The Mexico Reader: History, Culture, Politics (The Latin America Readers)

The Mexico Reader is a vivid and comprehensive guide to muchos Méxicos—the many varied histories and cultures of Mexico. Unparalleled in scope, it covers pre-Columbian times to the present, from the extraordinary power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church to Mexico’s uneven postrevolutionary modernization, from chronic economic and political instability to its rich cultural heritage. Bringing together over eighty selections that include poetry, folklore, photo essays, songs, political cartoons, memoirs, journalism, and scholarly writing, this volume highlights the voices of everyday Mexicans—indigenous peoples, artists, soldiers, priests, peasants, and workers. It also includes pieces by politicians and foreign diplomats; by literary giants Octavio Paz, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Carlos Fuentes; and by and about revolutionary leaders Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. This revised and updated edition features new selections that address twenty-first-century developments, including the rise of narcopolitics, the economic and personal costs of the United States’ mass deportation programs, the political activism of indigenous healers and manufacturing workers, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mexico Reader is an essential resource for travelers, students, and experts alike. Cover 1 Contents 11 Acknowledgments 15 A Note on Style 17 Introduction 19 I. The Search for “Lo Mexicano” 29 The Mexican Character, Joel Poinsett 31 The Cosmic Race, José Vasconcelos 35 The Sons of La Malinche, Octavio Paz 40 The Problem of National Culture, Guillermo Bonfil Batalla 48 How to Tame a Wild Tongue, Gloria Anzaldúa 52 Mexico City 1992, Alma Guillermoprieto 63 Two Ranchera Songs, José Alfredo Jiménez and Cuco Sánchez 74 II. Ancient Civilizations 77 The Origins of the Aztecs, Anonymous 79 The Feast of the Flaying of Men, Inga Clendinnen 82 The Totocalli (Motecuhzoma’s “Zoo”), Andrés Bustamante Agudelo and Israel Elizalde Méndez 87 The Meaning of Maize for the Maya, J. Eric Thompson 99 Omens Foretelling the Conquest, Anonymous 104 III. Conquest and Colony 107 The Spaniards’ Entry into Tenochtitlán, Bernal Díaz del Castillo and Hernán Cortés 109 Cortés and Montezuma, J. H. Elliott 117 The Battles of Tenochtitlán and Tlatelolco, Anonymous 121 The Spiritual Conquest, Fray Jerónimo de Mendieta 126 Why the Indians Are Dying, Alonso de Zorita 134 A Baroque Archbishop-Viceroy, Irving Leonard 143 On Men’s Hypocrisy, Sor Juana 155 Whites, Negroes, and Castes, Alexander von Humboldt 159 The Itching Parrot, the Priest, and the Subdelegate, José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi 162 IV. Trials of the Young Republic 171 The Siege of Guanajuato, Lucas Alamán 173 Sentiments of the Nation, or Points Outlined by Morelos for the Constitution, José María Morelos 184 Plan of Iguala, Agustín de Iturbide 187 Women and War in Mexico, Frances Calderón de la Barca 191 The Glorious Revolution of 1844, Guillermo Prieto 200 Décimas Dedicated to Santa Anna’s Leg, Anonymous 207 A Conservative Profession of Faith, The Editors of El Tiempo 210 Considerations relating to the Political and Social Situation of the Mexican Republic in the Year 1847, Mariano Otero 215 Liberals and the Land, Luis González y González 227 Standard Plots and Rural Resistance, Raymond B. Craib 234 Offer of the Crown to Maximilian, Junta of Conservative Notables 244 A Letter from Mexico, Empress Carlota 246 The Triumph of the Republic, 1867, Benito Juárez 251 Porfirio Díaz Visits Yucatán, Channing Arnold and Frederick J. Tabor Frost 254 Scenes from a Lumber Camp, B. Traven 259 President Díaz, Hero of the Americas, James Creelman 265 Gift of the Skeletons, Anonymous 272 Special Section. What Can Photographs Tell Us about Mexico’s History?, John Mraz 275 V. Revolution 295 Land and Liberty, Ricardo Flores Magón 297 Plan of Ayala, Emiliano Zapata and Others 301 The Restoration of the Ejido, Luis Cabrera 306 Zapatistas in the Palace, Martín Luis Guzmán 313 Mexico Has Been Turned into a Hell, William O. Jenkins 318 Pancho Villa, John Reed 324 La Punitiva, Anonymous 332 Pedro Martínez, Oscar Lewis 335 Amelio Robles’s Gender Battles in the Zapatista Army, Gabriela Cano 346 Juan the Chamula, Ricardo Pozas 356 The Constitution of 1917: Articles 27 and 123 366 An Agrarian Encounter, Rosalie Evans 371 Ode to Cuauhtémoc, Carlos Pellicer 374 The Socialist ABC’s, Anonymous 379 The Ballad of Valentín of the Sierra, Anonymous 