Questions for the Midterm Examination – Spring 2004

Instructions:

Answer two of the three questions. Each answer should be 4 to 5 pages (1,000-1,250 words). Your answers are due at class on 2 March. Please do your own work, follow the SMU Honor Code, and submit printed (computer or typewritten) double-spaced originals for each answer. You need not do any research beyond the course readings and other course assignments to achieve a top grade.

Here are your three choices:

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#1

In his book México Profundo: Reclaiming a Civilization, Guillermo Bonfil Batalla declares that "the recent history of Mexico, that of the last five hundred years, is the story of permanent confrontation between those attempting to direct the country toward the path of Western civilization and those, rooted in Mesoamerican ways of life, who resist" (p. xv). Considering the evidence presented so far in this course, make the case for or against Bonfil's statement. In answering the question, be sure to make reference to the wide variety of readings, videos, and related materials we have witnessed during the semester.

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#2

Peter Cahn begins his book, All Religions Are Good in Tzintzuntzan with a chapter titled, "Sharing the Burden of Fiestas Across Borders." What is so important about "fiestas" that Cahn would choose to begin his book in this way? How do fiestas in Tzintzuntzan and in other Mexican communities embody local, regional, national, and even international elements? If Mexico becomes less Roman Catholic in coming decades, what is likely to happen to local fiestas? In answering the question, be sure to make reference to the wide variety of readings, videos, and related materials we have considered during the semester.

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#3

The historian Luís González y González has written eloquently about the powerful role of "la patria chica" (the little nation) in Mexican culture and society. One argument in favor of "la patria chica" is the widespread feeling among Mexicans that the visible local community is more significant in defining who they are than is the much less visible "nation" which exists beyond them. Another argument stresses the potential for "harmony" in local community life versus the exploitation and conflict in national life. A counter-argument emphasizes that local communities are no longer viable in the face of powerful national and transnational forces (in the private sector and also in government). Considering the evidence presented so far in this course, make the case for or against González y González´s argument. In answering the question, be sure to make reference to the wide variety of readings, videos, and related materials we have considered during the semester.

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Good luck! ¡Buena suerte!