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Many Americans don’t know that the histories of the United States and Mexico are inseparably intertwined. But historian Kelly Lytle Hernández says you cannot fully understand one without the other. 

We fought wars over the same territories, influenced each other’s politics, and remain deeply connected economically. Our stories circle around each other, shaping immigration policies and policing. And if we don’t know how we got here, says Hernández, we won’t know how to move forward.

Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, And Revolution In The Borderlands

” tells the true story of a Mexican band of rebels, the 

, who helped launch the Mexican Revolution in 1910 and whose actions still affect the borderlands today. She talked about what she learned while researching her book and why she believes the U.S. ignores its history with Mexico at its own peril with host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas.

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The history of the United States is inextricably linked with the history of Mexico — even if most Americans don’t know it. On this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, historian Kelly Lytle Hernández explains how the Mexican Revolution was incited by a band of rebels who set up base in the United States, and how that struggle shaped the borderlands today.

Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández explores the linked histories of the U.S. and Mexico

A book cover and a picture of the author.

Professor Kelly Lytle Hernández explores the linked histories of the U.S. and Mexico

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