Page 49 - STRATEGY Magazine

cactus consuming a snake became an essential element of Mexico’s national shield and flag.
RICH NATIVE HISTORY
The Aztec empire was actually the last
that covers southeastern Mexico and much of Central America. They developed a writing system and were so advanced in mathematics and astronomy that their calendar was the world’s most accurate until this century. They could predict solar and lunar eclipses and created large cities to serve nearby farming towns. Ar- tisans inscribed altars with fantastical figures, both di- vine and human, as well as Maya history and important dates. In the city of Chichén Itzá in Mexico’s Yucatá, fan- tastic remains of beautifully preserved Maya construction may be found.
ANCIENT AND MODERN JUXTAPOSE
The final and most storied of the pow- erful native civilizations of Mexico were the Aztecs, who settled in the Valley of Mexico, where México City is today. They became prominent around 1427 by joining forces with a group of city–states known as the Triple Alli- ance. Tenochtitlán, the home of the Mexica/Aztec people; Texcoco, where the Acolhua lived; and Tlacopan, the city ruled by the Tepaneca, joined forces in an unprecedented political and military partnership, conquering less-powerful groups until their em- pire reached from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. At their zenith, the Aztec ruled five million people.
Like their peers and predecessors, the Aztec built incredible structures
of pre-Columbian Mexico’s great na- tive civilizations. Its first known peo- ple were the Olmec, who first settled near Veracruz and Tabasco on the Gulf Coast and are remembered principally for the giant sculptures of heads that they carved from local stone. The Ol- mec lasted until about 100 BC The Maya, considered the most intellectu- ally advanced of America’s pre-Colum- bian civilizations, thrived from 250 to 900 AD and dispersed across an area
and cities, including Tenochtitlán. Spanish conquistadors razed much of the city in the 16th century and built what is today México City atop the site. However, archaeologists have unearthed the complex of the Templo Mayor, or Great Temple, which was the largest pyramid of Tenochtitlán. Hidden inside this compound in the heart of modern México City, archae- ologists found gold ornaments, stone knives, remains of human children and eagles—apparently sacrificed— and a tunnel to a circular platform where Aztec rulers are believed to have been cremated.
CONQUEST AND EXTINCTION
In 1519, a Spanish explorer named Hernán Cortés landed at Veracruz. The Aztec king, Moctezuma II, also known as Montezuma II, believed that Cortés was the white serpent god Quetzalcoatl, and Moctezuma asked Cortés to visit Tenochtitlán. Moctezu-
France withdraws its troops from
Mexico, fearing war with the United States. Emperor Maximilian refuses to leave but is executed after General Porfirio Díaz occupies México City. In 1876, Díaz will be- come president, establishing an effective dictatorship that lasts until 1911.
The Sun Stone, an Aztec calendar stone, a carved basalt monolith from Tenochtitlán, 360 cm in diameter Aztec civilization, 14th–16th century. México City, Mu- seo Nacional de Antropología (Anthropology Museum).
apoleon Bonaparte makes is brother, Joseph, king of pain, igniting a series of vents that will lead to the
August 1821, the
last Spanish viceroy is forced to sign the Treaty of Córdoba, marking the official beginning of Mexican independence.
The United States declares war on Mexico over territorial disputes. By 1848, the warring sides reach peace, establishing the current boundaries between the two countries.
HIDALGO, SANTA ANNA, AND WAR
In
Mexican War of Independence.
Rural priest Father Manuel Hidalgo calls
for independence from Spain, setting off a rebellion that sweeps through western Mexico. Though the rebellion ultimately fails and Father Hidalgo is killed in 1811, this date is still remembered as Mexico’s Independence Day.
General Santa Anna, a hero who rebuffed Spain’s efforts to recap- ture Mexico in 1829, becomes president. In 1836, he will be defeated by General Sam Houston during the Texas Revolution.
France’s Napoleon III invades Mexico. On his march toward México City, his much larger army is defeated at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The French return the follow- ing year, however, and ultimately install the Archduke of Austria as Mexican emperor.
strategybg.com 47
N h S e
SEPT 16, 1810
1833
1861
1821
MAY 12, 1846
1867
1808