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Mexico | ||||||||||||
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History & cultureThe first Mexican culture of which archaeological evidence has been discovered is the Olmec. Subsequent cultures following and overlapping were the Maya, Zapotec and Mixtec, Teotihuacan, Toltec and finally Aztec. The Aztecs had successfully expanded their rule over many other peoples in Mexico until, in 1519, a Spanish expedition under Hernan Cortes landed at Tabasco. By 1521 the Spaniards had defeated the Aztecs and established the colony of New Spain. In 1836, after years of struggle, Mexico finally won her independence from Spain. In the same year, American settlers who were now in a majority in Texas tried to break from Mexico, resulting in fighting between the USA and Mexico. Civil wars wracked Mexico throughout the 1850s, leading to European intervention, and finally, the capture of Mexico City by the French army which placed Archduke Maximilian of Austria on the throne of Mexico. After Maxilian was defeated and then executed, Mexico enjoyed its longest period free from war, under President Diaz. His failure to deliver political freedom led to the Revolution which lasted from 1911-1920. Through the 1920s and 30s the reforms for which the Revolution was fought (land reform, education, a reduction in Church power) were put into practice. In 1938 the oil industry and the USA and British owned companies were nationalized. By 1980 Mexico had become an important world oil producer. The oil revenues and the loans provided by overseas banks led to increasing inflation, and eventually, a financial collapse in 1982. Mexico's earliest surviving examples of art are the rock paintings of the Sierra de San Francisco and the giant heads of the Olmec civilization. The Maya were also fine craftsmen and like the Toltecs and Aztecs they used their art to decorate their temples with friezes, statues, carvings and wall paintings. Although much pre-conquest decorative art was broken up or, in the case of gold work, melted down, a rich heritage remains. Unfortunately almost all the books and writings of the Maya and Aztecs were lost or deliberately destroyed. Little survives of Mexico's Pre-Columbian past. There are some examples of Mayan writing, the Codices, and a few fragments of Aztec poetry. After the Mexican Revolution, politically committed artists such as Diego Rivera won international fame, in particular for their monumental frescoes. Frida Kahlo, once married to Rivera is Mexico's most famous woman artist. In addition to the country's international standing in painting and architecture, Mexico is also well represented in all the other arts. In 1990 Octavio Paz, the famous Mexican author, won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Mexican folk dance and music is important to Mexican culture. Traditional Indian folk dances have been incorporated into Christian festivities. Mexican folk music is based mainly on the guitar. Mariachi bands in which the guitars are backed up by trumpets and violins are popular strolling players. Fiestas & holidays1 January New Year's Day |
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