Mexico: the struggle for modernity

the long version

Mexico's journey from Aztec times to the present - a range of over five hundred years - is reviewd in this basic history. Dominant social, economic, and cultural trends receve the closest attention. He relates these to political events, and in particular to the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910 and in many respets is still continuing. He also probes deeply into the structure of Mexican society, emphasizing critical times of upheaval and change, and stressing the influence of the Catholic Church and popular reaction to church policies. Rich in its Indian heritage, Mexico endured three centuries of massive exploitation by Spain, a long period of ferment, and a violent revolutionary explosion followed by disorder and social unrest. Ruthless dictators victimized the country, which, despite the remarkable upsurge, must now cope with imbalances between an archaic agricultural system and rapid industralization.