A Community of Modern Nations: The Mexican Herald at the Height of the Porfiriato 1895-1910.

• Main Author: Salyers, Joshua
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University 2011
• Subjects: modernization; Mexico; Newspapers; Porfiriato; American colony; Mexican Herald; culture; Arts and Humanities; Communication; History; Journalism Studies; Latin American History; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1291; https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2482&context=etd

The Mexican Herald, an English language newspaper in Mexico City during the authoritative rule of Porfirio Díaz (1895-1910), sought to introduce a vision of Mexico's development that would influence how Mexicans conceived of their country's political and cultural place within a community that transcended national boundaries. As Mexicans experienced rapid modernization led partially by foreign investors, the Herald represented the imaginings of its editors and their efforts to influence how Mexicans conceptualized their national identity and place in the world. The newspaper's editors idealized a Mexico that would follow the international model of the United States and embrace Pan-Americanism. The Herald's depictions of the ideal, future city provided an intelligible landscape to modernity. The editors' vision of modernity had significant implications for Mexican culture. The newspaper's articles and illustrations defined the parameters of modernity providing clear depictions of the physical, political, and cultural aspects of the community of modern nations.