Mexico's Indigenous Communities
Mexico's Indigenous Communities
Their Lands and Histories, 1500-2010
Ethelia Ruiz Medrano focuses on a series of individual cases, falling within successive historical epochs, that illustrate how the practice of drawing up and preserving historical documents-in particular, maps, oral accounts, and painted manuscripts-has been a determining factor in the history of Mexico's Indian communities for a variety of purposes, including the significant issue of land and its rightful ownership. Since the sixteenth century, numerous Indian pueblos have presented colonial and national courts with historical evidence that defends their landholdings.
Because of its sweeping scope, groundbreaking research, and the author's intimate knowledge of specific communities, Mexico's Indigenous Communities is a unique and exceptional contribution to Mexican history. It will appeal to students and specialists of history, indigenous studies, ethnohistory, and anthropology of Latin America and Mexico
I know of no other work of its kind or in its league. It is entirely original: a wonderfully narrated uncompromising history that is thoroughly and masterfully researched. This book is bound to be a classic. . . a model for future research on the indigenous peoples of the Americas.'
—Kevin Terraciano, UCLA
This is a fascinating study that breaks important new ground through the utilization of a wide variety of documentation. Ruiz Medrano provides us with an important glimpse into a topic that has been central to the development of Mexico since the arrival of the Spanish.'
—John F. Schwaller, Hispanic American Historical Review
'A great contribution to Mexican history that will appeal to readers interested in history, indigenous studies, ethnohistory, and anthropology.'
—SMRC Revista
