History

Hardly any other country has access to so much culture from the past as Mexico. The Maya and the Azteken are the most well known, however, if you spend some time researching the history of this country, you will come across even more. Many ruins are in an excellent condition, and therefore well worth a visit.
The biggest change for Mexico took place with the arrival of Hernán Cortés from Spain in 1519. The Aztec greeted this stranger with hospitality, however they were soon abused, and the period of 'New-Spain' had began. Over the following three hundred centuries New Spain became the biggest producer of silver in the world. The indiginous folk was suppressed and their cities destroyed. In 1810 Miguel del Hidalgo initiated a war to fight for independence, that was finally achieved in 1821. This was followed by highs and lows with various dictators, and rebellion of the people as they slipped more and more into poverty. The indian farmers demanded land and freedom, and under the lead of Emiliano Zapata, they initiated struggles against the big time land owners. The big revolution followed. Rebellion by the farmers against the government is still common today, especially in the city of Chiapas. Even though Mexico is known to be a politically stabile republic, the big gap between the rich and the poor leads to a lot of conflict.