Mexico Books

I had a problem at first when the author stated that the population of Tikal was 100,000 and covered 65 sq. miles. Over its period of reign as a city,a couple hundred years,Tikal might have been this extensive but i question if it had this much influence at any specific time period of say 10 years.Other books say that this city at its peak served about 20,000 and its urban spread reflects different time periods.
Other than that,myself possibly missing the author's interpretation,I like the descriptions of this Mayan city,which according to the author,was either founded by Teotihuacan rulers or at least was heavily influenced by this Mexican town.Excellent color photos and well described info on the tombs of the Tikal Lords. I hadn't realized before that alot of the Maya superstructures at Tikal were actually tomb bases for high status rulers which were then built to reach the sky.Indeed alot of these temples were built for astronomy purposes as well and tied into Mayan ceremonial life.It sounds alot like Ancient Egypt and their vast tomb complexes.There was one drawing in particular which showed Tikal at its peak,complete with evidence of pronounced forest defoiliation,(a possible reason for its collapse)?
Ther was another chapter where the author explored the conflicts between Tikal and its neighboring rival cities.Mr. Harrison explains that rivalries between towns,while undoubtedly real,have been exaggerated and there were longer periods of cooperation and friendly commerce between Tikal and its rival cities.So it would not be worth too much to place stock in the "bound captive murals" and advertised cruelty in alot of Mayan art.It's probably just propoganda put out by the Tikal Lords,no different than the Anglo-Saxon rulers of England at the same time period,(about 750 AD).Some of the Mayan lords of Tikal had long reigns,one reigned as long as 60 years,which would have rivalled Elizabeth I lengthy tenure as Queen of England.

I visited Tikal last Feb. I had read about it for years and still wasn't prepared for the magnitude, the scope the complexity of the civilization it was a small part of--it is a place you have to visit and see for yourself to even begin to really grasp. When I got home I found this book--I really wish I had read this BEFORE I WENT, the trip would have been better for it. In any case, I was happy to read it after the trip. This is the single best work I've found for sharing part of what I discovered at Tikal with people who haven't been there. I recommend it--especially if you are considering a visit--but also if you just like to armchair travel...It is a nice place to go either way.

The pyramids at Tikal are perhaps the most breathtaking and awe-inspiring structures of the pre-Hispanic world. The research available in this book helps shed light on the fascinating history behind the facades of limestone. There is so much history and culture that is essential to the American (the Pan American) identity. And this is a clear, concise, enjoyable read to learn about it.

The city we call Tikal was called something like Mutul by its Mayan inhabitants and was inhabited continuously for about 1,700 years. While there has been magnificent archaeological and translating work done in recent years, the foundation of what we know of Tikal was laid in a great excavating and mapping project done by the University of Pennsylvania from 1955 until 1969. The author of this book, Peter D. Harrison, Ph.D. had participated in these (and other) excavations and brings that first hand authority to this very interesting book.

Dr. Harrison starts with the pre-history of Tikal and ends with the little we know of its inhabitants after the collapse in the 9th century. However, most of the book centers on the succession of 30 rulers (Kings, Lords, or whatever you want to call them). We know who most of these people were because of the Mayan predilection for documenting great events by erecting great monuments that had writing on them that we can now read (mostly).

The author also shares important understanding of the building of the great palaces and temples and shows us their important orientations and relationships with each other. Since what we see today is the decayed form of the final state of Tikal, I found it fascinating to work backward and realize all that wasn't there when the city was at its height of power and influence. The great pyramids we associate with the city today were late additions by an important set of rulers, but by no means the most powerful the city had known.

The book is full of pictures, great drawings, maps, and even some beautiful color plates. There is also a page on when and how to visit Tikal that would be very helpful for those intending to visit the site. There are also many helpful notes and an index.

I have two tiny nits to pick with the book, however. The first is that for several of the maps I had to use a magnifying glass to read the labels for the buildings. The second is even less important and I am not convinced that the author didn't make the better choice. However, when I am reading about Mayan culture I like to see the dates given in the Long Count format when applicable with our western dates in parenthesis. The reason for wanting the Long Count is to easily see when events are associated with important dates. Dr. Harrison does give these Long Count dates in the notes, but uses our calendar for the dates in the text (most of the time).

Anyway, these do not detract from the immense value of the book or the fun I had reading it. Thanks, Dr. Harrison!

