Mexico: The Essentials provides a concise introduction to Mexican history and culture built on ten fundamental aspects of Mexican life. Featuring a topical organization, the book offers readers easy access to these major themes--the "essentials"--that shape the nation and society: physical and living diversity, politics, family, economy, religion, Mexico City, popular arts, drugs and crimes, migration, and Mexico in global perspective. Authors William H. Beezley and Colin M. MacLachlan weave together each narrative with material from cultural investigations, ethnic and gender studies, and new sources--including visual and material evidence--to enrich and deepen students' understanding and appreciation of the Mexican past. Each of the essays is written from a historical perspective and begins with a brief section describing the colonial legacy.