Talking about the history of the center of México practically means talking about the history of our country itself. From México City, that rests over the ruins of the Aztec mythical capital, or the colonial enchantments of San Miguel de Allende and Zacatecas, to the heroic memories of Querétaro's wars to achieve national unity; perceive a history that's still alive, and above all, a history that has to be understood to understand México.
 | México-Tenochtitlan |
Aztecs used to say that their ancestors had peregrinated from the North of the country to settle down their city in the place where their God Huitzilopochtli had pointed out. This place was an islet in the lake where México City is currently located. Here, the Aztecs saw a divine sign: an eagle devouring a snake standing on a nopal (cactus). There, they built a magnificent city: Tenochtitlan, in the year 1325. They were a warrior community that subjugated their neighbors with their fierceful army of eagle and jaguar soldiers. They established a commercial network and a payment system of tributes that economically sustained their empire: a wide territory that occupied the center of México and some regions in the South. Aztecs were also an educated community that contributed with important medicine, astronomy, arts and literature advances. They left a big legacy of sculptural pieces and painted books that are now shown in many museums in México and around the world, and that have given us numerous data about the lifestyle and the beliefs of the communities in the old México.
Spain conquered the Aztec empire, evangelized it, colonized it and expanded its limits. All this territory was called the New Spain Viceroyalty, and it covered from the South of the United States to Central America.
It was one of the jewels of the Spaniard Crown, due to the fact that the wealth that it brought came mainly from the silver that was exploited in the rich mines of the North. The wealth was moved during the Viceroyalty through the Camino Real of Tierra Adentro, or “Ruta de la Plata” (Silver Route), that went from Santa Fe, Nuevo Mexico, through Zacatecas, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende and Querétaro up to México City. The silver sailed out from the Veracruz harbor towards Spain in heavy boats exposed to the constant pirate attacks. Besides the magnificent colonial cities and the splendor of the baroque art, the Viceroyalty made three main contributions to the Mexican culture: the Spanish language, Christianism and mixed races.
Governing the independent México was not an easy task. Both Liberal and Conservative parties wanted the government and fought for it in civil wars. In 1864, conservatives thought that the best type of government for México was the monarchy, and they invited the Austrian archduke Maximilian of Hasbourg and his wife Carlota of Belgium to be crown emperors of México. The new monarchs arrived to the Country supported by the troops of the emperor Napoleon III of France. Nevertheless, the liberals, lead by Benito Juarez, supported a form of republican government and started a war against the Maximilian empire. Conservatives started to lose ground, until they were reduced to the city of Querétaro, finally taken by the liberals. Maximilian and two of his generals were executed here on June 19th, 1867, obtaining the triumph of the Mexican Republic and the vote of confidence of Benito Juárez as president.
The Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortés arrived to México on 1519 with only 800 soldiers. At his arrival he found a political situation that favored him: the towns subjugated by the Aztecs were unhappy with their dominion. Besides, the Emperor Moctezuma believed in an old prophecy that said that the God Quetzalcóatl would come with his brothers from the East to take possession of his empire. Taking advantage of the situation, Cortés made alliances with the subjugated towns and went to México City. Over there, Moctezuma received them and was very hospitable but the conquerors took advantage of it and they were expelled after the so known night: “La Noche Triste” (The Sad Night), a battle where almost half of the Spanish died. Nevertheless, this just gave Cortés some time to reorganize his army and ask Spain for back up. After almost two years of resistance, México City-Tenochtitlan fell on August 13, 1521. Little by little, México was conquered.
In the social pyramid of the Viceroyalty, the Spaniards from the Peninsula occupied the tip. Spaniards born in America, or creoles, didn't have many rights, they couldn't get important posts and were treated as inferiors.
Besides, there was a big unhappy multitude composed by crossbreeding, mixed races and slaves. For this reason some creoles from Querétaro, Guanajuato and San Miguel de Allende decided to fight for the country's Independence. The night of September 15th, 1810, the priest Miguel Hidalgo rang the bells of his church and called the whole population to join the cause. They were 10 long years of war, where Miguel Hidalgo and many more heroes of this part of the Mexican history died. Finally, on September 27th, 1821, Spain agreed and recognized the Mexican Independence.
 | Recreation of the Mexican Revolution |
Peace between liberals and conservatives was finally obtained when one man took the power: Porfirio Díaz. Díaz industrialized the country and highly positioned it within the rest of the world. Nevertheless, he was a dictator who governed for almost 30 years; still, he couldn't solve the poverty of millions of workers and countrymen. For this reason, México's people rose up in arms on November 20th, 1910, starting a movement known as the Mexican Revolution. Porfirio Díaz immediately abandoned the country and the war continued until all the demands of the different social groups were resolved. The Revolution didn't end until 1917, when the revolutionaries decided to sign, in Querétaro, the Constitution that nowadays dictates the country's law and where all the accomplished objectives were written.
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