I very much enjoyed this book. It presented the history, archaeology and architecture of Tikal in a clear fashion. Harrison wove the various threads of evidence together skillfully without getting bogged down in details. After an introduction to the site and its environment he proceeds in a chronologic order telling the history of this ancient city. He takes two breaks in his story to describe the city's architecture. Because there is dispute in the field of epigraphy you cannot take this book as the last word, but that is the nature of writing about something which is an intense subject of research. I must also say that I found some of Harrison's assertions about architectural alignments dubious. Certainly, I could not see how his maps could support all his claims. Nevertheless, I would heartily recommend this book.

Ignore the book's subtitle, cover and back cover copy. Madam Millie is not about bordellos or lurid sex detail. It's about a tough, wise, loveable woman. There are a few funny incidents -- as when a cat attacks a delicate portion of a bishop's anatomy -- but today they seem rather tame.
Millie's long life was never ordinary. Orphaned at a young age, she was saved from juvenile justice by Harry S. Truman, then a Kansas City judge. When her sister Florence was diagnosed with tuberculosis, Millie accompanied her to Deming, New Mexico, where she worked as a Harvey Girl at the train station.
Millie entered her new profession to pay her sister's medical bills. And the rest is, literally, history.
Readers will appreciate Madam Millie on two levels: as the biography of a legend and as a social history of women, work and early life in the southwest. Millie entered the business to pay medical bills for her sister. In one night, she would earn more -- and have a pleasanter life -- than she would in the other occupations open to women at the time.
Millie was first and foremost a businesswoman. She built her success not on her looks but on her charisma, executive skills and ability to read people. It was no accident that her houses attracted high-powered clients. She was their equal.
Millie managed bordellos but she also bought and sold real estate. If she had been born forty years later, she would be a player in business or politics -- a very different but equally challenging game.
Readers can debate the morality -- and inevitabilty -- of Millie's "business." Millie herself believed there would always be a need, whether legally met or not. As Millie acknowledged, in the end what she had to sell soon became available for free, thanks to birth control and a changing society.
Millie ran clean houses, with no drugs and no disease, and her contributions to the community must have set a record. There were no rescue agencies back then. She *was* the Red Cross. Her last houses on Hudson Street -- site of the current Silver City post offices -- closed in 1968.
Madam Millie is fast-paced and easy to read. We get a sense of her wit and style, though not a great deal of her thought processes. Then again, Madam Millie does not come across as an introspective gal. She's all action. The pictures help us see history: the "girls" come across as more humorous than provocative.
Give this book to your favorite Silver City newcomer. Buying stamps and mailing a letter will take on a whole new meaning after they read Madam Millie.

I met Millie once when I was a youngster, this book was of immense interest to me.
This is a very good story and it is hilarious at times.
Other times it is heart wrenching. Kind of like life.
My only criticism is that the biographer was weak in the delivery of the story.
Nevertheless, I express thanks to Mr. Evans his perseverance in writing this book. I am certain it was not an effortless undertaking.

This book is one that I will save as a gem between gems on my bookshelf.

Absolutely great book if you want to read about one of the truly fantastic madams of the recent period, read this! She crowded more 'living' into her life than most people do in 6 lifetimes. She had friends in all the right places, and knew everyone. On her own from the age of 14, she was a quick learner and knew all the 'tricks'. In fact, as she put it, "We turned a good trick". Had houses from Alaska to the bottom of New Mexico. Top notch- 5 stars.

Mildred Cusey was a madam, an entrepreneur, and a survivor: Max Evans's superbly written biography, Mildred Cusey, tells of an orphan and waitress who rose from prostitute to bordello owner, in the process charting the rise and influence of bordellos from Silver City to Ketchikan. Madam Millie is an intriguing biographical history.

I found the story of Madam Millie very fascinating and funny at times. I've lived in Silver City for two years and its interesting to read about the town in its heyday. Especially now that I know that the post office is where her infamous whorehouse once sat.
The story is told as if Millie was still alive and Max Evans makes her real and not just some unreachable figure in Silver's past. What I enjoyed most was learning about the people who would visit her brothels and I rolled on the floor with laughter at the story of the Mormon bishop.
I recommend this book to anyone, especially if you live in or near Silver City, because most of the places she talks about still exisit and it makes you think twice about downtown Silver City.

This a wonderful book. The illustrations are beautiful, vibrant, and an excellent example of Mexican art. This is very nice coffee table book.

This book was a beautiful insight to the 30's art of Mexico. Also through it one can understand much of the culture of ancient mexico and what was going on in the era. I loved it. I have always been fascinated in the calendars of this time. Great! KCT

What a marvelous book! I grew up in a bicultural home in Monterrey, N.L. Mexico, so I am familiar with these Mexican calendars. Although I do not remember having one of these calendars at home, I remember visiting homes that had them. It was fascinating to learn about the talented artists that created them. However, it was sad to see how early on the commercial world was trying to set standards of what a "beautiful woman" should look like. Never the less, these calendars are an important part of the Mexican culture and history. I hope these unrealistic standards are changing - in both Mexico and the USA! (PS - Although there were a few mistakes, the Spanish translation was well done.)

