Thrown Among Strangers

The Making of Mexican Culture in Frontier California

Drawing on an array of primary sources, Monroy (history, Colorado Coll.) shows that Mexican culture in southern California today derives from the interaction of Indians with Europeans and Americans. He uses his basic theme--the experience of people being "thrown among strangers," usually because of demands for labor--to illustrate how cultural and historical change occurs. This interesting history of Spanish and Mexican California covers such salient topics as work, sexuality, and body discipline; patriarchical hierarchies in the missions and ranchos; the emergence of the market economy; and the nature and ramifications of racial violence