MEXICO-A NATION'S CULTURE OF DENIAL" CHRONICLES MEXICO'S HISTORY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT OF A CUSTOM OF LOOKING OUTWARD TO LAY BLAME FOR INTERNAL ILLS. BEGINNING WITH ITS COLONIAL ERA WHEN SPAIN IMPOSED ITS SOCIAL YARDSTICK TO CONTROL MEXICO'S MAJORITY POPULATION OF MESTIZOS, INDIANS AND BLACKS, BOB HAYES ILLUSTRATES HOW THIS EARLY CATERIZATION OF ITS AFRICAN SLAVES; CATERGORIZING THEM AS OTHER THAN AFRICANS, PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS CULTURE OF DENIAL. BY TRACING ITS LONG, STRAINED RELATIONSHIP WITH A MORE POWERFUL AND AMBITIOUS U.S, THE AUTHOR DOCUMENTS HOW MEXICO STROVE TO RID ITSELF OF U.S. DOMINANCE BY BLANKETING ITSELF UNDER A SMOTHERING CLOAK OF NATIONALISM, MEXICO'S POWERFUL WERE ABLE TO CONVINCE ITS PEOPLE THAT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR 'THE WORLD TO UNDERSTAND MEXICO, NOT FOR MEXICO TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD.' AND BY USING THEIR OWN REEINFORCING QUOTES, HAYES IS ABLE TO SUBSTANTUATE THIS MOST DISTURBING NUANCE.