Mexico: Difference between revisions

'''Mexico''' (Spanish: ''México''); (Náhuatl: ''Mēxihco''), officially the '''Republic of Mexico''' (''República de México''), is a country in the southern and western portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the [[Amerikaanse Free State]]; to the northeast by [[Tussenland]] and [[Opdamsland]]; to the east by [[South Tussenland]] and the Gulf of Mexico; to the west by the Pacific Ocean and to the south by [[Boschland]]. Mexico is the most populous nation in North America and the most populous Spanish-speaking nation in the world. The nations capital, [[Mexico city]] (''Ciudad de México''), also known as CDMX, is the largest metropolitan area of North America and in the Western Hemisphere. Other major Urban areas include Guadalaxara, Monterrey, Puebla, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Ciudad de Guatemala, Goudhaven, Ximénez and Santa Maria.

Pre-Columbian Mexico traces its origins to 8,000 BC and is identified as a cradle of civilization and was home to many advanced civilizations including the Maya and the Aztecs. In 1521, the Spanish Empire conquered and colonized the territory from its base in Mexico City, which then became known as New Spain. The Catholic Church played an important role as millions of indigenous inhabitants converted. The colony became rich due to heavy exploitation of deposits of precious materials. Mexico became an independent country after the successful coup of the government of New Spain by the former viceroy [[Jorge González de Güemes y Horcasitas]] against Spain in 1881 and the subsequent [[Mexican Independence Crisis]], founding the Empire of Mexico.

After Mexico's defeat in the [[Mexico#The Mexican-Dutch Boer War (1901-1903)|Mexican-Dutch Boer War (1901-1903)]], internal popularity and legitimacy of the Emperor of Mexico waned. In 1909 the Emperor of Mexico abdicated and after the [[Mexican constitutional crisis]] was replaced by the '''Republic of Mexico'''. During the 20th century economic and political rivalry between Mexico and New Netherlands dominated political discourse. Starting in the 1930's Mexico experienced a massive economic boom with investment and advancement in mining, refining, industry, manufacturing and agriculture sectors spurred by modernization policies of the Mexican government.

''Mēxihco'' is the Nahuatl term for the heartland of the Aztec Empire, namely the Valley of Mexico and surrounding territories, with its people being known as the Mexica. In the colonial era, when Mexico was called New Spain, this central region became the Intendency of Mexico, during colonial reforms in the 1850's the colony was locally referred to as the Crown colony of Mexico or the viceroy of Mexico. After the colony achieved independence from the Spanish Empire in 1881 with the new country being named after its capital: Mexico City, which itself was founded in 1524 on the site of the ancient Mexica capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan.

Mexico is a historic cradle of civilization, with many pre-Colombian civilizations thriving in the valley of Mexico and the in the Yucatán peninsula. The earliest complex civilization in Mexico was the Olmec culture, which flourished on the Gulf Coast from around 1500 BC. In Central Mexico, the height of the classic period saw the ascendancy of Teotihuacán, which formed a military and commercial empire whose political influence stretched south into the Maya area as well as north. During the early post-classic era, Central Mexico was dominated by the Toltec culture, Oaxaca by the Mixtec, and the lowland Maya area had important centers at Chichén Itzá and Mayapán. Toward the end of the post-Classic period, the Mexica established dominance, establishing a political and economic empire based in the city of Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City), extending from central Mexico to Guatemala. In 1519 Mesoamerican society drastically changed with the beginning of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire.

=== Conflict with the Netherlands over the Boer States ===

Additionally, Spain borrowed money from Genoan and British banks to rebuild after the war but defaulted on the payments within a year, which led to an economic crisis. Learning González's declaration of a Mexican Empire, the King was furious and pledged to retake the colony, leading to the Mexican Independence Crisis. The Spanish army set out several expeditions to retake Mexico in 1881 and 1882, but they were repelled by the newly formed Mexican army and navy each time. With a mounting economic crisis, guerilla fighting in the nation, and the inability to militarily take back New Spain, the Spanish crown recognized the Mexican empire in 1884.

