Mexico is our neighbor to the south. The United States was once part of Mexico. A country is a place for tourism and vacations for us, but for Mexicans, it is home. Near the year 7000 B.C., Indians learned to grow plants for food. In time they were able to settle in villages. Those villages grew into towns. During the years 250 to 900 A.D., the Indians lived in the "Classic Period" in Mexican history. During the time, the Mayas built huge pyramids and temples. They developed mathematics and studied astronomy. The Zapotecas flattened a mountain top and built a temple. They also wrote the first written records in the region.
             The Aztecs built the greatest civilization in the year 1400. They had a capital named Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan is now Mexico City. The Aztecs had a powerful emperor named Montezuma II.
             In February 1519, a Spaniard named Hernando Cortes founded the city Veracruz for Spain. He then marched towards Tenochtitlan and seized Montezuma. The Aztecs revolted and forced the Spaniards out of Tenochtitlan. Two years later, Cortes returned to the city and conquered Tenochtitlan. Cuauhtemoc, the last Aztec emperor, was tortured. He is now a Mexican hero. Spain now owned Mexico.
             For less then 300 years Mexico was a Spanish colony. That is why the language of Mexico is Spanish. The Indians were forced to accept the Roman Catholic religion. They Indians mixed the Roman Catholic religion with their own religion.
             In 1810, a man named Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla , a priest, started a fight for the independence of Mexico. He had many Indians and Mestizos who fought against Spain for him. The Spanish king taxed the people of Mexico for their revolt. Most of the people did not want independence. The Mexicans later won their independence when there were more Mexican fighters then Spanish. In 1821, Mexico became independent. In 1824, Mexico became a republic.
             In the year 1846-1848, Mexico had a war with The United States. The Amer...