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In this enlightening book, the well-known historian William Beezley contends that a Mexican national identity was forged during the nineteenth century not by a self-anointed elite but rather by a disparate mix of ordinary people and everyday events. In examining independence festivals, children’s games, annual almanacs, and the performances of itinerant puppet theaters, Beezley argues that these seemingly unrelated and commonplace occurrences—not the far more self-conscious and organized efforts of politicians, teachers, and others—created a far-reaching sense of a new nation. In the century that followed Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821, Beezley maintains, sentiments of nationality were promulgated by people who were concerned not with the promotion of nationalism but with something far more immediate—the need to earn a living. These peddlers, vendors, actors, artisans, writers, publishers, and puppeteers sought widespread popular appeal so that they could earn money. According to Beezley, they constantly refined their performances, as well as the symbols and images they employed, in order to secure larger revenues. Gradually they discovered the stories, acts, and products that attracted the largest numbers of paying customers. As Beezley convincingly asserts, out of “what sold to the masses” a collective national identity slowly emerged. Mexican National Identity makes an important contribution to the growing body of literature that explores the influences of popular culture on issues of national identity. By looking at identity as it was fashioned “in the streets,” it opens new avenues for exploring identity formation more generally, not just in Mexico and Latin American countries but in every nation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Master of Puppets
In his preface to Mexican National Identity: Memory, Innuendo, and Popular Culture, William Beezley assigns himself the task of "provid[ing] homespun descriptions of the small deeds, rumors and everyday matters that constituted life in the nineteenth century and contributed to the way people thought about themselves, their countrymen, and their nation" (vii). As he is working in the realm of memory, Beezley mentions the influence of Maurice Halbwachs--de rigeur for the topic. The author makes reference to Halbwachs' ideas regarding the construction of collective memories by social groups, how these memories are reinforced and how collective memory aids in nation building. At the end of three of the five chapters, Beezley offers some conclusions that tie the narrative to his stated purpose. Throughout much of the book, specifically in the detailed explanations of independence celebrations and the origins of itinerant puppet theater, the reader is called upon to make his or her own critical interpretations in order to see this work as more than just a "good story," which is the type of narrative Beezley would like to avoid. Beezley leaves open the possibility of having done just that while at the same time excusing himself for such a transgression in the closing words of the preface: "...one must recognize that to give Mexican lives dignity by recognizing their humanity through artistic exercises, virtuosity, and aesthetics achieves enough. In fact, it accomplishes a great deal and, consequently, as a good story, is history at its best" (xii). One is hard-pressed here and after reading the book to determine how Mexican lives are given dignity and how Beezley quantifies this impartation of dignity as accomplishing "a great deal". Indeed, such logic seems more suitable within a nineteenth-century context than a twenty-first century work of scholarship.

The forms of nineteenth-century popular culture which Beezley turns to in order to support his thesis are puppetry, almanacs, lotería and independence celebrations. At least sixty-two pages of the one hundred forty-six pages of actual narrative deal exclusively with how puppetry aided in the creation and recreation of memory and national identity. Most prominent in this discussion and throughout the book is the marionette El Negrito. Beezley chooses El Negrito in part because of the character's popularity across genres. We learn that El Negrito was mentioned several times in El periquillo sarniento and his witty sayings were quoted in almanacs of the time. The author states that audiences viewed El Negrito, an Afro-Mexican, as a symbol for the Mexican people, although Beezley doesn't make a definitive case for this belief. We are simply yet confusingly told that they could not accept a European or a mestizo as their symbol and that the space of the indigenous symbol was already occupied by Benito Juárez (13). Beezley does a fair assessment, however, of relating nineteenth-century racial attitudes to those of the present: "Reflecting the typical Mexican discomfort with ethnicity, especially questions of pigmentation...the black puppet [was referred to] in the diminutive, never as El Negro, which would leave no doubt about the character as a black adult. Rather the diminutive form made ambiguous the skin color (perhaps, a little black) and projected a certain patronizing attitude at the same time that the term expressed endearment.These contradictory attitudes remain embedded in the culture and became news in 2005...[with] the release of a postage stamp honoring...Memín Pinguín" (13).The varied reactions to the stamp within Mexico and in the United States highlight the lack of change in how much of Mexican society views race. Beezley's keen observations, however, tend to refute rather than substantiate the claim that El Negrito was viewed as a symbol for the Mexican people. They might have felt an affinity for El Negrito, but that's not the same as feeling akin to him.

