This exceptional collection of essays brings the rites of Independence and Revolution to life by giving the actions of the original participants new meaning in the social and political contexts of their times.

John Mason Hart, University of Houston

The focused nature of this volume is its strength, taking a single event and showing different historical aspects of it from independence through the modern era.

Latin American Research Review

Anyone who has experience the eve of September 16 in Mexico, felt the crush of bodies in the Zòcalo, seen the magnificent fireworks, and heard the official cries of '¡Viva!'-as well as the obscene popular replies-instinctively knows the deep significance of Independence for the Mexican mentality. Finally, a book that reveals the political struggles behind the civic holiday that shaped Mexico's national identity. This is an important work of cultural history, as vibrant and complex as the celebration it examines.

Jeffrey Pilcher, The Citadel

Historians are gradually filling in the gaps in our knowledge about nineteenth-century Mexico. The essays in ¡Viva México! ¡Viva la Independencia! help us understand the links between popular culture, political symbolism and mythmaking, and state-building during this tumultuous century.

Mark Wasserman, Rutgers University

This book is a welcome addition to the study of public commemorations in Latin America.

Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies