A Short History of Mexico

John Patrick McHenry

• Publisher: Papamoa Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781789122404
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

In this concise, readable account, the history of one of the Western Hemisphere's most important countries is recounted, from the first recorded appearance of early man around 10, 000 B.C. down to the present day. Through the pages of this book move the men, famous and infamous, who have Mexican history; Montezuma and Cortes; the Spanish viceroys whose downfall began when the priest Hidalgo issues his famous "Cry of Dolores"; the Emperor Agustin de Iturbide, first ruler of an independent Mexico; General Santa Anna, who fought and lost the Texas Revolution and the Mexican War; the ill-fated Emperor Maximilian and Benito Juarez, who overthrew him; Porfirio Diaz and Francisco Madero; Huerta, Pancho Villa, Carranza, and Zapata, who were involved in the troubles of the early decades of this century; and the president since 1920; among them, Obregon, Calles, Cardenas, Aleman, and the present incumbent, Lopez Mateos.

A SHORT HISTORY OF MEXICO

CHAPTER ONE — 10,000 B.C.—A.D. 1518

When Christopher Columbus first sighted land in the Caribbean, he was certain he had reached the East Indies. It was only logical then that the golden-skinned natives he found on the islands should be called “Indians.” His logic was unquestionably sound, but his calculations were a whole hemisphere off. By the time he realized the colossal magnitude of his error, the name for natives in America had been irrevocably fixed and the misnomer “Indian” comes down to us as an example of how logic can lead to absurdities.

What Columbus discovered, of course, were islands of America where flourished a culture whose principal center was as large (and as beautiful) as Venice, whose philosophy and mathematics contained some precepts as profound as those of the Greeks, and whose knowledge of astronomy was as accurate as that of European scientists. It is not likely that members of this culture would admit that Columbus had “discovered” anything. How their culture began and grew, what their heritage was, what ancestry they had, or how, indeed, man came to be in America at all, is not known for certain, since no written history (as we understand history) of pre-Columbian cultures in America exists.

The history that does exist has been logically recreated from crumbling pyramids, fading murals, broken pots, and strange stone carvings. “La Historia Universal de las Cosas de Nueva España” (The Universal History of the Things of New Spain), a work by a sixteenth-century Spanish monk named father Bernardino de Sahagún, is the most important record we have concerning ancient Mexico, but it is so full of fantastic myths and legends that one needs intuition as well as science to understand it. For nearly three centuries this invaluable work gathered dust in obscure places until, early in the nineteenth century, an Englishman named Lord Kingsborough brought it to light in propounding his theory that Mexico, like Egypt, had been a distant outpost of the long-sunk continent Atlantis. Though his theory caused no great stir in scientific circles, the mass of material he gathered to support it was eagerly received by young men pioneering in a new branch of science called archaeology. Since then, archaeologists, geologists, and ethnologists, picking over the ruins of ancient Indian cities, have produced a myriad of artifacts on which the pre-Columbian history of Mexico has been constructed. In general their findings corroborate or throw new light on the writings of that early Spanish monk.

The remarks in this chapter are a kind of synthesis of the latest theories accepted by archaeologists and historians. Although presented in a matter-of-fact way, the story told here is far from certain and is liable to change with new discoveries by archaeologists. Their finds are incomparably more valuable than theories, for theories derive from logic, and logic, as we have seen in the case of Columbus, can lead to hopeless confusion.

In 10,000 B.C. that part of the North American continent now known as Mexico was covered with dense jungles in the lowlands, forests and patches of grassy plains in the highlands, and, in the north, deserts. The central plateau was humid and rich in vegetation and was visited frequently by groups of longhaired mammoths seeking succulent plants. From the trees they were scolded by flocks of colorful parrots. On the windy plains grazed herds of large bison, and groups of bounding antelope were common. There were also elephants. In damp places giant armadillos scratched for food. In dry places roamed the haughty camel. A species of horse, now extinct, ran wild in the highlands. And the rarest sight of all was man.

