Chapter 5: The Ruminations of A Neighbor: Mexican Educators and Their Teaching of Current United States Policies

The individuals who conducted this study reside in a border metroplex with approximately 800,000 inhabitants on the United States side, while directly across the international crossings is a Mexican city with a population estimated at about 1.8 million. Less than four hours away by automobile is the city of Chihuahua, the capital of Mexico’s largest state that is also called Chihuahua. In the year 2000, the estimated population of Chihuahua city was 700,000 inhabitants (INEGI, 2000). The researchers sought to collect data in Chihuahua, as it is an urban area somewhat removed from the United States border and the resulting border influences, such as the United States media and educational system. The key objective of the investigation was to uncover attitudes and pedagogical comparisons of Mexican social studies teachers and their students regarding recent and current United States foreign policies.