This book provides a new interpretation of the process of Spanish American independence (1808-1826), one that emphasizes political processes and cultural continuities instead of the break with Spain. It is the first book to examine the representative government and popular elections introduced by the Spanish Constitution of 1812. Rodriguez argues that independence did not constitute an anticolonial movement, as many scholars assert, but rather formed...

Only in New Spain did a true mestizo society emerge, integrating Indians, Europeans, Africans, and Asians into a unique cultural mix; and that colonial Mexico forged a complex, balanced, and integrated economy that transformed the area into the most important and dynamic part of the Spanish empire. The study begins with a discussion of the area's rich pre-Columbian heritage. It traces the merging of two great cultural traditions?the Meso-american...