385 Mexico Must Become a Nation of Institutions and Laws, Plutarco Elías Calles 388 The Formation of the Single-Party State, Carlos Fuentes 393 The Rough-and-Tumble Career of Pedro Crespo, Gilbert M. Joseph and Allen Wells 395 A Convention in Zacapu, Salvador Lemus Fernández 405 The Agrarian Reform in La Laguna, Fernando Benítez 411 The Oil Expropriation, Josephus Daniels 417 VI. The Perils of Modernity 421 They Gave Us the Land, Juan Rulfo 425 Mexico’s Crisis, Daniel Cosío Villegas 430 Struggles of a Campesino Leader, Rubén Jaramillo 441 Art and Corruption, David Alfaro Siqueiros 451 The Two Faces of Acapulco during the Golden Age, Andrew Sackett 458 The Dark Deeds of “El Negro” Durazo, José González G. 466 The Sinking City, Joel Simon 473 Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl: Souls on the Run, Roberto Vallarino 485 Roma Exposes Mexico’s Darkest Secret, Marcela García 494 Modesta Gómez, Rosario Castellanos 500 La Costa Chica and the Struggles of Mexico’s “Third Root,” Gonzalo Aguirre Beltrán 508 Images of Afro-Mexican Mobilization on the Costa Chica in the 2010s, Various Photographers 512 VII. From the Ruins 517 The Student Movement of 1968, Elena Poniatowska 519 El Santo’s Strange Career, Anne Rubenstein 533 After the Earthquake, Victims’ Coordinating Council 542 Letters to Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Anonymous 552 Identity Hour, or What Photos Would You Take of the Endless City? (From a Guide to Mexico City), Carlos Monsiváis 558 The Political Manifesto of the COCEI of Juchitán, Oaxaca, The COCEI 564 Women of Juchitán, Jeffrey W. Rubin 568 EZLN Demands at the Dialogue Table, Zapatista Army of National Liberation 579 A Tzotzil Chronicleof the Zapatista Uprising, Marián Peres Tsu 587 Debtors’ Revenge: The Barzón Movement’s Struggle against Neoliberalism, Heather Williams 601 VIII. The Border and Beyond 613 The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Nicholas Trist, Luis Cuevas, Bernardo Couto, and Miguel Atristain 617 Plan of San Diego, Anonymous 622 The “Wetback Invasion,” Timothy J. Henderson 625 The High Cost of Deportation, Julia Preston 634 A Honduran Teenager’s Journey across Borders, Sonia Nazario 645 Two Poems about Immigrant Life, Pat Mora and Gina Valdés 663 The Maquiladora Workers of Juárez Find Their Voice, David Bacon 666 Dompe Days, Luis Alberto Urrea 672 Two Songs about Drug Smuggling, Paulino Vargas and Chalino Sánchez 680 “We Are More American,” Enrique Valencia 683 IX. From the Perfect Dictatorship to an Imperfect Democracy 685 Mexicans Would Not Be Bought, Coerced, Wayne A. Cornelius 697 Assessing NAFTA: Before and After, Mark Weisbrot and Vicente Fox 700 Ayotzinapa: A Father’s Testimony, John Gibler 705 The Narco Who Died Twice, Ioan Grillo 712 AMLO on Corruption, Andrés Manuel López Obrador 720 The Promise and Peril of López Obrador, Denise Dresser 726 Traditional Medicine in Modern Mexico and the Challenge of COVID-19, Gabriela Soto Laveaga and the Nich Ixim Midwives Movement 736 Should I Die Abroad, Bring Me Back to Mexico, Jorge Ramos 751 Suggestions for Further Reading 755 Acknowledgment of Copyrights and Sources 765 Index 775 "The Mexico Reader is a vivid and comprehensive guide to muchos Méxicos -- the many varied histories and cultures of Mexico. Unparalleled in scope, it covers pre-Columbian times to the present, from the extraordinary power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church to Mexico's uneven postrevolutionary modernization, from chronic economic and political instability to its rich cultural heritage. Bringing together over eighty selections that include poetry, folklore, photoessays, songs, political cartoons, memoirs, journalism, and scholarly writing, this volume highlights the voices of everyday Mexicans -- indigenous peoples, artists, soldiers, priests, peasants, and workers. It also includes pieces by politicians and foreign diplomats, literary giants Octavio Paz, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Carlos Fuentes, and pieces about and by revolutionary leaders Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. This revised and updated edition features new selections that address twenty-first century developments, including the rise of narcopolitics, the economic and personal costs of the United States' mass deportation programs, the political activism of indigenous healers and manufacturing workers, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mexico Reader is an essential resource for travelers, students, and experts alike"-- Provided by publisher