Settlement History of Mexico
After initially being occupied by Paleo-Indians, Mexico was originally officially inhabited by five major civilizations: the Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan,Toltec, and the 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. On February 8, 1517, the first European expedition in Mexico was led by Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, who had left Santiago de Cuba in order to explore the shores of southern Mexico. This expedition ended after a battle in the town of Champotón against a Maya army. The arrival of Europeans like Córdoba significantly affected the population of the 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. A second Spaniard, Hernán Cortés, led an expedition to Mexico on April 22, 1519, a date which marks the beginning of 300 years of Spanish hegemony over the region. The harsh nature of the Spanish conquest and rule led to the destruction of many indigenous cities, and eventually the Aztecs were actually forced to relocate entirely to from their original city, Tenochtitlan, to Tlatelolco. The capture of Tenochtitlan in 1521 marked the beginning of a 300-year-long colonial period, during which Mexico was known as "New Spain". Mexico City was officially established during this period. The Mexican War of Independence from Spain and the Mexican-American War of 1846–1848 led to changes in the population of Mexico, both in number and in composition. After the 1910 conclusion of the Mexican Revolution that claimed about 90,000 lives, Mexico's population and settlement history has since been relatively unaffected by warfare, disease, agriculture, or things of that nature. Today, more than 113 million people call Mexico their home.
SOURCES:
Hoyt, D. (1998). The settlement of new spain: Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1563-the-settlement-of-new-spain-mexico-s-colonial-era
Demographics of mexico. (2010, December 09). Retrieved from http://mexicodemography.weebly.com/settlement-patterns.html
Mexican history timeline. (2006). Retrieved from http://mexicanhistory.org/timeline.htm
SOURCES:
Hoyt, D. (1998). The settlement of new spain: Mexico. Retrieved from http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1563-the-settlement-of-new-spain-mexico-s-colonial-era
Demographics of mexico. (2010, December 09). Retrieved from http://mexicodemography.weebly.com/settlement-patterns.html
Mexican history timeline. (2006). Retrieved from http://mexicanhistory.org/timeline.htm
Settlement and History of Mexico on Dipity.
Reasons for Settlement
As demonstrated in the following maps, Mexico is a country with a very diverse geographical composition and history of agricultural production. Therefore, it provided many of the original settlers, including ancient civilizations like the Maya and the Aztecs, with a rich and fertile place to live. In fact, crops like corn and maize became so widespread and common throughout Mexico that the indigenous peoples in western Mexico were some of the earliest to cultivate the crop and farm it intensively between 1800 and 1500 BC.
SOURCE:Pike, J. (2011, July 05). Mexican war. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/mexican_war.htm
SOURCE:Pike, J. (2011, July 05). Mexican war. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/mexican_war.htm
SOURCE FOR MAPS: http://maps.nationmaster.com/country/mx/1
Current Population Data and Analysis
Mexico is an ethnically diverse country, one in which the various indigenous peoples and European immigrants are united under a single national identity, much like we, a “melting pot” of people of different cultural backgrounds, are united under our own national identity. With an estimated population of more than 113 million (112,336,538 to be exact) people, Mexico’s population is quite culturally and ethnically diverse. Of that 113 million people, 60% are categorized as “mestizos” or people of mixed descent, 30% are American Indians, and 10% are Europeans or are of a different background. Also, according to the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples, there are also 10 million Mexicans who claim an indigenous heritage, which indicates that 10% of Mexico’s entire population also identify as indigenous as well. This classification usually indicates the knowledge of one of Mexico’s 62 indigenous languages. Mexico also represents the largest population of immigrants going to the United States. In fact, almost 9% of Mexico’s population who were born in Mexico are now living in the United States. Many of these individuals classify themselves as Mexican American.
SOURCE:
The world factbook. (2012, December 3). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html
SOURCE:
The world factbook. (2012, December 3). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html
Population Statistics
SOURCE:
The world factbook. (2012, December 3). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.html
The above and below images represent Mexico's population in the years 1950 and 2010. As you can see, Mexico's population in 1950, about 27 million people, was much less than it was in 2010, at almost 113 million people. This is probably due to an increase in the average life expectancy of Mexicans, as well as the increased availability of healthcare. Also, the economy of Mexico has generally, if slightly, improved over the years as well. This could account for more Mexicans having the means to support themselves and extend their lives or have more children.
The images were found at:
"Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100." PopulationPyramid.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.
The images were found at:
"Population Pyramids of the World from 1950 to 2100." PopulationPyramid.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.