A Brief History of Mexico, Fourth Edition

by Lynn V. Foster

Overview

Now in its fourth edition, A Brief History of Mexico tells the story of Mexico and its people from the rise of the first civilizations of North America through the Spanish conquest to the relentless battle for political independence and the democratic reforms of the early 21st century. This updated edition includes a discussion of the aftermath of the 2006 presidential elections and the war on drugs by newly inaugurated President Felipe Calderón. Special emphasis is placed on Mexico's relationship with the United States, particularly the joint effort to eradicate drug cartels; the North American Free Trade Agreement, which links the economies of both countries; and the rise of "transnationalism", a growing cultural phenomenon among Mexican Americans returning to Mexico with U.S. resources and political values.

Mexico's pre-Columbian civilizations and contemporary indigenous cultures

Environmental concerns and reforms

The testing of the new democratic institutions by the close results of the 2006 presidential election

Accusations of human rights abuses by Amnesty International and the United Nations at the end of Vicente Fox's presidency

The war on the drug cartels

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816074068
Publisher:	Facts on File, Incorporated
Publication date:	08/01/2009
Series:	Facts on File Brief History Series
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	1,163,659
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations iv

List of Maps v

List of Tables vi

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction ix

1 The First Peoples: Pre-Columbian Mexico 1

2 Diversity of Mesoamerican Civilization 23

3 The Age of Conquest 45

4 The Founding of an Empire: Sixteenth-Century Mexico 61

5 The Colony of New Spain 81

6 The Bourbon Reforms and Independence (1700-1821) 101

7 Years of Chaos (1823-1876) 117

8 The Porfiriato Dictatorship (1876-1910) 143

9 The Revolution of 1910 (1910-1940) 161

10 The Institutionalized Revolution (1940-1988) 193

11 The March toward Democracy (1988-2000) 223

12 The More Democratic Mexico (2000-2009) 241

Appendixes

1 Basic Facts about Mexico 273

2 Chronology 277

3 Bibliography 285

4 Suggested Reading 291

Index 311