Perhaps the major strength of Beezley's study is the information he's gleaned from nearly two dozen archives in both Mexico and the United States. Without his scholarship we might not know some of the finer details about the evolution of Mexican national identity through the influence of lotería game boards, itinerant puppet theater or the invention of independence celebrations. At the same time, Beezley might have given us too much information. He describes all six of the floats at the September 16, 1884 Independence Day parade in Guanajato in minute detail (70-73). Beezley also reprints the entire menu of an eleven-course meal served with eight wines and cognac at the end of a week-long independence celebration (83). Still, where we find excess, others may find true gems.

In an effort to avoid criticism, Beezley first thanks his "scholarly interlocutors" in his acknowledgments and then claims that the individuals that aided him in his research "are partially guilty for any mistakes of fact or errors of interpretation. Scholarship remains a joint endeavor" (xiv). His fellow scholars cannot be held accountable for the various misspellings in Spanish throughout the book. Neither can they be faulted for gross errors such as the following: "The masquerade in January 1961 included figures from the well-known and popular chivalric romances written by Amadis de Gaula and don Belianis de Grecia, and , even this early, don Quijote de la Mancha" (147). Written by?! We hope that this is nothing more than an instance of lapsus calami, but even in its full context we can't be sure. Beezley also has a propensity to make rather grandiose claims. For example, he cites no one when he writes: "Hearing Vale Coyote's speech and then the laughter pushed members of the audience to learn proper Spanish to get the joke" (131) while recognizing that the population is almost completely illiterate (147).

In addition, for a work that places such a premium on popular culture, the cover image is an odd choice on a number of levels. First, the figures are of papier-mâché mariachis. Neither papier-mâché dolls nor mariachis figure prominently in the narrative. The dolls that are referred to again and again in Beezley's book are marionettes and puppets. Second, these mariachis are dressed in trajes de charro, which did not become the mariachi outfit par excellence until the twentieth-century and even then until the advent of Mexican talkies. Finally, a further indication that these mariachis are a twentieth-century or later creation rests on the fact that one of the musicians is playing an accordion. Accordions do not figure at all in nineteenth-century mariachi groups and even now are only part of a regional, not national, consciousness.One must assume that the author chose this image of "sombreroed" and elaborately mustachioed Mexicans for its stereotypical value--perhaps not even on the insistence of his colleagues.

With two chapters--comprising roughly 40% of the whole book--devoted entirely to puppetry, Beezley could well have expanded his treatment of the topic and written only on how this form of popular culture contributed to the formation of a national identity. Beezley's chapters on Mexican independence celebrations and lotería and their role with regard to memory and identity in Mexico do not add substantively to the existing literature. Apart from the previously cited errors and lapses in judgment, this is the book's most obvious weakness. Finally, with all of three pages, Chapter 5 is an enigma. It is somewhat of a conclusion without being entirely conclusive. The previous four chapters, which go from puppetry, to almanacs and lotería, to independence celebrations and back to puppetry, are not tied together in a satisfying way. Not surprisingly, puppetry figures prominently in the final chapter (in four of six paragraphs).

... Read more

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An introduction to the geography, history, economy, culture, and people of Mexico. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

pretty expensive!
This book was okay.It was better than most of the books about Mexico I've been reading with my daughter (she is really turned on by Dora the Explorer).The part she liked the most was the discussion about the history of chocolate and the recipe for making hot chocolate...it was certainly a more interesting way to talk about food culture than "Mexican people eat tacos," which is what most of the other books in her age range that we've read say. ... Read more

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The more than 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border is a focus of intense interest today, as immigration, security, and environmental issues dominate the headlines. This is the first A-to-Z encyclopedia to overview the unique and vibrant elements that make up the borderlands. More than 150 essay entries provide students and general readers with a solid sense of the U.S.-Mexico border history, culture, and politics. Coverage runs the gamut from key historical and contemporary figures, art, cuisine, sports, and religion to education, environment, legislation, radio, rhetoric, slavery, tourism, and women in Ciudad Juarez.

