In nineteen short chapters, each about ten pages long, Jaime Suchlicki explains Mexico. "The Age of Santa Anna", "The U.S.-Mexican War", "Prelude to Revolution: La Reforma", "Maximilian and Foreign Intervention" and fifteen others condense Mexican history into a dense, but highly readable interpretation of the major players, events and contexts that make Mexico the nation it is today.

This is the third edition of this book -- the second was published in 2001 -- and it begins with a preface that describes the intervening seven years. This includes the administration of Vicente Fox, the rise of Asian competition, the experience with NAFTA and the election of Filipe Calderón.

What I like most about this book is that, while the narration is about people and events, they are all placed in a broad comprehensive context that emphasizes their effects on current-day Mexico. Chapter 1 presents the themes that recur as Suchlicki leads readers through 500 years. "Attraction to and rejection of the United States and its influence", "the Catholic Church verses the political system", "liberal and conservative swings in an autocratic political system" come up again and again as Suchlicki explains key periods such as the emergence of Mexico as a Spanish colony, the Mexican Revolution and the rise of the PAN.

Two final chapters add an additional layer of understanding. "Mexicans and Mexican Americans" covers the deep relationships and resulting cultural impacts that Mexico has on the U.S. "Mexico's Future, Mexico's Past" looks back at the major events and themes and projects them forward.

This book is not a glossy history. Corruption, racism, narco-traffic, poverty and conflict appear repeatedly as the author explains how Mexico evolved politically and economically to the democracy it is today.

It's also not detailed -- the battle of Chapultapec Castle is described in three sentences -- but the detail would obscure the broad themes and perspectives that are succinctly presented. Once you have the big picture, there are nearly 250 books and articles in the "Suggested Readings" that will enable you to fill in the details for months to come.

There are other books of comparable length that cover Mexican history. A Concise History of Mexico by Brian R. Hamnett is more detailed and less thematic. Mexico: A Brief History by Alicia Hernández Chávez and Andy Klatt interprets many events as evidence of stability and political collaboration. A Brief History of Mexico by Lynn V. Foster breaks history into segments that can be consulted as stand-alone descriptions of key events and periods. Suchlicki's stands out for me. His themes not only help to understand the events and people he covers, but also provide a comprehensive grounding for reading more detailed works, interpreting current events, traveling and experiencing the cultures of Mexico. ( )