Before the American Southwest was the American Southwest it was the northern frontier of Mexico, representing a third of the territory of the country after its leaders declared their independence from Span in 1821. What the region was like in the quarter century between its possession by Spain and its conquest by the United States is the subject of David J. Weber's book. It's a comprehensive work that begins by examining how the news of Augustin de Iturbide's declaration of independence was received in the region and concludes with the outbreak of the war that would lead to the U.S.'s annexation of the territory.

 

While Weber's text surveys the span of human activity in the territory, two themes emerge over the course of his text. The first is the sense of isolation for the Hispanic residents of the region. Independence was a fait accompli for them, one in which they had no say. In many ways little changed with the news, as the region went from being the sparsely settled northern region of Spain's empire in the Americans to the sparsely settled northern lands of the United States of Mexico. Many of the key issues and developments that defined the area during the last decades of Spanish control continued, with the Mexicans dealing with economic change and relations the Indians just as they had before. While independence meant shifts in the dynamics involved, these were concerns that engaged locals no matter who was in charge,

 

What changed most with Mexican independence was its relations with the United States. This emerges as the second theme of the book: the growing drift of the region into the U.S. orbit. Independence from Spain meant an end to the mercantilist policies restricting trade with the United States, just as the presence of Americans on the frontier was growing. American merchants and trappers eagerly entered the region in search of economic opportunities, establishing a visible presence for the U.S. while economically orienting the region to the northeast. Close behind them were American settlers, whose presence in Texas in particular disrupted the dynamics of the region. Mexican authorities were conflicted about this presence, welcoming the economic benefits brought by trade and the stabilizing effects of non-Indian settlement while increasingly wary of what would follow from the growing American interest in the region. Their concerns would be validated with the outbreak of war in 1846, as the American presence served as the wedge for annexation two years later.

 

Weber makes plain the factors that led to the region's takeover by the United States, yet this is only one of his book's many strengths. For while Weber details the growing interest in the region by many Americans it also tells the story of the residents themselves and the lives they led. His chapters highlight the many challenges they faced, from their limited resources to the indifference with which they were often treated by Mexican institutions and the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church. Such coverage illustrates the challenges of life on the frontier in the early 19th century while underscoring how annexation came about. In all it makes Weber's book essential reading for anyone interested in the region, as he fills in the valuable details of what proved a critical period of transition in its history.

Planet Taco is a scholarly exploration of Mexican food conducted by a trip through history. I am partial to Mexican history, Mexican food and societal analyses rooted in history. So Planet Taco hit on all my favorites. This book managed to maintain my interest through its disucssion of history and kept my hunger level at a constant high during my reading. Before reading this book, I had no idea that without human intervention corn would not have grown and existed, "maize florurished under human protection and to this day, it cannot reproduce in the wild." How wild is that? Someone stumbled on a corn plant in the wild and changed the world. Pilcher proposes some interesting ideas about servant and female labor which make a lot of sense. Yes, he discusses the influence of coloinazation and immigraiton on cuisine -- but what about the folks preparing the food?: "Scholars have only begun to explore the connections between household labor and the fate of empires." The female labor it takes to grind corn and turn it in to a usable food (tortillas) is immense. "Spanish historical documents provide ample information about agricultural production, which was gendered male, but typically remain silent about the female labor properation." Planet Taco discusses the labor intensity of consuming corn and its likely influence on different evolutions and changes in Mexican food. Such as the introduction of flour tortillas in the north, which took much less labor. He notes that scholars are not in agreement as to whether this resulted from the missionary influence but he proposes that women and servants may have had a hand in the change of the type of tortillas eaten in this region due to the lesser work involved. Potatoes, tomatoes, chilis, chocolate, corn (and on and on and on) are examples of the foods discovered in Mexico. And then introduced into Mexico - -citrus, sugar, coffee, cinammon, cilantro (yes cilantro!), bananas, beef, pork. What an amazing marriage of food and flavors. "People have been confused about the nature of Mexican food for hundreds of years. Certainly there was no authentic Mexican food in pre-Hispanic times." Pilcher interestingly discusses the various influences in Mexico food, society and culture by discussing the Asian labor and immigrants, the African slaves, and the influence from Europe. Corn and tomatoes when exported to Europe were not immediately embraced. Unfortuantely, when corn was exported it was exported without the indegineous knowledge. "Although prolific and versatile, maize has significant nutritional defects, particularly the lack of niacin, a B-vitamin essential to human health." Somehow every native people in the Americas that consumed corn understood this and developed a technology of adding niacin to the corn. This is freaking amazing to me. But, when Europeans and North Africans began initially consuming corn -- they did so without this knowledge to disastorous results. Epidemics of lack of nutirion followed in European communities that relied solely on corn. I loved this trip th rough history but done through a dietary manner. It was brillaintly done and I also appreciated that Pilcher makes note of how recent political and economic changes are effecting Mexico (and thus the USA). Mexico in a bizarre twist, the birthplace of maize is now competing with the US in the market of corn, "NAFTA, implemented in 1994, allowed the free entry of subsidized Midwestern maize (corn) to Mexico, undermining (Mexican unsubsidized) family farms and forcing many to migrate north in search of work."