The more than 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border is a focus of intense interest today, as immigration, security, and environmental issues dominate the headlines. This is the first A-to-Z encyclopedia to overview the unique and vibrant elements that make up the borderlands. More than 150 essay entries provide students and general readers with a solid sense of the U.S.-Mexico border history, culture, and politics. Coverage runs the gamut from key historical and contemporary figures, art, cuisine, sports, and religion to education, environment, legislation, radio, rhetoric, slavery, tourism, and women in Ciudad Juarez.

Alphabetical and topical lists of entries in the frontmatter allow readers to find topics of interest quickly, as does the index. Those looking for more in-depth coverage will find many helpful suggestions in the Further Reading section per entry as well as in the Selected Bibliography.A chronology and historical photos also complement the text.

Customer Reviews (1)

From Aztlán to Zoot Suit
The Borderlands: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Politics on the U.S.-Mexico Divide, edited by Andrew G. Wood, is a reference gem for anyone professionally or personally interested in the border.Covering "the border" in the broadest sense, including the northern colonial frontier of New Spain and the contemporary states of Mexico and the United States that abut the border, The Borderlands encyclopedia is a massive undertaking and wealth of information.The 300 pages of topics expertly covered by 151 different authors include names, places, and events relating to culture, politics, economics, art, and literature, as well as phenomena particular to the borderlands, such as maquiladoras, agribusiness, and cuisine.A detailed four-page chronology is provided as is a 250+ source bibliography.For teachers, students, scholars, and historical aficionados of `Mexamerica', this encyclopedia is a must. ... Read more

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Mexico, with some 90 million people, holds a special place in Latin America. It is a large, complex hybrid, a bridge between North and South America, between the ancient and the modern, and between the developed and the developing worlds. Mexico's importance to the United States cannot be overstated. The two countries share historical, economic, and cultural bonds that continue to evolve. This book offers students and general readers a deeper understanding of Mexico's dynamism: its wealth of history, institutions, religion, cultural output, leisure, and social customs.

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Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent sourcebook for teaching college history
This well edited text brings students the documents behind the stories they may have read in high school textbooks. How did the Spanish conquer the spectacular city of Tenochtitlan with so few soldiers and in alien territory? The documents tell how they exploited alliances that were already in place. With hundreds of Tlaxcalan warriors accompanying them, housing them, feeding men and horses alike, the group of Spaniards was able to approach Tenochtitlan, make themselves unwelcome, and barely escape from the city alive... A fascinating read.

