A Brief History of Mexico, Revised Edition (Brief History Series) [Paperback]

Lynn V. Foster (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Checkmark Books; Revised edition (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816057214
• ISBN-13: 978-0816057214
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,438,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Decades of research yield polished, easy to read overview, August 19, 2004

By 

Stan Gotlieb (Oaxaca, Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Brief History of Mexico, Revised Edition (Brief History Series) (Paperback)

Long-time Mex-o-phile Lynn Foster lives in Oaxaca for a good portion of the year, and has written several books about Mexico, ranging from the "Fielding Guide to Mexico" to a "Handbook on Life in the Ancient Maya World". An academic by trade, and an explorer by interest, Foster brings a lifetime of meticulous research as well as a sense of "life on the ground" to this revised edition.

The result is a well-researched popularized view of what could easily be tens of volumes of dry material, distilled into one volume of highly accessible text. This book is fun to read.

(I should mention that I am a friend of hers: but being a Mex-o-phile living in - and writing about - Oaxaca, I would have read this book - and learned from it - even if I didn't know her.)

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of Mexican History, October 23, 2011

By 

Andrew Collins (Litchfield County, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Brief History of Mexico (Hardcover)

This review is for the fourth edition.

Before I read this book, I knew little about Mexican history. I had heard of Santa Anna and some things during that era, but little else. After reading this, I had learned a lot.

This book covers the entirety of Mexican history without really going into a lot of detail. It starts out in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica with cultures such as the Mayas and Aztecs, through the Spanish conquest, the era of New Spain, Independence, the chaotic years that followed, to the Mexican Revolution, and through to the modern day (2009).

Overall, I found this very informative given the fact I knew little beforehand. There is not a lot of detail so I am guessing someone well versed in Mexican history will learn not a lot from this.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and objective look at Mexican culture & politics, August 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Brief History of Mexico (Hardcover)

Traces Mexico through centuries of splendor and oppression. Great facts and figures, most of my Mexican friends didn't comprehend the full extent of de-population after the Spaniards arrived.