Bandit empire: Mexico 19th century

Abstract

Mexico had started its independent life over fragile grounds what had put at risk its own existence. The national government had to face many problems to recovery the country from its pitiful situation since the XIX century. Amidst then, one can cite the cultural heritage left by the colonial period to the newborn nation, the treasury crisis, the social contradictions, the non-recognition of the independence by Spain, the decapitalization, the inexistence of a nation per se, the political and territorial segregation, the technological and economical backwardness, and finally the alarming increase of banditry after 1821.

Particularly, banditry being the outcome of the deep crisis that follow along all the political regimes for almost the whole century. After some time, the bandits, whose origins where mostly from impoverished rural areas, manage to build such an effective organization system that allow them to control routes, roads and a large portion of regions. That made then more powerful than any government in those areas. No government, either federal or central, could manage to control then, despite the implementation of rigorous laws and the death penalty. The reason for that being on the fact that the causes in which this social phenomenon had its origin – poverty, injustice, illiteracy, among other – could not be solved.