9781422278864

M E X I C O

History For thousands of years many different indigenous tribes lived inMexico. The Olmecs are the first known society of Mexico, living near Veracruz sometime between 1200 and 600 bce . The Teotihuacan people built their capital, whose ruins can still be seen today, near what is nowMexico City.

It is thought to have been the largest city in the world at the time. From 900 to 250 bce , the Mayans flourished. They are considered the most advanced ancient society of Latin America. TheAztecswere the last of Mexico’s great pre-Hispanic societies. They thrived between the years 1100 and 1500. Aztecs built an empire so big that they are thought to have ruled over nearly five million people. During the rule of theAztecs, the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and his ships arrived in Veracruz, Mexico. They were in search of gold and converts to Catholicism. Moctezuma II, theAztec king, mistookCortes for the god-kingQuetzalcoatl,whowas expect- ed to return to earth. In 1521, Cortes’ forces, along with indigenous groups who opposed the Aztecs, conquered the capital of theAztec empire called Tenochtitlan. There continued to be bloody battles between Spanish soldiers and indigenous people. A turning point came in 1531, when an indigenous man named Juan Diego had a

Virgin of Guadalupe

In 1531, Juan Diego saw an image of a young woman surrounded by light on a hill near Mexico City. The woman told Juan Diego that a church should be built on the site of an Aztec temple. When Juan Diego told the bishop about his experience, the bishop didn’t believe him and told him to ask the Virgin for a miraculous sign. The Virgin appeared to Juan Diego a second time and told him to gather flowers, which were not in season, in his cloak, called a tilmatli . When Juan Diego opened his tilmatli before the bishop, flowers tumbled out and the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was imprinted on his cloak. At this miraculous sign, the bishop agreed to build the church.

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