I picked this book up at the airport on a super last minute trip to Mexico City. I'd been to Mexico for my brother's wedding, and while I'd seen a little of some neighboring cities, I had never actually spent time in the capital.

The trip was good for my soul like a warm stew, and I just fell in love with the country. I purchased this book because during my time in the DF, I visited a couple of museums that made me realize: I know NOTHING about Mexican history. Sure we had one semester's worth of learning in World History, and I had taken a course on Latin American history, but I realize how disconnected I was to this country's rich and detailed history.

I tend to get obsessive about a subject and want to voraciously consume all information on it, and this book really helped me dive into the nuanced history of Mexico's leaders. Those names that I had heard time and again-Zapata, Porfirio Diaz, Benito Juarez-now have deeper meaning for me, and I've gained a new-found appreciation for the different trajectory towards independence of the Mexican peoples.