Mingei International Museum and the Mexican Consulate in San Diego will present a premiere symposium on Mexican history, on Saturday, November 6, 2010, from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. at the Museum in Balboa Park.

   Featuring esteemed scholars from both Mexico and the U.S., the symposium is presented in celebration of the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence and the Centennial of its Revolution, and it accompanies Mingei International’s exhibition VIVA MEXICO – Heroes and Artisans. Focusing on the history, art and vibrancy of Mexican culture, symposium topics include the history of Mexican independence and its Revolution, Mexican Identity and the Arts in the 20th century. The symposium will conclude with a wine and cheese reception featuring the wines of Baja California.

   Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, Remedios Gómez Arnau, stressed that the symposium presented with Mingei International Museum is an unprecedented event and represents a great opportunity to understand the impact of Mexican Independence and the Mexican Revolution on the social, cultural and economic development of the border region between Mexico and the United States. “One concrete example of this impact is Barrio Logan, whose development was greatly influenced by the social movements across borders resulting from the Mexican Revolution,” the Consul said.

   Symposium speakers are a distinguished set of scholars from Mexico and San Diego. Enrique Florescano, who will speak on the historic construction of the Mexican identity, is a revered Mexican historian and member of the Science Advisory Council of the Mexican Presidency; he has received many awards including the National Prize for the Social Sciences of the Academy of Scientific Research (1976). Eric Van Young, who will speak on the Other Revolution: Mexican Independence, is a historian and academic at the University of California, San Diego, focusing on colonial and nineteenth-century Latin American history, with an emphasis on Mexico. He chaired the Department of History (2000-2004) and served as Interim Dean of the Division of Arts and Humanities (2007-2008.)  David Pinera, who will speak on the Independence Movement in California, is a Mexican historian, researcher and academic, specializing in the history of Baja California and the border between Mexico and the United States. He is a member of the National System of Investigators and in 2002 was named a member of the Mexican History Academy.

   Paul Vanderwood, who will speak on the origins of the Revolution, is Professor of History at San Diego State University. He has a Ph.D. in Mexican history from the University of Texas, Austin and is the author of multiple books on Mexican history. Marco Antonio Samaniego, who will speak on the revolutionaries of 1911 in Tijuana and San Diego, is Director of the Institute of Historical Research at Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Colegio de México and has a long career of researching the regional history of northern Mexico. Considered one of Latin America’s most outstanding poets, Alberto Blanco, who will speak on Mexican Arts in the 20th century, is a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego; he has published more than 25 books of poetry, and he recently received a Guggenheim Fellowship.  Each lecture will be presented in English or Spanish with simultaneous translation.

   Tickets for the symposium are $15 for Museum members, faculty and students (with ID) and $20 for the general public. Advance reservations are required. For information and reservations: www.mingei.org/education/publicprogramsor (619) 239-0003, ext 135.