Jack Talks Lecture Series: History of Mexico, The Country Itself

The history of Mexico is a subject not well known by most Americans.  But it is a fascinating story, a knowledge of which gives us a much greater understanding of our neighbor to the South.  Jack will share with us the story of its early indigenous peoples, the Maya, the Toltecs, the Chichimeca, and the Aztecs; the capture of Mexico City and the Aztec Empire by Cortés in 1521 and that early conquistador history; the colonial period under Spanish control, with its exploitation of Indians, the enormous power of the Catholic Church, and the rigid social classes that lasted until Mexican independence in 1821; the Mexican War for Independence from 1810 to 1821 with names like Hidalgo, Morelos, Guerrero, and Iturbide; the turbulent period of empire and republic with the famous Santa Ana: the War with the U.S. from 1846-1848; then Juárez and Maximilian; the Díaz dictatorship, followed by the…