CHICANO SOCIAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY IN THE XIX CENTURY.

Edited by Richard Griswold del Castillo and Manuel Hidalgo. 1997 170 pgs. (pbk) Ser.: Nuestra historia. FORTHCOMING ISBN: 0-915745-45-3 Includes biblio. $29.95 Price for class use: $22.00

Why are Mexican Americans unlike any other immigrant group in the United States? The answer lies in an understanding of the nineteenth century history of the American Southwest and Mexican northern frontier. Many have recognized that this neglected period in Chicano history (1848-1900) has been tremendously important in shaping the collective identity of the Chicano and Mexican people north of the Rio Grande. In this addition to a small, high quality literature on the "formative period" of Chicano history, del Castillo and Hidalgo have collected eight original essays, all of them on social, political and aspects of the Chicano experience in the nineteenth century. This is the first anthology devoted entirely to the Chicano experience in this era. The best in contemporary historical essay is reflected in the selections written by Arnoldo De León, Richard Griswold del Castillo, Mary Romero, Federico Sánchez, Tomás Almaguer, Antonio Soto, Gloria Miranda, and Clare McKenna. These essays illustrate the richness of the Chicano heritage and provide a deeper historical background for understanding contemporary affairs.