My Review
When the British Empire relinquished control to India, the jewel in the British crown, it became evident the age of Imperial European expansionism had come to an end. The period of global decolonization following World War II paved the way for a more critical approach to colonial history. The Euro-centric historical narratives of the colonial conquests were no longer acceptable within the academic community or for that matter entirely accurate. Stuart B. Schwartz a Professor of History at Yale University has set out to ensure the history of the conquest of Mexico is not written exclusively by the winners, but rather to present a fair and balanced compilation of European and Native American primary sources complemented by his own expert analysis. "Additional alternate texts paint a broader, richer canvas, fleshing out the narrative and conveying to the reader a sense that there was not simply a "Spanish" or an "Indian" view. Rather, there are a variety of visions and opinions, influenced and mediated by personal interests, class and ethnic biases, political considerations, and many other factors."
The introduction provides the reader with a comprehensive description of Mesoamerican and Spanish societies on the eve of the conquest. Included is the rise to power of the Mexica Empire through conquest and expansion and the foundation of the empire's island capital at Tenochtitlan. The author describes the historical background of the primary sources which constitute the majority of the narrative. Nahua sources are drawn primarily from The Florentine Codex, a post-conquest study of indigenous history and culture conducted by literate natives under the auspices of a Spanish missionary named Fray Bernardino De Sahagun. Erudite natives rather quickly adopted the Roman alphabet, for the most part abandoning the use of Nahuatl hieroglyphics, and by the late 1500's were capable of writing both Spanish and Nahuatl. However, the reader is advised of the existence of tribal differences and patron appeasement reflected within the codex as historical partiality as the greater part of Sahagun's indigenous informants were from Tlatelolco, a city under Tenochtitlan political control, and highly critical of the Mexica Empire and Montezuma. The principal Spanish source is Bernal Diaz del Castillo's book The True History of the Conquest of New Spain which chronicles the conquest from a soldier's perspective. Despite the wandering and crude prose of Bernal Diaz, his account documents the typical conquistador's motivations and justifications for the conquest, reveals the true scope of the clash of cultures beginning with the first encounters up to the fall of Tenochtitlan, and provides indispensable anecdotes from a human voice and mind of reason which serve to bring the events and personalities of the conquest to life for the student of Mesoamerican history.
The book is divided into eight chapters proceeding in chronological order from 1518-1521. Each section is preceded by a succinct analysis of the documents, the biases to avoid and the themes to concentrate upon. Integrated among the sources are useful maps, both ancient and modern, and paintings, both Spanish and Native American, which are complemented with academically irrefutable analysis and interpretations.
The first chapter entitled "Forebodings and Omens" deals primarily with a mysterious comet, an unexplained temple fire attributed to vindictive gods, and a weeping prophetic woman in the streets of Tenochtitlan which ominously preceded the tragic death of the empire. The mysterious premonitions are largely attributable to post-conquest indigenous attempts at justifying the procedures of their government. The aforementioned is particularly conspicuous in the legend of Quetzalcoatl, a god/man who left Tenochtitlan in the eastward direction, vowing to return in claim of his land. Thus, as Cortes arrived from the east, the Nahua mistook the Spaniard to be Quetzalcoatl. However, Schwartz informs the reader the myth of Quetzalcoatl is most likely a defense for Montezuma's vacillation. The second chapter "Preparations" concerns the backgrounds of the conquistadors and how Hernando Cortes came to lead the expedition.
The third chapter "Encounters" relies heavily upon Bernal Diaz's account of the first cross-cultural encounters at Cozumel and the Yucatan. Hernando Cortes is portrayed displaying his horses and cannons to frighten the natives at every chance that presented itself as both a joke and a military tactic. Both Spanish and native accounts however focus on the importance of interpreters such as Dona Marina, diplomacy, and the exchange of gifts in the interactions between the two civilizations. The fourth chapter "The March Inland: Tlaxcala and Cholula" in which Schwartz explains the strategic alliance between the Spanish and the Tlaxcalans, arrived at after a fierce battle, often neglected from native accounts. The Spanish-Tlaxcala alliance was of paramount importance in helping a band of approximately a thousand Spaniards turn the tide against an empire of warriors. However, after the battle for Tenochtitlan, the Tlaxcalans were offered no special consideration by the conquerors, resulting in distortion of the differentiation between historical victors and vanquished. After consummating the alliance at Tlaxcala, the Spanish arrive at Cholula where they are at first cordially accepted but were apparently deceived by the Cholulans. Here history becomes vague as the actors attempt to justify, excuse, or condemn, nonetheless the result was a bloodbath. Adres de Tapia, a Spanish conquistador justifies the Cholula massacre as a provoked attack to prevent a planned ambush. While the native accounts differ because of post-conquest patron appeasements, the consensus leaned toward an unprovoked slaughter.
In chapters five and six Schwartz compares indigenous and Spanish accounts of Cortes' arrival at the island capital which are remarkably equivalent with the exception of the native's bewilderment at the deer upon which the Spaniards were mounted and the Spanish comparison of the city of Tenochtitlan to Venice, Italy. Nonetheless, the sense of awe and astonishment are present throughout both accounts. Conversely, the versions disagree over the incident at Toxcatl with the Indians claiming an unprovoked massacre and the Spaniards claiming Pedro de Alvarado was merely foiling a rebellion. Likewise, the tragic death of Montezuma is portrayed differently in each account. The Tlatelocans appear angered equally by the death of their leader and the capitulation of their leader while the Spanish are mournful of the death of Montezuma. The pure emotion surrounding the foreboding death of the emperor is evident in Bernal Diaz's account when he laments: "Cortes wept for him, and all of us Captains and soldiers, and there was no man among us who knew him and was intimate with him, who did not bemoan him as though he were our father"
Chapters seven and eight refer to the final defeat of the city of Tenochtitlan and the protracted effects of the conquest, colonial rule, and cultural syncretism. Schwartz reveals the glory and sophistication of Mexica civilization, its valiant resistance as it gasped its last breaths at Tenochtitlan, and its resilience under colonial rule. Bernal Diaz's account of the fierce native resistance, the siege of Tenochtitlan and the final defeat of the empire is characterized by his intense reverence of the courage, strength and resiliency of the natives. The native account of the defeat drawn from The Florentine Codex encapsulates the tragedy of the annihilation of the civilization: "the Spainiards took things from people by force. They were looking for gold; they cared nothing for green-stone, precious feathers, or turquoise. Then they burned some of them on the mouth [branded them]; and...the weapons were laid down and we collapsed"
Criticism of Victors and Vanquished can only be directed at the personal agendas, political motivations, class, ethnic, and religious biases contained within the primary sources themselves which supplant historical fact with historical subjectivism. Schwartz reminds the reader that historical scholarship is constructed upon a foundation of anecdotal primary sources and it is the endeavor of the scholar to interpret and distinguish the factual from the tainted and distorted. Schwartz emphasizes the Sisyphean task of creating a true accurate history and invites debate inquiring, "What is a "true" history?"
Nonetheless, the author equips the wary reader with a concise analysis preceding each primary source allowing the scholar to continue reading cognizant of biases to avoid and themes to concentrate upon. His writing style is neither loquacious nor deficient, but rather Schwartz provides the ideal amount of flawless and meticulous analysis all the while exhibiting his dominant command of the subject. Stuart B. Schwartz's Victors and Vanquished is an unprecedented and enriching academic breakthrough in the interpretation of the past, deviating from the archaic tradition of history dictated exclusively by conquerors to a balanced and even-handed scholarship shining light on victors and vanquished alike.
ZC ... Read more

