Oajaca
In pre-Hispanic Oajaca, the Zapotecs and Mixtecs emerged as the most prominent groups, each with its own rich cultural and historical legacy. The Zapotecs, in particular, left an indelible mark on the region, as they established the ancient city of Monte Albán around 500 BC, which eventually became a major center of political, religious, and economic activity. They built impressive terraced pyramids, produced intricate stone carvings, and a hieroglyphic writing system. Meanwhile, the Mixtecs also thrived, with their capital city of Tilantongo serving as a notable center of power and culture during this period.
As it happened in the rest of Mejico, Spanish troops invaded the region, taking advantage of local enmities, and forging alliances with Mixtecs and Zapotecs against the Mexicas. The military invasion began in the north and was carried out in relative peace, with the people of the sierras putting up the most resistance. Smallpox helped the Spaniards, as Indigenous populations were decimated by this epidemic. Oajaca fell in December 1521, although in the northern highlands, the Mixe people were never conquered militarily, given the mountainous terrain. The evangelization of the region fell into the hands of Dominican friars, who had numerous churches and convents built with Indigenous labor, most importantly the cities of Antequera, Yanhuitlán, and Cuilapam. The Convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the capital city became the religious nucleus of the province.
By preserving indigenous hierarchical structures, the Spaniards were able to maintain control. The government implemented the hacienda system throughout the country, similar to medieval feudalism. In central and northern Mejico, gold and silver were mainly exploited, but in Oajaca, lacking important mines, exploitation focused on the equally important resource of grana cochineal, a parasite of the nopal cactus from which a red dye is extracted. The production of grana cochineal was only surpassed by that of silver, boosting the economic development of the region, and was so important that the pope's clothes were dyed with this dye. In the Mixteca and the valley, cattle raising was another highly implemented economic activity. The death of many Indigenous people due to epidemics contributed to the implementation of Bartolomé de las Casas' peasant colonization scheme, with the migration of thousands of Spaniards into the region, although African slaves were also imported to the region.
For most of Mejico's independent history, Oajaca has been a quiet province, with little political turmoil. Changes in government between Liberals and Conservatives often went without major trouble in the province. Prior to the Liberal Insurgency, Benito Juárez had been the most prominent Liberal figure and thinker in the country, a Zapotec man native to Oajaca, who vied for the Presidency against Conservative opponent Mariano Paredes. A cholera epidemic struck the country in the late 1840s, leading to the death of Juárez. The region of Oajaca played a very important role during the Insurgency, which was ultimately defeated in 1873.
In the following decades, Liberal Porfirio Díaz Mori would rise to power, becoming one of the most important Presidents in Mejican history. The era of Porfirism, also known as the Three Liberal Decades (Spanish: Trentenio Liberal), was marked by significant economic and technological progress, but also by political repression and widespread inequality. Being a native of Oajaca, President Díaz showed special interest in the development of his home province, and under his rule, Oajaca saw a surge in industrialization and modernization, building and installing hundreds of kilometers of rail, telegraph lines, and roads, as well as overseeing the construction of the Superior Normal College and one of the largest provincial markets in the capital of Antequera.
Opponents and critics of the system, the Flores Magón brothers founded the newspaper Regeneración, one of the few printed media where they directly attacked Porfirism, which led to their apprehension and prosecution. The Magonist cause gained followers throughout Oajaca, but many of them would be expelled to Porciúncula and surrounding areas. Francisco I. Madero would be another important opponent of Porfirism, urging Mejican to organize political and anti-reelectionist parties. Madero would visit Antequera, where he would be seconded by José Vasconcelos. After Madero's arrest, the porfirist candidate was victorious in the general elections of 1910, giving rise to the promulgation of the Plan of San Luis and the subsequent Mejican Civil War.
The first revolutionary groups in Oajaca were led by Sebastián Ortiz, Manuel Oseguera, and Baldomero Ladrón de Guevara, of Magonist tendencies, and the Benito Juárez Army of Liberation was created. In 1911, Benito Juárez Maza won the local elections, but his government lasted only seven months, being replaced by Miguel Bolaños Cacho, follower of Victoriano Huerta, but he would instead be expelled by a rebel group in the sierra. Relations between the Constitutionalists and Oajacans would be difficult, since they were considered "enemies of the revolution" and, in addition to this, Venustiano Carranza's brother, Jesús Carranza, was killed in Oajaca. The main constitutionalist leaders blamed the provincial government, considering that it was protecting the guilty parties.
After the end of the war, José Vasconcelos, another native of Oajaca, would win the 1930 general elections, and would afterwards consolidate his authoritarian rule by suppressing all opposition parties. This resulted in a totalitarian regime known as Vasconcelism, which lasted until his death in 1959, but was then succeeded by his right-hand man, Salvador Abascal, who continued this system of government until 1970. Vasconcelos would implement a corporatist economic model, and invested heavily in the industrialization and modernization of Mejico, making it a global economic powerhouse. Oajaca would witness a period of immense growth and development, becoming an important hub for trade and commerce.