Mexico, 1821–1848

Hybrid Regime · Republic · Central America · Industrial Age era

Early independent Mexico, a turbulent republic of coups and caudillos that lost half its territory in war with the United States.

Independent Mexico struggled to establish stable government amid conflicts between federalists and centralists, frequent coups and the dominance of military caudillos such as Santa Anna. Economic weakness and regional fragmentation compounded the instability. War with the United States (1846–48) ended in the loss of roughly half the national territory.

Open Mexico 1821–1848 in the interactive 3D atlas →

Dominant patterns

  • Institutional Decay
  • Revolutionary Risk
  • External Expansion
  • Militarization
  • Imperial Decline

Political-science factor profile

Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).

Centralization of Power35
Media Control38
Repression45
Nationalism55
Militarization62
Economic Stress62
External Conflict70
Cult of Personality48
Elite Fragmentation82
Institutions28
Social Polarization60
Corruption & Patrimonialism60
Ideological Mobilization48
External Sovereignty75

Economy & society

GDP per capita$1000 (intl-$)
Population7.0M people
Share of world population0.64%
Territory~4.4M km²
Capital population~200k

Closest historical twins

The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Mexico 1821–1848, by similarity score (0–100).

  1. Gran Colombia, 1819–1831 – similarity 95/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, Revolutionary Risk, External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline
  2. Seleucid Empire, 150–63 BCE – similarity 87/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, Revolutionary Risk, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
  3. China, 1911–1916 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, Revolutionary Risk, Militarization, Imperial Decline
  4. Visigothic Kingdom, 600–711 CE – similarity 86/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, Revolutionary Risk, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
  5. Eastern Jin, 317–420 CE – similarity 85/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, Revolutionary Risk, External Expansion, Imperial Decline
  6. Roman Republic, 80–44 BCE – similarity 83/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, Revolutionary Risk, External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline
  7. Gaul, 100–52 BCE – similarity 82/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline
  8. Spain, 1788–1814 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Institutional Decay, External Expansion, Militarization, Imperial Decline

What followed

  • Loss of the north to the United States in 1848.
  • Chronic instability between federalists and centralists.