mexican history & culture section 2.2. history and culture the big idea native american cultures...
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Mexican History & Culture
Section 2.2
History and Culture
The Big Idea
Native American cultures and Spanish colonization shaped Mexican history and culture.
Main Ideas
• Early cultures of Mexico included the Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztec.
• Mexico’s period as a Spanish colony and its struggles since independence have shaped its culture.
• Spanish and native cultures have influenced Mexico’s customs and traditions today.
Main Idea 1:Early cultures of Mexico included the Olmec,
the Maya, and the Aztec.
• People came to Mexico many thousands of years ago.
• As early as 5,000 years ago, they were growing beans, peppers, squash, and domesticated corn.
• Farming allowed people to build the first settlements in America.
Three Civilizations
Olmec
• Lived in small villages by about 1500 BC
• Settled in the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico
• Built temples and giant statues
Maya
• Built big cities in Mexico and Central America between AD 250 and 900
• Built stone temples
• Developed a calendar
• Kept written records that do not reveal the reason for their collapse
Aztec
• Moved in from the north
• Built a great capital on an island in 1325
• Established an empire, a land with different territories and peoples under one ruler
• Obtained new lands, taxes, and captives to sacrifice through war
Main Idea 2: Mexico’s period as a Spanish colony and its struggles since independence have shaped
its culture.
• Despite great size and power, the Aztec empire did not last long after Hernán Cortés arrived with 600 Spanish soldiers.
• The Spanish had better weapons and horses.
• The Spanish brought new diseases, such as smallpox, which killed many Aztecs.
• Cortés conquered the empire by 1521.
Colonial Times
Culture
• After the conquest, the separate peoples and cultures mixed.
• Mestizos are people of mixed European and American Indian ancestry.
• Mulattoes are people of mixed European and African descent.
• Africans and American Indians also intermarried.
Colonial Times
Religion
• The Roman Catholic Church had great influence.
• The church ruled over large areas of northern Mexico.
• The church established missions, or church outposts.
• Priests learned native languages and converted the American Indians to Catholicism.
Colonial Times Economy
• The Spaniards searched for gold and silver.
• The American Indians and the enslaved Africans labored in the mines.
• As a result, many died from overwork and disease.
• The Spanish monarch granted haciendas, or huge expanses of farm or ranch land, to some Spanish people who became wealthy.
• Peasants, usually Indians, lived and worked on haciendas.
Independence• Spain ruled Mexico for 300
years.
• Miguel Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, led the revolt against Spain.
• Hidalgo was killed in 1811, but Mexico won independence in 1821.
Independence and Later Struggles
Later Struggles• Texas broke away from Mexico
fifteen years after independence.
• During the resulting Mexican-American War, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory.
• In the mid-1800s, Benito Juárez helped Mexico survive a French invasion and reduced the privileges of the church and army.
• In the early 1900s, hacienda owners and foreign companies had much influence.
• The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920, resulted in land reform.
Independence and Later Struggles
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Later Struggles• Texas broke away from Mexico
fifteen years after independence.
• During the resulting Mexican-American War, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory.
• In the mid-1800s, Benito Juárez helped Mexico survive a French invasion and reduced the privileges of the church and army.
• In the early 1900s, hacienda owners and foreign companies had much influence.
• The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920, resulted in land reform.
Independence and Later Struggles
Later Struggles• Texas broke away from Mexico
fifteen years after independence.
• During the resulting Mexican-American War, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory.
• In the mid-1800s, Benito Juárez helped Mexico survive a French invasion and reduced the privileges of the church and army.
• In the early 1900s, hacienda owners and foreign companies had much influence.
• The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920, resulted in land reform.
Independence and Later Struggles
Later Struggles• Texas broke away from Mexico
fifteen years after independence.
• During the resulting Mexican-American War, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory.
• In the mid-1800s, Benito Juárez helped Mexico survive a French invasion and reduced the privileges of the church and army.
• In the early 1900s, hacienda owners and foreign companies had much influence.
• The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920, resulted in land reform.
Independence and Later Struggles
Main Idea 3:Spanish and native cultures have influenced
Mexico’s customs and traditions today.
• Many people speak an American Indian language that ties them to their ethnic group.
• These languages identify a person as Indian.
Spanish• Most Mexicans speak Spanish.
• About 90 percent of Mexicans are Roman Catholic.
AmericanIndian
• Mexicans have unique practices that result from the mixing of cultures.
• For example, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Dead to remember dead ancestors.
• This holiday is held on All Souls’ Day, but reflects native customs and beliefs.
Spanishand
AmericanIndian
