Spencerian philosophy travelled a long way before it finally reached Mexico, indirectly and in fragments, sometimes undoubtedly through undocumented conversations but mainly in the form of articles and commentaries upon his works published in French journals. These reviews were the principal sources on Spencer for Sierra, Bulnes, Limantour, and, presumably, other Mexican intellectuals of the Porfirian period. In the course of this meandering journey Spencer's ideas were transformed, interpreted, and reinterpreted in accordance with the circumstances and social realities of their commentators and critics. At first sight it would be reasonable to work on the assumption that the circulation of ideas between the United States and Mexico would have been relatively speedy, given the physical proximity of the two countries. However, this was not necessarily the case with respect to the ideas of Spencer, which in the first instance tended to travel forwards and backwards between England and the United States, and subsequently to France, before finally reaching Mexico from continental Europe. Thus, the Spencerian ideas which eventually made their way to Mexico were an amalgam of British, North American, and French interpretations of his works. Furthermore, ‘The Scientists’ succeeded in familiarising themselves with Spencer in only a superficial way through these articles and reviews, which, although intended for an enlightened public, were incapable of conveying the complete and structured ideology, which could be acquired only by reading in full his original works. It is noteworthy, nevertheless, that a group of Mexican clerical intellectuals of this period seemed to have a deeper understanding of Spencerian ideology. Particularly important in this group was the bishop of León, Emeterio Valverde, whose works have attracted relatively little scholarly attention, perhaps because he did not live in Mexico City. Although of intrinsic interest, this theme lies beyond the scope of this book, but might well be a subject for future research. In the case of Sierra, his admiration for French culture, inspired in part by his fear and distrust of the United States, was obvious.