**********
PLEASE NOTE:
YOU WILL BE
REQUIRED TO
KNOW THE
STATES of
MEXICO
1.AGUASCALIENTES
2.BAJA CALIFORNIA
3.BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR
4.CAMPECHE
5.CHIAPAS
6.CHIHUAHUA
7.COAHUILA
8.COLIMA
9.DURANGO
10.GUANAJUATO
11.GUERRERO
12.HIDALGO
13.JALISCO
14.MÉXICO (State of)
15.MÉXICO CITY, D.F.
16.MICHOACÁN
17.MORELOS
18.NAYARIT
19.NUEVO LEÓN
20.OAXACA
21.PUEBLA
22.QUERETARO
23.QUINTANA ROO
24.SAN LUIS POTOSÍ
25.SINALOA
26.SONORA
27.TABASCO
28.TAMAULIPAS
29.TLAXCALA
30.VERACRUZ
31.YUCATAN
32.ZACATECAS
JUST KIDDING!!
BUT I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT MEXICO,
LIKE THE UNITED STATES, HAS MANY
STATES AND A NATIONAL CAPITAL:
MEXICO CITY.
moving on to a bit of history and culture…
adelante con un poco de historia y cultura…
Yes! You do have to know this information for the
CULTURE QUIZ that you will have next class.
!Sí! TIENEN QUE Saber esta información para la
PRUEBA de CULTURA que tendrán la próxima
clase
Rio Grande
• México is situated to the south of the USA.
The dividing line between México and
Texas is the Rio Grande.
so here we go…
The Aztecs built their capital city, Tenochtitlán, in the middle of
Lake Texcoco in 1325 A.D... Over time they developed a complex
city with floating farms and causeways connecting the city to the
main land. When Spanish invaders arrived in the 1500’s, they
conquered the Aztecs and built Mexico City on the ruins of the
Aztec capital. Today parts of Mexico City are sinking by about a
foot each year
the Aztec also built
pyramids as
astronomical
observatories and to
give honor to their
gods…
they
sacrificed…
they made fascinating art such as this máscara
de Teotihuacán…
they built stone structures such as this huge rock
calendar “la Piedra del Sol”…
They also built other massive stone structures
and pottery, often in honor of their gods. One
was named Tláloc. He was the god of rain and
demanded child sacrifices.
Moctezuma II, the most
famous Aztec ruler, came
to power in 1502. It’s not
very clear how powerful
he was, but during his
reign as EMPEROR, the
Aztec Empire reached its
maximal size; through
warfare Moctezuma II
expanded the territory far
south.
But in all of their greatness, the Aztecs sometimes did
not treat very well the other native tribes of Mexico they
conquered. Those people became allies with the
Spanish explorers who arrived in 1519 and helped
them to overthrow the Aztec empire.
Hernán Cortés, a
spaniard, conquered the
city of Tenochtitlán in
1519.
major points of review…
Moctezuma II came to power in 1502. He was the
emperor of the Aztecs during the time that Hernán
Cortés conquered Tenochtitlán in 1519.
quick summary of the spanish conquest….
The Spaniards conquered the Aztec empire and built their own city,
MEXICO CITY, over the ruins of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán. They
used the stone to build their own homes and buildings. Mexico City
became the CAPITAL of the Spanish colony and grew to cover the dry
lake bed.
Mexico City today
Population of 23,000,000 and
growing! 2nd largest in the world
MAJOR POINTS of interest in the heart of historic Mexico
City from map on page 1:
• el
Zócalo (1)
• el Museo del Templo Mayor (5)
• el Ángel(6)
• la Catedral Metropolitana (2)
• el Palacio Nacional (3)
• Paseo de la Reforma (major boulevard)
El Zócalo just means city center square or plaza. However, Mexico City’s is
famous and notice: it’s capitalized! It’s the heart of the city. It’s a massive
concrete area with a giant flag in the center, bounded on the north by the
Metropolitan Cathedral (la Catedral Metropolitana) and on the east by the
National Palace (Palacio Nacional).
El Zócalo- La Plaza de Constitución - Constitution Square
Notice the giant flag on the flagpole.
• The flag of Mexico features an eagle standing
on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. The
legend states that when the Aztecs saw this,
they were to build their city at that location,
which is now modern day Mexico City.
North-east of the Zócalo are the ruins of the Templo Mayor, the main temple of the ancient
Aztec capital city of Tenochtitlán. It was destroyed in the 16th century by the Spanish, and was
excavated only recently, after workmen uncovered a huge circular stone depicting the goddess
Coyolxauhqui in 1978. Now there is a museum here to show artefacts found in the ruins.
El Ángel is an Independence Monument
built in 1910 to commemorate 100 years of
independence from Spain.
La Catedral Metropolitana
El Palacio Nacional former residence of Hernán Cortés
View of the courtyard of el Palacio Nacional. Hernán Cortés
used to live here. Now it’s the seat of the Mexican government.
Murals painted by Diego Rivera grace the
stairways and walls facing the courtyard of
el Palacio Nacional.
Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City –
inspired by the Champs Elysées in Paris
Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City – inspired by
the Champs Elysées in Paris
for comparison purposes, here is the Champs
Elysées Paris, France
and finally, two famous and interesting
artists, two artifacts, and a couple of
celebrations….look and listen…this will
also be on your quiz…
Diego Rivera is a famous painter/artist.
He is NOT a conquistador. He is an artist- a PAINTER.
His murals grace the walls of the Palacio Nacional
courtyard as well as many other places in Mexico.
Frida Kahlo, surrealist
Frida and Diego
Salma Hayek as Frida
Dreams of Frida
Self Portrait with
Monkeys
Las Dos Fridas
Tláloc was an important GOD OF WATER, RAIN, and
FERTILTY of the Aztecs. Tláloc was pictured as a man wearing a net
of clouds, a crown of heron feathers, foam sandals and carrying rattles to make
thunder. Tláloc brought on great wrath upon the Aztec people. He often used his
lightning bolts to make the people sick. It is said that he had four different jugs of
water in his possession. When he emptied the first one, it brought life to plants. The
second would cause blight, the third brought on frost, and the fourth would bring
total destruction.
La Piedra Del Sol: was discovered in 1790 near the
ruins of the Templo Mayor. It measures about 3.6 meters
(12 ft) in diameter, 1.22 meters (4 ft) in thickness and weighing
24 tons. It is exhibited at el Museo Nacional de Antropología
La Fiesta Guadalupana is celebrated on December 12.
Many believe that the miracle of the Virgin of
Guadalupe united the Mexican society.
The Festival of Flowers – La Feria de las Flores – is celebrated in
the FLOATING GARDENS of Xochimilco. Xochimilco is better
known for its extended series of canals — all that remains of the
ancient Lake Xochimilco. The word Xochimilco in Nahuatl (Aztec
language) means “place of the flowers” – “lugar de las flores”