Ödla i mexiko
A country rich in history, tradition and culture, Mexico is made up of 31 states and one federal district. It is the third largest country in Latin America and has one of the largest populations—more than million—making it the home of more Spanish speakers than any other nation in the world. Despite the political and social changes that have occurred over the centuries, evidence of past cultures and events are apparent everywhere in Mexico.
In addition, many pre-Columbian ruins still exist throughout Mexico, including the ancient city of Teotihuacán and the Mayan pyramids at Chichén Itzá and Tulum.
History of Mexico
Reminders of the colonial past are evident in the architecture of towns like Taxco and Querétaro. Remembered for the giant head sculptures they carved from native stone, the Olmecs had two main population centers: San Lorenzo, which flourished from about to B. Did you know? By B. Monte Albán, home to the Zapotec people, had an estimated 10, inhabitants. Between B. The civilization that built it is also called Teotihuacán, and the influence of this culture can be seen throughout the Veracruz and Mayan regions.
At its zenith, with a population estimated at ,, the civilization is thought to have controlled a large portion of southern Mexico. The empire of Teotihuacán was overthrown in the 7th century, but the spectacular city survives today. They developed a calendar and writing system and built cities that functioned as hubs for the surrounding farming towns.
The Mayan civilization collapsed in the early 10th century, likely due to overpopulation and the resultant damage to the ecological balance. Historians have determined that the Toltec people appeared in central Mexico near the 10th century and built the city of Tula, home to an estimated 30,, people. Some have speculated that the Toltecs performed human sacrifices to appease the gods.
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One of their kings, Tezcatlipoca, is said to have ordered mass sacrifices of captured enemy warriors. Because many Toltec architectural and ritualistic influences can be found at the Mayan site of Chichén Itzá in northern Yucatán , many researchers believe that Toltec exiles fled to Yucatán and created a new version of Tula there. This triple alliance conquered smaller cultures to the east and west until the Aztec empire spanned Mexico from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf Coast.
At their height, the Aztecs ruled 5 million people via a tightly-structured system of self-supporting units called calpulli.
The 15 best places to visit in Mexico
Each unit had its own governing council, schools, army, temple and land but paid tribute to the supreme leader of the empire. Influenced by earlier Mexican civilizations, the Aztecs conducted extraordinary religious ceremonies that featured dances, processions and sacrifices. Spaniard Hernán Cortés arrived at Veracruz in This gesture proved disastrous because Cortés formed many allies on his way to the city.
In May , Cortés and his followers attacked and conquered the Aztecs. Cortés then colonized the area and named it Nueva España New Spain. By , Spain controlled a large portion of the Aztec empire and had enslaved most of the indigenous population. Worse, the diseases brought into the society by the Spaniards devastated the indigenous population of Nueva España, killing an estimated 24 million people between and The missionaries built many monasteries and converted millions of people to Catholicism.
During this tumultuous time, colonists in Nueva España who had been born in Spain peninsulares clashed with Spaniards who had been born in Mexico criollos. Many criollos had become rich and wanted equal political power, which now resided with the peninsulares. Together they drafted a Mexican constitution. However, in , Itúrbide declared himself emperor of the country. A year later, Antonio López de Santa Anna overthrew Itúrbide and drew up a new constitution that established a federal Mexican republic composed of 19 states and four territories.
He was later defeated by American forces during the Mexican-American War and, by , had gone into exile.