The Mexican Empire under Emperor González sought to centralize control over all of New Spain's former holdings and embarked on a wave of reforms to consolidate power in Mexico city and in the military. In 1887 the Mexican government sent the military to crush the Central American rebellions centered in Guatemala and Honduras. They also sought to build economic and political relationships with other nations in the region including Saint-Domingue, Colombia and South Tussenland. During the 1890's Mexico became a important funder of the proposed Genoan Panama canal project.

=== The Mexican-Dutch Boer War (1901-1903) ===

[[File:Aftermath of the Dutch-Mexican Boer War (1903).png|alt=|left|thumb|394x394px|Territorial Changes after the Mexican Dutch Boer War (Treaty of Williamsburg).]]

In western North America, the fledgling Mexican Empire had a lot of potential in the region as a great power. Heavily religious and autocratic, it wanted to centralize its authority and display its might. In 1897, Mexico abolished home rule for the autonomous Boer states. The Kingdom of the Netherlands, which was generally sympathetic to the Boers, saw this as an affront to their authority in North America and issued an ultimatum to Mexico: restore self-governance for the Dutch Boers states else they will attack Mexico. Mexico refused, and in 1901 the Dutch declared war, known as the [[Mexican-Dutch Boer war]]. At the onset of the war, the former Dutch colony of the New Netherlands joined the war on the Dutch Kingdom's side.

=== The Mexican Revolution ===

The end of the Mexican-Dutch war was a blow to Emperor Jorge Gonzales's prestige and legitimacy. The nascent republican and liberal movements within Mexico pounced at the chance to get rid of the emperor and started to organize for change with much greater ferocity and tenacity (all the while under suppression by Mexican Imperial authorities).

In 1903 in the immediate aftermath of the war facing both external and internal political pressure Emperor González was forced to agree to a new constitution that limited the monarchy's power and created a representative legislature for the country. While initially this was applauded as a historic step towards democracy in Mexico it was soon apparent that these changes were more superficial than anything. By 1904 the new Mexican senate was stacked full of entrenched pro-monarchy politicians who owed exclusive loyalty towards Emperor González and acted as little more than a rubber stamp for the Monarchy. This arrangement angered many Mexicans whom had gained significant republican sympathies stemming from increased urbanization and spread of liberal, pro-republican ideas, literature and values from the rest of the Americas. Additionally the military was starting to grow disenchanted with further kleptocratic monarchial rule as the Emperor started to take a more hands on approach to military organization and governance (including a series of purges aimed at removing pro-republican officers from the Army and Navy).

In 1906 the Emperor personally removed the famous war general Juan- Guillermo Quesada known for his heroic defense of Los Angeles, personality and charisma from the army in fears that Juan Quesada's popularity amongst the common people could be a political challenge for the Emperor. This provokes a major wave of disapproval from the army officer core as well as mass public outrage. This move solidified the idea in the vast majority of minds of the Mexican people that the Emperor is little more than a tyrant and the post war constitution was as good as useless. Over the next 2 years Mexico is at a stage of near open revolt with a series of strikes, protests and riots wrecking havoc on the emperor's legitimacy and shutting down key urban areas of the country. By late 1908 the Army is in a state of near rebellion and stops enforcing the Emperor's crackdowns against protestors. This leads to a worried and frantic response from the Monarchy and Emperor Gonzales abdicates the throne to his favored son Agustín González Silva de Ciudad Mexico in order to hopefully appease reformers. This move backfires however and the new 31 year old Emperor is seen as both a puppet of his father and a remaining symbol of Monarchist tyranny.

In January of 1909 the country was in revolt and after a 128 day strike in Mexico city the army now again under the leadership of the former general Juan - Guillermo Quesada arrests the Emperor and his father which leads to the pro-monarchy senate, royal Court and rest of the royal family fleeing to the city of Monterrey calling for the release of the Emperor. The next day a collation of influential organized republican leaders convene and the later that week declare a new Mexican Republic. The old government of the Emperor (who now reside in Monterrey do not recognize this declaration and attempt to raise an paramilitary army from some of the remaining monarchist strongholds in Nuevo Leon and Veracruz. After several months of street clashes and political debate amongst the two competing governments the army stepped in and threw its support behind the republican congress. In the following weeks the monarchists forces surrendered and dissipated nationwide and on April 12th 1909 the Mexican Republic held it's first nationwide democratic elections.