This concise history looks at Mexico from political, economic, and cultural perspectives, portraying Mexico's struggle to break out of the colonial past and assert its viability as a sovereign state in a competitive world. In this third edition, Hamnett adds new material on Mexico's regional and international roles as they have emerged in the twenty-first century, including membership of supra-national organizations (including and moving beyond NAFTA), the Mexican drug war between government officials and gangs, and the immigration and border crises within the United States. He also discusses Mexico's relationship to the outside world, particularly its efforts to broaden the range of political and commercial associations, especially with European countries, the rest of Latin America, and the Pacific Rim through trade agreements with supra-national organizations.

‘Hamnett's remains, by far, the best one-volume history of Mexico in English. Erudite, elegant, and free of commonplaces and stereotypes, it is structured around a non-conventional periodization, masterfully weaving politics, economics, and foreign relations, while also revealing a keen understanding of culture, religion, and regional experiences.'

Pablo Mijangos - Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE, Mexico)

‘Hamnett's 3rd edition of his masterful synthesis of Mexican history provides readers with a welcome updated version of what was, from its very first incarnation, a particularly engaging introduction to Mexico's past, charting how it has come to be the country it is today. This is a remarkably concise yet carefully-crafted, thematically-rich interpretation of Mexican history.'

Will Fowler - author of Latin America since 1780

‘A balanced political and social history and a much-needed reliable and thought-provoking synthesis, this is conciseness only attainable through Hamnett's erudition in history at large. This new edition also addresses Mexico's post-2000 political and social challenges and incorporates Hamnett's remarkable fascination and knowledge of literary and cultural issues.'

Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo - University of Chicago