Empire Builders: Mexico

The Mexican Revolution achieved the foundations of a modern Mexico. The episode examines the roles of assassinatedrevolutionaries Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Venustiano Carranzas and Álvaro Obregón; the subsequent religious conflict, the Cristero War; and the nation-building of the Cárdenas government followed. A fusion of art and politics developed in this era by artists like Frida Kahlo.

The conflict between church and state led to civil war and a French invasion which made an Austrian prince, Maximillian, emperor of the so called Second Empire. He was defeated and executed by Benito Juárez, one of Mexico’s great independence heroes who himself was succeeded by Porfirio Díaz, who would rule Mexico for more than 30 years.

The War of Independence maps the violent struggle by Mexicans to break free, the subsequent loss of almost half of its territory to the U.S., and the decades of instability that followed. Examine the initial uprising led by revolutionary priests Hidalgo and Morelos, and the role played by one of Mexico's most controversial characters, General Antonio López de Santa Ana.

The Spanish Conquest laid the ground for 300 years of colonial rule which made Spain the richest country in Europe and divided Mexico with a class system that still affects today's society. Conquistadors and friars spread out along so called “royal roads“, attempting convert Apache and Comanche tribes who would battle Spaniards, Mexicans and Americans for centuries.