Law, Allegiance, and Sovereignty in Civil War Mexico, 1857–1867

This essay explores the ways in which, during the turbulent decade of 1857–1867, the bonds between the Mexican state and its citizens were refashioned, in the midst of a constitutional overhaul, the establishment of a monarchical regime, civil war and a foreign invasion. It focuses on how rival governments conceived and implemented the laws that were to constitute political community, ensure loyalty, mobilize men and resources, and demarcate civil and religious jurisdiction. It examines how citizens navigated the ambiguities of the laws of war, and the ways in which the triumphant Republicans used them to punish, exclude and delegitimize their former rivals, but also to reconcile a divided nation.