Independent Mexico
Mexico, 1821–1876.
Independence from Spain in 1821 opened decades of conflict between liberals and conservatives. Mexico lost half its territory to the United States and fought off a French-backed empire.
Seat of power: Mexico City
Rulers
Agustín de Iturbide
Emperor, 1822–1823
A royalist officer who switched sides and secured independence. He crowned himself emperor but dissolved Congress and was forced to abdicate within a year.
Portrait of Agustín de Iturbide: Primitivo Miranda, Public domain, file
Benito Juárez
President, 1858–1872
A Zapotec lawyer and Mexico's first Indigenous president. He led the liberal Reform, governed from a moving capital during the French intervention and restored the republic in 1867.
Portrait of Benito Juárez: Unknown photographer, Public domain, file
Maximilian I
Emperor, 1864–1867
An Austrian archduke placed on the throne by the army of Napoleon III. Without popular support and after French troops left, he was captured and executed by Juárez's forces in 1867.
Portrait of Maximilian I: Original glass negative (LC-BH824-4754) made by Andrew Burgess, one of Mathew Brady's operators, on a trip to Mexico ..., Public domain, file
Culture
- The Reform Laws of the 1850s separate church and state.
- The victory at Puebla on 5 May 1862 is still celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.
- José María Velasco paints wide landscapes of the Valley of Mexico.
Picture
The Battle of Puebla, 5 May 1862, as painted by a 19th-century artist.
Image: anonymous, Public domain, file
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