How galaxies form and evolve remains one of the cornerstone questions in our understanding of the universe on grand scales. While much progress has been made by studying galaxy populations out to high redshift, there is a tremendous amount that can only be learned from near-field cosmology — that is, investigating nearby galaxies in detail using observations of individual stars. In this talk, I will discuss some recent results in this field that used large surveys to improve our understanding of the formation of our Milky Way galaxy and its largest satellite galaxies, the Magellanic Clouds. In particular, the APOGEE, SMASH and DELVE surveys have enhanced our understanding of the structure, chemical evolution, and interaction history of the Magellanic Clouds.