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