Mining has occupied a special place in Latin American historiography. For the colonial period precious metals were the very basis of Spanish imperialism, and in the national period mining underwent modernization and underwrote much of the development of Latin America. One, therefore, is particularly interested in this valuable volume on Mexican mining as a point of departure for comparison elsewhere. Inés Herrera Canales showcases the new research undertaken in Mexico in the last decade by presenting 10 essays by 14 authors. She sets the stage by reviewing the published work on Mexican mining for the 50-year period, 1940–90. Four contributions follow on the eighteenth century, three more on the Porfiriato, while the last two concentrate entirely on the twentieth century.
For the colonial period Brígida von Mentz’s contribution is of special interest. While the current historiography blames the great wave of popular discontent of the eighteenth century on the expulsion...
