Mexico antes de ser Mexico
Tomo 1
Patricio Ortiz Gonzalez

México antes de ser México Tomo 1 is the first part of a three-volume series in which award-winning, Mexican cartoonist, Patricio Ortiz Gonzalez, uses humorous and irreverent comic strip style illustrations to help explain how the first settlers arrived and lived in what is now Mexico. 

After reading a book on Mesoamerican cultures and the Spanish conquest, Ortiz was baffled with his lack of previous knowledge and later realized that many people shared his ignorance and general misconceptions on the subject. Ortiz states that his book was born out of his “ignorance” and interest in understanding crucial parts of Mexican history. Acknowledging that a combination of cartoons and humor allow information to seem attractive, Ortiz seeks to “awaken the interest of the general public, and give the reader access to that part of their own history that seems distant, yet still painfully present.”

México antes de ser México Tomo 1 covers from the first migration to the Americas up until the initial beginnings of the cultural macroregion we call Mesoamerica. Ortiz informs the reader: how and when the Americas was populated, who were the oldest settlers of Mexico and how they lived, the origin of the name Mesoamerica and many other interesting details about the earliest history of Mexico.
 
The book allows the reader to explore various sources and expert points of views on each topic. It challenges past and current scientific theories and allows the reader, in some cases, to critically think and form her/his own conclusions.

México antes de ser México Tomo 1 is directed toward the general public but especially keeps the youth in mind.

Patricio Ortiz Gonzalez studied Caricatures and Comic Strips and has a specialization in Graphic Humor. Ortiz won the first national cartoon competition in Mexico, “Las politicas ambientales en Mexico.” His Works have been published in El Chamuco magazine and has collaborated with newspaper outlets Milenio and La Jornada.
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Mexico antes de ser Mexico Tomo 1 is a publication by Texas Grijalbo and can be purchased online. Click here to purchase. 
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Reviewed ​by
Alan Gerardo
​Padilla Aguilar
​4/24/2019

Alan Gerardo Padilla Aguilar specializes in Mexican and Mexican American history. He has been honored with a State of Texas Joint Resolution for his work with the local community. He was chosen to participate in the Harvard Latino Leadership Initiative program at Harvard Kennedy School in 2013. He was also a research assistant for the PBS documentary, “The Head of Joaquin Murrieta.”

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