
What was the plan of the Spanish government after the Mexican War of Independence?
Who was the first president of Mexico?
Who was the Catholic priest who led the Mexican War of Independence?
Who brought about independence?
See 1 more
About this website

How did Spain become Mexico?
Hernán Cortés led a new expedition to Mexico landing ashore at present day Veracruz on 22 April 1519, a date which marks the beginning of 300 years of Spanish hegemony over the region. In general the 'Spanish conquest of Mexico' denotes the conquest of the central region of Mesoamerica where the Aztec Empire was based.
Did Mexico ever belong to Spain?
They came into power in 1325 and ruled until 1521. In 1521, Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs and Mexico became a Spanish colony. For 300 years Spain ruled the land until the early 1800s. At that time the local Mexicans revolted against Spanish rule.
What was Mexico's name before Spain?
Anahuac (meaning land surrounded by water) was the name in Nahuatl given to what is now Mexico during Pre-Hispanic times. When the Spanish conquistadors besieged México-Tenochtitlan in 1521, it was almost completely destroyed.
How long was Mexico ruled by Spain?
three hundred yearsThe Aztec Empire was no more and the New Spain was born. After the fall of the Aztec Empire, Spain called their new lands the Viceroyalty of New Spain, and ruled over Mexico for the next three hundred years. Tenochtitlan, the old capital of the Empire, became known as Mexico City.
When did Mexico split from Spain?
1821When Mexico achieved its independence from Spain in 1821, it included most of the viceroyalty of New Spain, minus the Caribbean and the Philippines.
Why did Mexico separate from Spain?
In 1820, liberals took power in Spain, and the new government promised reforms to appease the Mexican revolutionaries. In response, Mexican conservatives called for independence as a means of maintaining their privileged position in Mexican society.
Did Mexico own Spain or Texas?
The Mexican independence movement forced Spain to relinquish its control of New Spain in 1821, with Texas becoming in 1824 part of the state of Coahuila y Tejas within the newly formed Mexico in the period in Texas history known as Mexican Texas (1821-1836). The Spanish left a deep mark on Texas.
Why did Mexico want to be independent of Spain? - Answers
At the end of the 17th century, Spain became a declining empire with diminishing revenues and loss of both political and military influence -- especially against other rising powers such as France ...
How did Mexico gain independence from Spain? - eNotes.com
Mexico, then known as New Spain, gained its independence from Spain between 1810 and 1821. At this time, Mexico was a Spanish colony populated mostly by a large number of indigenous Americans ...
The 7 Causes of Mexican Independence (Internal and External)
The Causes of Mexico's independence Were of diverse types: economic, political and were marked by facts like the conspiracy of Querétaro.. The war of Independence of Mexico was an armed conflict that ended with the aim of dominion of the Spanish Empire on the territory of New Spain in 1821.
7 consequences of the Mexican Independence | Life Persona
The Consequences of Mexico's independence Most prominent are the fall of the caste, the political and economic crisis that generated, the abolition of slavery or the promulgation of the Constitution of 1824.. This movement was an armed conflict that developed between 1810 and 1821. Led by Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos, it culminated in the autonomy of the New-Hispanic people and the ...
How did Mexico gain independence?
Mexican independence came about almost by accident when constitutionalists in Spain led a rebellion that, in 1820, forced Ferdinand VII to reinstate the liberal constitution of 1812. Conservatives in Mexico, alarmed that anticlerical liberals would threaten their religious, economic, and social privileges, saw independence from Spain as a method of sparing New Spain from such changes. They found a spokesman and able leader in Agustín de Iturbide, a first-generation Creole. Iturbide, who had served as a loyal royalist officer against Hidalgo and others, had been given command of royal troops with which he was to snuff out remnants of the republican movement, then headed by the future president Vicente Guerrero.
Why did the Spanish colonize Mexico?
