Town vs. Country

In the first half of the 19th century, Mexico’s population was distributed through Indian pueblos, rural towns, provincial cities, and large urban cities like Mexico City.

• The pueblos were inhabited by Indians who made up more than one-third of the population. Most were extremely poor, did not speak Spanish, and paid little attention to matters outside their area.
   
• Rural towns were inhabited by mestizos and Indians who spoke Spanish. Illiterate males living in these towns were often collected by local military commanders and forced to join the military. Life was very hard for the inhabitants of these towns, and like the Indian pueblos, these people had little experience of anything beyond their immediate geographic area.
   
• The state capitals, or provincial cities, had anywhere from 7,000 to 71,000 inhabitants, including many criollos; these cities grew rapidly in the first part of the 19th century.