Pre-Revolutionary & Revolutionary Mexico

Transcription

1 Pre-Revolutionary & Revolutionary Mexico

2 Colonial Mexico For millenia (since 1200 B.C.E. at the latest) Mesoamerica, and what we now call Mexico, was populated by a mix of Mayan peoples, Toltecs, and Aztecs In the early 16th century, Aztecs were at the height of their power, just as the Spanish colonizers/explorers were arriving 1517 was the date of first contact, but 1521 was more significant, b/c it brought Spaniard Hernan Cortez, who, though instructed only to barter with the indigenous population, went about conquering it

3 The next three centuries (1500s to 1800s) marked the Colonial era in Mexico (then thought of as New Spain), which included what we now think of as Mexico, Texas, New Mexico, and California During this time period, local indigenous populations were decimated by disease (e.g., small pox), military force, and other changing forces of colonization Unlike some colonizing nations, Spain emphasized religious (Catholic) conversion as much as anything

4 Mexico s Independence By the early 1800s, many in the colony were growing resentful of Spain s authority over the territory, especially its taxation policies and claim to the country s wealth The Creoles (those of Spanish descent but born in the new territory) did not appreciate their inferior status relative to Spaniards Ironically two priests, Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morales, led the initial charge; both were captured and executed between 1811 and 1815

5 The Creole colonel, Augustin de Iturbide, carried the torch and won independence for Mexico in 1821, when he became the first leader of the new country s government Independence was followed by decades of political transition and disorder During this period, not surprisingly, Mexico lost its northern territory (TX, NM, and CA) to the U.S. in the Mexico-U.S. war of The liberal, anti-clerical president, Benito Juarez (a fullblooded Zapotec and the first non-military leader of Mexico), brought many reforms to his country in the 1860s and 1870s

6 The Road to Revolution After Juarez died of a heart attack while in office in 1872, Porfirio Díaz became president in 1876 and would run the country until he was forced into exile by the Revolution in 1911 With Díaz s oppressive rule, Mexico fell under yet another military dictator, who privileged big business, a strong military, and the Catholic Church The economy in some respects boomed, but the gap between rich and working poor widened enormously on his watch Under Díaz, large estate farms (or haciendas) grew in number and fewer peasants were able to manage their own land, instead forced to work for powerful landlords at miniscule wages (a kind of serfdom and feudalism resulted, as in Cuba)

7 B. Juarez P. Díaz

8 Key revolutionary generals, in particular Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, were most interested in land reform and restoring Juarez s constitution Francisco Madero, with Zapata s and Villa s compromised support, militarily defeated Diaz s troops and took office in 1911 What followed was a labyrinth of political interests, divided uprisings, transitional governments, and military coups/assassinations that stretched on for the rest of the decade It wouldn t be until 1920 that the military uprisings, coups, assassinations, and rampant political instability would more or less cease

9 Brief Timeline of Revolution PORFIRIO DIAZ, dictator, reeleccionista, autocrat, anti-constitutionalist, exiled by force FRANCISCO MADERO, jailed by Díaz in 1910, then, with support from peasants, Pancho Villa, and Zapata, elected president; compromised on promises of land reform, executed by one of his own generals, Victoriano Huerta VICTORIANO HUERTA (aka The Jackal ), military dictator, lacked U.S. support and of country, exiled to Europe, then died in 1916 in an American jail

10 F. Madero V. Huerta

11 VENUSTIANO CARRANZA, elected president on agrarian reform platform; reluctantly added socialist agendas to the 1917 constitution, which brought relative peace to the region (these reforms ironically would not be implemented until the 1930s, during the presidency of LAZARA CARDENAS [ ]); Carranza assassinated in 1920 by someone loyal to his successor, ALVARO OBREGON ( ) ZAPATA, of mestizo heritage, was ambushed during this time of relative peace, in 1919, and murdered by one of Carranza s generals VILLA, general of strongest revolutionary army, retired to his hacienda in 1920, by agreement with President OBREGON (assassinated before holding office again in 1928), who later may have had a hand in Villa s assassination in 1923, for fear he would go back on his word not to run for president

12 E. Zapata P. Villa

13 Fernando de Fuentes and his Mexican Revolution Trilogy Fernando de Fuentes is considered the most important early Mexican filmmaker Above all, his Revolution Trilogy looks relatively honestly at a complicated and compromised revolution that Mexico (and the Mexican film industry) continued to celebrate decades after First installment in the trilogy is Prisoner 13 (1933), followed by El Compadre Mendoza (1933), and ending with Vamonos con Pancho Villa! (1935)

14 Though the films of this trilogy often begin comedically and lightly, they take sudden turns in tone, in keeping with the realities of this revolution The tenor of the trilogy reflects the period s temporal proximity to the calamity and corruption of the revolutionary period; as well as President Cardenas s ( ) efforts to realize what the revolution had previously failed to El Compadre Mendoza is set during President Huerta s reign ( ) and follows a hacienda owner maneuvering between two generals, one a Zapatista revolutionary and the other under Huerta s command