Product Description
In Mexico, the confluence of the 1992 Quincentennial commemoration of Columbus's voyages and the neo-liberal sexenio, or presidency, of Carlos Salinas de Gortari spurred artistic creations that capture the decade like no other source does.In the 1990s, Mexican artists produced an inordinate number of works that revise and rewrite the events of the sixteenth-century conquest and colonization. These works and their relationship to, indeed their mirroring of, the intellectual and cultural atmosphere in Mexico during the Salinas presidency are of paramount importance if we are to understand the subtle but deep shifts within Mexico's national identity that took place at the end of the last century.

Throughout the twentieth century, the post-revolutionary Mexican State had used mestizaje as a symbol of national unity and social integration.By the end of the millennium, however, Mexico had gone from a PRI-dominated, economically protectionist nation to a more democratic, economically globalizing one.More importantly, the homogenizing, mestizophile national identity that pervaded Mexico throughout the past century had given way to official admission of Mexico's ethnic and linguistic diversity--or 'pluriculture' according to President Salinas's 1992 constitutional revision.

This book is the first interdisciplinary study of literary, cinematic, and graphic images of Mexican national identity in the 1980s and '90s.Discussing, in depth, writings, films, and cartoons from a vast array of contemporary sources, Carrie C. Chorba creates a social history of this important shift. ... Read more

Product Description
". . . here is the history of the revolution in 184 of the best photographs of the time. The whole disintegration and painful reintegration of a society is marvellously set before the eyes . . ." --Times Literary Supplement". . . a classic and sympathetic statement of the first of the great twentieth century revolutions--its words and pictures command our attention and our respect." --Military History "Only 100 pages of text and 184 historical news photographs, yet this is the Mexican Revolution in its drama, its complexity, its incompleteness! One could not have seen it more closely and fully had one taken part in it . . ." --Bertram D. Wolfe The Mexican Revolution began in 1910 with the overthrow of dictator Porfirio Díaz. The Wind That Swept Mexico, originally published in 1943, was the first book to present a broad account of that revolution in its several different phases. In concise but moving words and in memorable photographs, this classic sweeps the reader along from the false peace and plenty of the Díaz era through the doomed administration of Madero, the chaotic years of Villa and Zapata, Carranza and Obregón, to the peaceful social revolution of Cárdenas and Mexico's entry into World War II. The photographs were assembled from many sources by George R. Leighton with the assistance of Anita Brenner and others. Many of the prints were cleaned and rephotographed by the distinguished photographer Walker Evans. Anita Brenner, author of Idols behind Altars and a number of children's books, was born in Mexico and lived there for many years. During the Spanish Civil War she wrote dispatches from Spain for the New York Times and the Nation and for many years she edited the magazine Mexico This Month. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

BAD REVIEW
After 6 weeks I have not recieved the book , nor have I been able to make contact with the seller. My credit card was billed and I have paid the credit card company. I am very unhappy as the book was a birthday gift for a friend on Feb 23. I hope somehow this can be resolved. I either want the book or my money back. Thank You
Bettsy Greenstein

An overview
This 1943 book offers a brief view of the Mexican Revolution. It serves those who want an overview, and it provides guidance for those who want to know where to look for more detailed reading. Half the book is photos, and that collection also is good. For those who already know the subject, look to another book for depth. This book is good for what it is, a readable introduction to the subject.

Classic Account of the Mexican Revolution
Anita Brenner first published "The Wind That Swept Mexico" in 1943 and it is still in print 65 years later.This book has introduced more Americans to the Mexican Revolution than any other book ever published.The reason for this is the 184 pages of photographs assembled by George Leighton with the assistance of Walker Evans.

Anita Brenner is best known for the articles she wrote during the Spanish Civil War for the New York Times and The Nation.The first 106 pages of the book are her account of the causes of the Mexican Revolution and the struggle that continued for the next thirty.Brenner wrote well but our understanding of the Mexican Revolution is very different today than it was in 1943 when the book was first published.If you are looking for a history of the Mexican Revolution, there are better books that been published in the last twenty years.

