The History of Modern Mexico, 1810-Present

Undergraduate credit

This course examines the history of modern Mexico, from the end of colonialism to the recent war on drugs. In 1821, Mexicans declared independence from Spain. But what did it mean, socially, culturally, and politically to be a Mexican nation? At the dawn of nationhood and through the rest of the twentieth century, Mexico's polity remained profoundly divided along racial, cultural, class, and ideological lines. Our course probes the sources of these divisions and their implications for the development of a national identity. We will immerse ourselves in the changing world of Mexican women, men, indigenous peoples, immigrants, and other groups, using lectures and assignments that draw on an array of historical documents, from state decrees, letters, murals, folk songs, to religious images.