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The role of mass communication in nation building has often been underestimated, particularly in the case of Mexico. Following the Revolution, the Mexican government used the new medium of radio to promote national identity and build support for the new regime. Joy Hayes now tells how an emerging country became a radio nation.

This groundbreaking book investigates the intersection of radio broadcasting and nation building. Hayes tells how both government-controlled and private radio stations produced programs of distinctly Mexican folk and popular music as a means of drawing the country's regions together and countering the influence of U.S. broadcasts.

Hayes describes how, both during and after the period of cultural revolution, Mexican radio broadcasting was shaped by the clash and collaboration of different social forces--including U.S. interests, Mexican media entrepreneurs, state institutions, and radio audiences. She traces the evolution of Mexican radio in case studies that focus on such subjects as early government broadcasting activities, the role of Mexico City media elites, the "paternal voice" of presidential addresses, and U.S. propaganda during World War II.

More than narrative history, Hayes's study provides an analytical framework for understanding the role of radio in building Mexican nationalism at a critical time in that nation's history. Radio Nation expands our appreciation of an overlooked medium that changed the course of an entire country.

Customer Reviews (1)

tune in to nationalism
This is an excellent book.It is well written and easy to read.It discusses the unique role radio played (and to some extent still plays) in the development of mexican nationality.There is extensive discussion of the role of the government in the production and regulation of radio in Mexico and from there ties in theories of nationalism.The major discussion centers between 1920 and 1950.There is some discussion of more recent movements including television; however, the stregnth of the book lies in the eariler years of radio.I found most interesting the discussion of the creation of national music.The conscious effort by the government to create a national music to build pride and solidarity.It works strongly with B. Anderson's ideas from"Imagined Communities".All in all, A great book. ... Read more

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Industrial designer Tom Steinbach recreates the remarkable and colourful poetry designs of Mimbres classic culture (ad1000-1150) in seventy-five digitally produced renderings that uniquely depict evidence of Mimbres life, culture and environment. In addition to the remarkable motif interpretations, the author uses the designs to sketch out additional information about this culture, including hypothesising about the Mimbres view of nature, and the artists themselves. ... Read more

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An intriguing collection of archival photographs from the late 1930s and 1940s, depictingwomen's lives in settings ranging from the railroad yards at Clovis to the homestead communityof Pie Town and from Taos County Hispanic villages to southern ranches.

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This book is suitable for ages 9 to 14 years. New information and colourful photos show how modern-day Mexico is able to maintain a foothold in its ancient Aztec and Mayan past in this newly revised book. It includes new information that highlights writers and publishing and an Aztec creation folktale. ... Read more

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Because of the long dominance of Mexico's leading political party, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, the campaigns of its presidential candidates were never considered relevant in determining the victor. This book offers an ethnography of the Mexican political system under PRI hegemony, focusing on the relationship between the formal democratic structure of the state and the unofficial practices of the underlying political culture, and addressing the question of what purpose campaigns serve when the outcome is predetermined.

