Why did Mexico lose the Mexican - American War?

[Potential_Landlord]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

But the "serial corruption" continues apace. There's no good reason why Mexico can't be more prosperous than it is now.

Actually, Mexico has become a lot more prosperous in recent decades. Among all the Latin American countries it is pretty much doing best.

[nickerman]

one word: 'siesta'

[Chango]

Mexico has been a mess since El cinco de Mayo. The Southwest was an easy grab from an almost perpetually weak and unstable country.

It also helped that the area seized was not physically occupied by Mexicans, aside from isolated, tiny settlements (mostly in parts of New Mexico and California). "Home court advantage" neutralized.

[Ummagumma]

Originally Posted by Potential_Landlord

Actually, Mexico has become a lot more prosperous in recent decades. Among all the Latin American countries it is pretty much doing best.

Mexico is a rich country with majority poor people. It's never been really poor.

[Chango]

Originally Posted by Pretzelogik

Oh that's easy...its those old evil white guys.

Who also ruled Mexico at the time... Spanish are white and full blooded Spaniards were (and still mostly are) the elite of Mexico.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by Chango

Who also ruled Mexico at the time... Spanish are white and full blooded Spaniards were (and still mostly are) the elite of Mexico.

It was the "pure blooded" people of Spanish ancestry (crillolos) who led the revolt against Spain in Mexico and the rest of Latin America. Because they were born in the Americas, they couldn't rise to the top like the peninsulares (people born in Spain) while these nations were Spanish colonies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limpie...anish_colonies

[SunGrins]

Mexico in 1840 was too large to govern from Mexico City and, depending on who was in control, the level of decentralized authority was feeble and ineffective. It would take a year to get a response to an official request sent from northern New Mexico because first it would have to go to Durango and then, because they didn't have proper authority, it would go to Mexico City and then follow the same route back, a journey of nearly 4,000 miles. (Even the DMV is better than this.)

Had there been no war with the US, and no US notion of "Manifest Destiny", I wonder how many nations would have been carved out of Mexico's northern territories and how far south the break-up would have gone. The California gold rush was a game changer as was the Mormon migration to the Great Salt Lake and the broader region from Arizona to Idaho. Texas had already broken away. Alta California was operating almost independently from the central Mexican government. The Russians were still present in northern California until 1841 and would have surely been eager to stay if they had been there when gold was discovered. The Santa Fe Trail was bringing closer commercial ties to non-Mexican traders in Missouri. The power factions in Mexico City were always at odds. The French installed Emperor Maximilian I, a Hapsburg Archduke, after invading Mexico in 1861. This was largely due to ongoing factional infighting and conspiracies against the elected government of Benito Juarez.