Can You Pass This Mexican History Quiz?

For about 13,000 years, humans have been living in the area of Mexico. The region has witnessed the rise and fall of major empires of world history.

Santa Ana is one of Mexico's most famous historical figures. He was a career military man who wound up as president, and in spite of many setbacks, managed to stay there for a long time.

Many historians believe the Mayans were an extremely advanced culture. The Mayans developed a complex writing system and shared information over a broad geographical area.

In the 16th century, European nations were busy in colonizing many far-flung areas of the world. Spain conquered much of Mesoamerica, including the area that would become Mexico.

Spanish conquerors destroyed the ancient Aztec Empire capital. Then, they began rebuilding what became known was Mexico City, now one of the world's biggest metropolitan areas.

Santa Ana was the leader of Mexico during the Mexican-American War of the 1840s. In a time of fractious politics, the president was unable to put together a force cohesive enough to beat back the American invasion.

The number of states has changed over time. Currently, Mexico is made up of 31 states, along with one federal district.

Starting in 1810, Mexican rebels began their fight for independence from Spain. The struggle was a long one, but the fighters finally overthrew Spain's dominance.

In 1854, liberals gained momentum in Mexico. They toppled President Santa Ana and began creating a Mexican constitution, which would be ratified in 1857.

The Olmecs were concentrated in the southern part of what's now Mexico. They learned agriculture and used farming to grow beans, corn, chile peppers and other crops that are still popular in the area.

Mexico's drug cartels wax and wane in power, sometimes using violence to get the upper hand on their rivals. In 2006, the violence ecalated to an alarming degree, and the Mexican Army stepped in to slow the bloodshed.

There were no Communist leanings in the Mexican constitution. Instead, this document bears some eerie resemblances to the one created by Mexico's northern neighbor.

The Roman Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is often called the father of Mexico. At the beginning of the war for independence, he called men to arms and told them to fight off the Spanish.

At the Battle of Calderón Bridge, about 100,000 insurgents faced off against just 7,000 Spanish regulars. The battle should've been a rout. But things took an unexpected turn.

Although they were outnumbered 10 to 1, the Spanish won the Battle of Calderón Bridge. They were heavily armed against the 100,000 rebels, many of whom had primitive weapons. The crushing defeat meant that it would be a decade before the rebels won independence.

The carnage of the Mexican Drug War is hard to overstate. Since 2006, about 200,000 people have been killed, and more than 1.5 million people have been forced to move to escape violence.

In 1845, America annexed the Republic of Texas, which Mexico still regarded as part of its country. Then, the U.S. granted Texas statehood.

In the early 1500s, Hernán Cortés landed in the region with just a few hundred soldiers. But he pitted the locals against one another, slowly but surely bringing the mighty Aztec Empire to its knees.

September 16 is Mexican Independence Day. It marks the day that a true uprising gained momentum against Spanish leaders, culminating in independence 11 years later.

United States leaders made clear their interest in the lands between Mexico and America (and even tried to buy it), but the conflict boiled over into war. The U.S. won the war, and Mexico lost about 30% of its land.

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán shot to fame as a leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and made incredible amounts of money as the boss. He's been arrested (and escaped) multiple times but is now in U.S. custody.

James Polk wanted areas of the Southwest for the U.S., and made overtures to Mexican authorities in hopes of purchasing those lands. When they rejected his offer, Polk instead used force to seize Texas, and more.

In 1910, Mexico's lower class was disgusted with the country's imbalance of wealth and power. The Revolution caught fire … and nearly 2 million people died in the 10-year civil war.

In 1861, France (with the help of Britain and Spain) invaded Mexico and occupied Veracruz. The European powers were retaliating because Mexico paused its repayment of debts.

In 1861, France invaded Mexico to prevent Mexico from backing out of its loan repayments. Then, with help of wealthy Mexicans, the French installed Maximilian I as the Emperor of Mexico.

Just a few years after becoming a puppet leader of Mexico, Maximilian I faced an armed uprising. He and his men were cornered and captured … and then executed by firing squad.

At the Battle of the Alamo, Mexican troops surrounded the fort and laid siege. Days later, they attacked and killed every last man inside, sparing only women and children.

About 100 million people now live in Mexico. It's the biggest Spanish-speaking nation on Earth.

After the Mexican-American War, American leaders agreed to pay $15 million for damages that the war caused to Mexico. The U.S. gained vast swaths of the southwest after the war.

World War II invigorated many parts of the Mexican economy. It triggered massive infrastructure improvements and modernized many parts of the nation.