Explaining Mexican History

In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett explore Mexican history from pre-colonial Mesoamerican civilizations through Spanish conquest to modern times.

They examines cultural evolution, governance challenges, and social transformations while highlighting how geographic, racial, and colonial legacies shaped Mexico's development.

--

📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess

--

SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | ORACLE

More than 40,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. If you're looking for an ERP platform, get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program on NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/zen - Download your free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning.

Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle's next-generation cloud platform delivers blazing-fast AI and ML performance with 50% less for compute and 80% less for outbound networking compared to other cloud providers. OCI powers industry leaders like Vodafone and Thomson Reuters with secure infrastructure and application development capabilities. New U.S. customers can get their cloud bill cut in half by switching to OCI before March 31, 2024 at https://oracle.com/cognitive.

--

FOLLOW ON X:

@whatifalthist (Rudyard)

@LudwigNverMises (Austin)

@TurpentineMedia

--

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DISCUSSION

Pre-Colonial Mesoamerica

• Mexico has the longest continuous history in North America, with sites like Monte Alban dating back to at least 500 BCE
• The Olmec were the first major Mesoamerican civilization (around 1200 BCE)
• Mesoamerican civilizations developed advanced calendars likely to predict El Niño cycles that affected agriculture

Colonial Period

• The Spanish conquest under Cortés was rapid (less than two years) and devastating
• Spanish colonial society developed a rigid caste system with peninsulares (Spanish-born) at the top, then criollos (American-born Spaniards), mestizos (mixed), and indios (indigenous) at the bottom
• The Spanish monarchy, nobility, and church formed the power structure, with natives being infantilized and protected but denied power

Mexican Independence and 19th Century

• Mexico's independence movement wasn't as unified as the American Revolution and resulted in much more bloodshed
• The country split between conservatives (pro-monarchy, pro-church, pro-capitalism) and liberals (anti-church, anti-monarchy, pro-centralization)
• The Mexican-American War resulted in Mexico losing about half its territory

Modern Mexico (20th-21st Century)

• Porfirio Díaz's 30-year rule stabilized Mexico and brought industrialization but increased inequality
• Mexico has strong regional differences: the north is more European/industrialized, the central region was the old Aztec core, and the south is more indigenous
• Drug cartels have created significant violence and governance challenges

US-Mexico Relations

• Commercial and cultural influence from the US has profoundly changed Mexican society
• Maquiladoras (border factories) have become economic engines
• Nearshoring manufacturing from Asia to Mexico is becoming increasingly important
• Mexico and the US have complementary demographics (younger/older populations)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices