Duke University Press - The Mexico Reader

Subjects
General Interest > Travel, Latin American Studies > Mexico

The Mexico Reader is a vivid introduction to muchos Méxicos—the many Mexicos, or the many varied histories and cultures that comprise contemporary Mexico. Unparalleled in scope and written for the traveler, student, and expert alike, the collection offers a comprehensive guide to the history and culture of Mexico—including its difficult, uneven modernization; the ways the country has been profoundly shaped not only by Mexicans but also by those outside its borders; and the extraordinary economic, political, and ideological power of the Roman Catholic Church. The book looks at what underlies the chronic instability, violence, and economic turmoil that have characterized periods of Mexico’s history while it also celebrates the country’s rich cultural heritage.

A diverse collection of more than eighty selections, The Mexico Reader brings together poetry, folklore, fiction, polemics, photoessays, songs, political cartoons, memoirs, satire, and scholarly writing. Many pieces are by Mexicans, and a substantial number appear for the first time in English. Works by Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes are included along with pieces about such well-known figures as the larger-than-life revolutionary leaders Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata; there is also a comminiqué from a more recent rebel, Subcomandante Marcos. At the same time, the book highlights the perspectives of many others—indigenous peoples, women, politicians, patriots, artists, soldiers, rebels, priests, workers, peasants, foreign diplomats, and travelers.

The Mexico Reader explores what it means to be Mexican, tracing the history of Mexico from pre-Columbian times through the country’s epic revolution (1910–17) to the present day. The materials relating to the latter half of the twentieth century focus on the contradictions and costs of postrevolutionary modernization, the rise of civil society, and the dynamic cross-cultural zone marked by the two thousand-mile Mexico-U.S. border. The editors have divided the book into several sections organized roughly in chronological order and have provided brief historical contexts for each section. They have also furnished a lengthy list of resources about Mexico, including websites and suggestions for further reading.

“[A] sweeping yet comprehensive overview of some of the most important historical and literary documents from Mexico’s history. The book is great to pull off a shelf and open to any page; consider it your daily lesson in Mexican history and culture. It’s also in English, so you’ve got no language barrier excuses!” — Colazzo Projects blog

“Anyone who has a keen interest in Mexico—in delving deep into the country’s rich history and culture before going there—would be fascinated by this book.” — June Sawyers , Chicago Tribune

“Gil Joseph and Tim Henderson must be commended for tackling the onerous task of compiling a reader entirely devoted to Mexico…. The Mexico Reader presents a diverse, original, and rare collection of primary and secondary texts…. The Mexico Reader is poised to become a highly prized collection of texts that any instructor will want to use and any student of Mexico will enjoy reading.” — Juliette Levy , New Mexico Historical Review

"[The Mexico Reader] could be the foundation of an exciting course. . . . You will not find a more varied or fearless introductory volume to Mexican Studies. . . . The volume is well presented. . . . Translations . . . are expertly done. . . . The most impressive aspect of the volume is the variety of voices it reveals. . . . Remarkable." — Timothy E. Anna , H-LatAm, H-Net Reviews

"[A] careful selection of articles and texts that cover a wide variety of subjects. . . . Originally written in Spanish, these texts have been masterfully translated into English. . . . [T]he collection can be understood as a survey of intellectual culture in Mexico from a historical perspective, allowing readers to understand how Mexican reality has been conformed, transformed, and adapted. Recommended." — M. R. Lara , Choice

"[A]n exciting, comprehensive, truly superior collection of Mexican literature. . . . In all of my reading about Mexico -- and I have read extensively the old and the new -- I have never experienced a better and more thorough collection of works about this mysterious and marvelous country."
— Wayne Greenhaw , Southern Scribe Reviews

"Teachers will find a tremendous wealth of material in this new anthology, allowing them to choose selections supporting a wide range of historical approaches, and at a surprisingly affordable price. . . . [T]his volume will make a thought provoking read for undergraduate students, for vacationers on the beach in Acapulco, or-a professor's spring break fantasy-or both." — Jeffrey M. Pilcher , The Americas

"The volume's main virtue . . . is that it enables the non-Spanish-speaking reader to actually access a number of arguably key Mexican texts that cannot be obtained elsewhere in translation." — Will Fowler , Bulletin of Latin American Research

"There is an impressive, even passionate, commitment to excavating the embedded cultural, political, and economic reference points that arguably constitute something called a Mexican nationalist imaginary. At the same time, the editors have methodologically sought out the contradictions of that imaginary, offering both official, and many unofficial, voices. The result simultaneously exposes and subverts the nation's foundational fictions. . . . [I]mpressive." — Eric Zolov , Hispanic American Historical Review

"This anthology is obviously destined for classroom use and appears to be suitable for supplemental textbook assignments for both survey and two-part courses in Mexican history." — Colonial Latin American Historical Review

"This volume is a most sincere attempt to depict Mexico in all its complexity, an object carried out superbly and in an altogether unprecedented fashion. Very seldom has a reader, an analytically-challenged subgenre by definition, done as much justice to any Latin American country." — Héctor D. Fernández L'Hoeste, The Latin Americanist

"Three layers of introductions-for the volume, for each section and for each text-provide necessary contextual information, while highlighting emerging themes. Thanks in part to these excellent introductions, students and teachers of Mexico will find that this volume could supplant textbook histories, while giving students access to hundreds of pages of primary sources, well-chosen images and two photo-essays." — Patience A. Schnell, Journal of Latin American Studies

”For any journey through Mexican history, politics, social movements, and popular culture, travelers should start with this fascinating collection. Expertly edited and translated, each document adds to the rich landscape and each is cogently introduced to the reader. The perfect source book for any college course on Mexico from the Aztecs and Mayas to the 21st century.” — John H. Coatsworth, Harvard University