Spanish expansion in this area was motivated chiefly by the hope of discovering precious metals, the need for defense against nomadic indigenous raiders, and the desire to forestall incursions by the British and French.
Where did the Spaniards find silver?
In order to complete the subjugation of the indigenous peoples, the Spaniards began to move into Zacatecas, where in 1546 they found immensely valuable silver mines. After similar discoveries in Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí, Spaniards occupied most of the north central region.
What was the only area in southern Mexico that had indigenous resistance?
The only area in southern Mexico of effective indigenous resistance was Yucatán, inhabited by Maya societies. Francisco de Montejo undertook the conquest of this region in 1526, but, because of determined Maya resistance and unforgiving terrain, it was nearly 20 years before the Spaniards won control of the northern end of the peninsula.
What was the major change in the governance of New Spain?
A fundamental shift in the governance of New Spain occurred as a result of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–13) , when the house of Bourbon replaced the Habsburgs on the Spanish throne.
How did the Enlightenment affect Mexico?
Fed by currents of rationalism from England and Europe, the Enlightenment in Spain and Mexico spurred the spread of new scientific knowledge and, especially, its application to mining and agriculture. Mexico was also influenced by political liberalism when the American and French revolutions called into question the divine right of kings and by growing militarism when the British and Russians encroached on New Spain’s colonial frontiers. Having strung a series of mission-forts across northern Mexico, authorities in Madrid and Mexico augmented the few regular Spanish troops that could be spared from the peninsula by fostering a local militia with special exemptions ( fueros) granted to Creole (Mexican-born) officers. Thus, an explosive combination resulted from the almost simultaneous appearances of new ideas, guns, and administrative confusion between the old Habsburg and the new Bourbon bureaucracies.
What was the New Spain?
New Spain was organized as a viceroyalty governed by a viceroy appointed by the king. Near the end of the 16th century, the northern frontier of New Spain in most areas was close to the present Mexican-U.S. boundary line. Within the area that is now the United States, a settlement had been made in Florida in 1565.
What was the Spanish era?
Spanish Era 1776 - 1821. In an effort to solidify their control over North American resources and territory, European colonial powers began to construct fortifications to protect their settlements from foreign encroachment. The Spanish empire had made several claims to California and sought to consolidate its position in North America as ...
What did the Spanish do to San Francisco Bay?
Recognizing the significance of San Francisco Bay's vast harbor, Spain began to fortify the area with defensive structures. Construction of the first defensive structure began in 1776.
How many cannons did the Mexican Presidio have?
First called Bateria San Jose, but later known as Bateria de Yerba Buena after the name of a nearby cove, this outpost was constructed with eight embrasures, yet it was only equipped with five eight-pounder cannons at the time of its completion. The Mexican Presidio as painted by Richard Beechey in 1826.
What was the name of the fortification in San Francisco?
Augmenting the fortification of the San Francisco Bay was a low priority for the new regime, and the defenses at Bateria Yerba Buena soon fell into further disrepair. A U.S. military report issued in 1841 revealed that only one rusty cannon was stationed at the derelict battery, and by 1846 the coastal fortifications at Bateria Yerba Buena were entirely abandoned by the Mexican military forces. At the present time, no remains of this outpost are known to exist.
What happened to the Presidio in 1835?
However, the Mexican government refused to fund the project and the Presidio continued to deteriorate. By 1835, Vallejo had transported the last of the San Francisco garrison to the new northern outpost in Sonoma, leaving the security of the Presidio in the hands of a few caretakers. 1.
Why was the Presidio built?
A lightly fortified military outpost, known as El Presidio de San Francisco in Spanish, was built just inside of the Golden Gate to provide protection for the garrisoned soldiers. This fortification and the others to follow were largely constructed using labor provided by indigenous people from the villages and missions of the Santa Clara Valley and San Francisco area. El Presidio was quite vulnerable to foreign attach, considering its lack of armament to defend itself against naval attack. The Spanish were aware of this vulnerability, and the growing tensions in the region would soon prompt them to address their concerns.
