The Universal Theater

This book presents Pedro Meyer’s photo essay on Miguel de la Madrid’s presidential campaign in the 1980s, portraying Mexican politics as a grand stage production in which citizens played their roles in a simulated democracy, with power firmly controlled by the PRI. With historical context by Rogelio Villarreal and analysis by Rubén Aguilar, the work explores the precision and symbolism of this “last great” political production, inviting the reader to question the nature of democracy and to value Meyer’s visual testimony as a unique document in the history of Mexican photography.