A history of the state of Nuevo Leon between the establishment of the US-Mexico boundary in 1848 and the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. It shows that during this critical period in Mexican history various processes transformed localities and identities and shaped class formations.

By 1910, Mora-Torres concludes, the border states had already assumed much of their modern character: an advanced capitalist economy, some of Mexico's most powerful business groups, and a labour market dependent on massive migrations from central Mexico.

Introduction
The Significance of 1848
The Taming of the Periphery, 1867-1890
City and Countryside, 1890-1910
Nuevo Leon and the Making of the Border Labor Market, 1890-1910
The Crisis of the Countryside and Public Policy in the Late Porfiriato
Class, Culture, and Politics in Monterrey, 1890-1910
A Tale of Two Porfirian Firms
Epilogue