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Mexico in Focus 2nd Edition

Mexico in Focus 2nd Edition

John Ross

(2002)

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Book Details

Abstract

Mexico is a land torn between Latin America and the US, between its Indian and revolutionary past and the modern trappings of skyscrapers, cell phones, and factories. It is also one of the biggest tourist destinations in Latin America for the UK market. Mexico is now the key country in Latin American debates about trade integration, neo-liberalism, and the fight of indigenous people for autonomy and self-governance, best characterised by the Zapatista movement. A new updated edition of Mexico in Focus gives the insider's view - the 'story the guidebooks don't tell you' - in accessible, lively and accurate prose. It offers a fresh and contemporary perspective on the Zapatista rebellion and indigenous issues, as well as the July 2000 election of Vicente Fox, the "cowboy president" whose controversial policy suggestions have included free movement of labour and unrestricted immigration within NAFTA and the legalisation of drugs. This completely rewritten and updated text also touches on the economy, the new relationship under George W Bush, literature and culture, as well as a completely new section on Mexican popular culture forms and music, including telenovelas, comic books, and "lucha libre", or popular wrestling. Mexico in Focus is published complete with new illustrations, updated maps and facts and figures, and an extended Where to Go and What to See Section - expert tips on how to get the most out of your visit.

Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Title Page 1
Copyright Page 2
Table of Contents 3
Introduction 4
1: The Land 6
Borders 6
The North 9
Central Mexico 11
Mexico's South 12
The Capital 14
2: People and their History 18
iViva Mexico! 18
Indigenous Mexico 20
From the Ruins 22
Conquest and Colony 25
Liberators, Presidents, Emperors, and Dictators 28
The Mexican Revolution 31
3: Society 36
Institutionalizing the Revolution 36
The PRI: The Limits of Longevity 38
The American-Style Presidency 40
Political Opposition in Mexico 41
The Political Parties 46
Keeping the Peace 49
The Criminal Police 56
The Dysfunctional Courts 57
So Far from God 58
Farm and Factory 62
Old-Style Unions Persevere 64
4: Economy 67
Mexican Miracles, Booms and Busts 67
NAFTA and the New World Order 69
Engines of the Economy 72
5: Art and Culture 78
High and Low Art 78
Urban Pop Culture 80
The Word 83
So Close to the United States 87
Where to Go, What to See 89
Further Reading and Selected Weblinks 93
Facts and Figures 96