Discussing Mexican presidential politics from the perspectives of anthropology, political science, and communications science, the authors analyze the 1988 presidential campaign of Carlos Salinas de Gortari--the last great campaign of the PRI to display the characteristics traditionally found in the twentieth century. These detailed descriptions of campaign events show that their ritualistic nature expressed both a national culture and an aura of domination.

The authors describe the political and cultural context in which this campaign took place--an authoritarian presidential system that dated from the 1920s--and explain how the constitutional provisions of the state interacted with the informal practices of the party to produce highly scripted symbolic rituals. Their analysis probes such topics as the meanings behind the candidate's behavior, the effects of public opinion polling, and the role of the press, then goes on to show how the system has begun to change since 2000.

By dealing with the campaign from multiple perspectives, the authors reveal it as a rite of passage that sheds light on the political culture of the country. Their study expands our understanding of authoritarianism during the years of PRI dominance and facilitates comparison of current practices with those of the past.

... Read more

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Constructing Mexico City: Colonial Conflicts over Culture, Space, and Authority examines the spatial, material, and cultural dimensions of life in eighteenth-century Mexico City, through programs that colonial leaders created to renovate and reshape urban environments. In doing so, this study reveals various points of conflict and discord over how various social groups defined and shared the public spaces in the city, and understood their place within a wider colonial system. Bailey Glasco, drawing on research from numerous archives in Mexico City, sheds new light on the critical roles that urban planning and renewal played in the social and cultural dynamics of the city, as well as how it anticipated early definitions of modern Mexican identity. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Nice oversize catalog of Mesoamerican art and culture, with problems: 3.7 stars
This oversize coffee-table book has beautifully reproduced, well-chosen photographs, but significant drawbacks.

Pluses:
* Excellent photos of iconic objects
* Good cross-section of prehispanic Mesoamerican artwork/artifacts
* Nice feature articles on many major archaeological sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras

Neutral:
* Average-quality text (translated from Italian)

Negatives:
* No decent overall map of the area
* Maps of cultures are so general as to be almost useless

So, this shouldn't be your only guide to prehispanic Mesoamerican history. But the high quality of the photos makes it worthwhile if you find an inexpensive copy. Search on the title, as Amazon usually has used copies in more than one file. More copies & reviews here: Ancient Mexico: The History and Culture of the Maya, Aztects and Other Pre-Columbian Peoples

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman ... Read more

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Presenting the most up-to-date coverage on our knowledge of this society, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures is the first comprehensive and comparative reference source to chronicle Pre-Hispanic, Colonial, and modern Mesoamerica.
Written for a wide audience, it is an invaluable reference for interested lay persons, students, teachers, and scholars in such fields as art, archaeology, religious studies, anthropology, Latin American culture, and the history of the region. Organized alphabetically, the articles range from 500-word biographies to 7,000-word entries on geography and history to the legacy of the arts, writings, architecture, and religious rituals.
An extensive network of cross-references, blind entries, and annotated bibliographies guide the reader to related entries within the Encyclopedia and provide the groundwork for further research. ... Read more

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While the U.S.-Mexico borderlands resemble border regions in other parts of the world, nowhere else do so many millions of people from two dissimilar nations live in such close proximity and interact with each other so intensely.Borderlanders are singular in their history, outlook, and behavior, and their lifestyle deviates from the norms of central Mexico and the interior United States; yet these Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, and Anglo-Americans also differ among themselves, and within each group may be found cross-border consumers, commuters, and people who are inclined or disinclined to embrace both cultures. Based on firsthand interviews with individuals from all walks of life, Border People presents case histories of transnational interaction and transculturation, and addresses the themes of cross-border migration, interdependence, labor, border management, ethnic confrontation, cultural fusion, and social activism.Here migrants and workers, functionaries and activists, and "mixers" who have crossed cultural boundaries recall events in their lives related to life on the border.Their stories show how their lives have been shaped by the borderlands milieu and how they have responded to the situations they have faced. Border People shows that these borderlanders live in a unique human environment shaped by physical distance from central areas and constant exposure to transnational processes.The oral histories contained here reveal, to a degree that no scholarly analysis can, that borderlanders are indeed people, each with his or her own individual perspective, hopes, and dreams. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Border Classic
This is a very thoughtful interpretation of border culture.The author is a product of the border himself and is intimately familiar with the dynamics of relationships among many types of people on both sides of the border.Those seeking conceptual and theoretical insights about border peoples in general will find plenty of provocative ideas here.This is destined to become a classic.

