McLynn could have been more inclusive in his portrayal of the different classes in Mexican society. He gives little reference to the inherent prejudices in skin color that is prevalent in Mexico and barely touches on the duality of the Spaniards' role as hated foreigners and revered entrepreneurs and intellectuals. While these factors had less of an overall role during the revolution, they still form part of the make up of the country as a whole and need to be taken into consideration when reviewing the impact of any time period.
While living in Mexico I was struck by one strange colloquialism unique to that country. When someone asks you to speak to them in Spanish, they will often say, "Hablame en Cristiano. (Speak to me in Christian). This is because the Natives of Mexico were introduced to Spanish through the churches and were first forced to speak it there. Thus to this day, all things post-Aztec are seen through the eyes of the Christian, and mainly Catholic, church and those who brought the church with them, the Spaniards. McLynn sometimes skirts this very important fact and how it influenced much of the decision-making at the time.
I will give McLynn high marks for his overall portrayal of the situation that presented itself in Mexico at the turn of the 20th Century. He does an admirable job of explaining the various factors involved, how they came to be, and what their similarities and differences are. He brushes over a few important factors, but many of these are factors that only those from the region would know about in the first place, and so he cannot be totally faulted for this. His obscure references to European events to describe people in Mexico, however, leave a lot to be desired and rather detract from the rest of otherwise his brilliant work.
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