The Pursuit of Ruins: Archaeology, History, and the Making of Modern Mexico (Book) [show prizes]
Title: The Pursuit of Ruins: Archaeology, History, and the Making of Modern Mexico
Author: Christina Bueno
Abstract: In the late nineteenth century, the government of Porfirio Díaz set out on a mission to take control of Mexico’s ancient ruins, the remains of Maya, Aztec, and other early civilizations. For centuries, these sites had been the province of foreign scientists, antiquities brokers, and local people. Under Díaz, they became national property. The artifacts were used to construct a prestigious, ancient past for the nation. The Díaz regime claimed symbolic links with the great civilizations of pre-Hispanic times as it hauled statues to the National Museum and rebuilt the pyramids of Teotihuacán. Ironically, this was also a profoundly anti-Indian regime; it waged war against the Indians and stripped them of their lands. The Pursuit of Ruins explores the different facets of the Porfirian archaeological project and underscores the contradictory place of indigenous identity in modern Mexico. While the making of Mexico’s official past was thought to bind the nation together, it was an exclusionary process, one that celebrated the civilizations of bygone times while disparaging the contemporary Indians.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://unmpress.com/books.php?ID=20000000006495
Publisher: University of New Mexico press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780826357328
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

Permalink: https://securegrants.neh.gov/publicquery/products.aspx?gn=HB-50124-11