Mexican Bicentennial

by Miguel Carreño-Bahena

In my opinion, the independence of Mexico begins to germinate immediately after consummation of the invasion and subsequent subjugation and destruction of Mexico-Tenochtitlan. I think that the sword that went against the Spanish tyrant in 1810 was the same obsidian blade that cut the rope with which Cuauhtémoc was hanged, the day they took down the tree in which he was killed.

The independence of Mexico was thus the result of a series of internal and external factors that contributed to the consummation of the emancipation of the Mexican people. These factors are historical, geopolitical, moral, philosophical, economic, legal, agricultural, commercial, social, subtle and religious.

New Spain was born as a part of the royal property, therefore property of the Spanish Crown, which was seen not as individuals or person but as an institution.

The alleged legal origin of the landed property of the New Spain is related to three different documents but have the same background... that is, the Catholic Church, and are as follows...

1 - The Bulls of Pope Alexander VI in May and June 1493, by which the Pope gave to the kings of Spain and their descendants and successors all the islands and continents, found and to find at west of a meridian line imaginary drawn 100 leagues west of the Azores.

2 - The Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portuga... and

3 - The Law Party granting the right of conquest in the lands inhabited by infidels.

Since the fall of the Aztec empire was the real beginning of a complete plunder, devastation, looting and destruction of architectural heritage, cultural and religious treasures and goods of the American kingdoms and empires, by the Spanish who came from Europe like hungry pigs and wolves.

The land of the inhabitants of our country, was stolen by the Spanish, they robed their culture, their wives, daughters, stripped of their homes, temples, religion, language, history, customs, freedom, dignity and even their names.

After the first 15 years began to see a new class of people. Which were neither Spanish nor were Indians, they were... those Spanish Creole Spanish children who were born on American soil in New Spain, whom the Spanish born in the Iberian Peninsula saw as second class citizens. It also emerged mestizos, mulattoes and blacks. Creoles and Indians mostly, along with mestizos and others, were those who were plotting for 3 centuries, the revolution that would lead to independence. But for 300 years they lived under the oppression of the viceroyalty, without freedom serving the Crown of Spain, and bound by the chains of slavery, hunger, ignorance and lack of individual rights.

They were like a ship at sea without a compass, like a plane without a rudder on high... They knew where they wanted to go but did not know how to get there. They wanted to talk but had no voice, wanted to run but they were chained, they had wanted to read books, they wanted to mourn but they had no tears.

Everything was monopolized in the hands of the infamous tyrant, Spanish... and despite the years of 1523 and until 1807 there were over 100 rebellions and uprisings against the enslaving yoke of the Crown, it was not until 1809 and 1810 with the plots of Querétaro Valladolid that finally gave the elements that contributed to a priest of good repute, started the uprising of peasants, miners and members of the lower clergy in the town of Dolores in Guanajuato quartermaster.

For 300 years the climate was growing geopolitical, cultural, economic and social, that Mexico could be free once more.

The major events in Europe and America acted as external factors in the development and launching of our great movement of emancipation.

For dates of the proclamation of independence in Mexico and many years toward the pen and thought of the great European writers and thinkers such as Diderot, Russeau, Descartes, Locke, Voltaire and Montesquieu, among others, had illuminated the world with lights. And these books, even though were forbidden by the Catholic Church in New Spain, arrived in a disguised form in our country, many of them came through smugglers and others came by Brethren Masons... and thus, their new way of illustration and think virgin and fertile field found in the minds of the natives and mestizos of the New Spain.

Finally, the clouds of hope on the horizon were announcing the rain of freedom.

The French Revolution and the influence of political and legal principles in America and in Mexico, served as fertilizer on land that has received careful work and seeds to bear fruit.

The English industrial revolution and the expansive action of English power in America, were removed as the plow virgin land was ready to receive the seeds of the independence movement.

The independence of the United States of America and American territorial and commercial expansion also influenced a lot to make things conducive to aspiring to independence in Mexico.

And finally the invasion of Napoleon in Spain with the subsequent overthrow and exile of Ferdinand VII, and its impact on Spanish America and Mexico, coupled with the activity of the Masons since before independence subtly worked in the New Spain were like the early rain that falls on the virgin soil, tilled and planted, ready to begin the transition to the germination of the seeds of independence.

These were, among others, external factors that led the war of independence in Mexico. Same, coupled with resentment of Mexicans against the Spanish, fed and fanned the flame of hope for independence of the natives of New Spain, even though they were white, brown, mestizo or Indian. Everyone clamored to what John Locke in his political gospel preached... "The natural right to life, liberty and property."

Now look at some of the internal factors... That in my opinion, were the main triggers of the independence movement.

Creoles and mestizos represented among the inhabitants of New Spain the group of educated people of the colony, and in society have the role of second children in families. Since the sixteenth century became acute conflict of interests between this group of people and the Spanish. Creoles and euro mestizos were protesting and greatly resented their exclusion from key positions and the removal of the country's wealth, on many occasions appealed to the king asking to be granted the exercise of public office, and that could climb in the ladder of military ranks to gain access to the upper echelons in the colonial army. Even in the ecclesiastical ranks, it was necessary to spend 150 years after the conquest of the first native priest was ordained in New Spain.

The historian Luis Chávez Orozco wrote with good reason: "The Creole, as Creole, achieved their social consciousness, as distinct from and superior to the Spanish since the sixteenth century... - and ends - This awareness is clearly stated in literature and in the struggle between them, these two privileged strata fought for social dominance, cultural and political development in the new Spain. "

For its part, the Spanish deeply despised the creoles, saying that this was an inferior creature and that degenerates in our country, losing as he had of the Spanish blood.

The major effect of the picture that caused the reports of political events, scientific and literary in Europe, especially schools of thought completely unknown in previous centuries, was stabbed in the hearts of the Creoles and mestizos as a sword in the stone.

This created a shift in consciousness that moved Mexican interest in religious matters, to a new concern for the problems of society, government and the man himself, and thus are more clearly and precisely configuring the new concepts of homeland, nationality and independence.

On the other hand, some Masonic principles and concepts came to be shared between the honorable and distinguished members of the middle class, leading to the Mexican artwork, which is a direct product of the influence of thinkers and ideas of Europe and France... This caused the Mexican middle class of New Spain explore its historical reality to create one's own thought, which resulted in the representation of a spirit of discontent against the colonial regime, thus initiating the work of spiritual emancipation of the Mexican people... Background unequivocal political independence.

The indigenous factor... Upon the contact with Spanish, the indigenous population began its decline. They suffered the insufferable, and were humiliated, overworked, neglected, abused, killed, raped and enslaved to levels never before seen or experienced by any nation in the history of mankind... The condition of the Indians for 300 years of the colony can be summarized in the letter of Chilam of Chuyamel, who lived at the time of the Spanish invasion of the Aztec Empire...

"... So it came to us the sadness that Christianity came to us because the very Christians came here with the true god. But that was the beginning of our misery, the principle of taxation, the principle of charity. The cause of discord hides out, the beginning of the fights, the principle of the abuses, the principle of the spoils of all, the principle of debt bondage, the principle of continuous quarrels, the beginning of the disease.

That's how we got the beginning of tears and misery. The principle of cold and nakedness, the principle of life without joy and the principle of hunger and pain... it was the beginning of the work of the Spanish... a few with swords, spears and chains. Other crosses, whips and rosaries... Soldiers of the King and priests of the Pope... But all Spanish, all murderers, thieves and all filthy dirty.

A century later, describes the life of Mexicans in a letter to King Carlos III..." ... And the peons work from two or three of the night as we have said, until seven or eight of the next night. And when the moon is full, they work almost all night... and through the rain and hail and frost and hot sun.

"And there are Spanish that having gone hunting with their ferocious dogs, if they have not found anything, any animal to hunt, when they return by the way, they take the Indiand their toddlers and give the dogs to have to be dismembered and their dogs eat, to the piercing screams of the mother and frightening small and unfortunate Indians. And their women die or crash under heavy loads they tied on their backs, and other and their children can walk and make them serve in the profits and lay them to sleep in the fields to the ceiling and stand there and breed, bites of poisonous and venomous vermin. Many were hanged and left to die without water and without food."

Miguel Carreño Bahena
Grand Secretary
MWGL of State “Baja California”

For comments, clarifications or questions
Miguel Carreño Bahena
elpatrontuyo@hotmail.com