This book contains the history of the northern sector of the state of Chihuahua, from the beginnings of its people until the present time.In plainness and beauty, Professor Javier O. Urquidi, tells details of the area’s origin; life in ancient Paquime; the travels of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca; the fascinating story of the Negro Estebanico; the life of the Apaches, the shrewdness of Ju; the valor of Vitorio and the intelligence of Geronimo.Through Daniel W. Jones we see the labors and happenings that mark the arrival of the Mormons in Mexico; their contributions, culture and manner of thought.With great feeling this work reveals the historical events of the Mexican Revolution; the attack upon Columbus and the persecutions by Pancho Villa.We witness the grandeur of the haciendas of Luis Terrazas, and the railroad; the explosion in the tunnel at cumbres; the origins of the Mormon colonies; of settlings of Galeana, Janos, LeBaron and Mata Ortiz; the ejidos like Guadalupe Victoria and Casas Grandes.The economic development of this area and its multicultural society in Nuevo Casas Grandes becomes as a delightful discovery to the reader.Written as a historical novel, in clear and precise words, the author captures his readers as he portrays the history of the Chinese, the Mennonites; and with realism, amazes them with the unforgettable story of the Apache doings in Chihuahua.

Juan Quezada, in the northwestern part of the state of Chihuahua, has become the best pottery maker of the world, and has developed his own technique of pottery making. Following the pattern of the ancient Paquime, he has created wessels of symmetrical lines and intricate designs, duplicating the perfection of their work. Here you will feel the spirit of an entire village which, with its magnificent pieces of pottery, has come to earn a place in the world of the pottery making. The people of Mata Ortiz have shown an outstanding example of art, clay and tradition. Their works are without equal and a marvel to any who see them, whether in museums or in private collections.

Every day the sun goes down, and for us the cycle of vibrant life will end. We know that the next day we will be reborn more brilliant and vigorous than before. This record of anguish and emptiness unites us with the community that has lost a beloved person. As a result of this sad experience, we have to seek for something positive for Mexican society. Together we will achieve it with strength and dedication. ¡Rhonita lives!

In this book Javier Ortega Urquidi, a native of Camargo, Chihuahua, portrays the history of a racial group which played an important part in the formation of the strong character of the men of northem Mexico. Employing impressive investigation and masterful sensitivity, the author, without following a rigorous order, transports us to the heart of Apache life in the Chihuahua desert. The lives of Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, Vitorio, Ju and Geronimo will be an authentic discovery for the most exacting reader. The thematic variety, the stylistic elegance and the poetic language employed in this essay of ideas, meditations and reflections about Apache life, accompanied by an important accumulation of historic notes, take us on a journey in time. Without departing from fact, the author moves between the poetic and the didactic. Both questions and anecdotes are considered in this book, through the wide-ranging freedom of theauthor´s style as he reviews the similarities and the differences that are found in various sources.

Uses cultural representations to investigate how two religious minority communities came to be incorporated into the Mexican nation. Liminal Sovereignty examines the lives of two religious minority communities in Mexico, Mennonites and Mormons, as seen through Mexican culture. Mennonites emigrated from Canada to Mexico from the 1920s to the 1940s, and Mormons emigrated from the United States in the 1880s, left in 1912, and returned in the 1920s. Rebecca Janzen focuses on representations of these groups in film, television, online comics, photography, and legal documents. Janzen argues that perceptions of Mennonites and Mormons—groups on the margins and borders of Mexican society—illustrate broader trends in Mexican history. The government granted both communities significant exceptions to national laws to encourage them to immigrate; she argues that these foreshadow what is today called the Mexican state of exception. The groups’ inclusion into the Mexican nation shows that post-Revolutionary Mexico was flexible with its central tenets of land reform and building a mestizo race. Janzen uses minority communities at the periphery to give us a new understanding of the Mexican nation. “This subject matter has never been studied in this fashion before, nor with such theoretical sophistication. Not only is the book compelling, but it’s also illuminating.” — Pedro A. Palou, Tufts University