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Phtoographs from the Casasola Archives will be on display at the Arizona State Museum beginning in December.

Photographers and brothers Agustín Víctor Casasola and Miguel Casasola captured remarkable images of the Mexican  Revolution and other significant chapters of Mexican tumultuous history during the first four decades of the 20th century.

Their collections, now regarded as a national treasure in Mexico, have become the best photographic archive of Mexico's struggles with revolution and modernity.

A selection of images from the Casasola Archives will be on display at the Arizona State Museum beginning Dec. 4 and running to Jan. 16.

This show was brought to the University of Arizona by the Consulate of Mexico in Tucson. The consulate works alongside local organizations to strengthen the ties of friendship and understanding between Mexico and the United States through art.

This exhibit is the second collaboration between the ASM and the consulate.The first, in 2007, was "El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro," or the Royal Road to the Interior Lands.

Curated by renowned photographer and editor Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, "Mexico: The Revolution and Beyond" has been featured in some of the most prestigious venues and museums worldwide. The 92 prints in the exhibit come from a collection of half a million images and are divided into eight sections: The Porfirian Peace, The Revolutionary War, The Trades, Modernity, The Eagle and the Serpent, Night, Halls of Justice and Famous People.

"The Casasola Archives are the greatest photography collection of one the most significant episodes in our Mexican history," said Consul of Mexico Juan Manuel Calderón. "It's a remarkable compilation that tells a story in every picture and reflects the difficult moments in an era of transition. Not only does it capture the social struggles and political events of the first half of the 20th century, but it frames key images that have made it possible to create and document the revolutionary reality for all those who did not witness the past," Calderón said.

"The photographs capture the routine of daily life in a period of Mexican history that witnessed profound changes in the political, economic and social life of a country," said Arizona State Museum ethnohistorian Michael Brescia. "The domination of foreign capital, urban and rural unrest and the politics of dictatorship scattered the seeds of social revolution throughout most of the Mexican Republic. These photographs are more than mere snapshots in time. Taken together, they reveal a seamless visual narrative of human drama that unfolded in Mexico, a drama shaped by the external forces of modernity and the internal forces of political action and social revolution," Brescia said.

"Mexico, the Revolution and Beyond" is one in a series of events planned by the Consulate of Mexico and the Arizona State Museum for the coming year in commemoration of Mexico's 2010 Bicentennial of Independence and Centennial of the Revolution.

That includes an opening celebration for the exhibit at the Arizona State Museum on Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:30-9 p.m. that is free and open to the public. Refreshments come from El Charro Café and Le Cave's Bakery. Musical performances by Guillermo Saenz are sponsored by La Costeña.

The event will include a panel discussion followed by an exhibit viewing, a book signing and reception, along with special guest Juan Manuel Calderón, consul of Mexico.

Panelists for the discussion include:

• William Beezley, UA professor of history, who will examine the photojournalism of Agustín Víctor Casasola and his effect on Mexican history.

  Roberto Rodríguez, a research associate in Mexican American Studies, will compare the Mexican revolution of 1810 with that of 1910 and modern-day revolutionary politics.

  Celestino Fernández, UA professor of sociology, will comment on the role and meaning of Mexican corridos, or ballads, and share examples from the early 1900s.

  Cass Fey, curator of education at the Center for Creative Photography, will explain how to read photographs as visual documents.

RSVP to Darlene Lizarraga at (520) 626-8381 or dfl@email.arizona.edu.