Which two countries contested ownership of the North America Pacific Coast?
Image courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berekely, CA. In the years following the establishment of the Presidio, Spain and Great Britain contested ownership of the North America Pacific Coast. Both colonial powers attempted to settle their territorial dispute at the Nookta Convention of 1790.
Which countries were incorporated into the Mexican Empire?
When Mexico achieved its independence, the southern portion of New Spain became independent as well as a result of the Treaty of Cordoba, so Central America, present-day Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and part of Chiapas were incorporated into the Mexican Empire.
How many Spaniards settled in Mexico?
During the three centuries of colonial rule, fewer than 700,000 Spaniards, most of them men, settled in Mexico. Europeans, Africans, and indigenous intermixed, creating a mixed-race casta population in a process known as mestizaje. Mestizos, people of mixed European-indigenous ancestry, constitute the majority of Mexico's population.
What was the Aztec war called?
To acquire captives in times of peace, the Aztec resorted to a form of ritual warfare called flower war. The Tlaxcalteca, among other Nahuatl nations, were forced into such wars. In 1428, the Aztec led a war against their rulers from the city of Azcapotzalco, which had subjugated most of the Valley of Mexico's peoples.
What are the major civilizations in Mexico?
Ancient Mexico can be said to have produced five major civilizations: the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec, and Aztec. Unlike other indigenous Mexican societies, these civilizations (with the exception of the politically fragmented Maya) extended their political and cultural reach across Mexico and beyond.
How did colonialism influence Mexico?
Colonialism had a profound influence in shaping what would become Mexico: religion, race, language, art. Program of centennial festivities of Mexican independence in September 1910, asserting the historical continuity of Miguel Hidalgo, Benito Juárez "Law", and Porfirio Díaz, "Peace", from 1810 to 1910.
Where did Mesoamerica develop?
Large and complex civilizations developed in the center and southern regions of Mexico (with the southern region extending into what is now Central America) in what has come to be known as Mesoamerica. The civilizations that rose and declined over millennia were characterized by:
When was Mexico first populated?
First populated more than 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico (termed Mesoamerica) saw the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico would later develop into a unique multicultural society.
When did Spain recognize Mexico?
On 28 December 1836 , Spain recognized the independence of Mexico under the Santa María–Calatrava Treaty, signed in Madrid by the Mexican Commissioner Miguel Santa María and the Spanish state minister José María Calatrava.
When did the Spanish take over Mexico?
Spanish attempts to re-establish control over Mexico culminated in the 1829 Battle of Tampico, during which a Spanish invasion force was surrounded in Tampico and forced to surrender.
What was the date of the Mexican president's birthday?
During the Díaz regime (1876–1911), the president's birthday coincided with the September 15/16 celebration of independence. The largest celebrations took place and continue to do so in the capital's main square, the zócalo, with the pealing of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City 's bells.
What was the name of the treaty that declared Mexico independent?
The Treaty of Córdoba was not ratified by the Spanish Cortes. Iturbide included a special clause in the treaty that left open the possibility for a criollo monarch to be appointed by a Mexican congress if no suitable member of the European royalty would accept the Mexican crown. Half of the new government employees appointed were Iturbide's followers.
When did Mexico gain independence?
The Mexican War of Independence (Spanish: Guerra de Independencia de México) was an armed conflict and political process, lasting from 1808 to 1821, resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain.
Who led the Spanish insurgency?
With the execution of Morelos in 1815, Vicente Guerrero emerged as the most important leader of the insurgency. From 1815 to 1821 most of the fighting for independence from Spain was by guerrilla forces in the tierra caliente (hot country) of southern Mexico and to a certain extent in northern New Spain. In 1816, Francisco Javier Mina, a Spanish military leader who had fought against Ferdinand VII, joined the independence movement. Mina and 300 men landed at Rio Santander ( Tamaulipas) in April, in 1817 and fought for seven months until his capture by royalist forces in November 1817.
