The Oxford Handbook of Mexican History offers an authoritative guide to the last five centuries of Mexico's past and its enduring historical legacies. Thirty-one essays divided into five thematic sections delineate the elements of this history. The handbook's opening essay, written by the volume editor, surveys themes that run through the following chapters while introducing readers to the work of notable historians, their strategies for writing the nation's history, and directions for future research. Leading Mexican, US, and Canadian authors account for historical developments without overly relying on methodological descriptions. Chapters aim to capture the drama of national life, from the years leading up to the Spanish-Aztec War of 1519 until the present day, while providing expert appraisal of the sources and techniques used by historians for narrating the Mexican past