I am a first-generation student and an award-winning teacher specializing in Latin American urban and environmental history, specifically fires in Mexico City. I initially became interested in Latin America while earning a B.A. from CSU, Chico and later went on to receive a M.A. in Latin American Studies and Ph.D. in History from the University of Arizona.
In 2016 the University of Pittsburgh Press published my first book entitled City on Fire: Technology, Social Change, and the Hazards of Progress in Mexico City, 1860-1910. I am currently working on a second book about a petroleum explosion that occurred outside of Mexico City in 1984 in San Juan Ixhautepec (San Juanico).
I am a proud co-editor of Problems in Modern Latin American History 5th ed. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2019) that blends my love of teaching and scholarship. I teach courses about the Latin America, the history of sustainability, and publishing history.