What makes this book are the photos.During the chaos of the Revolution, daring news photographers could travel the country at their own risk taking photos of whatever pleased them.There were no press limits.Everything was fair game.George Leighton with the assistance of Anita Brenner and the great photographer Walker Evans put together a collection of some of the most compelling news photographs of the era.The Mexican Revolution was a dramatic event and the photos they assembled are equal to the times.

We are approaching the hundreth anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and I hope someone will put together a new photo collection.One can only hope that a new edition of the "Historia Grafica de la Revolucion Mexicana" by Gustavo Casasola will be republished.Published in 1976, "Historia Grafica" is the gold standard by which to judge all photo collections of the Mexican Revolution.

Walker Evans meets Pancho
This is a beguiling look both visually and a somewhat tongue in cheek look at the Mexican Revolutionary Struggle 1911-1922.The somewhat dated account is told in newsreel fashion and backed by a wonderful collage of photos whose captions sound as though they were written by an Economist Photo Editor.John Reed would have enjoyed this account and for a general introductory overview I would strongly reccomend it.Having begun a personal exploration of the Mexican Revolution I found this initial read did much to prime my further interest.Some of the views expressed are perhaps overly enthusiastic in their assumption of what Mexico's future would hold, yet this a quick and interesting primer on the subject.

See Them All
All of the players in the drama that was the Mexican Revolution are seen here. Even a rare glimpse of Rudolfo Fierro, Fransisco [Pancho] Villa's right hand assassin. A must for any library of The Revolution, large or small. Seeing these photographs helps to sort out the intertwining labyrinthine series of events of that tumultous era. ... Read more

Product Description
Philip St. George Cooke (1809-1895) was a career United States Army cavalry officer. This is personal account of his service during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), during which he led the Mormon Battalion from Santa Fe to California. He later served as a Union general in the Civil War, while his son-in-law, J.E. B. Stuart, was a Confederate general and cavalry commander.

... Read more

Product Description
Recounting the decade of bloody events that followed the eruption of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, Villa and Zapata explores the regional, international, cultural, racial, and economic strife that made the rebels Francisco (Pancho) Villa and Emiliano Zapata legends. Throughout this volume drama colludes with history, in a tale of two social outlaws who became legendary national heroes, yet—despite their triumph and only meeting, in 1914, in the Mexican capital—failed to make common cause and ultimately fell victim to intrigues more treacherous than their own. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs bring this gripping narrative to life. "McLynn ... tells it so well ... you can hear the strains of he Mexican patriotic standard ‘Zacatecas’ as you read it."—Austin American-Statesman "An admirably clear account of the chaos of revolution, its rivalries and bloody struggles...."—The Spectator "Informative and insightful ...feels less like a history than a great story, as exciting as a Saturday serial Western."—Publishers Weekly ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Villa and Zapata book review
Book packaged very well and received in very good condition.Item arrived ahead of schedule.

Exactly what I wanted
I purchased this book for my grandpa and he seems to love it. It came in great condition. I have not read the book so I will not comment on the content.

Interesting account of the Mexican Revolution
It may be a difficult task to write a short and interesting version of the Mexican Revolution that focuses in its two main figures: Francisco Villa and Emiliano Zapata. For one thing, the author with mastery contends against the long time the social movement lasted and with the impressive array of events and personalities that gave form to the conflict. For another, with an impartial view he will closely follow these two figures in their struggle to achieve their goals. The author does not desist from telling us about wrong decisions and missteps these two figures took that ended up with the loss of their main aims. Both were killed. Nevertheless, it is clear where he stands: he admires these two genuine revolutionaries. By knowing their biography we will be able to understand the Mexican Revolution.

Easy to read and well constructed, the author tells us not only about Zapata and Villa but about Madero, Carranza, Obregón -main figures in the revolution- and others as well. The tale of those men would not be interesting without knowing about their personalities and how their own past affected their decisions and steps they took in the movement. There are, in some cases, detailed descriptions of the contexts and settings of their personal histories.

Two gratifying things I have learned from this book. First, masses of people were mobilized to rebel against an unfair state of things. Substantial and original ideas, without been clearly expressed, came up from these poor and uneducated social groups leaded by Villa and Zapata. Although the cost of the struggle in human lives was too high, the idea that rebellion and protest are ways to change things persists after ending the reading. Second, I have gained a better understanding of the revolution. It was not just that oppressed groups of people decided to change the order of things. On the contrary, there were many distinct elements that would decide the causes and course of events of the Mexican Revolution, a singular event in the history of the nations. Frank McLynn provides a timely and thought-provoking account of that in his book.

Great Book - Villa and Zapata
Great book! I recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning about the history of Villa and Zapata.

Villa and Zapata: Goals missed
This is a very well written book that covers the subject from a modern view point.This is not a book for a person that has not had a good grounding in 20th centry history.The terms used for discription tend to be based on the English use of the English language at times and not the American version of the english language.It was not a distraction for me but for some it might be.Some discriptions of the principal figures are compaired to persons of like actions in 20th century europiean history, it works well but might be noted in the reference section for those that do not pick up on the reference to the figure described.When spanish is used as a term it fits the passage and is well translated.The photos fit the language and the discription of the action in the book.It is a history book but it is also just a plain good read. ... Read more

Product Description
This title presents an account of the early history of El Rancho de las Golondrinas from the ranch's beginnings to its establishment as a living history museum, including biographical sketches, histories, and photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Origins of New Mexico Families: A Genealogy of the Spanish Colonial Period
I was shocked when I received this book and saw what a collection of work was involved.This is a very low price to pay for a book that is loaded with actual documented family data.Think of what it would cost for you to do the years of research that he has already compiled for you.Yes, there are a few errors, but there are also errors in actual documents...This is just a GREAT place to start for those who are working on their early Spanish American families.

He has managed to bring together an enormous group of varied families in this one 442 page effort. I know it doesn't cite it's sources in every case and the dates are not always published, but an experienced researcher can glean much from this man's work.My suggestion is that if you have New Mexico families researched back to the early 1800's you will find this source invaluable.

Using his sources I should be able to order some of these records from a local Family History Center to acurately document my own data. If these manuscripts haven't been filmed yet, they eventually will be, so be patient.I was able to put together several promising families using this book and am working on the documentation for myself which we should all do anyway.

Excellent Manuscript
The Origins of New Mexico Families is a must have source book for anyone conducting genealogy research that includes New Mexico.A Must Have Book!

Origins of New Mexico Families
Very interesting, felt there could have been more added but was happy to have as a resource and history reference.

Excellent Resource for New Mexican Genealogy
This is an excellent resource for New Mexican genealogy research. The information is documented, the layout is clear, and the book is easy to use. I have consistently returned to this book while researching for my clients' family history and for mine as well. There are some errors, so don't use this book as the sole source of your work.

The only problem I see with this book is that sometime people become TOO eager to make their known lines stretch out to "fit" the work in here. But most researchers, professional and ameteur, aren't like that.

Purchase this book before it goes out of print, just like the previous reviewer urges. You'll use it for decades.

Salena Ashton

Must have if You have Family in It.
If you have ancestors listed in this book, you must have it.Just to see them listed in it makes you feel soo proud and you have it to show others in case they think you are full of crap. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Volume: 2; Original Published by: Harper and Bros. in 1850 in 472 pages; Subjects: Mexico; Biography & Autobiography / Adventurers & Explorers; History / Latin America / Mexico; History / Native American; History / Americas; Juvenile Nonfiction / History / Exploration & Discovery; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Prescott
The works of Prescott are what led to the views of the Spanish as being cruel conquistadors and ruthless leaders. It seems that much of the stereotypes placed on the Spanish, both true and false, come from Prescott's writings. The view points that Prescott presented as fact are what writers such as Lea would have been reading and believing about Spain. Much of the writings today have arisen as a backlash to the writings of Prescott. His stereotypes created a vision of Spain as a character unable to change with the world and a lower race. His writings influenced early Morisco Studies and new studies are largely discrediting him.

Conquest of Mexico
The Conquest in three volumes, published in 1843, good condition for that speciic year. Great service

history of the conquest of mexico
Im still working trhough it
it is said to be an exellent source of info for the post conquest history of mexico, and it may be so, but the ancient english makes for heavy reading...

Historical Fiction
Scholarship on the Aztecs and the Conquest has far surpassed Prescott's entertaining but historically inaccurate tale.Five minutes with Matthew Restall's "Seven Myth's of the Spanish Conquest" debunks half of the work.Prescott's personal story is romantic, but this should not cloud the reader's judgment regarding the dated quality of the work.Stick with James Lockhart, Louise Burkhart, Sarah Cline, or even Inga Clenndinen's problematic work for a better picture of the conquest.

A great historical book
Prescott's book is a must to read for everyone interested in the history of Mexico. The account of the conquest is very detailed,obviously product of an extensive research and yet extremely readable. Among the admirable qualities of Prescott as a historical narrator is his attempt at staying objective. He uses previous accounts of the events in question but always keeps in mind that history is written by the victors. He tries to side neither with the conquerors nor with the Aztec, givig credit to the latter for their valor and yet underlining the inevitability of their downfall.
Prescott's book is a great history, yet reads as easy as fiction. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Mexico! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Great review of Mexican life
Profilo Diaz was the dictator in charge before the Mexican Revolution and the structure of society was clearly coming apart at the seams when he was in power. Beezley does an excellent job of showing how the society was coming apart through various aspects of the culture including religious festivals and life at the Jockey Club.The book is very well written but if you do not know what is happening in Mexico during the Profirian period than this will be a hard book to follow. For those who know a lot about Mexico this is a must read.

How could they let this book go out of print?
This is one of the books I recommend most frequently when people ask for fun stuff to read, in English, about Mexico.And I frequently assign it to students in intro-level history classes.I'm not entirely convinced by the chapter on rural life, but the book as a whole belongs among the best histories of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century period in Latin America.Dang!Now what will I assign my students?Bring this back into print, please!

Interesting but somehow obvious
The essay is serious and full of good archive work, scholarly ok, but in some parts one expects wilder conclusions and not only a simple comment on the information provided by the documents or news papers.Apart from that, the author must be sincere, and inform in advance to the reader that he will dedicate much of this work to the ways in which the american culture (sports) spread in Mexico. Many of the conclusions he arrive to, are too obvious and general for the ones who do research in XIX Century Latin America Cultural Studies. [Sorry for any mistakes in my written english]

Who knew that cultural history could be this much fun?
This is a book that deserves to be more widely known. It is a serious historical treatise about culture, social life and customs during the Porfiriato regime of Mexico (1875-1910)- but don't let the academic themefrighten you. Judas at the Jockey Club is an excellent and fascinating readthat considers topics like "why and how horse-racing came toMexico", "why and how baseball became popular", "whycricket faded from popularity", and "what bicycles have to dowith politics". Serious scholarship should all be this much fun. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This textbook for the middle-school reader is an engaging and balanced account of New Mexico from earliest times to the present. Presented is a comprehensive introduction to geographic features as well as social, economic, and political events that have shaped the state’s development. The first nine chapters cover New Mexico’s pre-history and settlement prior to 1846; another six chapters focus on New Mexico as a part of the United States.

The narrative is enriched by nineteen special interest features, five time lines, 145 illustrations, of which twenty-seven are in color, and twenty-three maps.

A separate teacher resource guide is complimentary with class sets of 20 or more books. The resource guide includes lesson plans keyed to the state’s instructional standards for social studies, answers to section and chapter reviews, four different types of student activity worksheets, tests and answer keys, bibliographies, and resource suggestions. Copies are available for sale at $18.00 each when schools do not purchase 20 books or wish additional copies. Call 800-249-7737 or 505-277-4810 to order.

