xviii |  Introduction
dramatically. Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the region was home to not one, but
two of the three most advanced indigenous civilizations in the entire Western Hemi-
sphere. And when the Spanish arrived on the eastern shores of Mexico in the early 16th
century, the most eventful encounter between the (arguably) most dominant “old”
world empire at the time (Spain) and the most dominant “new” world empire (Aztec)
was inevitable. In fact, the meeting of Hernán Cortés and Montezuma, and the epic vio-
lent conflict that ensued, shaped the entire course of Western civilization. The powerful
legacy and expression of colonialism emerged from this encounter, and Mexico (then
known as New Spain) served as the colonial experiment par excellence. In many ways,
the colony of Mexico surpassed that of Spain. Another feature of this transformational
encounter was the process of cultural blending and hybridity that came to define
Mexico. Unlike in other colonial experiments in the Western Hemisphere, the integra-
tion of indigenous customs and ideologies with Western European customs and ideolo-
gies was profound. Mexico was an intentional civilizational “melting pot,” an experiment
in ethnic and cultural mixing, long before one might argue that the same process came
to define the character and identity of the United States. What makes this history so
relevant today is that the process of linguistic, cultural, and racial mixture that more
and more defines our globalized world today, and whose continued deepening is inevi-
table and irreversible, is really something that Mexico has experienced and grappled
with for some 500 years now. Mexico’s history offers many lessons to today’s culturally
globalizing and integrating world, a process that many find troubling and disconcert-
ing and which is causing many to retreat and crouch into an isolationist, xenophobic,
and nationalist posture. For those of us who may see globalization as a threat to our
core values and the familiar traditions of Western civilization, understanding Mexico’s
history in this regard may offer us some coping strategies as well as some solace.
But Mexico’s history is not the only referential framework for answering the ques-
tion of why it is important and essential to study the country. Another reason to pay
attention to and learn about Mexico is because of its unique geography. Mexico is an
important geographical nexus point between North and South America. As some
might argue, all things Latin American must pass through Mexico to get to North
America. This is true not only with regard to the flow of licit goods and services through
formal trade relationships; but it is also true with regard to the flow of people, illegal
narcotics, and other contraband items. Additionally, Mexico is the northern frontier of
Spanish America, finding itself uniquely positioned as a linguistic and cultural media-
tor of sorts with the northern Anglo America. And, finally, Mexico’s geography affords
it the ability to serve as a hub for east/west relations. Ever since the colonial periods,
when Mexico was Spain’s launching outpost and administrative hub for expanding the
Spanish empire into the Philippines and other areas of the Pacific far east, Mexico has
facilitated contact between eastern and western peoples and economies. So, in short,
Mexico’s central geographical position on the globe serves to reinforce the idea that
understanding Mexico’s story is a window to understanding the coming together of
many different cultures and peoples from the four corners of the globe.
Turning more fully to the topic of economy, it could also be argued that studying
Mexico from the perspective of national and international economic considerations
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