Mexican Birthdays: Independence and Revolution, 1810 and 1910
The latter decades of the eighteenth century and first decades of the nineteenth century were full or revolutions and births of new nations, particularly in the Americas. The period has been termed the Age of Revolution. In 2010, Mexico celebrated along with several other countries the two hundred–year celebration of their movement toward independence from Spain. Mexico also celebrated the centennial of their 1910 revolution. Revolutions are catastrophic in their altering of existing social institutions such as government, religion, education, media, labor, and land ownership. Revolutions are also costly in terms of human capital: Many people die, typically the leaders of the insurrection. Others flee the path of destruction and harm, while others eke out an existence until normalcy returns, often years into the future. By definition, a revolution radically changes what is and initiates a process of social change that evolves as the formal and official violence between government forces and the revolutionaries subsides. Often, revolutions result in unforeseen and unexpected consequences for the people. The impact of the Spanish conquest and independence on subsequent generations of various peoples to 2010 is also examined. This article examines the various concepts of revolution, social change, and evolution in tracing the political history of two Mexican “birthdays”: 1810 and 1910. Additionally, this article offers social science teachers the opportunity to further explore other concepts such as conquest and colonialism, race and ethnic identity formation, nationalism, diasporas, genocide, demography, and political generations, for example.