Mexico City in the 19th century

Early in the 19th century, Mexico fought an armed struggle to achieve independence from Spain.

In 1821 Agustín de Iturbide, a military officer who joined the independence forces, triumphantly entered Mexico City, which had been largely spared the sieges and looting suffered in other parts of the country.

Iturbide declared Mexico an independent nation and proclaimed himself emperor. However, his rule became despotic and wasteful, and in less than a year the military forced him to resign.

Mexicans adopted a republican constitution in 1824, in which powers were shared between the states and the federal government.

The constitution created a national congress, which selected Mexico City as the national capital and created the initial boundaries of the Federal District.

~~Political Instability~~
A tumultuous period followed in the life of the city and the nation.

The war for independence left the economy in shambles, and various factions in the country could not agree on the political future of the nation.

A struggle for power ensued. Over the next 50 years, more than 30 presidents and 50 governments succeeded one another.

Often, two or even three groups claimed jurisdiction simultaneously.

This lack of stability made obtaining adequate finances difficult for Mexico City and most other Mexican cities. Lacking funding, the city’s services and infrastructure suffered.

Such national disarray made Mexico easy prey to foreign intervention.

France occupied the capital from 1863 to 1867 and established the Austrian archduke Maximilian briefly as the country's emperor.

During his reign, Maximilian dedicated much of the city's treasury to beautification projects and made some lasting changes in the city's appearance.

He expanded the palace at Chapultepec Park and built the tree-lined boulevard that is today known as the Paseo de la Reforma.

Forces under the control of Mexico's elected president, Benito Pablo Juárez, overthrew and executed Maximilian in 1867.

Juárez ruled until his death in 1872, when a struggle for power again erupted among Mexican politicians and military leaders.

~~Presidency of Porfirio Diaz~~
In 1877 Mexico's long turbulent period ended with the presidency of Porfirio Díaz, a military officer who seized the presidency in a coup.

Díaz ran the country with a dictatorial hand. His government erected many magnificent public buildings, and Mexico City assumed the look of a European capital.

Construction of the Palace of Fine Arts, whose architecture imitated European styles, began under Díaz, as did work on the legislative building (now the Monument to the Revolution), a dominating structure of steel and cement.

Prominent architects, both Mexican and European, designed other private and public buildings; these included a national theater, hospitals, churches, and department stores.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s the city began to shift to an industrialized base.

During the transition, unemployment actually increased as many traditional artisans found themselves without jobs.

Housing also became a significant problem; 16 percent of the population rented rooms on a day-to-day basis.

Growth in trade and commerce gave rise to a new elite that took the place of the colonial elite, which had been based on wealth from silver and gold.

The country's new upper class built homes in the newer suburbs to the south and southwest of the city.

Their mansions, like the newly constructed public buildings and monuments, departed from classical Spanish architecture and adopted artistic styles popular in England and France.

Among Mexico's elite, the French influence predominated.

Upper-class families sent their children to study in Paris, bought household goods produced in Europe, wore the latest fashions from London and Paris, read literature from the continent, hired European chefs, and practiced sports popular in Europe, such as polo.

Painting from the period, such as the landscapes of José María Velasco, emulated the trends favored in France and England while incorporating indigenous Mexican subjects.

Architecture in the capital was most influenced by the art nouveau movement, which stressed organic decorative patterns, such as intertwined stems or flowers, and emphasized handcrafting as opposed to machine manufacturing.