In 1540, Mexico was declared to be New Spain. With a diverse culture and great natural resources, it should have prospered like its northern neighbor. But Mexico’s history includes political corruption, war, revolution, and grinding poverty. Why has the fate of Mexico been so different than that of the United States?

The World’s Political Hot Spots Series explains the basis of conflicts in some of the world’s most politically sensitive areas. Many of these regions are in today’s headlines, and tensions have become violent in virtually all of them. Each presentation covers up to ten centuries of background, revealing how and why today’s problems occur.