Eugenics in Mexico and Its Contrasts with 20th-Century Eugenic Ideas

Abstract

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, eugenics was regarded as “the science of perfection,” a framework that sought to explain social inequalities through naturalistic perspectives while proposing pathways for populations to achieve progress. Today, eugenics is widely recognized as a dangerous pseudoscience, remembered as a shameful chapter in the misuse of scientific endeavors. However, it is important to question whether eugenics approaches were uniform across nations. In reality, they were not. In the case of Mexico eugenics adapted to local narratives, establishing its own unique forms and parameters. This article compares the characteristics of eugenics in Mexico with the foundational principles developed in England by Francis Galton, highlighting key contrasts and reflecting on the effects of eugenics in the Mexican context.