MEXICAN HISTORY EXAM 1
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Pre-Columbian world been brought back to life to serve a political purpose in the
present day - Correct Answers -1- Creation of Spanish colonial, political, and economic
systems imposed on existing cultures
2- Mexican national state constructed from New Spain
Soverignty, Territory, and National Settlement - Correct Answers --Mexico extended
much further N than the limits of the Aztec, as did their culture- The capital fell in 1521,
but rest of empire had to be conquered very slowly
-Sp est cities which become centers of expansion for hispanic culture and military
expansion
-Enlightenment= push to preserve Mexican history
-Mexican independence 1810-1821 saw Mexico as heir of both Spain and pre-
columbian policies
-for Mex nationalists of 19th and 20th ce Axtec inheritance became fundamental to an
understanding of nationhood- Mexico existed before Sp- this thinking used to fend off Fr
intervention
-Fed constitution of 1917 responded to social pressures from peasants and urban
workers over land ownership and rights/conditions of labor
Slave Trade in Mexico - Correct Answers --minimal in comparison to South America and
Caribbean
-16th ce- 1:1 Spaniard to African
-Sedentary lifestyle of Indians led to dramatic decline of importing Africans
-300 years of colonial control about 200,000 African slaves
-Slavery abolished by President Vicente Guerrero in 1829
Cristobal Colon - Correct Answers --Columbus- 4 voyages- changed world dramatically
-Aristotle had said Earth was spherical- Columbus believed it was just smaller
-born in 1451 in Genoese- son of weaver/ wine star owner
-worked in Med trade
-1483: petitioned King John III of Portugal for 3 caravels for a voyage to China- rebuffed
,-1486: met with Isabel of Catille in 1486- agreed her support for 90% of profits-
Columbus gets 10% and governorship of new land
Living with the US - Correct Answers --loss of Tx in 1836 followed by defeat in War and
loss of nearly 1/2 claimed territory
-Mexicans N of redrawn border become 2nd class citizens of a foreign power
-1960 Chicano mvt
-loss of far N confirmed shift in power in N America
-Mexican-US relationship focused on disparities of power and wealth- Mexico is
symbollically an island
-War still fresh in mind because of its connection to 1858-61 Civil War
-19th ce allies as far as Mex concerned but US cont to misunderstand Mexican
people/policy
-Mexico join NAFTA in 1993- criticized by left for exposing Mexican ag to US
competition
-border problem- status/condition of migrants- US see border as security issue- border
control est in 1924 and fence in 1994
-US bracero programs 1942-64- Mexicans substitute for absent ag workers during war
Drug trafficking and Money - Correct Answers --3/4 of Cocaine market destined for US
markets- Mexican drug cartels main threat to US
-Mex/US anti-narcotics strategy proved difficult to implement- DEA operate in Mex
-penetration of gangs into politics and security
-murder rate escalates allarmingly through 2000s- specifically journalists- mostly from
feuding between El Chapo gang and the Beltran Leyva bros- kidnapping and extortion
increase
-police contracts with organized crime
Higher Profile of the Catholic - Correct Answers --serious conflicts between church and
state from 1873-6 and 1926-9
-constituition of 1917 forbade the formation of clerical political parties and confined
church to a limited role in edu only
-Restoration led by Pope John Paul II- 1992 new shrine created for martyrs of the
revolution
-Mex church cont to press for religious edu, criticize secular schools, denounce liberal
sexual practices, and inveigh against controversial media
-2002 Pope visits Mex again
-2004- Mexican Primate Cardinal- abortion and birth control worse than drig trafficking-
following outcry to anti clericalism- blamed ills of Mexico on homosexuals, feminists,
and other minorites
-2010- Same sex civil legitimsation center of debate- ruled as a right in 2015 by
Supreme Court- Cardinam Rivera took this to be an attack on Christain doctrine and led
a campaign against same sex
, A Perspective on the PResent - Correct Answers --tendency to view Mex in isolation-
unnecessary distortion- post conquest Mex has always been integrated into the wider
world in varying degrees
-Mex largely an exception to trends in S Am, wary of Chinese competition in the US
market
-2016- decline in oil $- deepening uncertainty about US relations= currency instability
