Disorder and Progress: Bandits, Police, and Mexican Development

By Paul J. Vanderwood

Book Description:

The subject of this book is order and disorder, their constant presence, overlap, and blending. The setting is Mexico—the provincial cities, traditional villages—in Mexico, and, by extension, in society at large.

The setting is the provincial cities and towns, the traditional villages, and the haciendas of Mexico, mainly during the nineteenth century, when capitalism took root, and the first decade of the twentieth. The bandits are the elegant Plateados, the folk hero Heraclio Bernal, and many others; the policemen are the Rurales, or Rural Police, who were once ranked among the world’s finest constabularies. Both groups were colorful, deadly—and often interchangeable.

The point of view is from the bottom up, because the bandits and Rurales came from the ranks of the ordinary people, who largely determine the proportions of order and disorder.

A former professor of history at San Diego State University, the author demonstrates that order and disorder are always (and anywhere) a blend and a balance, and thus emphasizes dimensions of reality that have been largely ignored.

My Opinion:

Vanderwood presents an intriguing thesis—that order and disorder are the yin and yang of progress—and validates his hypothesis primarily by delving into Mexican history during the Porfiriato and Mexican Revolution. A corollary of the thesis is that individuals and nations choose disorder, thinking they can control the forces behind the disorder to achieve their goals, then rein them in. I find that idea unsettling, given the current unrest in many parts of the world.

This may be a worthwhile book to read for those interested in understanding the Mexican Revolution in its totality or in studying Diaz and his government. However, someone focused on events away from Mexico City may feel their time is better spent elsewhere.

Full Citation:

Vanderwood, Paul J., Disorder and Progress: Bandits, Police, and Mexican Development, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln and London, 1981.