Porfirian Society Book Report

Judas at the jockey

This brilliant and eminently readable cultural history looks at Mexican life during the dictatorship of Porfirio Dçaz. At that time Mexico underwent modernization, which produced a fierce struggle between the traditional and the new and exacerbating class antagonisms. Historian William H. Beezley illuminates many facets of everyday Mexican life lying at the heart of this conflict and change, including sports, storytelling, healthcare, technology, and the traditional Easter-time Judas burnings that became a primary focus of the strife during those years

The Mexican culture changes in many different ways, first from the mode of mining the Mexican miners used to excavate minerals using simple tools for example shovel, the minerals were further melted and run into bars for shipment to the mint and passed through various stages to make modern mining equipment .Improvisation, rather than imported machines, served in all the mines of mexico, the Mexican could use the locally available raw materials to make simple equipments.

The Mexican workers used rawhide to improve and repair tools .Thongs yoked the plough to the ox, bound cargoes on the back of mules, stitched together everything that could be laced, tied rails to fence posts, and held rafters in place [page 54]

This society, like other rural civilization, did undergo fluctuations over long periods and even experienced, sometimes epidemic disease, revolts over land, famine and war. The land of Mexican was characterized by hard shell resistance to change for it could recover from sudden calamity .The mechanisms that helped change recover also prevented improvement of living conditions this maintained poverty equilibrium in mexico

Cultural life of the Mexicans changed in more of accommodation by moving away from the rural areas prone to starvation to the urban areas, those who stayed behind experienced challenges to make best they could for their lives .They also found solace and pleasure own that did not expect or seek constant change

According to William H.Beezley fiestas seemed to be the only recreational activity for the Mexicans, but these were more than leisure activities ;they had to be celebrated or dire consequences faced the villagers .The compulsions ,the cost to the sponsor ,and the obligation to perform the these celebrations(page61)

Mexican community rested on traditions, especially distinctive conceptions of both work and time where each town had its own local time .Nonindustrial areas made no division between labour .work involved more than labour including pleasure in task and sense of accomplishment

In conclusion the Judas at the Jockey Club tells us the effects of modernisation help making work easier, creating effective and reliable outputs, immense population fluctuations, high cost of living, and immigration of Mexicans from rural to urban centres and increased living standards of the Mexicans