Confluencias The Extraordinary Life of Juana Catarina Romero: Gender and Power in Nineteenth-Century Mexico, (Paperback)

<p>The construction of the nation-state, the development of capitalism, and the modernization of society have historically been defined as masculine endeavors, with women on the sidelines. This biography of Juana Catarina Romero (1837-1915) shatters many of the stereotypes of nineteenth-century women and provides a new perspective of women's national agency during a time in which women could neither vote nor hold political office. Romero's breathtaking climb from illiterate cigarette peddler and Liberal spy to wealthy entrepreneur, philanthropist, and, finally, <i>cacica</i> (political boss) of the city of Tehuantepec, despite the opposition of male elites, reveals the growing fluidity of class, race, and ethnicity.</p><p>Francie Chassen-López's fascinating biography of Romero offers rich insight into the complexities of modernization as it developed on the periphery of Mexico. Romero sought a Tehuantepec-style modernity, a modus vivendi between modernization, Catholicism, and isthmian Zapotec culture. Like her friend President Porfirio Díaz, Romero formed part of a group of ambitious Mexicans of modest origins, forged in civil war, who would build the Mexican nation-state.</p>

• Confluencias The Extraordinary Life of Juana Catarina Romero: Gender and Power in Nineteenth-Century Mexico, (Paperback)
• Author: Francie R Chassen-López
• ISBN: 9781496247209
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-08-01
• Page Count: 366