Nature and Scope
Nature and Scope
Mexico in History explores the evolution of Mexico from c.1500 to 1929, covering a vast range of Mexican history from Spanish colonisation and the formation of New Spain through the Mexican War of Independence to the Mexican Revolution. The predominantly Spanish-language material is a combination of print, manuscript and photographic collections sourced from The Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley, in close collaboration with the Editorial Board.
For further information on the material selected for inclusion in this resource, visit the Selection Criteria.
Introduction
Mexico in History explores the evolution of Mexico from c.1500 to 1929, covering a vast range of Mexican history from Spanish colonisation and the formation of New Spain through the Mexican War of Independence to the Mexican Revolution. The predominantly Spanish-language material is a combination of print, manuscript and photographic collections sourced from The Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley, in close collaboration with the Editorial Board.
For further information on the material selected for inclusion in this resource, visit the Selection Criteria.
Mexico in History covers various topics which are inextricably linked to stories of violence and oppression, such as colonialism, religious persecution, and war. Please be aware that distressing content can be found throughout the documents and contextual essays in this resource, including graphic images and first-hand accounts.
Please also note that, due to the period in which the primary sources in this resource were produced, some do contain language and terminology that is outdated, derogatory, or offensive by modern standards. Learn more about our approach to terminology in this resource in the Language Statement.
Content Warning
Mexico in History covers various topics which are inextricably linked to stories of violence and oppression, such as colonialism, religious persecution, and war. Please be aware that distressing content can be found throughout the documents and contextual essays in this resource, including graphic images and first-hand accounts.
Please also note that, due to the period in which the primary sources in this resource were produced, some do contain language and terminology that is outdated, derogatory, or offensive by modern standards. Learn more about our approach to terminology in this resource in the Language Statement.
To explore some of the key collections and hidden gems of Mexico in History, view the Collection Highlights page.
Material Highlights
To explore some of the key collections and hidden gems of Mexico in History, view the Collection Highlights page.
The material included within Mexico in History covers a wide variety of topics across over four centuries of Mexican history. These include:
- Colonialism and “New Spain”
- Religion, missionaries, and the Catholic Church
- The Inquisition, accusations, and criminal proceedings
- Persecution of Jewish Mexicans
- Resistance, independence, and revolution
- Indigenous communities, history, persecution, and language and linguistics
- War and military conflict
- National and international politics
- European intervention
- Law, crime, and punishment
Topics
The material included within Mexico in History covers a wide variety of topics across over four centuries of Mexican history. These include:
- Colonialism and “New Spain”
- Religion, missionaries, and the Catholic Church
- The Inquisition, accusations, and criminal proceedings
- Persecution of Jewish Mexicans
- Resistance, independence, and revolution
- Indigenous communities, history, persecution, and language and linguistics
- War and military conflict
- National and international politics
- European intervention
- Law, crime, and punishment
The majority of the metadata that accompanies the documents in Mexico in History has been drawn from archival catalogues at The Bancroft Library. Metadata translation, where relevant for enhanced discoverability, has been carried out by a third party translation service using a combination of human expertise and applied AI. Translations have been quality checked and amended to account for the unique nature of the metadata and historical nuance. Please note, original terminology from the archival catalogue has been retained, and therefore translated metadata may contain outdated language which some may find distressing.
The translated metadata fields include:
- Title
- Contents
- Collection
- Collection Description
- Accusation (Only available for documents from the ‘Mexican Inquisition Original Documents…’ collection)
Title fields may contain original transcription errors.
Some metadata has been supplemented by the AM editorial team to facilitate browsing and searching. The metadata fields added by AM include:
- Document Type
- Language
- Contents
- Collector
- Creator
In some cases, edits or additions have been made to metadata taken from the archival catalogue to improve searchability and ensure that the language and terminology is aligned with our current editorial guidelines. This is true for the following metadata fields:
- Collection Subjects
Notes on Metadata and Translation
The majority of the metadata that accompanies the documents in Mexico in History has been drawn from archival catalogues at The Bancroft Library. Metadata translation, where relevant for enhanced discoverability, has been carried out by a third party translation service using a combination of human expertise and applied AI. Translations have been quality checked and amended to account for the unique nature of the metadata and historical nuance. Please note, original terminology from the archival catalogue has been retained, and therefore translated metadata may contain outdated language which some may find distressing.
The translated metadata fields include:
- Title
- Contents
- Collection
- Collection Description
- Accusation (Only available for documents from the ‘Mexican Inquisition Original Documents…’ collection)
Title fields may contain original transcription errors.
Some metadata has been supplemented by the AM editorial team to facilitate browsing and searching. The metadata fields added by AM include:
- Document Type
- Language
- Contents
- Collector
- Creator
In some cases, edits or additions have been made to metadata taken from the archival catalogue to improve searchability and ensure that the language and terminology is aligned with our current editorial guidelines. This is true for the following metadata fields:
- Collection Subjects
A variety of research tools provide further contextual information or guidance for teaching and research. From essays and video interviews to biographies and exhibitions, explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.
Research and Teaching
A variety of research tools provide further contextual information or guidance for teaching and research. From essays and video interviews to biographies and exhibitions, explore the options under Research Tools or view the full list in Teaching Tools.