Unlike many histories that begin in Europe, Evangelista Ramírez dedicates significant space to pre-Hispanic systems of mutual aid in Mesoamerica. She discusses the calpullis (community organizations) and the Aztec concept of collective responsibility. She then traces how Spanish colonization introduced Catholic charity through confraternities and hospitals, creating a hybrid model of assistance that blended indigenous communalism with colonial paternalism.
Social work becomes a tool for the state to execute agrarian and labor reforms.
Author: Eli Evangelista Ramírez Publisher: Plaza y Valdés Location: México Year: 2001