Open Borders to a Revolution is a collective enterprise studying the immediate and long-lasting effects of the Mexican Revolution in the United States in such spheres as diplomacy, politics, and intellectual thought. It marks both the bicentennial of Latin America’s independence from Spain and the centennial of the Mexican Revolution, an anniversary with significant relevance for American history. The Smithsonian partnered with several institutions and organized a series of cultural events, among them an academic symposium whose program was envisioned and developed by the editors of this volume: “Creating an Archetype: The Influence of the Mexican Revolution in the United States.” The symposium gathered scholars who engaged in conversation and debate on several aspects of U.S.-Mexico relations, including the Mexican-American experience. This volume consolidates the results of those intellectual exchanges, adding new voices, and providing a wide-ranging exploration of the Mexican Revolution.

Interview with John Womack /Adela Pineda Franco and Jaime Marroquin Arredondo -- From antagonism to accord : the controversy over the Mexican Revolution in the political culture of the United States / John A. Britton -- Mexico's revolutionary art and the United States, 1920-1940 : a friendly invasion / Helen Delpar -- Brown, black, and blues : Miguel Covarrubias and Carlos Chavez in the United States and Mexico (1923-1953) / Mary Kay Vaughan and Theodore Cohen -- Hollywood Villa and the vicissitudes of cross-cultural encounters / Adela Pineda Franco -- Fallen utopias : the Mexican Revolution in Katherine Anne Porter's Maria Concepcion and Flowering Judas / Jaime Marroquin Arredondo -- Anita Brenner and the Jewish roots of Mexico's post-revolutionary national identity / Rick A. Lopez -- Living borders -- Mexican Americans and the novel of the Mexican Revolution / Yolanda Padilla -- Charting the legacy of the revolution : how the Mexican Revolution transformed El Paso's cultural and urban landscape / David Dorado Romo -- On the banks of the future : Ciudad Juarez and El Paso in the Mexican Revolution / Oswaldo Zavala -- Reveling in patriotism : celebrating America on the U.S.-Mexico border / Elaine Pena -- Pancho Villa's head: the Mexican Revolution in the Chicano theatrical imagination / Alma Martinez Carranza -- An open letter from an artist to a Mexican crime cartel boss / Guillermo Gomez-Pena.