• Dan Lutgen

• Rancho Bernardo High School

• dlutgen@powayusd.com

Mexican Revolution via Murals1750-1914

Mexican Revolution via Murals•As early as 1000 BCE – Toltecs, Aztecs and Maya adorned temples and public

building with murals. Murals told stories of everyday life (Mexican Realism).

•Post-Spanish invasion = Christian murals

•Mexican Revolution = native Mexican culture again

Teotihuacan

1345 Aztecs built Tenochtitlan at Lake Texcoco

Snake on cloth represents Quetzalcoatl- goddess of creation

The city was an important religious center filled with pyramids topped with temples

Slave laborer is identified by simple loin cloth

Mountains and lake provide natural defense of city

Importance of family as mother carries child in rebozo

What raw materials would be used to create mats?

Aztecs called

themselves Mexica

Moctezuma II 1502

Petates, or mats, were woven out of reed

Tenochtitlan Marketplace by Diego Rivera

Spanish Conquest

Hernan Cortes 1519

Aztecs surrender 1521

Winged angel shows partnership of Church and Cortes

Cortes is carrying an iron sword – resting on dismembered bodies of Aztec victim

Aztecs had no metal to match iron’s strength

Fire in background represents widespread destruction of Spanish soldiers and smallpox.

What is this?

Cortes is a machine… symbolic of European technology

Conquest by Jose Orozco

Small pox decimated Aztecs

United Streaming European Rule video clip under Mexican Rev

Absorption of the Indian by Jose Orozco

White European, Hernan Cortes, sits with an Indian woman, Malinche.

Symbolic of mixing of two groups to create mestizo people.

Mestizo make up majority of Mexicans today

Dead mestizo shows unhappiness and ill-treatment of mestizo

Partnership

Yet, restraint – many Mexicans consider Mayan Malinche a traitor

Legend: Malinche was given to Cortes as a translator – later they produced a son

Colonial Domination by Diego RiveraCross, Spanish flag and sword represent colonization

Cuauhtemoc, last Aztec emperor, bowing to conquistadors

Conquistadores use branding iron to brand Indian slave

Brutal labor of gold mines

Yoked to plow

Bag of goldDescribe the European faces…

Euro faces drawn as animals

Huge land grants given to Spanish - encomiendas

Rivera attempted to summarize 300 years

Total Indian population fell from 25 million to 1 million by 1700

United Streaming Mexican independence clip

Fight for Liberty by Jose Orozco

Mexican Independence

1810-1821

Father Hidalgo (killed 1811) against Spanish rule

Color red – death and violence

Masses of people – popularity of independence movement among Indians and mestizos.

Priest’s collar and cross – role of Church in rebellion

What do you think a fiery machete represent?

Machete is symbol of agriculture and fire is revolt.

Hidalgo and Father Morelos both executed during war by Mexican creoles (Spanish decedents)

Creole Agustin Iturbide then lead independence from Spain, but without reforms of masses

Criollos – Spanish descent

United Steaming video Mexican Revolution

Juaraz 1831-1872 and the Fall of the Empire by Jose Orozco

Juarez - Zapotec Indian - first to bring legitimate reforms to MexicoMexican flag – patriotism of middleclass

Violent colors

Control of Church

Machetes in hands of peasants

1862 – Mexico conquered by France (Napoleon III). Archduke Maximilian of Austria became

Emperor of Mexico. Cinco de Mayo = Mexican victory, though French eventually won war.

Juarez leadership came against European intrusion from Spain and France

1867- Juarez conquered Mexico City and executed Maximillian Then continued his reforms until his death in 1872

1855 – overthrew dictator Santa Anna, began reforms

Repression – History and Perspective of Mexico

Repression during rule of Porfirio Diaz (34 year rule)

Note force used to control farmers (land fell into hands of huge hacienda owners).

Sickle represents farm workers

Government forces on horse heavily loaded with weapons

1876 Diaz came to power – dictator for 34 years.

Welcomed foreign investors

Police enforced Diaz’ laws

Revolution against Porfirian (Porfirio Diaz) Dictatorship 1911 unseated Diaz

Peasants lost lands and were forced to work on large haciendas for little wage – conditions near slavery

Government forces used to coerce the farm hands to work.

Peasants responded by rebelling against government.

The Trench by Jose Orozco

Mexican Revolution

By 1910, dissatisfaction of Diaz regime lead to open revolt.

“Viva la Revolucion”

Three soldiers mirroring the Christian Trinity, add religious element to the movement

The carbines and rifle reinforce the atmosphere of revolution

Red – violent and bloody nature of 10-year long revolution

Sharp angles of bodies inject drama

Land Distribution by Diego Rivera

Most tangible result of revolution was the redistribution of hacienda land to landless

1917 Constitution guaranteed lands and factory workers protection

Nation Culture changed as Zapata and Madero became heroes.

1910 – 2% owned land

1940 – 33% owned land (President Lazaro Cardenas)

Madero became president 1911

•1913 – Madero was assassinated

•Revolts against the new president, Gernal Huerta (died in jail of liver failure 1816) came from caudillos (strongmen) Emiliano Zapata and Pacho Villa (assassinated 1923).

•1920 Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled Mexico from 1920 - 2000

Mural by Diego Rivera showing aunified Mexican society

Baile en Tehuantepec, 1928 Diego Rivera painting showing

indigenism