Every book reflects the time in which it is written and the concerns of its author. Just over 30 years ago, Ricardo Rendón Garcini's El Prosperato: El juego de equilibrios de un gobierno estatal (Tlaxcala de 1885 a 1911) analyzed the government of the Porfirista Próspero Cahuantzi in Tlaxcala by applying two concepts—governmental paternalism and moral economy—to the agrarian sector, social order, and expressions of popular discontent. Rendón Garcini's text was part of the revisionist effort focused on dismantling the Black Legend of the Porfiriato allegedly in favor of a balanced narrative. Now Jaclyn Ann Sumner's Indigenous Autocracy draws on cultural, environmental, and postmodern perspectives to highlight the uniqueness of Governor Cahuantzi. At first sight he appears as just another political boss; however, his Indigenous origin and his management of this identity in a sociopolitical environment dominated by social Darwinism, racism, and classism make him an enigmatic character. Cahuantzi knew...

You do not currently have access to this content.