MEXICO 



3771 



MEXICO 



circuit courts, while ea'ch state has its supreme 

 and inferior courts. 



Cities. The largest city of Mexico is Mexico 

 City, and it is also the capital. Other cities 

 are Guadalajara, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, 

 Merida, Aguas Calientes, Morelia, Chihuahua, 

 Guanajuato, Leon, Vera Cruz, Saltillo, Oaxaca, 

 Juarez and Pachuca. The most important of 

 these are given separate articles in these vol- 

 umes. 



Early History. The name Mexico is prob- 

 ably derived from that of the old war god, 

 Mexitl, who was worshiped by the Aztecs. 

 These were not the first dwellers in Mexico, 

 but are supposed to have entered the country 

 late in the twelfth century. Wonderful indeed 

 was the civilization they built up about their 

 capital city of Tenochtitlan, which stood where 

 Mexico City stands to-day; but with all their 

 power they were not strong enough to resist the 

 conquerors who came early i;i the sixteenth 

 century. These were the Spaniards, who under 

 their famous warrior-leader, Cortez, overthrew 

 Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, and made 

 themselves masters of the city. In all the his- 

 tory of the Western world there is no more 

 thrilling chapter than that which describes the 

 heroic fight of the Aztecs against the invaders. 

 See CORTEZ; MONTEZUMA. 



The Spanish Period. Cortez called this land 

 which he had won New Spain, ^nd of it he was 

 made captain-general. For just three centuries 

 after he conquered it in 1521 it remained Span- 

 ish territory. Spaniards flocked to the prom- 

 ising new country, and in 1535 the first viceroy 

 was appointed. But though in the long line 

 of his successors there were some good men, 

 the Spanish policy on the whole was selfish, 

 permitting the exploitation of the country by 

 the Spanish nobles. Decided advance was 

 made along certain lines, however, for exploring 

 parties were sent out into the lands to the 

 north which now form part of the United 

 States, and Christianity was introduced among 

 the Indians of these regions as well as among 

 those of Mexico. 



The selfishness and the oppressive measures 

 of Spain led to constant and ever-increasing 

 restlessness and discontent, which culminated in 

 1810 in open revolt. The leader of this insur- 

 rection was a parish priest, Hidalgo, who took 

 as his motto, "Long live America, and death to 

 bad government!" The defeat and death of 

 Hidalgo did not put a stop to the rebellion, 

 which flamed more and more fiercely until, in 

 1821, independence was assured. 



Freedom. Mexico was free, but it had no 

 ruler, and embassies were sent to Europe to 

 try to induce a prince of the House of Bourbon 

 to accept the throne ; for as yet a republic was 

 not thought of. No one could be found, how- 

 ever, and in 1822 Iturbide, the general who had 

 had most to do with securing independence, 

 had himself proclaimed emperor. All parties 

 did not favor his claims, and in the next year 

 he was forced to resign, and in 1824 a republic 

 was formally proclaimed. The troubles of the 

 country had but just begun. The people were 

 not used to governing themselves and did not 

 know how, and force of arms rather than the 

 ballot usually decided an election. Presidents 

 were forced out of office by revolts ; other 

 Presidents refused to give up the office when 

 their terms had expired, and only a very 

 strong man with the powers of a dictator could 

 give to the country even a semblance of peace. 

 One of these dictator Presidents who held the 

 affairs of the country in his hands for a long 

 time was Santa Anna (which see), and he was 

 still in the forefront when war broke out with 

 the United States. 



Texas had made itself independent in 1836, 

 and ten years later disputes over boundaries 

 led to war with the United States. Nothing 

 can give a clearer idea of the troubled condi- 

 tions in Mexico than the fact that during the 

 war, which lasted but two years, the Presi- 

 dential chair was vacated and refilled twelve 

 times. Naturally, the fighting force could not 

 be effective with such a state of affairs behind 

 it, and by the treaty which closed the war 

 Mexico surrendered all of New Mexico, which 

 included a vast extent of territory not included 

 in the present American state of New Mexico. 



Still the internal disorder kept up, one man 

 after another coming to the fore, ruling for a 

 time with a high hand and sinking into the 

 background again. Most noteworthy of these 

 middle-of-the-century dictators was Juarez, a 

 full-blooded Indian, who showed himself pos- 

 sessed of very unusual powers. His hold upon 

 Mexico was loosened in 1862 when a French 

 army entered the country, and in the follow- 

 ing year Mexico was proclaimed an empire and 

 its crown was offered to Maximilian, archduke 

 of Austria. His rule, though honest and wise, 

 was not popular in the country, and when the 

 French troops were withdrawn early in 1867 

 he found himself utterly without backing. In- 

 surrection broke out, and the unfortunate em- 

 peror, betrayed by a trusted general, was cap- 

 tured and put to death. 



