Review of Mexico in Transition by Byron Crites

Book Reviews
border, but one of modernising and Americanising a backwards and underdeveloped
region – in other words, ‘ de-Mexicanising ’ the border. Garza viewed Anglo encroachment
as blatant imperialistic colonising, while Bourke found it simple and necessary
civilising. Garzistas and anti- Garzistas alike sought their version of development, modernisation,
progress, and democracy. It is interesting to fi nd similar criticisms and
name calling levelled by each side against the other in a debate as to which was the
more moral and honourable in achieving similar goals.
While this reviewer fi nds it diffi cult to call Garza ’ s movement a ‘ revolution ’ , I do
agree with Young that Garza and his actions deserve serious attention by historians
and that studying him offers much to an understanding of the South Texas-Mexican
border region. Young admirably uses Garza, his region, and his period to paint a
noteworthy transnational ideological picture that reaches beyond the traditional focus
on industrialisation, mining, land, and governmental politics. This work is also valuable
in helping the reader understand the upcoming Mexican Revolution of 1910.
Robin Robinson
The University of Texas at Brownsville
Brewster, Keith (2003) Militarism, Ethnicity and Politics in the Sierra Norte de Puebla,
1917 – 30 , University of Arizona Press (Tucson), 220 pp. $47.00 hbk.
This is an impressive study of regional politics in Puebla ’ s Sierra Norte which covers
an intriguing period of Revolutionary history as Mexico experienced a slow transition
from mobilisation and ensuing anarchy, inching towards post-Revolutionary consolidation
and, eventually, centralist estatismo . It is, at the same time, impressively concise,
especially since it is the product of over a decade of research. It is not an original
study in terms of either its subject matter or its methodology – given that it follows
the regionalist or ‘ microhistorical ’ trend within Revolutionary historiography established
more than a generation ago which inexorably drew attention to the interaction
of Revolutionary caudillos, caciques and peasants in Mexico ’ s hinterlands – but it is
no less impressive for that. Based upon meticulous, extensive, and exhaustive archival
research in poblano and national archives and supported by oral testimonies, Brewster ’ s
analysis and judgement are consistently measured and balanced and above all, sensitive
to the local context. While demonstrating a high degree of empathy for his subject,
he manages to avoid the pitfalls of becoming too embroiled in local detail (or local
colour), and his account is informed by comparisons with other regions, and a thorough
examination of the historiography, and in particular, of recent historiographical
debates, especially those which surround the ‘ new ’ cultural history and the role of the
subaltern.
The focus of the book is the cacicazgo of Gabriel Barrios, which spanned the period
in question. The examination of Barrios ’ rise to power – his local origins, his emergence
during the height of Revolutionary anarchy and his eventual demise, allows
Brewster to explore the complex characteristics and vicissitudes of local power brokerage
in regional Mexico. Brewster makes it clear, as many other studies have done, that
© 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Society for Latin American Studies
Bulletin of Latin American Research Vol. 26, No. 1 137