Patriotic Mythologization and Mexico's War of Independence

Abstract

VanYoung is ideally suited towrite this book. For the past four decades, he has been teaching, researching, and publishing on this transitional period. As a result, his writing is both accessible and complex. It includes one of the most straightforward and complex analyses of the intricate reasons behind the events that led to the creation of an independent Mexico that I have read. His explanation of these reasons as “ingredients” in a cooking recipe is a perfect illustration of his book’s combination of accessibility and complexity. In addition, his narrative includes occasional interjections in the form of comments, contextual explanations, and interconnections that, far from being a distraction to the flow of the story, make the story more fascinating. Furthermore, each chapter includes “boxes” of witness accounts of events central to the chapter’s topic, taken from primary sources and presenting a great addition to those interested in gaining a feeling of the times.