For over a century it had been suspected that man had inhabited Mexico as early as 10,000 B.C., but it wasn’t until 1945 that this was decisively proved. Workmen digging foundations for a hospital in Tepexpan, a tiny village on the road to Laredo outside Mexico City, unearthed the remains of a giant-sized mammoth near whose skull was found a crudely made spearhead. The eminent geologist and archaeologist called in to appraise the discovery found (with more digging) a few yards away and in the same earth stratum—calculated at 800010,000 B.C. by carbon tests—a human skeleton. A careful examination of his skull revealed that he was not a Neanderthal or Java man, as paleontologists had hoped, but a Homo sapiens. Frederick Peterson states, “Alive, in modern clothes, and walking about the streets of Mexico City, he would excite no comment whatsoever.”

His presence in Mexico can be explained by conjecture only. Northern Asiatic tribes, it is said, pursued herds of mammoths across the ice-covered Bering Strait and, lured by the abundance of game on this continent, continued down the west coast to Mexico. Very little is known about the period between 10,000 and 1200 B.C. except that man was a hunter using a stonehead spear. It can be presumed, however, that a genius appeared sometime around 1500 B.C., someone who observed that seeds falling on the earth produced three months later a new growth of corn. The importance of that observation cannot be too strongly emphasized. Because of it man in Mexico changed from a hunter to a fanner—from a destroyer to a creator. And the seeds of civilization took root.

Gradually primitive man gave up his hazardous occupation of hunting and gave more attention to the soil. Tricks were learned. Fertilizers were discovered, taller stalks were developed, storage bins were constructed, and cooking corn became a skill. Man, for the first time, had leisure. He had time for making pottery and weaving cloth. Communities formed, in which languages developed, styles in art evolved, and religious rites became elaborate ceremonies. On the gulf coast were the Olmecs, on the peninsula of Yucatan were the Mayas, in the middle country were the Zapotecs, and on the central plateau were the Nahuas, In the valley of Mexico, on the southeast shore of a long irregular lake (now greatly reduced) three separate clusters of reed huts appeared—Arbolillo, Tlatilco, and Zacatenco.

By 1000 B.C. the docile farming people of these villages showed signs of influence from a more advanced and vigorous culture, probably the Olmecs living in what is now the tropical state of Tabasco. The Olmecs were then called the “magicians” because of their use of drugs (derived from certain mushrooms and cacti) to produce hallucinations, their ritualistic worship of the jaguar—a fierce leopardlike beast of North and South America—and their “seers” who could forecast the weather. Sculpture in stone and terra cotta became a primary art. The Olmecs in Tabasco produced some extraordinarily fine works in stone of Buddha-like figures and bearded athletes shown at their exercise. The “magicians” in the valley of Mexico turned out exquisite figurines in terra cotta—nude maidens with hourglass figures wearing stand-out skirts that conceal nothing but their navels. Other works of theirs show an unhealthy interest in the abnormal—hunchbacks, dwarfs, and monsters.

650–150 B.C.

Within the last century archaeologists have ascribed various names to this cultural period—the Upper Preclassic, the Late Middle Culture, the Formative Period, and, most recently, the First Architects and Priests. Villages built in this period show for the first time a definite plan. Each had a stone pyramid before which was a large plaza surrounded by an orderly placement of reed huts. Cuicuilco, Atzcapotzalco, Cerro de la Estrella (Hill of the Star), and Teotihuacán—to mention only those in the valley of Mexico—were founded in this period. The pyramid suggests that religious ceremonies had already evolved into pageants presided over by a hierarchy of priests. Agriculture had probably by then been well developed, particularly in the south where farms produced enough to feed the large population of Monte Albán. The sun and moon were deified and their powers were invoked whenever an excess of rain or sun threatened to ruin the crops. There was also a god of the wind, of war, of the underworld, of fertility, and of death. In fact, any natural catastrophe such as an earthquake or a volcanic eruption was considered retribution for not having been more attentive to the gods. Religion was, therefore, materialistic and praying was essentially bartering with the gods for favors. The sculptured relief of this period looks grotesque, as though its creators were so tortured with fears and anxiety that they were, it seems, blind to the beauties of nature.

