Mexican-American War & Mexican Independence

Mexican-American War & Mexican Independence

• Antonio López de Santa Anna: Mexican politician and general who ruled Mexico multiple times (11 times between 1833-1855). A key figure in early Mexican politics and government. Fought for both royalist New Spain and Mexican independence.

• Audiencia: Spanish high court in the colonies, oversaw justice locally.

• Aztecs (Mexica): Nomadic tribe that settled in Mesoamerica after the Toltecs.

• Bartolomé de las Casas: Advocate for Native American rights ("Apostle to the Indians"). Proposed relocating Caribbean Indians to Venezuela.

• Battle of Chapultepec: Decisive battle of the Mexican-American War, fought near Mexico City. Involved US Marines and young Mexican cadets (Los Niños Héroes).

• Battle of Palo Alto: First battle of the Mexican-American War, fought near Brownsville, Texas. US victory under Zachary Taylor.

• Battle of San Jacinto: Decisive battle of the Texas Revolution (1836). Sam Houston's Texian army defeated Santa Anna's Mexican forces, leading to Texas independence.

• Battle of the Alamo: Key event in the Texas Revolution. Mexican troops under Santa Anna assaulted the Alamo Mission near San Antonio, killing all Texian defenders. A 13-day siege.

Aztec Society & Culture

• Calpulli: Clans in Aztec society, organizing social structures. Distributed land, provided labor and warriors.

• Chinampas: Irrigated agricultural system used by Aztecs. "Floating islands" created from aquatic weeds, mud, and earth in lakebeds.

• Cholula Massacre: Event during the Spanish Conquest, resulting in the deaths of many Cholula residents.

• Huitzilopochtli: Aztec patron god, sun and war god. Often represented as a hummingbird or eagle.

• Nahuatl: Language spoken by the Aztecs and surrounding tribes.

• Pochteca: Aztec merchant class, specialized in long-distance trade.

• Pipiltin: Aztec nobility, descended from Toltecs and Aztecs.

Spanish Colonialism and Conquest

• Conquistador: Spanish soldier and explorer.

• Cortes, Hernán: Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

• Encomienda: Labor grants that allowed Spanish landowners to control and profit from the forced labor of Native Americans.

• Moctezuma II: Last Aztec emperor, confronted Hernán Cortés. Assassinated by his own people.

• La Malinche: Nahua woman who aided Cortés in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

• La Noche Triste: Spanish forces driven out of Tenochtitlan during the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

• Juan de Zumárraga: Bishop of Mexico, responsible for the conversion of millions of natives to Catholicism.

• Mesoamerica: Geographical region stretching from central Mexico to northern Honduras.

• Mestizaje: The mixing of European and Native ancestries in the Americas.

• Mestizos: People of mixed European and Native American ancestry.

• Olmec: Early Mesoamerican civilization (1200 BCE), influential to later societies.

Mexican Independence and Early Nationhood

• Constitution of 1824: Abolished Mexican monarchy, established federal system.

• Council of the Indies: Spanish governing body for colonial policy.

• Criollos: Upper-middle class in colonial Spanish America, born in the Americas to Spanish parents.

• Grito de Dolores: Sermon by Father Hidalgo that spurred Mexican independence movement.

• Guadalupe Victoria: Revolutionary general, first President of Mexico.

• Hacienda: Large estate in colonial Spanish America, often including plantations, mines, or factories

• Hidalgo, Miguel: Mexican priest who led early independence movement.

• Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon: Mexican revolutionary leader, assuming independence movement leadership after Hidalgo.

• Plan de Ayutla: Written plan (1854) to remove Santa Anna from power.

• Plan de Iguala: Agreement to rid Mexico of Spanish rule and establish a monarchy.

• Plan of Casa Mata: Document by Santa Anna and Victoria that abolished the Mexican Empire, replacing it with a republic.

• Treaty of Córdoba: Established Mexican independence from Spain.

• Vicente Guerrero: Revolutionary general, second President of Mexico.

• Viceroy: Royal governor appointed by the Spanish King to oversee a colony.

• Virgen de Guadalupe: Catholic title for the Virgin Mary's appearance to a native.

Texas Revolution

• Sam Houston: American soldier and politician, important leader in the Texas Revolution, first and third President of the Republic of Texas.

• Stephen F. Austin: American empresario, "Father of Texas," led successful colonization of Texas.

• Tejanos: People of Mexican descent living in Texas.

• Texas Rangers: Mounted riflemen established to protect Texas' frontier by President Sam Houston.

• Texas Revolution: Colonists and Tejanos revolted against the centralist Mexican government.

• Juan Seguin: Tejano patriot, political and military figure in the Texas Revolution, helped establish Texas independence.

Mexican-American War

• Zachary Taylor: US General, prominent in early battles of the Mexican-American War. Removed from command for political reasons.

Additional Terms

• Tenochtitlan: Aztec capital and center of power, founded on an island in Lake Texcoco.