Miguel Hidalgo's Independence Movement

The upper class consisted of hacendados, plantation owners, investors (foreign and domestic), industrialists, and high ranking members (Raat, 33). Whereas the most common class consisted of workers, vendors, peones, sharecroppers, beggars, and other unemployed and rural poor (Raat, 33). In this sense, Diaz focused primarily on liberal principles. Although he disregarded basic freedom rights of the people, he did not forsake the case of the Indians of Tamazunchale (steven 161). “The Haciendas of Mexico are the most conspicuous feature of the land system of the country” and consisted of Indians or mestizos (New York: American Geographical Society, 1923). The harsh conditions the Indians underwent “encouraged the emigration of rural laborers from Mexico to the southwestern part of the United States” (New York: American Geographical Society, 1923). Diaz intervention in the administration of justice sided with the indians (162). He was aware that a large majority of territory was taken from the indians and so, made negotiations with corrupt companies which profited off of these lands. Part of this plan was to give the Indians sale on easy payment terms, irrigation, and education (Eder, 35). Indians were part of the rural population, they had their land taken from them and therefore were repressed. This would later lead to an alliance of upset

Many of these countries faced the same problems in their economic development during the turn of the 19th century. Mexico is seen to being very highly influenced by its neighbors with elites often adopting themes that are successful in other countries. These newly adopted ideas that the elites brought about to the country created a large divide within the social classes due to ignorance in wanting to modernize. The Los de Abajo’s and the Los de Arriba’s, the social classes in Mexico often clashed in what they believed was right for Mexico and found it very hard to come to terms with each other. Judas burning and violence throughout the religious holy week did not aid to bringing these two classes together either. In conclusion we can see that Beezley brings out the fact that Latin American society was not all on board the road to progress, really brining out the image that it was common in Latin America for the imbalance between the upper and lower classes. Much of the elites movements towards progress led them to success while leaving the rest of the lower classes. We see much of these same struggles in plenty of Latin American countries and it all takes the right man

In Colonial Latin American the notion of one’s race combined both a person’s physical traits and their socio-economic standing. In this way, their racial identity was subject to both their phenotype and economic status. To provide order to the class structure and provide a clear racial hierarchy Latin American colonies set up the Casta system which was immediately complicated by the intense racial mixing which occurred between the Spanish settlers, Natives and African slaves. Since early in the colonization process mostly male Conquistadores came to the New World, they often took native women resulting in racial mixing. At the top of the racial hierarchy of the Casta system were the peninsulares who were born in in Spain itself and were residing in the New World, these Spaniards held the highest government offices and were the only ones who were

The clip Revolutionary Leaders is about the Mexican revolution, what caused the war and the two main leaders of this war. The revolutionary leaders were Emiliano Zapata, who was in charge of the south and Francisco (‘Pancho’) Villa, who was in charge of the north. Both men wanted land reform and a weaker central government, but had different views for the land reforms.

Historians often divide the Mexican Revolution into three main periods of fighting due to its length and complexity. Of the three periods, the one that had the most impact on Mexican society at the time was the first phase in which Francisco Madero overthrew Porfirio Diaz as new revolutionary leaders such as Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa arose. This period allowed people that were not usually involved in politics to become more involved. The phase of the revolution that had the most potential to create change in Mexican society later was the third one that saw Conventionalists take on Constitutionalists for control of the country. This stage created the Constitution and led to a single political party gaining control of México.

The people of Mexico wanted to get their land back, however there was so much to do in order to obtain the land back and the poor people could not do. There was peasant leader named “Emiliano Zapata, who hoped a revolution would lead to land reform”(EDSITEment). Along with Emiliano Zapata who was a leader from the southern state of Morelos, two other leaders from the north named Pascual Orozco, and Pancho Villa were ready to fight for their land. All three had armies ready for war, and all of this revolting was for a new and better Mexico that will peaceful. There is a corrido named, “Corrido de Zapata Nino”, which praise Emiliano Zapata. This corrido is just an example of how corridos praise important people like revolutionist.

Juan de Onate, described as the last conquistador was a great person who led hundreds of families to settle in one of the oldest European colonies in the United States in search of unimaginable wealth. Juan de Onate was born in 1550 to aristocrats Cristobal de Onate and Catalina de Salazar in Vera Cruz, Mexico. Cristobal and Catalina were wealthy Spanish colonists and proud owners of a silver mine in Zacatecas, which is currently located in the north central Mexico. Juan involved himself in safeguarding his father’s silver mines right from an early age. As a child, Juan started accompanying his father in the raids against the Indians. Juan also led many campaigns at his own cost. When Juan was just twenty years old, he started defending and expanding Spanish settlements in the northern part of Mexico by conquering the Indian communities. Although Juan was born in New Spain, he never set his foot on the European land. Juan was a true Spaniard who devoted his life to the church, the king and the expansion of his empire.

Cesar Chavez had a great pride towards everything he stood for, whether it was his catholic beliefs or protecting his fellow man from the oppressor. Growing up in America, Cesar Chavez witnessed discrimination from being Mexican first hand. By growing up in a family oriented catholic home, he was raised to care about the well being of others and to approach life in a nonviolent manner. Having a father who was a farmer, he witnessed the poor living conditions and wages that were given to him and knew that something had to be done. Cesar Chavez’s fight for improving working conditions for farmers helped him gather a large following of Mexican Americans. By implementing elements of Catholicism and parts of his Mexican heritage into his rallies using The Virgen de Guadalupe as a symbol for protection, and by protesting through the use of nonviolence and self-sacrifice, Cesar Chavez managed to start a revolution in America to get first class citizenship for Mexican Americans.

Jose Antonio Navarro was a very important man because he was involved in the Texas Revolution. He was born on February 27, 1795, and he was sent to Saltillo, Mexico as a young child, and injured his leg that didn 't heal properly which caused him to have a limp. The same year he injured his leg father died from a severe illness. He learned the merchant trade which was his father´s occupation, and has his own trade post, but specialized in Mexican Law. Which didn´t really make any sense. He met his future wife named Margarita de la Garza at his merchant stand, and immediately fell in love. Jose and Margarita has a daughter named Maria Casimira del Carmen in the spring of 1817. He was happy about there being a new trade port on the coast of Texas at La Bahia, because he thought he could open a new trade post to help raise money for his family, which did not work because the other merchants would not let him sell near them, because, they thought he would out-sell them, which he did.

The Mexican American population is comprised of a myriad of different statuses. Many families have resided in this area since Spanish American first began to migrate and settle here. The lower class arrived in Texas along with Indian and Mexican immigrants to go to work on a Spanish ranch. Others more recently attained their status as citizens here after migrating from Mexico to the United States.

Unfortunately, the children belonging to the mestizo category who practiced more Spanish customs were higher up than those who practiced native customs. At the bottom of the “food chain” were the “Indios” or Indians. In the eyes of the Spanish, they had the legal status of children. Today, this system still exists to a degree. Unfortunately, the implication of Spanish culture still has impacted today’s Mexican society. Many young children whose family practice native customs are afraid to reveal that they are not “pure” according to Spanish standards. The consequence of such injustice is so tremendous that it impossible to put into words: so many people are suffering just because their ancestors had been conquered by a much more powerful nation. It is unfair that they have to suffer they way. I truly feel sorry for those who can’t put food on the food table every night because there are no job opportunities for them because they aren’t true Spaniards. Unless they people of Mexico don’t change their thinking soon, it shall never

The Mexican American War started in 1846 because of Mexican resentment caused by the 1836 loss of Texas and the American’s desire for Mexico’s more northern territory. “On September 9, 1847 after two years of fighting, the Mexican American war essentially ended when the American Army captured Mexico City after the Battle of Chapultepec”( 6). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war. United States leaders then acted morally superior in their negotiations of the treaty 1. During negotiations, United States officials viewed the “forcible incorporations” (1) of almost one half of Mexico’s land as an “event foreordained by providence and Manifest Destiny” (1). The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is written evidence of the biggest land acquisition in American history.

When viewing the Mexican Revolution, a dichotomy between destruction and creation appears. When it kicked off in 1910, it was in the pursuit of noble goals. But at its core, the Revolution was a rebellion and at the heart of all rebellions is war. And with war comes destruction and death. While the Revolution last for at least a decade and perhaps longer, for the individuals involved life was often, as Thomas Hobbes once wrote, nasty, brutish, and short. Therefore, a question arises: how can creation and destruction find reconciliation in the Mexican Revolution?

The American, Mexican, and French revolutions were similar and different in their own ways. There was a common cause, goal, and effect of each of these three revolutions in addition to the unique causes, goals, and effects. All of these revolutions were caused by political instability, had the common goal of political reformation that was met through revolutionary events, that resulted in the formation and adoption of a new constitution and form of government.

Also, in colonial Mexico, men would declare their honor by dueling other men; “Gentlemen might settle accounts of honor with a duel” (Meyer 232). Men would go as far as killing other men to achieve honor in their society. Honor was essential for a man because it earned him respect, power, and importance in their society. People of high status, who have the most honor in their society, also received a very special treatment; “Those of high social position, however, were usually spared humiliating and cruel punishment, escaping with fines or sometimes jail sentence” (Meyer 62). This was also true for people of the higher caste system. The caste system in colonial Mexico was a very complex system, which also brought honor for whoever was on the