mexico

1249 Words3 Pages

The History of Mexico.
When people think of Mexico they think Spanish, but that is wasn’t always the way it was. For thousands of years the Spanish hadn’t even heard of the New World. Or what is now known as Mexico. Various Mesoamerican tribes ruled it.
There is evidence of people living in the area over 15,000 years ago. These people were nomadic and roamed all around South America. Around 2500 BC these people began to grow crops and set up villages, instead of hunt and gather, and move around all the time. This left more time to start a civilization.
One of the first of these civilizations was the Olmec, who lived around 1500 to 600 BC. They lived in what is now the Mexican State of Tabasco and Veracruz. Scholars believe that this tribe started it all, traditions, beliefs, and lifestyles that were used by the tribes that came after them. The made a calendar, early mathematics, and art including sculptures made of jade.
Around 900 to 400 BC the Olmecs were destroyed. The Zabotec people were next to rise up in 500 BC at what is now Oaxaca. They made the first writing system in the Americas. It consisted of characters like hieroglyphics. At about the same time the Mayans started to flourish too.
The Mayans lived from 250 to 900 AD, the built temples, homes, and ball courts in all their cities. The also made a calendar that was the most accurate in the world until about the 16th century. The Mayan cities were strangely deserted and what was left of them moved to the Yucatan Peninsula, this is where the stayed.
In the 10th century a new group called the Toltecs ruled. They were the first people of Mexico to leave a complete history. The ruled much of central Mexico and other tribes and groups paid them tribute. Two centuries later there was a great drought in Northern Mexico; and starving people moving south overwhelmed the Toltecs and overthrew them.
The biggest and greatest tribe to ever rule Mexico was the Mexica, which is how the name Mexico originated, or later called the Aztecs. The Aztecs drew from the Toltecs and other groups for their civilization. When the started they paid tributes to neighboring tribes and were forced to live in swampy, wet lands. There was a small island...

... middle of paper ...

... water, had their new emperor captured and the city fell. The Aztec Empire had been destroyed.
The Spanish destroyed all the buildings and made a new city on the island and used it as their new capital. They named the country New Spain and set up a government. They expanded their rule to most of Mexico, and brought over people to live in the new country. The island city is still the capitttal of the Mexico and is called Mexico City.
At first there was a major social difference between Spaniards and the Native People; but with the intermingling of the races it became harder and harder. The new government was very corrupt and many citizens wanted to form a new country separate from Spain. This Eventually happened when Spain lost its grip of New Spain due to a war between Spain and France. The new country formed was called Mexico.
There were many people who lived in Mexico before the Spanish came. In this essay I have told you about those people. About how Spain came to rule Mexico. And about how Mexico became how it is today. Mexico is a country with a deep culture that shows all these things.

Open Document