Question

In 1808-09 drought produced a great mortality among Mexico’s livestock and decimated [destroyed] the harvest…. Food prices tripled. As in the past, agrarian [agricultural] crisis soon affected the rest of the economy: mining and manufacturing faltered and unemployment rose. The mule trains which carried maize to the public granaries traveled under military escort. Dearth [scarcity] also aggravated old agrarian conflicts and led … to peasant land invasions….

Creole elites, indignant and threatened, now sought to capitalize on these social tensions. In 1809, officers of the militia … hatched a plot which sought to wrest power from the peninsularés and establish a form of Creole home rule, within the framework of the Spanish empire.

Document Analysis
What happened to each of the following as a result of drought in Mexico in 1808 -1809? livestock crops food prices unemployment
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Why do you think the mule trains that carried grain would be escorted by the military?
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How did Creole elites react to these problems?
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How could you use this document to address the question, why did the Creoles take the lead in the fight for independence?

Answer 1

What happened to each of the following as a result of the drought in Mexico in 1808–1809?
- Livestock: great mortality (many animals died).
- Crops: harvests were decimated/destroyed.
- Food prices: tripled.
- Unemployment: rose as mining and manufacturing faltered.

Why would the mule trains that carried grain be escorted by the military?
- Because scarcity and high prices made grain convoys targets for theft, looting, and peasant seizure; military escorts protected the supplies, enforced distribution to public granaries, and maintained public order during a tense food crisis.

How did Creole elites react to these problems?
- They felt threatened and angry, and tried to exploit the social tensions: militia officers among the Creoles plotted in 1809 to remove peninsular (Spain-born) officials and establish Creole home rule within the Spanish empire.

How could you use this document to address the question, “Why did the Creoles take the lead in the fight for independence?”
- Use it as evidence that an acute economic and social crisis (drought → famine, price spikes, unrest) created fear among Creoles of popular disorder and loss of control, motivating them to seize political power to protect their interests.
- It shows Creoles had the organization (militias) and initiative to act politically.
- Caveat: this is one account emphasizing elite motives; to make a strong argument, corroborate with other sources (letters, proclamations, records of peasant uprisings, and evidence of Creole economic/political interests) and note that not all Creoles had the same goals.