Colorful Real-Life Stories
Granted this book is highly original in its conceptualization, methodology, and presentation; Dr. Martinez is well known for his research on the borderlands.What I liked bestwere the typologies of differentborder types of people and their oral history interviews.The reader meetssome of the most colorful folks imaginable.For me the most memorablecharacter is "Father Rad," a truly genuine servant of God whosesincerety and outgoing nature helped him to overcome classic culturalbarriers on the border.It's a "must read" for any oneinterested in learning more about the border experience.

Excellent interpretation of border life.
I have lived on the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border for over 30 years and have many friends in both countries. I find Dr. Martinez' interpretations very helpful in my day-to-day professional activities, especially in binational relations.I understand that, apart from academics, othergroups such as health professionals and clergy use this book for theirborderwide training.I recommend this book to anyone who really wants tounderstand the border.

Out-of-date and flawed analysis of the U.S.-Mexican border
Although I used this text in my Border Issues class for one semester, several years ago, I quickly discarded it. Stripped to its base, Martinez's topology of border society rests on an unreconstructed version of Wallerstein's core/periphery theory of development, with societies of the advanced industrial nations at the core and those of the Third World at the periphery. Global flows of Third World economic migrants have made sections of the "core," such as Los Angeles, almost indistinguish- able from Guadlajara or Mexico City, while massive programs of technology transfer to hi-tech, low-wage maquiladoras have rendered dichtomies of early World Systems categories moot. So, to build a conceptualization of a rapidly changing and expanding border area (bodies, telecommunications and infrastructure) around obsolete theoretical assumptions invites problems. And the limits of the book are shaped by such problems. ... Read more

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The idea of crossing the border between the U.S. and "Greater Mexico" has always conjured images of racial hostility and exclusion. In American Encounters, award-winning anthropologist LimÛn offers an alternative history of attraction and des ire between the U.S. and Mexico that both embraces the Taco Bell chihuahua and envisions hope for the future of border relations.
From the writing of Katherine Anne Porter to the life of the late Chicana pop star Selena; from the career of the distinguished Mexican anthropologist Gamio to Henry Cisneros and the 1990 Texas gubernatorial campaign, LimÛn explores history, literat ure, film, song, and dance to understand the deeply entwined and ambivalent relationship that has existed between those on both sides of the Rio Grande over the last 150 years.

"The beginning of a critical hope fulfilled. Cultural critics can move over and make room, listen up and encounter a Chicano critic who not only speaks about social and symbolic borderlands but who speaks from within the borderlands of race, nation, class , and the Chicano/ Mexican/Gringo imagination. At the end we begin to realize how unfinished the American encounters are."


—David Carrasco, author of Quetzalcoatl and the Irony of Empire
"Probing beyond clichès and stereotypes, Limôn writes with passion and precision."


—Gustavo Perez Firmat, author of Do the Americas Have a Common Literature? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Read this provocative, wonderful book:American Encounters.
José E. Limón explores what he calls the "conflicted yet enamoured" relations between Greater Mexico and the United States through a series of encounters - real and imagined - betweenMexicans, including MexicanAmericans, and Anglos.

Limón sets the scene with a surprising, originalcomparison of Mexico and the U.S. South.Both were based on agriculturaleconomies, slow to industrialize, poor, and defeated in major wars.Thewinners stigmatized the losers as culturally inferior.But the artists andintellectuals of both the U.S. South and Greater Mexico reversed thenegative stereotypes assigned them. The "losers" didn't see themselves asdegraded, but rather "projected a profoundly eroticized and affirmingvision of their cultures as more bodily intense, inherently `artistic,' andsensuously spiritual." How these images change over time, who is doingthe changing and for what purposes, are themes of this complicated,rewarding book.

