Social Classes In Mexico

Mexico went through a very significant transition in areas such as politics, economy and society, during and partially due to the Columbian Exchange. From 8000 BCE to 1900s CE, this country transformed from an ancient civilization that seemed complex and advanced, to a colonial period, and ended up at the republic that we know today. Through this, political instability remained a common theme.

In the very beginning of Mexican civilization, beginning around 8000 BCE, groups such as the Olmecs, Aztecs and Incas ran an incredibly complex society. To begin, the social classes within these civilizations were distinct; for example, Mayan society consisted of ruling and priestly elites which included kings, priests, nobles. The next ranking were
Cortes and the Spaniards invaded the Aztecs in 1519 and the Aztecs were defeated 1521. The invasion of the Spanish and dethroning of the natives represents political instability. During this colonial period (1521-1810) in what was then known as New Spain, social organization shifted to include rankings based on heritage and color rather than simply wealth. These classes included: peninsulares, creoles, mestizos, mulattoes, African slaves, and Native American Indians. This change of social classes was caused by a new emergence of groups that could not fit into the original system. A continuity through this is the acknowledgment of the importance of education by the rich. The University of Mexico was opened and held great support from the Spanish; similar to early Mexico civilizations, education was not available to to the poor or women. Additionally, a continuity is that agriculture remained very important to society all throughout this time. However, crops being grown were significantly changed due to the Columbian exchange. Important crops introduced to Mexico were: coffee, cotton, bananas, citrus, and sugarcane. This dramatic change was due to the emergence of cross continental trade that was now possible. Moreover, the encomienda system was put into place, and this could be compared to feudal society in medieval Europe. A
This battle of leadership lasted from 1810 until 1913. Rebellions lead by Father Hidalgo and Morelos continued until Iturbide declares independence from Mexico; however this is followed by Iturbide declaring himself emperor. This can be considered a change from the previous leaders of Mexico being recognized as kings. While the change from king to emperor was deemed necessary due to the non-conventional route Iturbide took to rise to power, the previous social classes such as the creole elites remained in tact. Later, in 1836, a constitution was released by Santa Ana that focused on centralized rule. A continuity between this time period and the colonial time period is that Catholicism was heavily enforced upon citizens. This caused Benito Juarez to seek separation of church and state. Later, Maximilian is appointed emperor of Mexico by Napoleon; this is another example of the change of the ruler’s title. He loses power on Cinco de Mayo because of the Monroe Doctrine and Juarez’s leadership. The next significant leader in Mexican history is Diaz who ruled as a dictator for 34 years. He is credited with discovering oil which became vital to Mexico’s economy. The change from a dependency on agriculture to oil was caused by a switch in needs and technological advancements. Saudi Arabia was another leading world oil producer during this