 The main representative of positivism in Mexico was Gabino Barreda (1818–1881). In his “Oración cívica”(1867), Barreda offers an interpretation of Mexican history inspired by Comte’s philosophy of history, according to which history develops in three stages—the religious, the metaphysical, and the scientific. Barreda believed that the victory of the Liberal Party was ultimately grounded in positivist theses. He also believed that national reform should not be founded on religion or speculative metaphysics, but on the experimental methods of science. With this in mind, he promoted education reform that eliminated theology and speculative philosophy from the curriculum in public schools, thus initiating a long debate on the role of philosophy in public education that continues today.