Most recent writing about Mexican Americans deals only with the twentieth century. This book provides the much-needed historical perspective that is essential for a full understanding of the present. Dozens of selections from firsthand accounts, introduced by the editor's knowledgeable essays capture the flavor and mood of the Mexican American experience in the Southwest from the time the first pioneers came north from Mexico.
The first edition was selected as a Choice "Outstanding Academic Book of the Year" and received the following accolades:
"An excellent job of illuminating the early historical experience of Mexicans living in the United States."--Western Historical Quarterly
"Weber . . . has done more than compile a first-rate anthology . . . he has done much to put the selected accounts into a meaningful historical framework. This coupled with excellent documentary choices and extensive notes makes it the single best volume for understanding the Mexican American experience in the nineteenth-century Southwest."--Choice
