9781422286845

Vital and Creative: The Art and Architecture of Mexico

Timeline 1150–600 B . C . Olmec culture rises and spreads. A . D . 100–750 Teotihuacán culture flourishes in the central highlands 300–900 Mayan culture dominates the Yucatán Peninsula.

The city of Tenochtitlán is founded by the Aztecs. Cortés arrives in Mexico and begins his conquest. 1783 San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts is built in the Neoclassical style of architecture. Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla begins the War of Independence against Spain. José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi founds the Public Society of Writing to distribute books and newspapers. Mexico gains its independence from Spain, ending the colonial era. 1843 The Gran Teatro, a theater for music, dance, and drama, is built in Mexico City. Mexico has a new and liberal constitution. 1858–1861 The War of Reform is fought between conservative forces and liberal forces. Maximilian, Archduke of Austria, is crowned Emperor of Mexico. Liberal armies defeat the Empire. The period of the Renaciamento begins. 1876 Porfirio Díaz seizes power and controls the presidency for the next 34 years, a period often called the Porfiriato.

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