Mexican American Studies

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

- a Mexican politician & general who fought to defend royalist New Spain & then for Mexican independence. He greatly influenced early Mexican politics & government by ruling eleven times between 1833 & 1855 as a Caudillo. 

Audiencia

A Spanish high court, which handled justice on a local level in Spanish colonies.

Aztecs

The Mexica; one of the nomadic tribes that penetrated into the Mesoamerican plateau after the fall of the Toltecs.

Bartolome de las Casas

Known as the “Apostle to the Indians” for his life’s work advocating for Native rights. He once suggested that all Caribbean Indians be relocated to Venezuela to escape their harsh conditions.

Battle of Chapultepec

The last and decisive battle of the Mexican American War fought outside of Mexico City between US Marines and a platoon of young Mexican army cadets.

Battle of Palo Alto

 - The first battle of the Mexican American War fought near modern day Brownsville, Texas that resulted in a victory for the US army under Zachary Taylor.

Battle of San Jacinto

the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution fought on April 21, 1836. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Santa Anna's Mexican army paving the way for Texas Independence.

Battle of the Alamo

a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio, killing all 190 of the Texian defenders.

Calpulli

Clans in Aztec society that evolved into social groupings as Aztec society became more stratified. They distributed land and provided labor and warriors.

Chinampas

Beds of aquatic weeds, mud, and earth placed in frames made of cane and rooted in lakes to create “floating islands”; a system of irrigated agriculture used by Aztecs.

Cholula Massacre

 An event during the conquest of Mexico that led to the murder of many residents of Mexico’s second largest city

Conquistador

- A term used to refer to the soldiers and explorers of the Spanish Empire or in a general sense.

Constitution of 1824

A document that formally abolished the Mexican monarchy and established a federal system with states having direct representation in the national government.

Council of the Indies

Governing body that decided all matters of colonial policy—taxes, trade, war, social issues—and limited the power of the Viceroy.

Criollos

 The upper-middle class of colonial Spain born in the Americas to Spanish parents and often owned land or held administrative level jobs.

Encomienda

Labor grants which permitted a Spanish landowner to control and receive regular income from forced labor on farms, ranches, or mines.

Grito de Dolores

 - A sermon preached by Father Hidalgo that served as the rallying call to revolutionary action against Spain. 

Guadalupe Victoria

Revolutionary general of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, later served as 1st President of Mexico and along with Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna wrote El Plan de Casa Mata.

Hacienda

A large estate that often incorporated a plantation, mine, or factory in colonial Spain.

Hernan Cortes

The Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca, a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire.

Huitzilopochtli

Patron God of the Aztecs. Known as the sun and war god, one of the two principal deities of Aztec religion, often represented in art as either a hummingbird or an eagle.

Jose Maria Morelos Y Pavon

a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1811.

Juan de Zumárraga

The Bishop of Mexico responsible for erection of a holy shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe and the conversion of 9 million natives to Catholicism between 1531 and 1548.

Juan Seguin

Tejano patriot, political and military figure of the Texas Revolution who became a captain under Sam Houston after the Battle of Gonzales. He helped to establish the independence of Texas and signed its declaration of independence.

La Malinche

A Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, who played a key role in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, acting as an interpreter, advisor, and intermediary for the Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés.

La Noche Triste

An important event during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, wherein Hernan Cortes and his invading army of Spanish conquistadors and native allies were driven out of the Aztec capital at Tenochtitlan.

Los Niños Heroes

Six Mexican teenage military cadets who died defending Mexico City's Chapultepec Castle from invading U.S. forces during the Mexican American War. 

Mayas

A classical culture that emerged and extended over a broad region in southern Mexico and Central America. It featured monumental architecture, written language, calendrical and mathematical systems, and highly developed religion

Mesoamerica

The geographic region that stretches south from Central Mexico to northern Honduras.

Mestizaje

A term used to describe the general process of mixing European and Native ancestries in the Americas during the colonization of Spain.

Mestizos

People of mixed European and Native American (more specifically, native Latin American) ancestry.

Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla -

Mexican priest who established independence movement among American Indians and mestizos in 1810; despite early victories, was captured and executed.

Moctezuma II -

The last of the Aztec emperors, who is famous for his dramatic confrontation with Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. He was accused of siding with the Spanish and assassinated by his own warriors in 1520.

Nahuatl

The native language spoken by the Aztecs and other surrounding tribes.

Olmec

the earliest-known Mesoamerican civilization, which flourished around 1200 B.C.E. and influenced later societies throughout the region.

Peninsulares

A class of Spanish-born citizens who held the highest positions in government, church, and military in colonial Spain. 

Pipiltin

Nobility in Aztec society; formed by intermarriage of Aztecs with peoples tracing lineage back to the Toltecs.

Plan de Ayutla

The 1854 written plan aimed at removing conservative, centralist President Antonio López de Santa Anna from control of Mexico.

Plan de Iguala -

A written agreement between rebels and royalists that stated they would join forces to rid Mexico of Spanish rule and established that Mexico was to be a Monarchy once liberated.

Plan of Casa Mata

 A document devised by Santa Anna and General Victoria that abolished the Mexican Empire and replaced it with a republic. 

Pochteca

The merchant class in Aztec society that specialized in long-distance trade in luxury items.

Quetzalcoatl

A prominent supernatural entity or deity, found in many Mesoamerican religions. Known as the feathered serpent or Kulkulkan.

Sam Houston

an American soldier and politician who was an important leader of the Texas Revolution. He served as the 1st and 3rd president of the Republic of Texas, 

Stephen F. Austin

an American empresario known as the "Father of Texas", He led the most successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States to the region in 1825.

Tejanos

People of Mexican descent living in Texas, from as early as the Spanish occupation.

Tenochtitlan

The capital city and center of Aztec power founded in 1325 on a marshy island in Lake Texcoco.

Texas Rangers

A battalion of mounted riflemen, first appointed by the Congress of the Texas Republic through the authority of President Sam Houston, with the duty to protect the frontier.

Texas Revolution

was a rebellion of colonists from the United States and Tejanos in putting up armed resistance to the centralist government of Mexico.

Treaty of Córdoba

Established Mexican independence from Spain at the conclusion of the Mexican War of Independence.

Vicente Guerrero

Leading revolutionary general of the Mexican War of Independence. He fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and later served as 2nd President of Mexico.

Viceroy

A royal governor appointed by the king of Spain to oversee a Spanish colony in the Americas.

Virgen de Guadalupe

In Catholicism, the name given to Virgin Mary in her appearance before a native named Juan Diego on a hill in 1531.

Zachary Taylor

Known as "Old Rough and Ready", this US general, whose fame for winning the first battles of the Mexican American war prompted President James K. Polk to remove him from command for political reasons.