Analyzing the effects of Mexico's newly flourishing petroleum industry, Dr. Millor first traces the evolution of Mexico's oil development and provides a detailed assessment of its socioeconomic, political, and ecological consequences and of the Mexican government's current energy policies. In his subsequent examination of U.S.-Mexican relations, he emphasizes that, aside from the issues directly related to Mexico's petroleum, a complex assortment of concerns remain unresolved between the two nations—illegal immigration, drug traffic, terms of technical and scientific cooperation, restrictions on Mexican exports in the U.S. market, and the more assertive foreign policy stance recently taken by Mexico. Dr. Millor argues that, far from representing a clear case of positive growth for Mexico, petroleum could bring about distorted development and increased dependency, as well as a difficult period of relations with the U.S. If a stable association between the two governments is to emerge, he concludes, U.S. policymakers must understand the changes taking place in Mexico and accept its emergence as a middle power with autonomous goals. Representing both the Mexican and the U.S. point of view, this study contributes much to a better understanding of the significance of oil for Mexican development and to a balanced assessment of present and future U.S.-Mexican relations.

Sánchez and Sanchez have selected, edited, translated, and introduced some of the most influential texts in Mexican philosophy, which constitute a unique and robust tradition that will challenge and complicate traditional conceptions of philosophy. The texts collected here are organized chronologically and represent a period of Mexican thought and culture that emerged from the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and which culminated in la filosofía de lo mexicano (the philosophy of Mexicanness). Though the selections reflect on a variety of philosophical questions, collectively they represent a growing tendency to take seriously the question of Mexican national identity as a philosophical question--especially given the complexities of Mexico's indigenous and European ancestries, a history of colonialism, and a growing dependency on foreign money and culture. More than an attempt to describe the national character, however, the texts gathered here represent an optimistic period in Mexican philosophy that aimed to affirm Mexican culture and philosophy as a valuable, if not urgent, contribution to universal culture.

Letters by a young Mexican boy with supporting pictures and text introduce the geography, people, daily life and customs of Mexico. Suggested level: primary.