Since the late nineteenth century, Mexican historiography typically has portrayed the first four decades of independence as an epic struggle between the forces of darkness and light (conservative reactionaries versus liberal reformers), in which the latter emerged triumphant only after considerable disorder and bloodshed. In this brief study, historian Linda Arnold urges us to leave behind simplistic stereotypes and, instead, to explore the complexities of an era that laid the groundwork for a uniquely Mexican system of politics. Focusing on the Suprema Corte de Justicia, Mexico’s preeminent judicial tribunal, the author makes an avowedly “modest attempt” at historical reinterpretation and examines the beginnings of what she refers to somewhat enigmatically as the “paradigm of Mexican political culture” (p. 13).
Perhaps no one knows the nineteenth-century holdings of the Archivo de la Suprema Corte de Justicia as well as Linda Arnold, and she draws upon years of research in this seldom used repository to examine the role of the Supreme Court and its relation to other branches of government in the early national period. In successive chapters, the book describes the political and financial challenges in creating a viable Supreme Court; the tribunal’s struggle to find its niche in a political milieu dominated first by the legislative branch, then by the executive; the important role of the court in laying out the juridical principles of Mexican international relations; the court’s relationship to local tribunals; and, finally, the position of the Supreme Court on the issues of ecclesiastical and military fueros and the limits of state power. On occasion, Arnold stands Mexican national mythology on its head—portraying Santa Anna in a somewhat favorable light, for example, or contending that Benito Juárez irreparably damaged the integrity and independence of the Supreme Court and paved the way for the strong executive tradition so characteristic of modern Mexican politics.
This is not an exhaustive analysis, as Arnold readily admits, and her interpretations are perhaps more suggestive than conclusive. Indeed, many events and debates crucial to the creation of the “paradigm of Mexican political culture” occurred outside the ambit of the Supreme Court and do not figure in this study. This limited scope of inquiry thus frustrates a fully articulated, more compelling reinterpretation of early-nineteenth-century Mexican political history. Still, Arnold makes a considerable contribution by sketching out the activities of the Supreme Court in its formative stage and offering a fresh perspective on the period.
Unfortunately for the author, the clumsy Spanish translation of her original English manuscript is utterly lacking in literary style and diminishes the readability of the text. Translation is an art, and the publisher should have taken more care to present a suitable product.
