The year 2000 also marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of this book's first appearance. Since than it has served both general readers and student alike. Our aim remains to recount the state's history from its origins to the present, a balanced and enjoyable interpretation without burdensome detail. A history of this remarkable state must first do justice to its beginnings and then to the long years of Spanish colonialism and the Mexican era. Each shaped both past and present. It should also consider those dramatic changes that began after the American conquest. Furthermore, such a book needs to focus upon the implications of the recent population explosion, as well as give increased attention to economic and cultural developments.