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Mexican Facts and Figures

At last, in 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo encouraged the native Mexicans to revolt against their Spanish rulers. Their initial battle failed, but the fight for independence could not be stopped. In 1821, Mexico at last won its freedom from Spain. The years that followed, however, were full of turmoil for the nation. One leader after another took control of Mexico and then was overthrown. In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War (1846-48), Mexico lost most of its northern territory to the United States. In 1861, Benito Juárez, of Amerindian descent, became president, and the country’s fortunes took a turn for the better. Then, in 1863, the French invaded Mexico and made the Archduke Maximilian its emperor. Maximilian and his wife Carlota came to love the Mexican people, but they did not return his feelings. Four years later, Juárez drove the French out, executed Maximilian, and resumed his presidency. After Juárez’s death, Porfirio Díaz ruled the country from 1877 to 1911. Although Díaz worked to build his nation’s economy, under his rule a small group of rich people benefitted while the poor became even poorer. In 1910, Francisco Madero called for a revolution against the Díaz dictatorship. Rebels like

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Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata joined forces with Madero, and together they brought an end to the era in Mexico’s history known as the Porfiriato.

Benito Juárez (left) and Porfirio Diaz (right) were two of Mexico’s most influential and important 19th century leaders.

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