The Mexican Heartland: How Communities Shaped Capitalism, a Nation, and World History, 1500-2000

The Mexican Heartland provides a new history of capitalism from the perspective of the indigenous peoples of Mexico, who sustained and resisted it for centuries. It challenges our basic assumptions about the forces that shaped global capitalism and shows how families and communities have been at the center of histories that transformed the world.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 25 January 2022
Publisher: Princeton University Press

The Mexican Heartland offers a fresh perspective on the history of capitalism by examining the landed communities that surround Mexico City. Spanning from the sixteenth century to the present day, John Tutino challenges our conventional understanding of the factors that shaped global capitalism by placing families and communities at the forefront of narratives that have profoundly impacted the world.

Despite the challenges of invasion, disease, and depopulation, the communities in Mexico's heartland remained resilient on the land, adapting and shaping the dynamic silver capitalism that played a crucial role in Spain's empire and global trade for centuries after 1550. They actively participated in insurgencies that led to the collapse of silver and other key global trades after 1810, as Mexico emerged as a nation. However, they faced significant struggles to maintain their land and self-rule in the face of liberal national projects.

The Mexican Heartland is a testament to the unwavering determination of these communities. They drove the 1910 revolution led by Zapata, which shook Mexico and the world of industrial capitalism. Although the revolt faced defeat, the resilient communities persisted and forced a land reform that placed them at the center of Mexico's experiment with national capitalism after 1920.

The 1950s saw a significant shift as population growth and technological innovations led people from rural communities to the rapidly urbanizing metropolis spreading across the land. The heartland urbanized, leaving individuals searching for new opportunities and facing challenges such as dependence and desperation. Nonetheless, they continued to assert their needs in a globalizing world.

The Mexican Heartland is a masterful work of scholarship that tells the story of how landed communities and families in Mexico City sustained silver capitalism, challenged industrial capitalism, and now face the challenges of globalizing urban capitalism. It provides a rich and nuanced understanding of the complex historical and social dynamics that have shaped Mexico and the broader world.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691227313