Page:Historia Verdadera del Mexico profundo.djvu/235

 18. THE XIX CENTURY.

The alleged independence did not bring substantial changes for indigenous and mestizo mexicans, indeed brought changes for the creoles. During the 19th century, the colonial exploitation system was not cancelled, both indians and mestizo peasants, continued to be subjugated by a fierce colonial exploitation system. Independence was only political from Spain, but not economic nor social. Now France, England and Germany, can penetrate the economic, political, social and culturally the new mexican nation and the creoles, who now head the country europeanization, will have the vocation to modernize and civilize the children of the sons of old grandparents. During the conquest the indians were treated as demonic animals, in the colonial as defeated, in the lights century as primitive and a real burden, for the desired europeanization of Mexico that the creoles aspired.

''"When assuming its independence, Mexico was the largest Latin American country, and in 1822 extended further while adding the Central American provinces that measured almost half a million square kilometers. However, the geopolitical woes were egregious: international isolation, border troubles, regions separatism and road deterioration. Since the independence war, shipping traffic was paralyzed to the Far East, South America and Europe. The Oni-Adams Treaty of 1819 did not adequately fix the boundary with United States. The boundaries of the south and, above all, the borderline with the English Colonial of Belize were not accurate.  Population did not grow during the wars of independence.  Within a territory of 4 665 000 Km2 lived in 1822 seven million inhabitants. The war against Spain had cost six hundred thousand lives, a tenth of the total; this is equivalent to half of the working population. In addition to scarse, the population, as in the colonial days, squeezed together in the center; nobody wanted to go to the vast northern area that without people was dangerous, an invitation to dispossession, an open ark.''

''In the economic order things were worse. Mining production fell in eleven struggle years to 6 million pesos instead of the 30 reached in 1810. The value of agricultural production shrank in''