In this book, Luis Fernando Granados undertakes two challenges. The more specific consists of examining and interpreting the events that transpired during the first few days of the U.S. Army’s 1847-48 occupation of Mexico City. Of equal importance is his decision to challenge the dominant historiography of this war. He argues that the major North American historians of the conflict such as Cadmus Wilcox and Justin Smith, as well as their Mexicans counterparts such as José María Roa Barcena and Emilio del Castillo Negrete, succumbed to the temptation of writing grand history. As such, these authors focused upon generals and battles, diplomats and negotiations, and political leaders in their labors. By contrast, Granados focuses upon the citizens of Mexico City during the three critical days when the U.S. Army took possession of the city following the last conventional battles for the Valley of Mexico. The author’s shift from top-down history...
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