain
customs and beliefs about hopes of life ruled Mexico for nearly 300 years before
after death. Mexico gained independence. Mexico’s
history and its mix of Indian and Span-
R eading C heck Categorizing What aspects ish backgrounds have influenced the
of Mexican culture show the influence of Span- country’s culture. In the next section
ish rule? you will learn about life in Mexico today.

Section 2 Assessment ONLINE QUIZ

Reviewing Ideas, Terms, and Places Critical Thinking

1. a. Recall Where in Mexico did the Olmec live? 4. Sequencing Draw a diagram like the one below.
b. Explain How did the Aztecs build and rule their Then, using your notes, list the major events in
empire? Mexico’s history in the order they happened.
c. Elaborate Why do you think scholars are not
sure what caused the end of Maya civilization?
2. a. Identify Who began the revolt that led to
Mexico’s independence? Mexico gains
independence
b. Evaluate What social contributions did Benito
Juárez make to Mexican society?
c. Predict How may history have been different if Focus on Writing
the Aztecs had defeated the Spanish? 5. Learning about History and Culture ­Mexico’s
3. a. Identify What Mexican holiday honors dead history is full of fascinating stories. In your
ancestors? ­notebook, jot down ideas about relationships
b. Summarize How did Mexico’s colonial past between past conflicts in Mexico’s history. What
shape its culture? effects do you think these past relationships have
on current conditions in Mexico today?

200 Chapter 8