150 B.C.—A.D. 800 or 900

This period is the golden age of pre-Columbian Mexico. Archaeologists can trace its complete cycle and have detected four distinct stages of its development: the Transitional, the Classic, the Baroque, and the Terminal. Perhaps the highest form of an Indian civilization in Mexico was reached during the Classic and Baroque stages. Ruins of the magnificent cities built then (widely separated by great distances)—Monte Albán, Teotihuacán, Tajin, Palenque, Xochicalco, and Yaxchilan—reflect a highly organized society and a cultural level comparable to the Etruscans. Their grandeur is overwhelming. In most cases, whole mountaintops have been leveled off into terraces, one rising above another, joined by broad stairs. The sites of Monte Albán and Xochicalco seem to have been chosen for their commanding view of the surrounding country. Each city, primarily a ceremonial center, had one especially ornate and imposing pyramid situated majestically on the highest terrace; some had a ball court and most had a device for observing the movements of the stars and planets. All outlying fields must have been under cultivation, otherwise the large urban population could not have been fed. Government and religion were one. The high priests dominated society and were undoubtedly the inspired men who sparked cultural advancement. Inexplicably these great cities were abandoned during the eighth century. Within fifty years their great market places, once teeming with traffic, were deserted, and rank growth of the jungle inched forward to swallow them up eventually. No one knows the reason for this change. Perhaps there was a revolution against theocratic oppression, or an invasion by northern barbarians.

Another mystery which, until recently, has been undeservingly ignored is that surrounding the making of stone carvings in America before A.D. 900. The knowledge of using metal for tools was not known in Mexico before A.D. 950 or thereabouts. How, then, were the hard stones of Xochicalco, Teotihuacán, and Monte Albán carved with such delicate accuracy? One theory recently put forward states that those ancient people (not only in Mexico but in Egypt and Peru) cultivated a flower which when crushed emitted a potent juice capable, under special conditions, of “melting” stone. When the stone was the consistency of putty, they drew on it with wooden sticks. The theory would easily be proved if such a flower were to be found today, but unfortunately searches for it have not been, so far, successful. Nevertheless, as a theory it is no less acceptable than the more logical one that chisels were made of stone. Anyone who has tried pounding stone on stone knows it is virtually impossible to make a clean straight line.

A.D. 900

Of all the many legends contained in the books of Father Sahagún none is more beautiful than that of Quetzalcoatl—the plumed serpent—quetzal meaning “feathers” or “feathery” and coatl meaning “snake.” That two such extreme opposites as a gorgeously feathered creature of the air and a snake could be brought together within one name implies that the idea of transcendentalism was not unknown in pre-Columbian Mexico. The word “Quetzalcoatl” probably began as a symbol for an elated state of consciousness and was later bestowed like a title on any individual who evinced in his deportment signs of having permanently attained that state (like a saint or a sage). One such man, says Frederick Peterson, lived in the tenth century when cultures were in upheaval, cities were being abandoned, and nomad tribes from the north invaded Teotihuacán.

According to the Toltec calendar, he was born on Ce Acatl (represented by one reed on the calendar stone), probably in 947. His father, Mixcoatl, was the ruling chief of the Toltecs when his jealous brother Ihuitmal usurped tribal leadership by murdering him. His mother, Chimalma, to escape assassination by her brother-in-law, fled to Tepoztlán, where she died in childbirth. Before expiring, however, she confessed that the child had been divinely conceived when she swallowed a piece of blue-green jade. The boy, when born, was called Ce Acatl Topi tain, meaning “Our Prince Born on Ce Acatl.”

His grandparents watched over him as a child and sent him to the religious school at Xochicalco, where he astonished the faculty with his great wisdom and piety. Despite his youth, the high priests conferred upon him the highest title in the land: Quetzalcoatl. When a young man, he went to the land of his parents, found the remains of his murdered father, and carried them to Tula where he had them buried, in defiance of his uncle, Ihuitmal, with ceremonies befitting a dead king. Later, the Toltec sense of justice was satisfied when he pushed his uncle into a sacrificial fire. So respected was he for this act, the Toltecs proclaimed him their new leader.

His subjects were, by all accounts, a barbarous lot—unskilled, unmannered, and devoted to their god of darkness, Texcatlipoca. Quetzalcoatl began his reign by importing Nonoalcos (deaf and dumb people), descendants of the highly refined people of Teotihuacan. They worked as his artisans and architects and under his tutelage produced the distinctive designs for which Tula is noted—serpent columns, square pillars ornamented with friezes, giant-sized statues of warriors which were probably temple columns. He also drastically changed religious beliefs by forbidding human sacrifice.