and investor reticense
Pre-Columbian Era - Correct Answers --Ice Age created a land bridge
-fall of megafuna- needed other sources of food- developed ag in Mesoamerica
between 5500-3500 BC- later than rest of world
-In Mex basin, mixture of sedentary and semi-sedentary people- living on plants and
animals around the extensive lakeshore in valley- moderate temp and abundant water-
basis for settled life
-earliest permanent villages- maize cultivation 2500-1400 BC
-900-500 BC pop in central highlands increased rapidly- more villages despite decline in
lake level
-more villages= more chiefdomes= alliances- expansion of exchange networks and
growth of cultivated lands
-Classical period (300-900) a great flowering throughout mesoamerica
The Olmecs - Correct Answers --flourished 1200-300 BC in Gulf lowlands- the base for
which later cultures would develop
-never an empire- political system and religious system, long distance communication,
astronomy, and calendar reached sophisticated levels- no polotical culture beyond Gulf
base area
-first to construct large scale ceremnial sites
-Shamoan Kings- elites who interpretted the cosmos, creation, and the cycle of human
life
-needed large labor force -> chiefdoms exercising control over limited territories
-belief system pointed to a cosmos in which all elements and creatures were infused
with a spiritual power through discipline, fasting, meditation, and self mutilation
(bloodletting)
-sought access to animal spirits to transcend human consciousness
-provided a legacy for subsequent mesoamerican cultures
-economic basis in extreme fertility of basin river area-> large pop
Monte Alban and the Zapotec Cultures of Oaxaca - Correct Answers --Monte Alban
culture dominated Oaxaca for a thousand years- first phase 500 to 400 BC- Rosario
phase 700-500 BC: poetry, art, architecture, masonry
-growth of pop and strain on resources-> concentrated labor force- economic and
political reordering
-concentrated landownership in valley explained increasing social differentiation and
emergence of a ruling elite
-Statehood emerged 200 BC-100AD- reached its height: construction, religion, social
stratification, and rulership- pop 15,000-30,000- strict caste system
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Pre-Columbian world been brought back to life to serve a political purpose in the
present day - Correct Answers -1- Creation of Spanish colonial, political, and economic
systems imposed on existing cultures
2- Mexican national state constructed from New Spain
Soverignty, Territory, and National Settlement - Correct Answers --Mexico extended
much further N than the limits of the Aztec, as did their culture- The capital fell in 1521,
but rest of empire had to be conquered very slowly
-Sp est cities which become centers of expansion for hispanic culture and military
expansion
-Enlightenment= push to preserve Mexican history
-Mexican independence 1810-1821 saw Mexico as heir of both Spain and pre-
columbian policies
-for Mex nationalists of 19th and 20th ce Axtec inheritance became fundamental to an
understanding of nationhood- Mexico existed before Sp- this thinking used to fend off Fr
intervention
-Fed constitution of 1917 responded to social pressures from peasants and urban
workers over land ownership and rights/conditions of labor
Slave Trade in Mexico - Correct Answers --minimal in comparison to South America and
Caribbean
-16th ce- 1:1 Spaniard to African
-Sedentary lifestyle of Indians led to dramatic decline of importing Africans
-300 years of colonial control about 200,000 African slaves
-Slavery abolished by President Vicente Guerrero in 1829
Cristobal Colon - Correct Answers --Columbus- 4 voyages- changed world dramatically
-Aristotle had said Earth was spherical- Columbus believed it was just smaller
-born in 1451 in Genoese- son of weaver/ wine star owner
-worked in Med trade
-1483: petitioned King John III of Portugal for 3 caravels for a voyage to China- rebuffed
,-1486: met with Isabel of Catille in 1486- agreed her support for 90% of profits-
Columbus gets 10% and governorship of new land
Living with the US - Correct Answers --loss of Tx in 1836 followed by defeat in War and
loss of nearly 1/2 claimed territory
-Mexicans N of redrawn border become 2nd class citizens of a foreign power
-1960 Chicano mvt
-loss of far N confirmed shift in power in N America
-Mexican-US relationship focused on disparities of power and wealth- Mexico is
