Giant Mistake Trivia Quiz

Answer: Felipe Calderon

The Mexican Independence movement occurred in the 19th century, mainly between 1810 and 1821. Starting in the 1520s, Mexican territory was ruled by Spain. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is often recognized as one of the heroes of Mexican independence, since he was one of the leaders of the movement. Notably, he supposedly rang a bell inside a church in 1810 to declare the start of the revolution. Hidalgo was not exactly seeking independence from Spain; rather, Napoleon's invasion of Spain led to many expressing their grievances and eventually declaring independence.

Felipe Calderon was the president of Mexico between 2006 and 2012.

Answer: The Olmecs

The Aztec Empire was one of the major pre-Hispanic cultures in Mexican territory before "the Conquest", when Spain took over. In 1521, the Spanish explorers led by Hernan Cortes took the city of Tenochtitlan and the Aztec people. Before the Aztecs, however, there were several other cultures in Mexico. One of the oldest ones were the Olmecs, who inhabited Mexico between approximately 1600 BCE and 400 BCE.

Answer: German

Also known as Maximilian of Habsburg, Maximilian I of Mexico was crowned Emperor of Mexico in 1864. Maximilian was from Austria, where he was a member of the country's navy before going to Mexico. He was mainly backed by the conservative factions of Mexican people, while the liberals vehemently opposed his rule. Maximilian is sometimes thought of as a misunderstood leader who was actually quite compassionate.

He was executed in 1867, a short three years after his reign began.

Answer: Mormon

Mexico is well-known for being a Catholic-dominated country. Throughout history, and largely as a result of the Spanish conquest centuries ago, Catholicism has become ingrained in most of Mexico's population. Between 1926 and 1929, the Mexican army and Catholic militias fought a violent war after President Plutarco Elias Calles introduced laws that restricted the practice of the Catholic religion.

After thousands of people on both sides were killed, an agreement was reached in 1929 to stop the war.

Answer: American

Though people outside of Mexico seem to think that "Cinco de Mayo" is a very important holiday, it really is not. Certainly, it is not the day when Mexican independence is celebrated, as some erroneously believe. Instead, the holiday commemorates the 1862 battle between Mexican and French armies, in which Mexico delivered a shocking upset by defeating the Europeans.

The French had invaded attempting to collect a debt that the Mexican government refused to pay.

Answer: Conservative

Benito Juarez was one of Mexico's most important and controversial politicians. A quote commonly attributed to Juarez, who was one of the leaders of the Mexican liberal movement, goes "respecting the rights of others means peace". This fits in with his worldview that opposed any foreign intervention in Mexican sovereignty. Juarez had a prolific political career in the latter half of the 19th century: he served in the federal government as Education and Interior secretary, as governor of Oaxaca state, briefly as President of the Supreme Court, and then as Mexico's president between 1858 and 1872.

Answer: Pyramids of Teotihuacan

Every September 13, Mexico celebrates the "Day of the Boy Heroes" in commemoration of their heroic defense of the Castle of Chapultepec against U.S. troops. This military battle was part of the Mexican-American War and ultimately resulted in Mexico ceding considerable territory to the United States.

The story goes that six brave young cadets disobeyed their superiors and attempted to defend the castle from American forces. One of them, Juan Escutia, supposedly jumped from the castle wrapped in the Mexican flag, though the veracity of this event is disputed.

Answer: 1950 and 1960

The Mexican Revolution took place between 1910 and 1920, eerily coinciding with the anniversary of the Mexican War of Independence (which approximately took place between 1810 and 1821). The Revolution started as an effort to overthrow General Porfirio Diaz, who had effectively become a dictator by staying in power for decades.

However, multiple ideological differences led to many different groups fighting for rather different objectives. Some of the names associated with the Revolution are Francisco I. Madero, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata.

Answer: Bagel

The Pastry War, also known as the "Cake War" or more formally as the First Franco-Mexican War, was a rather interesting military conflict involving Mexico and France. In the 1830s, the French owner of a pastry shop asked the French monarchy to intervene because he was owed money by the Mexican government. France demanded payment after many other merchants complained too.

The successful French intervention in Mexico forced the government to surrender and ultimately pay the amount that France wanted.

Answer: Institutional Revolutionary Party

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was in power continuously for much of the 20th century. The party became associated with corruption and several scandals, including the alleged murder of a presidential contender in their own party (Luis Donaldo Colosio).

In 2000, Vicente Fox, representing the National Action Party (PAN), made history by winning the presidential election backed by many voters who wanted to see change. His party remained in power for the 2006-2012 term as well, after which the PRI returned to the presidency through the election of Enrique Pena Nieto in 2012.