New Mexico Books

I had the privilege and honor to be one of Professor Luis Martín's pupils at SMU a decade and a half ago. I recall his playful, excitable and gregarious personality, as well as his trademark lectures in which he typically juggled history, theology, poetry, sociology and hard-core Sevillian gossip!

Such is the trademark of his writing in "Daughters of the Conquistadores." Don Luis artfully stretches the imagination of the reader by plotting in occurences and tribulations of nuns, divorcees, concubines, "tapadas" and "beatas" in the colonial Peru of 1550-1800. In a most authentic and self-bred style, he narrates the mysteries and abuses taking place in convents and nunneries, haciendas and palaces; and underlines the influence of women in a society relentlessly dominated by "Don Juanism" and sternly regulated and probed by an over-zealous Catholic church.

A book tough to research and tougher to write, "Daughters of the Conquistadores" is fun to read, bare of profound insights and laden with satyrical, albeit tragic, anecdotes.

Joe brings a lot of native stoys with jokes and morals. All use interesting creatures from New Mexico.

What is the difference between tonalpohualli and tomalamatl and Mayan astrology. When I was in Mexico my Tonalamatl was done. I am an obsidian butterfly, jaguar, cassa and hummingbird. When I used Bruce Scofield's book I came up with different symbols. Tonalamatl is based on the Codice Borgio. Is Scofield's the same version? My birthday is Sept. 10, 1948 in Canada. I want to learn the tomalamatl and want to know if that is what Bruce's book will teach me. My e-mail is: heatherhess@hotmail.com PLEASE ADVISE

Dead Water Rites is the fourth book in the Booker Series by Monty Joynes, however readers new to Joynes will understand its powerful message of man's fate if he continues to rape the earth.

A white man known sometimes as Booker and sometimes as Anglo "searches for new identity and spiritual completeness among the Pueblo people." He learns how water is the very lifeblood of the People, and that they regard it as a "living being." A tribal elder sees the water drying up and dying, and trusts Booker with the mission of finding the source of the "sick water."

If the water is truly dying, then the dead water rites will be performed, and life will cease to exist.

As he searches for the sick water, Booker also continues his journey of spiritual growth. He meets a militant female environmentalist, and begins learning of some of the politics involved in water rights. He also learns that perhaps the celibate life isn't right for him after all.

A group of land developers with the philosophy that "any day is a good day to make money" are also looking at the water. They draw up a proposal for a gambling casino, replete with promises of economic security. Buried in the fine print are the clauses handing over all water rights.

A former real estate developer himself, Booker recognizes the true impact of the casino on the People. He explains this to the tribal elders, who say they will "continue to pray and seek a vision." Booker and the young woman are seriously injured in a car accident, from which it takes months to recover. The developers move ahead unhampered with their plans.

Dead Water Rites "is lucid and literary, an articulate and artful plea to cease our self-destructive exploitation of the environment and native people." Those who read it will gain a new respect for the liquid essential to all life on Earth, and a better understanding of those who seek to keep it alive.

Another wonderful story by Ms. Lynn. Easy and enjoyable to read. Great story. Lots of twists and turns. I really enjoy reading her novels.

This book is a fascinating look at a topic that reveals much about what life, and death, were like in Spanish Colonial New Mexico. While most researchers focus on baptismal and marriage records to gain insight into a community's life and survival, Will de Chaparro looks in darker corners at a people in order to shed light on a culture that has thrived and survived for over four centuries.

Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, And A Quasar-Spangled Universe: The Discoveries Of The Very Large Array Telescope by Karen Taschek is an informative and easy-to-follow study of the Very Large Array (VLA) as constructed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in in San Augustin, New Mexico. Ably authored, and historically concise, Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, And A Quasar-Spangled Universe presents the story of Karl Jasky and his discoveries, and continues on to share a wealth of fun and interesting finds attributed to the VLA's research. Beautifully illustrated throughout and a welcome addition to school and community library Astronomy reference collections, Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, And A Quasar-Spangled Universe is very highly recommended as a complete, active, thorough, and exclusive coverage of the fascinating world of the discoveries made with the technology of modern astronomical sciences for readers of all ages who are interested in the science of astronomy.

Many Viet Nam War veterans write poetry, but very few write with the power, passion and skill of R. L. Barth. A trained classicist, Barth is at his best when writing in the epigrammatic tradition of Simonides, Martial, and Pope, although this collection does include a few somewhat longer narrative and lyric poems. Barth writes with savage indignation, acute wit, and wonderful control of language. He gives no quarter to chickenhawks who send other people to war and he refuses to accept or profit from our comfortable myths about war. There is little sentiment here, and no self pity. Most veteran poetry will be forgotten, but surely not Barth's. These poems are not about Viet Nam, but about war, human nature, and society.

Francisco Lomeli and Clark Colahan have made a major contribution to the colonial history and literature of Hispanic New Mexico in this book about Miguel de Quintana's life and writings. I am amazed that Quintana's writings were discovered in the archives of the Inquisition in Mexico City. I appreciated the contextual analysis of Quintana's thoughts expressed in his poetry. Readers of English will appreciate having his writings available for the first time in English. My profound "gracias" to Professors Lomeli and Colahan.

"While some may take issue with aspects of Mr. Coleman's oeuvre of humanist criticism, none would deny that as this country's first and foremost photo critic he has made a singular contribution to the field, broadening both the definition and discussion of photography.

" A collection of his writings from 1968-1978 called Light Readings has long been a must-read for anyone serious about photography, and has now been reissued in an expanded second edition. . . . And for those up to the challenge, there is his latest book of essays, Depth of Field, in which he distills three decades of thought on the bigger questions, such as 'Where did photography come from?' and 'Where might we be heading with it at the end of this century?'"

--Taylor Holliday, The Wall Street Journal, December 4, 1998