Mexican Mosaic explores the development of Mexico starting with pre-colonial history. Jürgen Buchenau creates a new perspective by depicting the history of Mexico many fail to think about. Through each chapter, Buchenau examines a different aspect that contributes to Mexico's identity. Buchenau not only analyzes the political events leading up to modern times, but also the economic and social issues that emerged as the country began to establish its identity. The title Mexican Mosaic accurately describes Buchenau's intention to describe Mexico as a combination of culture, religion, and opinions. Diverse ideas, influencial historical events, and a culmination of different ethnicities all shaped Mexico's current national identity, and without the variety of viewpoints, Mexico would be a very different country. Buchenau provides a scholarly analysis of Mexico's colorful pre-colonial history in the first chapter. The emergence of indigenous cultures, first the Olmec, Maya, and Teotihuacan civilizations, then the Toltec and Aztec empires provides the first look into the development of…show more content… Buchenau focuses on displaying Mexico from a transnational perspective, which gives the reader a better understanding of the different events throughout Mexican history. The use of photography aides in comprehending the invention of Mexico by providing visual representations. In addition, Buchenau makes strong arguments supported by relevant details and provides examples. As a reader, this book is easy to follow and the layout of events is logical. The structure of having five chapters that each cover a portion of history creates a chronological order. By having a timeline at the beginning and end of the book, Buchenau assists the reader in following along with the many events that occured in Mexico. Overall, Buchenau asserts his thesis in an academically strong
