Imperialism and the origins of Mexican culture / Colin M. MacLachlan.

MacLachlan, Colin M., author.
Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2015.
Added to CLICnet on 12/17/2015

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Introduction — Mesoamerican civilizations : the evolution of Mesoamerica — The formation of Euro-Spanish culture : Iberia enters history — Moors and Christians : a fateful encounter — Creating mestizo Mexico : the philosophical challenge of America — Conclusion.
This is a wide-ranging interpretive history of two imperialisms–Indian Mesoamerica and Old World Spain leading to New Spain (Mexico today, though New Spain of course covered a significant portion of what is now the United States)–and how mestizo culture was created when the two collided in the sixteenth century. Colin MacLachlan traces the long history of each empire, from tribal origins to vast political entities that spread far beyond their borders, encompassing and absorbing other cultures. Each empire, with justification, believed itself to be the carrier of a great civilization. The peoples of the two civilizations turned to a religious framework to understand their existence, organize life at all levels, and legitimize their land and rule. The author argues that when the Spanish conquerors arrived in the New World, Mesoamerica was at a critical turning point, on the verge of developing a feudal society not unlike the one that developed in Europe.
Text in English.

Subjects:

Requested by Lansing, M.

Lindell Library New Items