Going to the movies with Dr. Limón suggests that, atleast on the big screen, we've come a long way. In 1953, High Noonpresented a strong, ethical and morally superior Helen Ramirez, a womanloved and desired by the sheriff Will Kane, but to whom he lacks the moralcourage to commit himself. Helen Ramirez, as town madam, is politicallyand economically a step above the sexy "señoritas" Anglo cowboys lustedafter in popular culture, but still marginalized, stigmatized, andrelegated to what we now call "the sex industry."The 1956 movie Giantgave us the serious Juana, who is not defined by her sexuality, but by herwork and seriousness of purpose.Juana does not suffer from forbiddenlove, but marries Jordy Benedict, son of the wealthy ranchowners Leslie andBick Benedict. Juana and Jordy have a son who will be a leader in theemerging, more equal Texas. By 1995, Lone Star showed the smart,well-educated and sexy schoolteacher Pilar and her Mexican-Americancommunity politically ascendant in their community.Pilar romanticallyencounters her old flame, Sam, the soon-to-be-former Anglo sheriff, as hiscomplete equal.

"We do our best political work," asserts writer AnneFinger, "at the place where hurt and questioning come together."We couldhardly find better proof than in Limón's discussion of Katherine AnnePorter's short story "Noon Wine."Porter, a writer who Limón clearlyadmires, grew up in Central Texas and was drawn throughout her life toMexico and Mexicans.But in her fiction set in Central Texas, shecompletely ignored her Mexican American neighbors.Why?

The easiestanswer is that Katherine Anne Porter, while a great writer, was poisoned bythe racism of her time and place.Limón takes this possibility seriously,but is not a man who ever settles for the obvious.Pushing beyond thesurface, he wrestles to find another solution to Porter's painful omission.Limón's struggle, while poignant, yields an answer that may or may notconvince you.What is admirable is Limón's almost overwhelming generosityof spirit.He wants to give Porter every benefit of the doubt.Applyingthe same quality of devotion with which he restored the unpublished fictionof Jovita Gonzalez, Limón now attempts to restore Porter's actual, butunrealized (perhaps unconscious) intentions to portray Mexican Americanssympathetically and respectfully.The world would be a much differentplace if we gave one another a thimbleful of such attention: listening forthe best, trying to understand (though not to excuse) even the most hurtfulfailings.

Gustavo Perez Firmat (on the book's back cover) promises that"Limón writes with passion and precision."That promise is more thanfulfilled in Limón's discussion of Manuel Gamio.Limón defends Gamio, aMexican anthropologist, intellectual and activist, against recent ratherblunt charges of "racism," charges which are either thinly substantiated ornot substantiated at all, depending on whom you believe.With great care,Limón insists on getting the facts right, particularly since someone else'smoral and intellectual reputation -- someone else's honor -- is at stake.

So what are we Texas Mexicans and Anglos to each other?Family? Partners? Enemies?Friends?John Sayles, whose film Lone Star Limón somuch appreciates, mixes metaphors:we are family, at least half-siblings,but we are also once-thwarted lovers who are going to try to make thingswork out this time, in a landscape of political and cultural equality.

Limón, through most of the book, tends towards the metaphor of marriage,or at least romantic or sexual pairings.He undercuts the marriagemetaphor in his last chapter, however, pointing towards a wider range ofpossibilities for equal, creative, formative, non-repressive and eroticallycharged relationships.It is not only particular individual Anglos andMexicans, but our cultures and nations, that Limón hopes will "encounter"one another in equality, respect and pleasure.

Reading AmericanEncounters, I often felt like an inexperienced trailrider following askilled horseman.The beginning was rough. Our guide seemed to haveforgotten that not every rider can make her way through thickets (ofliterary criticism, psychoanalytic theory and cultural studies) that henegotiates gracefully. My head almost got lopped off a few times bylow-hanging branches with names like Russell Jacoby, Herbert Marcuse, andRaymond Williams.Other moments provided a lovely, comfortable gallopacross familiar territory made intriguingly new by Limón's observations. Then he picked up speed again.Irrationally, I crouched lower;dangerously, I dropped the reins.All I could do was hang on for dearlife, grabbing fistfulls of mane. I yelled to our guide --Slow down! Come back, Dr. Limón! Help!--but he was much too far ahead to hear. I survived.Exhilarated by the end of the ride, which took me further andfaster than I would have dared go on my own, I'm left with plenty ofquestions.The most pressing is: When can we ride again?

Like manyworthy relationships, this book is complicated and a tad on thehigh-maintenance side.But it's worth the effort.Limón is neverpredictable and always provocative.This eloquent, vulnerable, passionateand brilliantbook is a delight even when (perhaps especially when) youfind yourself arguing with its author.Enjoy. ... Read more