Social Studies Scribe Post- May 31, 2007
The History of Mexico- In about 1200 B.C. the Olmecs were the first civilization to live in the Americas. A very common type of food they grew was maize also referred to as corn. After the Olmecs, a new civilization took its place called the Mayans. The Maya people lived in the rain forrests of the Yucan Penninsula from A.D. 250 to 900. The Maya people were very religious and sacrificed people to the gods. The Mayans were also really smart. They developed the 365 day calender like we use today, hieroglyphics, temples, and murals or wall paintings. The Mayan civilization declined around A.D. 900 but nobody really knows why. They could have overused their land and couldn’t grow enough food or diseases could have spread. The Aztecs were the next civilization to revolve. The Aztec people are also known as Mexica. They moved to Central America around A.D. 1200. The Aztec capital was Tenochtitlan which is no located under the present day Mexico City. Hernan Cortes led the Spanish army into Mexico. Only 600 Spaniards were able to conquer the entire Aztec Empire. The Spanish made peace treaties with the indians who gave the Spanish thousands of warriors and supplies. Another advantish for the spanish was that they had horses, muskets, cannons, and steel swords. Also, the Aztecs thought that the men on horses were an important god coming to punish them so they were afraid. Mexico became a colony of Spain breifly after 1519. In 1821 the people of Mexico rebelled against Spain. At one time, California and Texas belonged to Mexico.
