History 154History of Mexico:

Intro

Professor Pacas

The Myth of Nations

• Throughout time human communities have organized themselves into different political entities.

• It is important to understand that these different political entities and their conceptualize themselves differently depending on time and place.

• That is to say that during the period of medieval history 500-1500 AD/CE the areas defined as nations today (2015) conceptualized themselves in extremely different ways such as:

• Clans, tribes, kingdoms, empires… the notion of nation states was still not developed and it was foreign concept.

Historical Accuracy

• A much more historical accurate rendition of the history of one geographical location is to refer to the area that is the subject of study as the, “region currently designated as Mexico, China, or England, etc.”

• Again it is important to understand that geo-political boundaries of polities change over space and time.

• Polities- a political organized entity comprising, to a certain degree, a homogenous culture, language, self-identity, & governmental body.

“Mexico”

Circa 500 AD

Circa 1490 AD

“Mexico”

“Mexico”

Understanding History

Professor Pacas

Discerning the past• World history and history of specific regions are

attempts to rectify the developments of 500 years of European imperialism/colonialism that gave birth to the ideology of Euro-centrism and particularly Anglo-centrism in the world- politically and in academia.

• Much of the history of other regions in the globe have traditionally been mere footnotes in the frame work of world history

• Regions only studied as they pertain to the framework of European developments.

• Not until fairly recent receiving any degree of focus.

-Nationalism-

• The idea of modern nation states can be traced back to Europe of the 19th century.

• Idea adopted when European polities decided to adopt modernization.

• Modernization necessitated the birth of New Imperialism.

• Nationalism-changed parochial affiliations with a larger community- the nation.

Nationalism and Racism• Nationalism and the belief of national and/or racial

superiority were linked to the development of New Imperialism tied to Modernization.

• Civilizing Enterprise• Exploitation of other non-European or non-Anglo

European regions to feed industry.• Converting the other parts of globe into export

oriented economies• Effects of this development were detrimental in

politics and academia.• Lack of well developed academic history of other

global regions.

Elitism in history• Other aspects that make interpreting the past

difficult is elitist interpretation(s):• Focus on (what were deemed) sophisticated

civilizations as purveyors of only credible history.

• Focus on written accounts vs. oral traditions or pictorial artifacts.

• History vs. Archaeology• The changing field(s) and interpretations-

interdisciplinary studies, collaboration between academic experts, etc.

Historiography

• What are:• Primary sources• Secondary sources• Artifacts• Oral traditions• Translations• Piecing the past together and what we can learn…• History as interpretation of ‘observable facts’

Specific Issues that complicate the study of Early civilizations of present day Mexico

• The history of regions that were colonized by European powers in the 15th-17th centuries is made difficult by the fact that much of their history was destroyed in the colonization process.

• What little remains is often handed down through filters heavily infused with European biases and misrepresentation or misunderstanding.

Geography of Mexico

Professor Pacas