MEXICO 



English Miles 



Mexico. Map of the southern republic or North America, showing the railway connexions with the U.S.A. and the 



Atlantic and Pacific ports 



This early Maya civilization, 

 traced back by an inscribed stone 

 object to 100 B.C., lasted until A.D. 

 600. From 420 onwards north- 

 ward-moving colonists established 

 in Yucatan new cultural centres 

 which also decayed shortly after 

 600, but about 980 experienced a 

 renaissance. The later civilization 

 became subsequently affected by 

 Aztec impact. The point of origina- 

 tion is unknown. A stela dated 

 A.D. 214 shows that Tikal, in Guate- 

 mala, was one of the earliest cities, 

 although its claims may be con- 

 tested by Uaxactum, where the 

 date A.D. 50 was identified in 1916. 

 But its rival, Copan, in Honduras, 

 erected buildings with dressed 

 courses and bonded comers, 

 adorned with sculptured figures in 

 alien dress. As the advanced arts 

 penetrated northward local schools 

 arose, notably at Palenque, Yax- 

 chilan, and Piedras Negras. 



The monuments, mostly of rub- 

 ble or adobe, were sometimes faced 

 with stucco reliefs or painted de- 

 signs. The later style, in Yucatan, 

 as at Chichen Itza and Uxmal, was 

 based on soft limestone slabs. All 

 were erected on terraced and trun- 

 cated pyramidal platforms, occa- 

 sionally designed as burial-mounds 

 as at Copan, but mostly as solid 

 masses surmounted by ceremonial 

 buildings. At Yaxchilan the river 



banks were carved into steps, re- 

 calling the ghats at Benares, and 

 were crowned by considerable 

 structures. One of them enshrined 

 a Buddha-like figure, cross-legged, 

 with hands on knees, similar to the 

 image carved on the superb dragon 

 stela of Quirigua. 



In S. Mexico vast Zapotec ruins 

 at Mitla and Monte Alban exhibit 

 megalithic impulses. The Aztec 

 palaces and teocalli or temple- 

 pyramids of Mexico city have 

 vanished, but it is clear that the 

 cultural influences emanating from 

 Guatemala became attenuated as 

 they spread outwards, the Aztec 

 having made no advancement of 

 their own. 



Sculptured remains include co- 

 lossal representations of deities, 

 calendar and votive stones in 

 Mexico city, vases for pulque- 

 drink or human hearts, and other 

 ritual objects. Pottery was decor- 

 ated with human or animal designs 

 in relief, or painted with mytho- 

 logical scenes. Chipped and 

 polished stone implements abound, 

 especially in obsidian and chert. 

 Goldwork was inferior to Chibcha 

 workmanship. Copper ornaments 

 occur, intentional bronze being 

 apparently unknown. Human skulls 

 covered with turquoise mosaic, 

 besides feathered head-dresses and 

 mantles, are preserved. 



See The Civilization of Ancient 

 Mexico, L. Spence, 1912 ; A Study 

 of Maya Art, H. J. Spinden, 1913; 

 Mexican Archaeology, T. A. Joyce, 



1914. E. 0. Harmer 



HISTORY. In the two centuries 

 before the Spanish conquest, the 

 Aztecs established their rule over a 

 great part of Mexico, and allied 

 themselves with the kingdom of 

 Tezcuco (near Mexico City), the 

 culture of which was higher than 

 their own. In the reign of Monte- 

 zuma II (q.v.) Mexico was invaded 

 by the Spaniards under Cortes (q.v.) 

 and conquered in 1519-21. Their 

 first possession in the New World, 

 it was called New Spain and was 

 administered from Madrid, and 

 settlement was carefully con- 

 trolled. The religious orders carried 

 Spanish authority N. by means of 

 missions, and by the end of the 

 18th century it extended far along 

 the Pacific coast. The central pro- 

 vinces were the most civilized and 

 peaceful part of Spanish N. 

 America. 



Unrest, due largely to the cor- 

 ruption of European officials, led 

 to a rising in 1810, chiefly among 

 the Indians. It was suppressed in 

 1817, but discontent remained, and 

 in 1820 the revolution in Spain 

 made possible a union between the 

 two parties. In 1821, under the 

 Plan of Iguala, Mexico was pro- 