Who was the father of Mexican independence?
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is now considered the father of Mexican independence. His uprising on 16 September 1810 is considered the spark igniting the Mexican War of Independence. He inspired tens of thousands of ordinary men to follow him, but did not organize them into a disciplined fighting force or have a broad military strategy, but he did want to destroy the old order. Fellow insurgent leader and second in command, Ignacio Allende, said of Hidalgo, "Neither were his men amenable to discipline, nor was Hidalgo interested in regulations." Hidalgo issued a few important decrees in the later stage of the insurgency, but did not articulate a coherent set of goals much beyond his initial call to arms denouncing bad government. Only following Hidalgo's death in 1811 under the leadership of his former seminary student, Father José María Morelos, was a document created that made explicit the goals of the insurgency, the Sentimientos de la Nación ("Sentiments of the Nation") (1813). One clear point was political independence from Spain. Despite its having only a vague ideology, Hidalgo's movement demonstrated the massive discontent and power of Mexico's plebeians as an existential threat to the imperial regime. The government focused its resources on defeating Hidalgo's insurgents militarily and in tracking down and publicly executing its leadership. But by then the insurgency had spread beyond its original region and leadership.
When did Mexico become independent?
The signing of the Treaty of Santa María-Calatrava, on December 28, 1836, by which Spain finally recognized Mexico as a sovereign and independent country. Why did Mexico want independence from Spain?
Who was the first person to declare Mexico an independent state?
Consummation (1821) : the consummation of Independence took place in 1821, when a former royalist, Agustín de Iturbide, made a pact with the insurgents and proclaimed the Plan of Iguala, a document that declared Mexico an independent state. Soon after, patriots and royalists signed the Treaties of Córdoba , by which the Captain General of New Spain, Juan O’Donojú, recognized Mexico as a sovereign and independent nation. Why did Mexico want independence from Spain?
Why is Mexico called independence?
It is known as Independence of Mexico to the process of liberation of the colonial territory of New Spain .
Who was the first emperor of Mexico?
Agustín de Iturbide (1783-1824) : soldier who was part of the royalist army, but later proclaimed the Plan of Iguala and signed the Treaties of Córdoba. He was the first emperor of Mexico.
Who was the Spanish military man who joined the independence project and fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo?
Ignacio Allende (1769-1811) : Spanish military man who joined the independence project and fought alongside Miguel Hidalgo. He was captured by the royalists and put to arms in 1811.
Which country was a model to be imitated by the patriots of New Spain?
The Independence of the United States , which was a model to be imitated by the patriots of New Spain.
What was the plan of the Spanish government after the Mexican War of Independence?
Eleven years after the outbreak of the Mexican War of Independence, Spanish Viceroy Juan de O’Donojú signs the Treaty of Córdoba, which approves a plan to make Mexico an independent constitutional monarchy. In the early 19th century, Napoleon’s occupation of Spain led to the outbreak of revolts all across Spanish America.
Who was the first president of Mexico?
However, his empire was short-lived, and in 1823 republican leaders Santa Anna and Guadalupe Victoria deposed Iturbide and set up a republic with Guadalupe Victoria as its first president.
Who was the Catholic priest who led the Mexican War of Independence?
On September 16, 1810, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, launched the Mexican War of Independence with the issuing of his Grito de Dolores, or “Cry of Dolores” (Dolores referring to the town of Dolores, Mexico).
Who brought about independence?
Ironically, it was the Royalists —made up of Mexicans of Spanish descent and other conservatives—who ultimately brought about independence. In 1820, liberals took power in Spain, and the new government promised reforms to appease the Mexican revolutionaries.

Background
Construction
- Construction of the first defensive structure began in 1776. A lightly fortified military outpost, known as El Presidio de San Francisco in Spanish, was built just inside of the Golden Gate to provide protection for the garrisoned soldiers. This fortification and the others to follow were largely constructed using labor provided by indigenous people from the villages and missions o…
Prelude
- In the years following the establishment of the Presidio, Spain and Great Britain contested ownership of the North America Pacific Coast. Both colonial powers attempted to settle their territorial dispute at the Nookta Convention of 1790. However, their efforts to reach an agreement were unsuccessful, and in 1792, the growing tensions between the t...
Aftermath
- Although Spain had anticipated an attack on the pueblo on San Francisco Bay by the British, that assault was never realized. Ironically, the greatest threat to Spain's control of the region came from an unforeseen enemy which had also been a former ally. The Spanish colony of Mexico embarked on a war for independence in 1821. Following a successful revolt later that year, the C…
Battle
- Only meeting light resistance on their march to the pueblo of Yerba Buena, Fremont and his men quickly reached the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, and crossed the harbor at its narrowest point (the Spanish called the entry to the bay Boca del Puerto de San Francisco, but in the following years Fremont used his influence as a topographer to rename the harbor's entrance Chrysocera…
Resources
- To learn more about the early history of the California coast and how the Spanish colonized this area, visit the National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary at https://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/ca/index.htm
Overview
The written history of Mexico spans more than three millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico (termed Mesoamerica) saw the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico would later develop into a unique multicultural society. Mesoamerican civilizations developed glyphic writing systems, recording the political history of conquests …
Spanish rule (1521–1821)
The capture of Tenochtitlan marked the beginning of a 300-year colonial period, during which Mexico was known as "New Spain" ruled by a viceroy in the name of the Spanish monarch. Colonial Mexico had key elements to attract Spanish immigrants: (1) dense and politically complex indigenous populations (especially in the central part) that could be compelled to work, and (2) huge m…
Before European arrival
Large and complex civilizations developed in the center and southern regions of Mexico (with the southern region extending into what is now Central America) in what has come to be known as Mesoamerica. The civilizations that rose and declined over millennia were characterized by:
1. significant urban settlements;
Major civilizations
During the pre-Columbian period, many city-states, kingdoms, and empires competed with one another for power and prestige. Ancient Mexico can be said to have produced five major civilizations: the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Toltec, and Aztec. Unlike other indigenous Mexican societies, these civilizations (with the exception of the politically fragmented Maya) extended their political and c…
Spanish conquest
The first mainland explorations were followed by a phase of inland expeditions and conquest. The Spanish crown extended the Reconquista effort, completed in Spain in 1492, to non-Catholic people in new territories. In 1502 on the coast of present-day Colombia, near the Gulf of Urabá, Spanish explorers led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa explored and conquered the area near the Atrato River.
Independence era (1808–1829)
This period was marked by unanticipated events that upended the three hundred years of Spanish colonial rule. The colony went from rule by the legitimate Spanish monarch and his appointed viceroy to an illegitimate monarch and viceroy put in place by a coup. Later, Mexico would see the return of the legitimate Spanish monarchy and a later stalemate with insurgent guerrilla for…
The Age of Santa Anna (1829–1854)
In much of Spanish America soon after its independence, military strongmen or caudillos dominated politics, and this period is often called "The Age of Caudillismo". In Mexico, from the late 1820s to the mid-1850s the period is often called the "Age of Santa Anna", named for the general and politician, Antonio López de Santa Anna. Liberals (federalists) asked Santa Anna to overthrow co…
Struggle between liberals and conservatives, 1855-1876
Liberals ousted conservative Santa Anna in the Plan of Ayutla and sought to implement liberal reforms in a series of separate laws, then in a new constitution, which incorporated them. Mexico experienced civil war and a foreign intervention that established a monarchy with the support of Mexican conservatives. The fall of the empire of Maximilian of Mexico and his execution in 1867 ushered in a p…