“This book is easy to read. I enjoyed being reminded of facts I had not thought of for years. The approach is good, even enjoyable.”—Thomas E. Chávez, Ph.D., Director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center

Reading level: grade 7.

Return to textbooks info page ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Middle School Textbook
This is a good history of the state of New Mexico written for middle school students.It has section review questions throughout the chapters and a chapter review section at the end of each chapter.The chapters are short, and the reading level seems easy. ... Read more

Product Description
This fascinating, richly illustrated book explores basic Precolumbian beliefs among ancient Mesoamerican peoples about life and death, body and soul. Drawing on linguistic, ethnographic, and iconographic sources, McKeever Furst argues that the Mexica turned not to mental or linguistic constructions for verifying ideas about the soul but to what they experienced through the senses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

very well written,very informative
We were going on a trip to see the Llano Estacado and the canyon in west Texas.This book gave the trip so much dimension and understanding at how hard the life was for the explorers and the pioneers in this harshland.Very cleverly written,holds one attention. Wonderful

Excellent contemporary treatise on Llano explorations
Using historical writings of early explorers, the author captures the mystery and magic of the great Llano Estacado or "Staked Plains" that begin in West Texas and extend north and west. Particularly amusing is the efforts of early railroad surveyors to find underground water at the edge of the Llano (aka the caprock) only to miss one of North America's largest aquifers (the Ogalla) by a matter of miles and in some cases yards.

"...extremely well written new work of Southwestern History"
[Review by Larry Blumenfeld, Blumenfeld & Aswsociates, Post Office Box 2831, 660 Circulo Nomada, Tubac, AZ 85646-2831, (520) 398-3371, published in COUNCIL FIRES, The Publication for Western Americana Enthusiasts, Vol. 8, Issue #1, January, 1998, p. 16-17.]E1 Llano Estacado: Exploration and Imagination on the High Plains of Texas and New Mexico, 1536-1860. Written by John Miller Morris. Austin: Texas State Historical Association, First Edition ($39.95).El Llano Estacado is an extremely well written new work of Southwestern History, brilliantly revealing the historical core and heart of one of America's most history-packed regions--the mesaland of the Southern High Plains in Texas and New Mexico. From the Canadian River in the north to the Edwards Plateau in the south, from the Pecos River in the west to the awesome canyonlands of the Red, Pease, Brazos, and Colorado Rivers in the east, these 50,000-square miles of what is commonly referred to as "the Llano" are here chronicled over a period of 300 years, revealing the history, cultural grandeur, and mythic wonders of this special ruggedly beautiful land. A knockout read for both historians and buffs alike, Morris's new book is his song to this unique environment, revealing, melding, and analyzing a diversified series of Spanish, French, Mexican, and Anglo-American explorers and adventurers and how they made their mark on this remarkable land. The book opens with an examination of what is known as the Lost Coronado Trail, pursuing the question of where did the Coronado Expedition go in 1541. What follows is nothing short of a breakthrough analysis of what they saw and how they remembered it as revealed through their personal accounts and journals.The second part of the book, which deals with the Llano Frontier, continues its unique approach to the study of the three centuries of Spanish exploration and imagination following Coronado. Here we revisit this extraordinary land through the eyes and imaginations of the conqueror, Juan de Onate, the accounts of the French explorers, Pierre Mallet and Paul Mallet, and the travel diaries of trailblazers Pedro Vial, Jose Mares, and Francisco Amangual. Part Three then explores and analyzes "the invention or discovery of the Llano through the Anglo imagination," including the "prose of the poet Albert Pike, the grand deceits of Alexander Le Grand, the reasoning of Josiah Gregg, and the legendary collapse of the Texan-Santa Fe Expedition" as chronicled by George Wilkins Kendall and Thomas Falconer. Together the author analyzes what he calls the "American rhetoric of romantic discovery." The Great Zahara, the last of four parts, deliciously delves into the "perceptual approaches of classic U. S. Explorers James W. Abert, Randolph B. Marcy, A. W. Whipple, Andrew Gray, and John Pope...."Powerful, unusual, stimulating, and nothing short of brilliant, El Llano Estacado is one of the finest works of cultural and mythic history of a region I have ever read. Morris has penned a great work of both history and imagination, pushing the boundaries on historical scholarship to limits that I would have never thought possible. This book should change the way history is not only written but perceived. You must read this mmagnificent book!! ... Read more

