Mexicanos: A History of Mexicans in the United States

"Gonzales brings a bracing perspective to this epic story.... Exhaustive and destined for controversy." — Publishers Weekly

"The author is also especially good in weaving relevant historical developments in Mexico throughout the analysis.... [A] readable, engaging, and lively synthesis." — David G. Gutierrez, University of California, San Diego

"The best short introduction yet to the history of Mexicans in the U.S." — Arkansas Democrat Gazette

Mexicanos tells the rich and vibrant story of Mexicans in the United States. Emerging from the ruins of Aztec civilization and from centuries of Spanish contact with indigenous people, Mexican culture followed the Spanish colonial frontier northward and put its distinctive mark on what became the southwestern United States. Shaped by their Indian and Spanish ancestors, deeply influenced by Catholicism, and tempered by an often difficult existence, Mexicans continue to play an important role in U.S. society, even as the dominant Anglo culture strives to assimilate them. Thorough and balanced, this book makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of theMexican population of the United States, a growing minority who will be a vital presence in 21st-century America.

Manuel G. Gonzales is a professor of history at Diablo Valley College and coeditor (with Cynthia M. Gonzales) of En Aquel Entonces, forthcoming from Indiana University Press. His other publications include Andrea Costa and the Rise of Socialism in the Romagna and The Hispanic Elite of the Southwest.