José Vasconcelos' influential 1925 essay, "Mestizaje"â€"key to understanding the role he played in the shaping of multiethnic Americaâ€"is here for the first time showcased and properly analyzed. Ilan Stavans insightfully and comprehensively examines the essay in biographical and historical context, and considers how many in the US, especially Chicanos during the civil rights era, used it as a platform for their political agenda.