In this timely book Nino Vallen tells the story of New Spain's gradual integration into the Pacific Basin and challenges established views about identity formation among the elites of colonial Mexico. It examines how discussions about the establishment and desirability of transpacific connections interacted with more general debates over why some people deserved certain benefits over others. As part of these struggles, New Spain's changing place at the crossroads of transatlantic and transpacific routes became a subject of contention between actors moved by competing notions of a deserving self: the learned councillor, the veteran, the discoverer, the meritorious, the creole and the merchant. Reassessing current historiographical narratives on creole identities and worldviews, Being the Heart of the World contributes to a broader understanding of the early modern self and the ways in which it was shaped by the mobilities of an increasingly globalized world.

‘Nino Vallen has written an indispensable study about how the Spanish transpacific expansion into Asia from New Spain radically impacted the fashioning of socially mobile identities. Well-sourced, convincingly argued, and nuanced, it reveals that the rise of the notion of the colonial ‘deserving self’ is intrinsically tied to conflicting ideas of the literal and figurative place of Mexico as ‘the heart of the world’.’

Christina Hyo-Jung Lee - Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, Princeton University

‘The waves of Spanish exploration that crashed across the South Sea after the conquest of Tenochtitlán were not just echoes of that foundational event. In this deft study, Nino Vallen demonstrates that they played a crucial role in the ongoing development of creole society in New Spain. A must read for anyone interested in the role played by the Pacific in colonial Spanish America.’

Ricardo Padrón - author of The Indies of the Setting Sun: How Early Modern Spain Mapped the Far East as the Transpacific West

‘The men in this important book fought in wars, arranged transpacific shipments, adjudicated criminal cases, compiled reports, and more. Military and administrative competency warranted royal favor. Nino Vallen delves into the interior lives of imperial agents to shed new light on the meritocratic ideals of the Spanish Hapsburg empire.’

Tatiana Seijas - author of Asian Slaves in Colonial Mexico: From Chinos to Indians