Fire and Blood

A History of Mexico

By: T. R. Fehrenbach

Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon

There have been many Mexicos: the country of varied terrain, of Amerindian heritage, of the Spanish Conquest, of the Revolution, and of the modern era of elections and the rule of bankers. Mexico was forged in the fires of successive civilizations, and baptized with the blood of millions, all of whom added tragic dimensions to the modern Mexican identity.

T. R. Fehrenbach brilliantly delineates the contrasts and conflicts between them, unraveling the history while weaving a fascinating tapestry of beauty and brutality: the Amerindians, who wrought from the vulnerable land a great indigenous Meso-American civilization by the first millennium BC; the successive reigns of Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and Mexic masters, who ruled through an admirably efficient bureaucracy and the power of the priests, propitiating the capricious gods with human sacrifices; the Spanish conquistadors, who used smallpox, technology, and their own ruthless individualism to erect a new tyranny over the ruins of the old; the agony of independent Mexico, struggling with the weight of its overwhelming past and tremendous potential.

Throughout the narrative the author resurrects the great personalities of Mexican history, such as Motecuhzoma, Cortes, Santa Anna, Juárez, Maximilian, Diaz, Pancho Villa, and Zapata. Fehrenbach, who has updated this edition to include recent events, has created a work of scholarly perspective and gripping prose.

©1973 T. R. Fehrenbach; new material copyright 1995 by T. R. Fehrenbach (P)2018 Tantor

Informative

I really appreciated the information. The mix of American English accent for some words and some words pronounced with Spanish accent was a bit strange at times. I most benefited from the "middle half" of the book about Independence and Revolution.

Absolutely fantastic!

If you love history or Mexico, heck even Texas you need to read this book.

Amazing #1

This book is great. It’s the best history of Mexico iv ever found. Number. 1

Fehrenbach is king

I've read or listened to 3 of Fehrenbachs history books. They are long but only due to the depth he dives. He was a true history genius. If you want to understand why Mexico is the way it is today, this is a must read

Full of Detail, Data and Drama

The initial part regarding the migration history of the bloodline is a little out dated but that cannot be blamed on the author. It was a bit confusing to follow the tribal names and there locations in an audio format. I am amazed at the level of information that even exists about the Spanish conquest and what really went down. It is interesting to hear the intricacies of how things played out and then comparing to the sparce tales I have heard in my past. The later more modern times are informative and I found it strongly tied to breaking free from the class divided Spanish way. I feel more understanding of a culture that went down a far different path than the United States did but yet are working hard and making progress.

I can't understand his Spanish pronunciations why

I don't understand all the Spanish pronunciations okay he's a great Spanish speaker but I can't understand a word he says I don't speak Spanish so when he speaks all the names in Spanish it's impossible for me to hear it the correct name

All but openly racist…

The author essentializes the humanity of his his subject throughout the book from a Eurocentric point of view with a frequency that is as distracting as it is unsettling, and he frequently passes mora judgements on the subject culture as though from a position of authority to pass moral judgment. His frequent references to races and stock and other outdated ethnographic terminology recall the days of phrenology and race science. Truly bizarre and anachronistic.

A history of Mexico that leaves no stone unturned

I think for anybody who wants to take serious time to learn about the complexities of Mexico as a country and the Mexicans as a people, I think this audiobook will be well worth your while. The research is extremely thorough. I felt that the narration was very well done, and if you’ve got the time to listen to 30+ hours of this audible book, I think you will find it well worth your time.

Good book

I liked the book, lots of history. It is a bit dated now since the last up date was in 1995.

Pretty good, but with some serious flaws

Pretty informative and interesting if you look past the weird conservative bias, which adds no value, and the pretty frequent racism