Product Description
The Valles Caldera consists of a twelve-mile-wide collapsed volcanic crater and more than ten postcollapse volcanic domes in New Mexico's Jemez Mountains. For over a century, it was safeguarded within the 89,000-acre Baca Ranch. In the year 2000, Congress passed the Valles Caldera Preservation Act, creating the Valles Caldera Trust to purchase the ranch and create a nine-member board of trustees responsible for the protection and development of the Valles Caldera National Preserve. With special permission, qualified geologists interested in volcanic processes and hydrothermal systems have been allowed to conduct research on the preserve. One of those volcanologists, Fraser Goff, collaborated with the Valles Caldera Trust to provide an accessible scientific overview of the caldera's geologic wonders.Presented in two parts, Valles Caldera first offers a summary of significant geologic events that have taken place in the Valles Caldera area. Then Goff presents the geology, volcanology, and geothermal characteristics of the Caldera and the Jemez volcanic field. Geologic terms and names unfamiliar to all but professional geologists are defined in a summarizing glossary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Valles Caldera: A Geologic History
Lots of details in this book about the Valles Caldera. I also have the Valles Caldera map from High Desert Field Guides. The combination of the map and Fraser Goff's "Valles Caldera" is very informative.

I am very lucky since I live about 1.5 hours away from the Valles Caldera. There is legislation before the Congress to make the Valles Caldera the next National Park. Remember, the volcano is dormant.

Excellent
Goff is THE expert in this area. While the book is brief, it is thorough. Other publications contain more detail but this presentation provides enough info to enjoy this natural wonder.

Lots of Information on an unknown phenomenon
Very interesting coverage of the Valle Grande area close to the Jemez area and Los Alamos.
Twila ... Read more

Product Description
Nuns are hardly associated in the popular mind with rebellion and turmoil. In fact, convents have often been the scenes of conflict, but what went on behind the walls of convents was meant by the church to be mysterious. Great care was taken to prevent the "scandal" of factionalism in the nunneries from becoming widely known.This has made it very difficult to reconstruct the battles fought, the issues debated, and the relationships tested in such convents. Margaret Chowning has discovered a treasure-trove of documents that allow an intimate look at two crises that wracked the convent of La Purisima Concepcion in San Miguel el Grande, New Spain (Mexico). At the heart of both rebellions were attempts by some nuns to impose a regimen of strict observance of their vows on the others, and the resistance mounted by those who had a different view of the convent and their own role in it. Would the community adopt as austere a lifestyle as they could endure, doing manual labor, suffering hunger and physical discomfort, deprived of the society of family and friends? Or would these women be allowed to lead comfortable and private lives when not at prayer? Accusations and counteraccusations flew. First one side and then the other seemed to have the upper hand. For a time, a mysterious and dramatic illness broke out among the rebellious nuns, capturing the limelight. Were they faking? Were they unconsciously influenced by their ringleader, the charismatic and manipulative young women who first experienced the "mal"? Rebellious Nuns covers the history of the convent from its founding in 1752 to the forced eviction of the nuns in 1863.While the period of rebellion is at the center of the narrative, Chowning also gives an account of the factors that led up to the crises and the rebellion's continuing repercussions on the convent in the decades to follow. Drawing on an abundance of sources, including numerous letters written by the bishop and local vicar as well as nuns of both factions, Chowning is able to give us not just the voices but the personalities of the nuns and other actors.In this way she makes it possible for us to empathize with all of them and to appreciate the complicated dynamics of having committed your life not only to God but to your community. ... Read more

Product Description
Drug wars, NAFTA, presidential politics, and heightened attention to Mexican immigration are just some of the recent issues that are freshly interpreted in this updated survey of Mexico-United States relations.

