Mike Wallace, known for his in-depth exploration of New York City’s history, died in Mexico City at the age of 83. His acclaimed book, “Gotham,” co-authored with Edwin G. Burrows, won a Pulitzer Prize and led to the creation of two sequels.

Wallace’s wife, Carmen Boullosa, a poet and playwright, confirmed his death in a statement, mentioning that he had been dealing with Lewy body dementia. Wallace was a radical historian who left his pre-med studies at Columbia in the 1960s following a nearly failed organic chemistry course. He became involved in activism, participating in the 1968 student protests against the Vietnam War, where many students, including Wallace, were arrested.

Shifting his focus to history, Wallace embraced an approach he described as “bottom-up social history.” He emphasized the significant impact of capitalism along with societal and economic class divisions. He critiqued traditional historical narratives for often excluding the perspectives of women, Black individuals, and the working class, arguing that dominant classes in America, sometimes inadvertently, had controlled historical narratives.

In 1976, Wallace and Burrows received a $7,000 grant to create a comprehensive book addressing the transition from feudalism to capitalism. They ultimately chose to concentrate on New York City’s history over 500 years, concluding that it provided a sufficient lens for their exploration.

Their collaboration resulted in “Gotham,” which the Pulitzer committee praised for weaving multiple historical elements into a captivating narrative.