Luis E. Coronado Guel, Ph.D
I hold a doctorate in Latin American History. I received a bachelor’s degree in law from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí and a master’s degree in history from El Colegio de San Luis. My research interests include the cultural and intellectual history of nineteenth and twentieth century Mexico, specifically, its nation-state building processes by analyzing patriotic celebrations and public rituals. I am also interested in the history of mass media and technology's development in Mexico as a result of the 1910 Cultural Revolution. My first book, La Alameda Potosina ante la llegada del ferrocarril (2009, 2015) is an intellectual and cultural history on the impact the railway had in the region of San Luis Potosí.
My research interest and interdisciplinary training in law, history, ethnomusicology, and film studies have consistently focused on the cultural and intellectual history of independent Mexico. Its convoluted processes of nation-state building, national identity formation, and quest for modernity have become central to my understanding of the country’s history. Besides cultural and intellectual history, I have worked extensively on themes related to law and society combined with a focus on popular culture, heritage, and historical preservation. My research interests also include the cultural dimensions of transnational migration and interdisciplinary approaches to the concept of border. I have published articles, books and book chapters in Spanish related to Mexican history, law, historiography, legal philosophy, film studies, and cultural heritage. My current research and public scholarship focus on the shared popular culture and heritages between Mexico and the U.S.A. As a teacher, I enjoy helping students understand the legal ramifications of political decisions and their resulting cultural, economic, and social effects in history. My teaching experience includes a variety of survey, upper-level, and graduate courses in Mexico and the United States in the fields of history, law, Mexican American Studies, Latin American Studies, and Cultural Heritage Studies, both in English and Spanish.
Foremost, I consider myself a public historian because I firmly believe every dimension of social life can be explained by examining the past. Making historical knowledge available to the public can be a life-changing experience for the new generations to enhance their views on their present and future. Individual, family, or collective experiences from the past, along with a universal aspiration to leave memories connect all of us to history: that is the essence of public history.
As a public historian, I enjoy delivering lectures and talks to engage audiences both in Mexico and the United States. Since 2010, along with my efforts to expand collaboration with Mexican institutions and colleagues, I have had the opportunity to speak to different publics, trying to open learning opportunities on both sides of the border, celebrate US-Mexico shared cultural heritages and populations, and promote awareness and action on issues of mutual importance. In recent years my public outreach efforts have included designing and developing a permanent program of public high-profile events, either as workshops, panels, or lectures. These have been implemented in collaboration with Mexican universities and research centers such as the University of Sonora, The University of San Luis Potosí, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Mexican Consulate in Tucson, and many other agencies and organizations. A prime example is the Binational Webinar Series on Inclusion, Diversity, and Human Rights that I have successfully co-organized with the University of Sonora in three editions (fall 2020, spring 2021, and fall 2021).
In the past 15 years I have spoken about diverse themes and topics among different audiences, all of them connected to the history and culture of Mexico, such as the Mexican Cinema; the Day of the Dead; The Agave Culture and Landscapes; the Mexican Superheroes, Idols, and Demons; The History of Mexico’s Patriotic Celebrations; the Centennial of the Independence in Mexico; the Shared Cultural Heritage between Mexico and the U.S.; the Cristero Rebellion; The Assassination of Álvaro Obregón; the introduction of Railroads to Central Mexico, among many others. I have delivered lectures for different organizations and purposes at diverse venues like the Arizona State Museum, the University of Arizona Special Collections, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), The University of Sonora, The State Historical Archives of San Luis Potosí, Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, the Mexican American Heritage and History Museum at the Sosa- Carrillo Fremont House, The University of New Mexico, the University of Querétaro, the University of Guadalajara at Lagos de Moreno, El Colegio de San Luis, The University of San Luis Potosí, the Consulate of Mexico in Tucson, The Hotel Congress in Tucson.
Over the last 15 years, I have built a career as a historian in Mexico and the U.S., and my work has received recognition and support. In 2004, I was fully funded for two years to study my master’s at El Colegio de San Luis, and in 2008 I was awarded a CONACYT (Mexican National Council for Science and Technology) full scholarship for international doctoral studies. My master’s thesis received the State Government’s highly praised annual prize for my historical essay Premio 20 de Noviembre. The thesis also became the basis for my first Spanish-language book, La Alameda Potosina ante la Llegada del Ferrocarril (2009, 2015), which examines the cultural and intellectual impact of technological modernity in the region of San Luis Potosí, revealed in the railroad arrival and its inauguration in 1888 by President Porfirio Díaz.
My legal background adds much to my interdisciplinary approach to teaching and research. I received a degree in Law from the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí in 2002. I have worked extensively on themes related to law and society, combined with a focus on culture and historical preservation. I have published a few articles, books and book chapters in Spanish related to Mexican history, law, historiography, and legal philosophy. Recently, I have developed an interest in cultural heritage, public history, and historical preservation that motivated me to establishing and leading a binational and interdisciplinary group for collaboration called “On the Edge: Expressions of Shared Heritages through Bounding Spaces.” This work has resulted in a few chapters and articles under review for publication, and a credited book in Spanish on the topic in 2014, as well as in the organization of symposia and workshops on related topics.
My personal experience, my community service, and the functions I carry at my current position at the University of Arizona have strengthened my passion to serve my community. Having a Mexican origin and having lived in Arizona for the last fifteen years has exposed me first-hand to the borderlands, which has changed my perspective on migration and cultural integration. This has motivated me to be involved in the community, creating opportunities to help underrepresented student populations. Since 2019 I have been president of Foundation Mexico, a non-profit organization that promotes education for minority groups such as Mexican American, Mexican descent, and undocumented students known as dreamers. We have established endowments for undergrad and grad students from these populations in the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. I have also been appointed President of the Tucson Mexico Sister Cities Association, an organization that promotes citizen diplomacy through economic development, cultural exchange, and academic collaboration among the four sister cities Tucson has in Mexico.