HIST 328: History of Mexico

This course is a survey of Mexican history that emphasizes the variety of forces that shaped the formation of modem Mexico. Beginning with the settlement of Mesoamerica, the first half of the course examines the classical, pre-Columbian civilizations, the Spanish conquest, and the development of a diverse, multi-racial society from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The second half of the course discusses the causes and consequences of Mexican independence, the roots of the Mexican Revolution, its social, cultural and political consequences, and the breakdown of the PRI system in the late twentieth century.