symbollically an island
-War still fresh in mind because of its connection to 1858-61 Civil War
-19th ce allies as far as Mex concerned but US cont to misunderstand Mexican
people/policy
-Mexico join NAFTA in 1993- criticized by left for exposing Mexican ag to US
competition
-border problem- status/condition of migrants- US see border as security issue- border
control est in 1924 and fence in 1994
-US bracero programs 1942-64- Mexicans substitute for absent ag workers during war
Drug trafficking and Money - Correct Answers --3/4 of Cocaine market destined for US
markets- Mexican drug cartels main threat to US
-Mex/US anti-narcotics strategy proved difficult to implement- DEA operate in Mex
-penetration of gangs into politics and security
-murder rate escalates allarmingly through 2000s- specifically journalists- mostly from
feuding between El Chapo gang and the Beltran Leyva bros- kidnapping and extortion
increase
-police contracts with organized crime
Higher Profile of the Catholic - Correct Answers --serious conflicts between church and
state from 1873-6 and 1926-9
-constituition of 1917 forbade the formation of clerical political parties and confined
church to a limited role in edu only
-Restoration led by Pope John Paul II- 1992 new shrine created for martyrs of the
revolution
-Mex church cont to press for religious edu, criticize secular schools, denounce liberal
sexual practices, and inveigh against controversial media
-2002 Pope visits Mex again
-2004- Mexican Primate Cardinal- abortion and birth control worse than drig trafficking-
following outcry to anti clericalism- blamed ills of Mexico on homosexuals, feminists,
and other minorites
-2010- Same sex civil legitimsation center of debate- ruled as a right in 2015 by
Supreme Court- Cardinam Rivera took this to be an attack on Christain doctrine and led
a campaign against same sex
, A Perspective on the PResent - Correct Answers --tendency to view Mex in isolation-
unnecessary distortion- post conquest Mex has always been integrated into the wider
world in varying degrees
-Mex largely an exception to trends in S Am, wary of Chinese competition in the US
market
-2016- decline in oil $- deepening uncertainty about US relations= currency instability
and investor reticense
Pre-Columbian Era - Correct Answers --Ice Age created a land bridge
-fall of megafuna- needed other sources of food- developed ag in Mesoamerica
between 5500-3500 BC- later than rest of world
-In Mex basin, mixture of sedentary and semi-sedentary people- living on plants and
animals around the extensive lakeshore in valley- moderate temp and abundant water-
basis for settled life
-earliest permanent villages- maize cultivation 2500-1400 BC
-900-500 BC pop in central highlands increased rapidly- more villages despite decline in
lake level
-more villages= more chiefdomes= alliances- expansion of exchange networks and
growth of cultivated lands
-Classical period (300-900) a great flowering throughout mesoamerica
The Olmecs - Correct Answers --flourished 1200-300 BC in Gulf lowlands- the base for
which later cultures would develop
-never an empire- political system and religious system, long distance communication,
astronomy, and calendar reached sophisticated levels- no polotical culture beyond Gulf
base area
-first to construct large scale ceremnial sites
-Shamoan Kings- elites who interpretted the cosmos, creation, and the cycle of human
life
-needed large labor force -> chiefdoms exercising control over limited territories
-belief system pointed to a cosmos in which all elements and creatures were infused
with a spiritual power through discipline, fasting, meditation, and self mutilation
(bloodletting)
-sought access to animal spirits to transcend human consciousness
-provided a legacy for subsequent mesoamerican cultures
-economic basis in extreme fertility of basin river area-> large pop
Monte Alban and the Zapotec Cultures of Oaxaca - Correct Answers --Monte Alban
culture dominated Oaxaca for a thousand years- first phase 500 to 400 BC- Rosario
phase 700-500 BC: poetry, art, architecture, masonry
-growth of pop and strain on resources-> concentrated labor force- economic and
political reordering
-concentrated landownership in valley explained increasing social differentiation and
emergence of a ruling elite
-Statehood emerged 200 BC-100AD- reached its height: construction, religion, social
stratification, and rulership- pop 15,000-30,000- strict caste system
