9781422286944

2

The land known as Mexico has been home to many civilizations over the centuries. The Mayan city of Palenque, pictured at left, was inhabited from about 225 B . C . until A . D . 800.

The History of Mexico M ore than 3,000 years ago, the Olmec civilization flourished in the land that is now Mexico. These ancient people built cultural centers and left their artwork as reminders to today’s world. They were followed by many other great cultures: the Teotihuacán civilization, the Mayans, and finally the Aztecs. By the early 16th century, the Aztecs ruled most of central Mexico. When Hernán Cortés arrived in Mexico in 1519, looking to claim this land for Spain, many of the people ruled by the Aztecs were eager to join forces with him. They resented the Aztecs’ rule, and they hoped that with the help of the Spanish they could be free at last. Meanwhile, the Aztec ruler, Montezuma II, mistook Cortés for one of the Aztecs’ favorite gods, Quetzalcoatl. Montezuma opened his kingdom to the white strangers—and the Spanish repaid him by taking him hostage and eventually slaughtering many of his people. In the 300 years that followed, Mexico’s native peoples suffered under Spain’s rule. Many of them died after being exposed to diseases like smallpox , for which they had no immunities . The Spanish put them to work on their haciendas, tried to take away their culture and religion, and refused to give them any voice in their government.

17