subject: Information about Mexico [print this page] Common information about MexicoCommon information about Mexico. There were the most developed civilizations of the Western Hemisphere on the territory of modern Mexico. The first civilization was the Olmec state which existed from 1500 to 600 BC. The Mayan culture reached its peak in the 6 century AD. Another civilization was the state of warlike Toltec, which emerged in the 10 century in the heart of modern Mexico. In the 11 century the Toltec tribe was forced out by Chichimecas, which in their turn were forced out by the tribes nahuatlan, who had come from the north. The tribe of the Aztecs or "Mexico" was the most powerful one among them. Aztec Empire emerged in the second quarter of the 14 century and by the 15 century it was the most powerful state formation in central and southern Mexico. The first European who came to the territory of Mexico, was a Spanish explorer Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba, in 1517 he discovered the oldest Maya settlements on the Yucatan. year later, Juan de Grihava, who led the expedition on the eastern shore of Mexico, brought a message about existence of the rich Aztec Empire. In 1519 a large armed force under the command of Hernando Cortez began fighting against the Aztecs. In 1535 the capital of the Aztecs fell and Mexico became a Spanish colony. In the early 19 century, When Napoleon's troops invaded Spain, a liberation war began in Mexico which ended in July 1821 with formation of the independent Mexican Empire. In 1823 the country was proclaimed a republic. In 1836 Mexico lost the territory of California and Texas, which declared themselves independent republics, and after the war with the United States (1846-1848) lands to the north of the Rio Grande.