The fourth edition has been completely revised and offers a lively, engaging, and up-to-date analysis of historical patterns of change and continuity as well as contemporary issues. Ranging from Mexican antiquity and the arrival of the Spanish and British to the present-day administrations of Felipe Calderon and Barack Obama, historians W. Dirk Raat and Michael M. Brescia evaluate the political, economic, and cultural trends and events that have shaped the ways that Mexicans and Americans have regarded each other over the centuries. Raat and Brescia pay special attention to the factors that have subordinated Mexico not only to "the Colossus of the North" but to many other players in the global economy. They also provide a unique look at the cultural dynamics of Gran Chichimeca or Mexamerica, the borderlands where the two countries share a common history. The bibliographical essay has been revised to reflect current research and scholarship. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating analysis of Mexico
Part of the larger US and the Americas series, Ambivalent Vistas is an excellent recount of Mexican history and its relation with the US.It takes the reader into how often the US has involved itself in Mexicanpolitics and how Mexico has dealt with living next to a superpower.Themajority of the book is history with some current issues, especially NAFTA,at the end.

It's rather academic but not dull.If you're interested inthe way Mexico works today I'd recommend Mexican Lives.

A good book ifyou're studying Mexican-American relations. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (29)

The Other Perspective of the Conquest
Miguel Leon-Portillo's collection of Nahua accounts of the Spanish conquest affords the reader a unique opportunity to experience the conquest through the mind of the Amerindian.The book records the human response of the Nahuatl speaking peoples of central Mexico to the strange and terrifying events that ultimately destroyed their city and their way of life.Through songs, pictures, and oral tradition, the plight of the people was preserved, and some of the more powerful and eloquent of these are represented in "The Broken Spears."

Do not expect an objective historical account of the conquest from this book.That is not the intention, as clearly stated by Leon-Portillo in his introduction.Rather, it is a glimpse into how the natives responded to and came to terms with events that were so strange and frightening to them that they bordered on the apocalyptic.What the reader gains, then, is an eloquent testimony to the passion and intellect of the native people of central Mexico who were so often, in many Spanish accounts, reduced to barbaric, blood-thirsty savages with little capacity for human sympathy.

One of A Kind
If you've been looking for a different insight into Mexico's Conquest than the Spanish telling, then this is your book. Highly recommended for everyone for the reason that it is written on the accounts of the vanquished. It will broaden your understanding and motivate you to keep going.

VERY INFORMATIVE!
This is the Aztecs account of the conquest of Mexico. Amazing!Enlighting! I love it! A very useful book if you are looking to find what I think was the truth in History of Mexico. This is one of very few that will tell you the story from the conquered.

The Other Guys Story of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
I enjoyed reading the Aztec account of the colonization of Colonial Mexico. The book is a translation of Nahuatl writings. See- the Spanish provided an alphabet which the Aztecs did not have prior to Spanish arrival and then the Aztecs applied the alphabet to their native Nahuatl language and began writing. The only concern a reader should have is accuracy- the documents of the account were written 10 years and more after the fact. A tip when reading: start with Chapter 14 which summarizes all the events, then read Chapters 1 - 13 which elaborate on events in detail, and finally conclude with chapters 15 - 16. I highly recommend this book for anyone studying Colonial Mexico History or persons who want to know more about Aztecs and their culture.

Review on "The Broken Spears: The Aztec account"
A wonderful compilation of accounts on the conquest of Mexico. This work has been able to bring together the limited sources of non-European accounts of the conquest, therefore aiding to fill in the holes of such an infamous encounter. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in ancient Mexican history, Aztec history, or history in general. ... Read more