And that's about identity and weaponization. For most of Mexico's history post-Spanish arrival, the new caste-class system favored identifying with the Spaniards.
But Mexico was in a revolutionary process from the end of the 19th century until the 1930s. It was an ongoing revolution.
And the families of Spanish-descended landlords became increasingly paranoid about this rising Mexican identity. Mexica doesn't mean mestizo.
Mexica is a synonym for Aztec. The country is named Aztec land, but the ruling class knows that they're Spanish-descended.
So when you get to the 20th century, especially in the teens and '20s, you see more of the Spanish-descended people trying to identify as Aztec-descended. And this continued into the American Chicano experience as well.
[ Watch the full conversation ]
Subscribe @NewResistance