A Basic History of Mexico

[Orcaninja]

 

 

 

Pre-Colombian and Colonial Era

Mexico is a country that has is rooted deeply in Native American history. Namely, the most significant peoples in their history are the Mayans and Aztecs. Much like the rest of Latin America it is a blended culture mainly consisting of mestizos that are descended from a mixture of indigenous peoples, European colonists(Mostly Spaniards), and West African slaves to a limited extent. It has remained Catholic throughout its history since being colonized. Pre-Colombian history isn't too relevant to roleplay. Once the conquistadors came to the region everything changed. Natives that survived the plagues were enslaved and treated as inferior by the Europeans. New Spain was the name of the colony they established. Over time the two cultures mixed together but a caste system (based on race) played a strong part in how life was in Mexico back then.

 

Independence

After three hundred years the country fought a war for independence and as a result, racial castes were dissolved. This didn't, however, change the class divides in the country. After independence was gained Mexico was very volatile and has remained that way for a large portion of its history.Initially, it was a republic but its government turned into a dictatorship. The government under the emperor's dictatorship was very corrupt and during that time Mexico conquered its neighbors in Central America.The unrest quickly built up and another revolution occurred to restore the republic. Liberal policies started to come about to protect the average Mexican national's rights.  Conservatives however still had immense power in the republic and coups occurred repeatedly in these turbulent years. 

 

Wars Over Texas and Other Territories

As many people are aware Texas fought a war of independence against Mexico to join the United States. The war was a result of the two nations having expansionist policies toward its frontier territories. The war only lasted a year and resulted in the republic's independence. Only months later a war was sparked between the United States and Mexico over disputed territories. Mexico lost the war and in turn lost a huge chunk of its frontier territories (Alta California, and Nuevo Mexico). Mexico lost more territories in land purchases by the US. Unrest peaked against Santa Anna.  It was during this time that liberal reforms started coming about and eventually Santa Anna was overthrown in a revolt. The tense relations between the Conservatives and Liberals continued for decades. 

 

 

Occupation by France and Restoration of the Empire

France invaded the country over debts the country had defaulted on. Mexico was turned essentially into a puppet state with European royalty at the top of the nation. The regime was backed by the conservatives and the Catholic church. Despite this initial support, Emperor Maximillian was a liberal and this eventually lost support from these groups. France was eventually forced to free Mexico and Maximilian was executed not long after. The republic was restored and the church's power was crippled.

 

The Mexican Revolution and Subsequent Civil Wars
Once again revolution occurred around the time of WW1. It was the result of corrupt elections and class conflicts. Out of all Mexico's class revolutions, this one is the most significant. Economic and social reforms came as a result and weakened the aristocratic elements in the country. Unfortunately, the various revolutionary factions had opposing views on how the country should be run. Bloodshed continued for decades following the revolution between these groups. On top of this conservatives also attempted coups to restore the old order. The United States intervened on the side of the conservatives (Under Huerta) militarily and economically. The conservatives eventually lost but conflict continued between the revolutionaries namely between Carranza's Constitutionalists and Zapata's following. 

 

The Constitutionalists came out on top for five years but afterward, the country was essentially run by prominent generals. Mexico placed an emphasis in this time on gaining US support for the government to avoid foreign influence in its politics. Political life, in general, was like in past years very suppressed for opposition parties.  The church played a role in speaking for these parties and suppression of the church itself eventually led to another revolt (The Cristero war).

 

El Milagro Mexicano

Since the 30s and 40s Mexico's ties to the United States have been stronger. During the Second World War, they aligned with the US after their oil ships were targeted by U-boats. Unlikely many other Latin American countries they sent some troops to fight in the war. Since World War II Mexico had experienced significant economic growth referred to as "El Milagro Mexicano". Mexico's government became politically stable during this period and the presidential succession was no longer an event that led to conflict. During this period Mexico fought against Guatemala. The cause of the war was Mexican fishing ships going into Guatemalan waters. Guatamala reacted by attacking the ships. The war was very short as the Guatemalans feared a communist takeover from Cuba. This was the last foreign war Mexico had fought. 

 

Crises during the 70s and 90s

Up until the 1970's, the country was extremely stable. During an economic downturn, however, unrest started to surface once again. The banks were nationalized due to an event referred to as "La Década Perdida" around this time. The peso shrunk in value and recessions were a frequent occurrence with each administration. During this time period, other parties grew in power while the PRI faced several corruption scandals. 

 

Modern Mexico

A big change for Mexico that occurred during the early nineties is that it joined NAFTA. Despite its signing, however, another crisis occurred in 1995 that devalued the peso. Around this time the Zapatista revolution occurred in Chiapas which was opposed to NAFTA.  The United States intervened in the economic downturn by giving a large loan. This along with other measures helped the peso recover. It paid off the loan a few years later.  Due to the longtime trend of election scandals a third party was selected to ensure that elections were done fairly. A few years after this the PRI weakened further. Since that point in time, Mexico has truly become a multi-party state. 

 

The Drug War 

With the downfall of Colombian cartels, many of the old smuggling routes within the Gulf of Mexico and the Carribean had been compromised. Mexican cartels filled the void and new smuggling routes across the land were established in Central America. On top of this other goods and people were smuggled through these lines. The rise of these organizations has since led to drastic increases in violence and upheaval in the country. Smuggling worked both ways across the US-Mexican border. People and narcotics would come in from the Mexican side while guns flowed into Mexico through the American side. Cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, and cannabis are all drugs that commonly cross the line. The government has had great difficulty in fighting these cartels and so far its successes haven't had much of an impact. With each cartel that weakens another steps in to take the spotlight.