Mexico

Facts

• Capital- Mexico City

• Federal Republic with a Constitution

• Mexico City is one of the most populated and polluted cities in the world

History

• Around 1521 Hernan Cortes defeated the Aztecs and the area that is now Mexico was claimed by Spain

• In 1821, Mexico declared independence from Spain

• General Lopez de Santa Anna set up a government with a Constitution.

• Most could not participate

War with the United States

• In 1836 Mexico lost Texas in the Texas war for Independence. (Texas later joined the United States

• The main issue was slavery was illegal in Mexico and Texan settlers wanted to keep their slaves

• In 1847 the United States defeated Mexico in the Mexican-American war and took half of Mexico’s territory

The Mexican Revolution 1910-1917

• Porfirio Diaz was President of Mexico in 1910.

• In the 1910 election he had his opponent Francisco Madero jailed to prevent him from running.

• Madero got out and led the people in revolt.

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• Then the revolution broke down into factions and Madero was assassinated

• Pancho Villa was one of these factions in the North and was very unpopular with the U.S. government

• Emillano Zapata’s movement was another in the South. His movement was popular with indigenous people

• Both were assassinated

1917 Constitution

• Breaks the government into three branches

• A bicameral legislature

• An independent court

Presidency

• Elected to one six year term only to prevent dictatorships

• The President can propose amendments to the constitution

• Any amendment must be ratified by 2/3 votes in each house of Congress and by at least 16 state legislatures

The General Congress

• Senate- 64 Senators two from each state and 2 from the Federal district of Mexico City (31 states)

• Six year terms, half elected with the President, half elected three years later

• The chamber of deputies- 500 members • 3 year terms• Can’t be reelected• Three hundred are elected directly, 200 seats

are assigned based on the percentage of seats each political party gets

• Congress meets from September 1 to December 31st

• The rest of the time a council of advisors from the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies passes most of the laws and advises the President

Political Parties

• (Institutional Revolutionary Party) PRI- Held power from 1929 to 2000 continuously. They were accused of ballot destruction and voter fraud in 1988. Under the PRI Mexico’s economy plunged, NAFTA was signed in 1994 and in 1968 Mexico hosted the Summer Olympics

The PAN

• National Action Party- This is the Conservative party of Mexico and the party currently in power of the Presidency

• In 2000 the PAN was able to oust the PRI in national elections with 45% of the vote and Vincente Fox was elected

• In 2006, Mexico held a very close Presidential election and Felipe Calderon of the PAN was elected President

Felipe Calderon

• Won Mexican Election in 2006

• Member of the PAN

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

• Did not win the 2006 Mexican Election for President

• Alleged that the PAN had cheated

• A member of the PRD

Democratic Revolutionary Party

• The Leftist liberal party of Mexico is the PRD. In the last two elections they barely lost.

• 1 million Mexicans protested the results of the 2006 election in Mexico city

• President Felipe Calderon was met with protests while being sworn in from members of the general congress

2012 election

• In the 2012 election the PRI won the Presidency

• The current President of Mexico is Enrique Pena Nieto

NAFTA

• North American Free Trade Agreement

• Between Canada, Mexico and the United States

• Took effect January 1st, 1994

• To promote trade between the three countries and foster economic development

NAFTA pros and cons

• Pros• Cheap goods for the

U.S. consumer• Possible gain of

factory job in Mexico• Increased flow of

goods between countries generates revenue

• Cons• Low wages for the

worker in Mexico• Possible loss of

factory job in United States

EZLN

• Subcommandante Marcos- Delegate Zero

• Spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN)

• January 1st, 1994 armed rebellion against the government began

• Primarily in the State of Chiapas

• Believed to be a former political science professor from Mexico City

Chiapas"You are in Zapatista rebel territory. Here the people command and the

government obeys." • This state is almost

entirely controlled by EZLN.

• EZLN rejects capitalism and corporate exploitation of the lands of the indigenous people

• EZLN started out as 4 people back in the 1980’s. (Three men and one woman.)

• Today they may number 3,000

Women’s rights in Chiapas

• Women, regardless of their race, creed, color or political affiliation, have the right to participate in the revolutionary struggle in any way that their desire and capacity determine.

• Women have the right to work and receive a fair salary.• Women have the right to decide the number of children they have and care

for.• Women have the right to participate in the matters of the community and have

charge if they are free and democratically elected.• Women and their children have the right to Primary Attention in their health

and nutrition.• Women have the right to an education.• Women have the right to choose their partner and are not obliged to enter into

marriage.• Women have the right to be free of violence from both relatives and strangers.

Quiz

• 1. Who is the current President of Mexico?

• 2. What party does that person belong to?

• 3. What are the three major Mexican political parties?

• 4. What nation took half of Mexico’s territory in an 1847-48 war?

• 5. What 3 events took place in Mexico in 1994?