Mexico: Biography of Power

This review, like others, compliments and recommends this book to anyone interested in the history of Mexico's leadership the people who commanded the state and either succeeded or failed to meet objectives like political control, economic growth and independence, or the creation of national unity. It follows the general contours from independence, caudillismo, liberal period w/ Porfiriato, the revolution of 1910 and then consolidation, rise and fall of the PRI and its demise. My key reason for reviewing the work is to refute the notion that this is a hagiography as proposed by some reviewers. If anything, this book does a very good job of knocking down the "people's saints" like Benito Juarez, Pancho Villa, and Emiliano Zapata and pointing out some of the positive features of the "villains" like Cortes or Porfirio Diaz. Where the work does fall into more of a caricature is with the modern leaders beginning with Miguel Alemán through the 1970s. However, the book is, in my view, well balanced. In a sense, it follows with the "imperial presidency" thesis in American history that proposes a higher and higher level of concentration of power in the United States executive office. Where Krauze is unique is his argument that the Mexican people, from Aztecs onward, rely on a single leader holding all power. It's a bit too blunt and does not delve into brakes on such power by agents such as the crown, church, and audiencias in the colonial period, or the wealthy elite, regional caudillos, and strong traditions of protest and civil unrest in modern times. There may be a typology to its leaders and who they believe themselves to be, but the record shows a more complex array of forces at play in the exercise of power.

I prefer this excellent history of Mexico to other published histories for many reasons, not the least of which is that it was written by a leading Mexican intellectual, in Spanish. Here we have an insider's perspective, a history written by someone who not only knows it first hand, but actually FEELS it. You won't find that insightful, intuitive quality in the books written by Fehrenbach or Miller. In English translation, the quality of the language is superb. From the preface, through the first few chapters, you become aware of the author's prodigious analytical and rhetorical skills. He also commits to maintaining a relatively swift narrative, and the text never disintegrates into dry academia. The main body of the text concentrates on the lives of Mexico's many leaders from 1810 to 1994, but it would be wrong to suggest that this is the TOPIC of the book. Really, the book attempts to define what it means to be Mexican through the ambitions, successful or otherwise, of the people strong or lucky enough to lead the country. It covers all of Mexican history, roughly from conquest to modern times, but with relatively less emphasis on the Spanish colonial period. And though it isn't a feature topic in the content of the book, the author skillfully introduces us to the foundation of independent Mexico through the cultural, religious and economic history of New Spain. Here's an insightful history of Mexico that reads beautifully and entertains as well as instructs. While not exactly beach reading, I would highly recommend this book for people with more than a casual (tourist) interest in Mexican history.

I'm a math teacher in a school that is 45% Hispanic. My kids good naturedly taunt me with "you took our land". We "pushed on" that one day and it turns out none of us knew much about Mexico. I stopped at a book store on the way home and found this to be the only offering on Mexico's history. I lucked out. It turns out I now know more about Mexico's history that my students. I'm near pg 180 but left the book in my classroom and we're on winter break. Several of my students have asked to read the book when I'm done. So, I'm here killing two birds with one stone: I'll get a copy to read over break (I marked my copy up) and I'll have one to loan out after break. It's a fascinating book, very well written, covering the history of Mexico from Cortez until 1996 and making frequent references to pre-Columbian Mexico along the way. Having read as far as I have I'm thinking I'll need book(s) on Central and S.America when I'm done with this. It's terrific. I highly recommend this book.

An engaging quasi biography of the Mexican caudillos. I had no idea of the bloody history of Mexico, its reformations, the revolutions. The book is very well written and well worth reading.

If you like history and want to know what makes the country of Mexico tick, this book presents all the fascinating background one could want. I wish I had read it when it was published 27 years ago.

A superb book that covers the emergence of Modern Mexico. The turbulent period of the 1890's through the 1920's is especially well described. The cast of characters during that period that were on the political stage is a fascinating one, especially when one looks at their socioeconomic policies. The figure of Cardenas and his impact on the trajectory of the nation for the first half of the century is remarkable. Imagine the public health programs, the educational and agrarian reforms, the evolution of commerce, the open doors to refugees from the wars in Europe, and the cultural ferment of that period. This book is a must for anyone interested in understanding Mexico.

Informative. Thorough. Very readable. And, with each successive chapter, Enrique Krauze displays more and more the genius that he is. It is an excellent book.

Enrique Krauze is a splendid writer, with a gift for balance and precision. His review of the long road that Mexico's democracy, or lack of it, has travelled from the times of the independence from Spain to more modern times is dazzling. He centers on central characters of Mexico, like the self proclaimed "Napoleon of Mexico", Antonio López de Santa Anna, to the stabilizing figure of Benito Juarez, or to the main leaders of the Revolution. But Krauze presents also a critical view of the role that the powerful party PRI has played in the development of Mexican institutions. This is a great book if you want to understand the political development of this great Latinamerican country.

Well written, interesting history of a nation coming of age.

This is a well written and historical factual book on a difficult and "cloudy" subject.