National liberalism, local liberalisms -- The institutional revolution in town politics : Oaxaca and Yucatán, 1812-1821 -- Reluctant taxpayers, unwilling soldiers, but "submissive sons" : Oaxacan villages and the state, 1824-1848 -- The disintegration of a divided polity : Yucatán, 1825-1847 -- The shadow of liberty : the politics of reform in Oaxaca to 1858 -- The transformation of indigenous citizenship : politics in Yucatán during the Caste War
Summary
This analysis challenges the commonly held assumption that early nineteenth-century Mexican state-building was a failure of liberalism. By comparing the experiences of two Mexican states, Oaxaca and Yucatán, it shows how the institutions and ideas associated with liberalism became deeply entrenched in Mexico's regions, but only on locally acceptable terms. Faced with the common challenge of incorporating new institutions into political life, Mexicans - be they indigenous villagers, government officials, or local elites - negotiated ways to make those institutions compatible with a range of local interests
