Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
The Aztec legend
Center
Moctezuma II meets Cortés
Right
Pancho Villa
Moments in History
!
Early Inhabitants
$
Colonial Capital
A fertile volcanic valley with
abundant resources, a long grow-
ing season, and pleasant climate
gave rise to the sophisticated
culture that built Teotihuacán
(see
pp32-3)
, once the largest
metropolis in the Western
Hemisphere. Teotihuacán was a
planned city with straight roads,
plazas, government buildings, and
spectacular ceremonial pyramids.
The city reached the height of its
powers in AD 550, but was
abandoned in around AD 750.
@
Aztec Empire
The Spanish built Mexico
City on top of the ruins of
Tenochtitlán. Silver mined all over
Mexico fueled the city's
expansion and the building of
large palaces. When the silver
industry declined, the city
stagnated for much of the 17th
and early 18th century.
%
Mexican Independence
On September 16, 1810,
Padre Miguel Hidalgo famously
called for independence from
Spain. But the city remained a
royalist holdout until 1824 when a
federal republic, the United States
of Mexico, was formed. Turbulent
years followed and from 1833 to
1855 Santa Anna became
president 11 times.
The Aztecs arrived from the
north, initially as mercenaries
and workers. Around 1325 their
god Huitzilopochtli advised them
to settle where they found an
eagle on a cactus devouring a
snake. This they observed in
Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs were
ruthless fighters and by the
1420s controlled the beautiful
and extensive city. They devel-
oped a firm hierarchy with an
emperor, and their conquests
spread to the east and south.
£
Spanish Conquest
Hernán Cortés, the Spanish
conquistador, landed with his
troops near Veracruz in 1519. As
he marched toward Tenochtitlán,
then ruled by Moctezuma II, he
joined forces with the Tlaxcalans,
a strong tribe that resisted Aztec
dominance. After a bloody and
destructive siege in 1521, Cortés
was able to defeat the Aztecs.
Priest and revolutionist crowning Mexico
^
US Invasion
The USA invaded Mexico in
1847 and occupied Mexico City
for ten months. During the battles
in Bosque de Chapultepec
(see
pp22-3)
, six young cadets, the
Niños Héroes
, leapt to their death
rather than be captured.
38
Preceding pages
Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacán
