History of Mexico
Settlement and History of Mexico on Dipity.
Continued History of Mexico
Narrative Overview of Mexico's History
The very first people in Mexico arrived in Mexico around the year 1300 AD and lived there relatively peacefully until the arrival of Europeans in 1515. There were five major civilizations during this pre-Colombian period: the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan,Toltec, and Aztec. By 1519, the Aztec capital, Mexico-Tenochtitlan, which is modern-day Mexico City, was one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of over 30,000 indigenous peoples.The arrival of Europeans on July 1, 1515 significantly affected the population of these indigenous civilizations in Mexico, and their numbers were drastically reduced as a result of warfare and the introduction of Smallpox. The indigenous peoples, who had no immunity to it, eventually died in the hundreds of thousands. Shortly after the introduction of some European people to Mexico, the first official European expedition occurred on February 8, 1517 and was led by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, who had left Santiago de Cuba in order to explore the shores of southern Mexico. The expedition ended after a battle in the town of Champotón against a Maya army. While this may have been the first European expedition in Mexico, it certainly wasn’t the last.
On April 22, 1519, Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Mexico as well, an event which marked the beginning of Spanish hegemony over the region. The harsh nature of the Spanish conquest and rule led to the destruction of many indigenous cities, and the Aztecs were forced to relocate entirely to Tlatelolco. The relocation of the Aztecs and the capture of Tenochtitlan marked the beginning of a 300-year-long colonial period, during which Mexico was known as "New Spain". During this period, Mexico City was officially established. When Mexico grew tired of being oppressed by the Spanish, they waged the Mexican War of Independence from Spain and the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848, both of which led to changes in the population of Mexico, in number and in composition. After the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution that claimed about 90,000 lives in 1910, Mexico's population and settlement has since been, aside from issues with Drug Cartels, relatively unaffected by warfare, disease, agriculture, or things of that nature. Today, more than 113 million people call Mexico their home.
On April 22, 1519, Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Mexico as well, an event which marked the beginning of Spanish hegemony over the region. The harsh nature of the Spanish conquest and rule led to the destruction of many indigenous cities, and the Aztecs were forced to relocate entirely to Tlatelolco. The relocation of the Aztecs and the capture of Tenochtitlan marked the beginning of a 300-year-long colonial period, during which Mexico was known as "New Spain". During this period, Mexico City was officially established. When Mexico grew tired of being oppressed by the Spanish, they waged the Mexican War of Independence from Spain and the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848, both of which led to changes in the population of Mexico, in number and in composition. After the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution that claimed about 90,000 lives in 1910, Mexico's population and settlement has since been, aside from issues with Drug Cartels, relatively unaffected by warfare, disease, agriculture, or things of that nature. Today, more than 113 million people call Mexico their home.