The practice of sacrifice was carried on by most nations of antiquity. It was based on the very sound reasoning that to get, one must give, or at least give up. Usually choice animals or the best crops were burned on sacrificial altars to protect the fields from drought or deluge. To explain why human sacrifice should have been practiced in Mexico would require a long disquisition on the psychology of primitive man (who was not a carefree nature lover as the romantics would have him, but was morbidly fatalistic and ridden with fears). But certainly a longer disquisition on the psychology of modern man would be required to explain to a present-day primitive living in the jungles of Chiapas why the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima killing tens of thousands instantly and destroying an entire city. Stated in its simplest terms, both resulted from that diabolical scourge of mankind: war.

War in ancient Mexico was fought primarily to obtain victims for blood-lusting gods. After an all-day battle few if any slain warriors were left on the field, since the object of the skirmish was not to kill but to capture. Each side would seize as many of the enemy as they could and haul them back to their village where they would be imprisoned until the day of sacrifice. On that day, they were painted blue, taken to the top of a teocalli (sacrificial pyramid), and there stretched across a stone altar. A priest with long, trailing hair matted with gore, wearing a bizarre costume, and wielding a blunt, obsidian knife, would rip open the victim’s chest, plunge his hand into the opening, and wrench out the heart which, still warm and pulsing, was tossed into a stone um on the altar.

Not all victims, however, were prisoners of war. In the works of Father Sahagun there is an account of one special ceremony at which a young man of exceptional ability in warfare would actually volunteer himself to be a victim. After that he was treated with reverence, was given the choicest food, the most beautiful virgins for wives, and, after the sacrifice, was worshiped as a god.

When, as high priest of the Toltecs, Quetzalcoatl allowed only flowers, snakes, and small birds to be sacrificed on his altars, a cry of heresy went up from the gore-begrimed priests who were by his interdict put out of business; but Quetzalcoatl cast a spell over the people that rendered them deaf to the angry protests. He then went on to abolish war altogether and turned warriors into fabulously successful farmers capable of growing cotton in different colors! Toltec metalwork, jade carvings, pottery, and weaving were the finest produced in Mexico at that time.

The outraged priests summoned their ancient god, Texcatlipoca, to aid them in overthrowing Quetzalcoatl. Texcatlipoca, being evil, was Quetzalcoatl’s opposite but was as necessary to him as black is to white, down is to up, and bad is to good. Knowledge of one meant inevitably knowledge of the other, and the two gods were considered inseparable.

When conjured up, Texcatlipoca with two evil colleagues crept into the darkened sanctuary of Quetzalcoatl and there brought forth a new invention: the mirror. Quetzalcoatl, on seeing himself, was badly frightened and cried, “If my subjects see me they will run away.” Whereupon the two minor gods obliged him by covering him with red paint, feathers, and a ridiculous mask. They then concocted a delicious stew of com, beans, and tomatoes and produced a tempting beverage of intoxicating pulque mixed with honey. The holy man ate large helpings of the stew but declined the beverage, as he distrusted its effect, Texcatlipoca begged him to sample it with his little finger; he did so and promptly sampled it with four. Soon he was singing and drinking, and a beautiful dancing girl was brought in to join the hilarity. The next morning when he awoke, the room was empty except for the girl asleep beside him. To his honor he realized he had drunk himself into a stupor and had broken his priestly vow of chastity.

Wailing and tearing his hair, he wandered through the forest to Cholula (outside Puebla) where he lived in self-imposed exile for twenty years. He then went to Coatzacoalcos, taking with him four kithful disciples to whom he imparted all his knowledge. At the end of the tenth century he sailed off in a craft of his own design made of intertwined serpents and feathers. To his group of weeping disciples he promised to return from the land of...

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• A SHORT GLOSSARY
• MAPS
• CHAPTER ONE - 10,000 B.C.-A.D. 1518
• CHAPTER TWO - 1519-1521
• CHAPTER THREE - 1522-1535
• CHAPTER FOUR - 1536-1650
• CHAPTER FIVE - 1650-1810
• CHAPTER SIX - 1794-1820
• CHAPTER SEVEN - 1820-1824
• CHAPTER EIGHT - 1823-1855
• CHAPTER NINE - 1856-1867
• CHAPTER TEN - 1867-1910
• CHAPTER ELEVEN - 1911-1928
• CHAPTER TWELVE - 1928-1960
• BIBLIOGRAPHY
• REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER