Timeline: Mexico

Timeline

7000 BCE - 2000 BCE
The Archaic Period in Mesoamerica during which hunter-gatherer culture moved toward agriculture.
c. 2700 BCE
Corn is first cultivated in Mesoamerica.
c. 1200 BCE
San Lorenzo becomes the great ceremonial centre of the Olmec civilization.
c. 1200 BCE - c. 400 BCE
The Olmec civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica.
1200 BCE - 300 BCE
The Olmec Period which saw the rise of the Olmec culture's work in stone, first major cities appear.
c. 1200 BCE
The Olmec civilization springs from the grouping of ancient villages along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
950 BCE - 1400 BCE
Evidence of the surgical procedure of trephination found in Mesoamerica.
c. 900 BCE
The centre of San Lorenzo is detroyed and monuments are defaced. La Venta becomes the Olmec capital.
500 BCE - 900 CE
The Zapotec Civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica.
500 BCE - 450 BCE
Monte Alban becomes the capital of the Zapotec in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico.
c. 300 BCE - 400 BCE
La Venta is destroyed, monuments are defaced and the Olmec civilization ends.
250 CE - 950 CE
The Classic Maya Period which saw the height of the Maya Civilization in cities such as Chichen Itza, Palenque, Tikal, Copan and Uxmal.
8 Jan 692 CE
The Cross Group Temples are dedicated by the Maya at the city of Palenque, linking kingship to the Divine Will by associating the king with the Palenque Triad of the Gods.
c. 900 CE - c. 1150 CE
The Toltec civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica.
18 Jan 909 CE
The last inscription of the "long count" calendar of the Maya is made on a stela in the city of Tonina (modern-day Chiapas State, Mexico). This inscription was ignored during the End of the World frenzy of 2012 which cited later inscriptions. The Maya never predicted the end of the world, and these later inscriptions only referenced the end of one cycle and the start of another.
935 CE - 947 CE
Ce Acatl Topiltzin the legendary leader of the Toltecs was born.
1100 CE - 1200 CE
The Valley of Mexico is first settled by migrating tribes (Chichimecs, Tepanecs, Mexica and Acolhua).
c. 1150 CE
The Toltec capital of Tollan is systematically destroyed.
c. 1345 CE - 1521 CE
The Aztec civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica.
1345 CE
Traditional date for the founding of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan on Lake Texcoco.
1418 CE
Texcoco is temporarily conquered by Mexica and Tepanec forces.
1428 CE
The Triple Alliance is formed between Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan.
1431 CE
Netzahualcoyotl officially becomes tlatoani or leader of Texcoco.
1469 CE - 1481 CE
Axayacatl reigns as leader of the Aztec Empire.
1486 CE - 1502 CE
Ahuitzotl reigns as leader of the Aztec Empire.
1502 CE - 1520 CE
Motecuhzoma II reigns as leader of the Aztec Empire.
c. 1520 CE
Ixtlilxochitl, with the support of Cortés, becomes king of Texcoco.
13 Aug 1521 CE
The Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan falls into the hands of Spanish forces led by Hernán Cortés.
28 Feb 1525 CE
Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc is executed by hanging as ordered by Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez who had heard rumors that Cuauhtémoc was plotting a revolt. Cuauhtémoc was only 28 years old at the time and had a wife and at least one child. The execution took place in Acalan, New Spain, modern-day Campeche, Mexico. Cuauhtémoc is remembered in that region as a freedom fighter and symbol of resistance to colonialism.
12 Jul 1562 CE
Spanish Franciscan friar Diego de Landa burns 27 books of the Maya and thousands of iconic cult images to eradicate what he considered "Satanic idol worship", destroying an enormous wealth of Maya works on history, religion, culture and astronomical observations. Ironically, de Landa's works explaining why he did this helped to preserve Mayan culture.
17 Jan 1821 CE
The Spanish government grants Moses Austin permission to settle 300 families in the northern region of their colony of Mexico. After Mexico gained independence, and Moses Austin died, his son Stephen F. Austin continued his father's work. The colonization of northern Mexico by Anglo-Americans would lead to the Texas Revolution and the birth of the Texas Republic in 1836.
27 Sep 1821 CE
The Army of the Three Guarantees enters Mexico City following their victory at the Battle of Azcapotzalco on 19 August, the last battle in the Mexican War of Independence from Spain, allowing Mexico to declare independence the next day on 28 September 1821.
28 Sep 1821 CE
The Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire is ratified in Mexico City, declaring Mexico's independence from the Spanish Empire and launching the new nation.
4 Oct 1824 CE
The Federal Constitution of the United Mexican States establishes Mexico as a representative federal republic, replacing the government of the First Mexican Empire.
1 Apr 1833 CE
The Convention of 1833 is convened by Texians and Tejanos at San Felipe de Austin in what was then the district of Tejas in Northern Mexico to draft petitions to the Mexican government hoping to resolve their differences. The petitions failed and the Texas Revolution began in 1835.
2 Oct 1835 CE
The Battle of Gonzales is fought in the Mexican district of Tejas (modern-day Texas) between Anglo-American settlers and the Mexican army who had arrived to take back a cannon loaned to the town of Gonzales for protection against Native American attacks. The Anglo-Americans won the battle, setting off the Texas Revolution of 1835-1836.
23 Feb 1836 CE
The Siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas (then northern Mexico) as between 187-250 Anglo American, Tejano, and citizens of other nations defend the former Catholic mission against the army of President and General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna during the Texas Revolution. All the defenders are killed when the fort is taken the morning of 6 March.
6 Mar 1836 CE
The Battle of the Alamo is fought in San Antonio, Texas in the pre-dawn darkness, ending with the deaths of all the defenders – including William Barret Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie – in a costly victory for the Mexican army under President and General Santa Anna. The famous phrase "Remember the Alamo", coined later at the Battle of San Jacinto in April, rallied the rebel troops for their victory, leading to the birth of the Texas Republic.
27 Mar 1836 CE
The Goliad Massacre takes place during the Texas Revolution in which 350-400 Texians of the garrison of Goliad, under the command of Colonel James W. Fannin, are executed by Mexican troops under General Jose de Urrea. The event would inspire the victory of the Texian army at the Battle of San Jacinto along with the Battle of the Alamo.
14 May 1836 CE
The Treaties of Velasco are signed at Fort Velasco, Texas, ending the Texas Revolution and allowing for the establishment of the Texas Republic.
28 Mar 1845 CE
Mexico ends diplomatic relations with the United States after the US Congress passes the joint resolution to annex Texas, regarded by the Mexican government as an act of aggression as they had never recognized Texan independence. The annexation of Texas led directly to the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
29 Dec 1845 CE
The Republic of Texas is annexed by the United States and admitted as the 28th state of the Union. Texas, formerly the northernmost district of Mexico, had gained independence and formed a republic in 1836 but the Mexican government had never recognized this, instead viewing the region as a district in rebellion. The annexation led directly to the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
25 Apr 1846 CE
The Thornton Affair takes place near the Rio Grande in present-day Brownsville, Texas, a skirmish between an American patrol led by Captain Seth B. Thornton and the Mexican army under General Anastasio Torrejon, marked as the opening engagement of the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
14 Jun 1846 CE
The Bear Flag Revolt begins in Sonoma, Alta California, then a part of Mexico, when around thirty Anglo-American settlers take the Mexican garrison and declare independence as the California Republic. The republic lasted for 25 days before US army forces arrived, replaced the Bear Flag with the US flag, and claimed the region for the United States during the Mexican-American War. The Bear Flag is the State of California flag today.
18 Apr 1847 CE
The Battle of Cerro Gordo begins during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. American Major General Winfield Scott defeats Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna the next day, allowing the US army to advance on Mexico City to end the war.
2 Feb 1848 CE
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the Mexican-American War. The treaty was ratified on 10 March and finalized on 20 May of the same year, forcing Mexico to cede 55% of its land to the United States in exchange for $15 million.
10 Mar 1848 CE
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is ratified by the United States, ending the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. The treaty was signed by the US on 2 February, ratified by Mexico on 19 May, and proclaimed in the US on 4 July.
5 May 1862 CE
The Battle of Puebla is won by Mexican forces over the invading French army near Puebla de los Angeles, Mexico, during the Second Franco-Mexican War. The smaller Mexican army defeated the larger French forces, halting a significant invasion. The date is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo.
7 Nov 1907 CE
Railroad brakeman Jesus Garcia Corona saves the town of Nacozari, Sonora, Mexico when he drives a train carrying dynamite that had caught fire, 3 miles (6 km) out of town, in reverse, at full steam. Garcia was killed when the train exploded but the town was saved and renamed Nacozari de Garcia in his honor. He is a national hero in Mexico.
6 Sep 1943 CE
The Monterey Institute of Technology and Higher Education is founded in Monterey, Mexico, beginning in a two-story house and expanding to become the largest institute of higher learning in the country with 35 campuses in 25 cities and 22 liaison offices in 15 other countries.
27 Dec 1966 CE
The *Sotano de las Golondrinas* ("Basement of the Swallows", better known as "The Cave of the Swallows"), the largest known cave shaft in the world, is "discovered" when it is shown to explorers Charles Borland, T.R. Evans, Randy Sterns, and Sid West by the local Huastec people of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The first documented descent was made on April 4, 1967. The cave takes its name from the thousands of birds who live there, which are mainly parakeets and swifts, not swallows. The site has become a popular attraction for bird watchers, spelunkers, and extreme sport enthusiasts.