Nice texts abouth the authors, and a lot of good images about the mexican pinups, very influenced by the american ones, but dressed in traditional mexican outfit.
I'm interested in the pinups subjet and that's what I loved from this book. Another good feature is that is bilingual!

very well written. interesting historical account of artists and their methods and subjects. have never seen a greater accumulation of beautiful images, colorful-exiting-romantic portraits. full of 'old time' detail and glamour. hard to put down.

good, worth reading.the book" one hell of a ride " the life and times of Lou Federico " A FANTASTIC READ . COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN SAY ALL READERS .NONFICTION on Baja and many more true stories.
you should promote this book more.No one will be dissapointed .

I loved this book. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you want to go to this amazing peninsula asap. Or go there again. (What else is a Baja Buff to do?)

Miraculous Air was very enjoyable to read. It has lots of historical & political information but it's a "page-turner" all the way to end, which was a quite a surprise.

This book is a series of real-life stories as experienced by the author over the course of about 5 years travel throughout Baja California. The stories paint a fascinating picture of many facets of life in Baja, both contemporary and historical. Ms. Mayo's writing style is also painterly - the words are pared to only the essential needed to convey the picture. The result is an extremely well-crafted book that is pure pleasure to read. Read this book if you are interested in Baja, or plan to travel there - it's one of the very best.

God, what a read! Like a novel, almost, full of surprises and little historical bits that will enrich your visit to Baja beyond measure... it was my first visit to Mexico, in 1957, and reading this book takes me back to my childhood visions of a place where the air is miraculous, the sand clean and white, the people like brothers and sisters. Read this book in the teeth of winter, to survive the snowbound months. And if you want to give someone a gift when they're Baja-bound, give them this book. Truly a miraculous treasure.

this is the beginning of a trilogy of books about anglo and his experiences. travel to new mexico to the home of the hopi and other tribes and learn the ways of a shaman.

Ran across this book several years ago at a local bookstore, lost track of it, found it again looking for something else. It's a wonderful novel about how one can begin a new life that is deeper and more connected than one's old one.

I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction novels, but I was intrigued by Winn's endurance to throw away his identity, his family, his prominent position in the community, and, most of all, his comfortable life. It's not every day that a very wealthy and educated middle aged man, sound of mind, decides to do something totally irrational, by leaving his loved ones, his bank accounts, his assets, and his successful business, and goes naked into the night, wandering around the country with the true hope to find a new identity and the true meaning of his existence. It takes a lot of guts and a `desperate' drive. This is what kept me devouring the book page after page, depicting myself in the same situation, and living his experience as he is about to start a precarious new life, just about when he had pratically achieved everything and had accumulated wealth and power. Each chapter kept me nailed to its story with trepidation and suspense. I had a spiritual contemplative experience, and I cried with Booker, when Nita died. Now I can hardly wait to buy the sequel "Lost in Las Vegas" and to read more about Booker's new life with the Pueblo Indians.

"NAKED INTO THE NIGHT" ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS POSED BY THE INEVITABLE MID-LIFE EXPERIENCE SO MANY OF WE "BOOMERS" ARE ASKING.LEAVING SELF-SUFFICENCY AND MOVING TOWARD FAITH AND FOCUS ON OTHERS IS THE PATH TO INNER PEACE. IN THIS PARADIGM, IT MATTERS LESS WHAT YOU DO, WHAT YOU HAVE, ETC. THE FOCUS IN THIS BOOK IS ON HOW WE DO WHAT WE DO.IF YOU SEARCH FOR FREEDOM AND INNER PEACE, THIS BOOK HAS SOME OF THE ANSWERS.

A spiritually renewing read from beginning to end. I became a willing participant in Booker's emotional quest and will not soon forget Naked's powerful message. Monty Joynes is a truly gifted writer, and I look forward to reading more from him!

If you live in AZ and love the out doors, this is a great book for you to have as a reference or as a fun read.

Subjects are thoroughly covered and the information is written in a friendly and interesting manner. If you have a question about the Sonoran Desert, you will most likely find the answer here. Among other surprises, this book offered my first look at the "creeping devil cactus" - how interesting! I'd never even heard of it before. "A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert" is a book you will turn to for detailed information that can be trusted as well as entertainment. Very nice photographs and illustrations. A great book for a nature lover, even if the Sonoran Desert holds no particular interest to them.

I grew up in the Sonoran Desert, in the ultra hot (and humid!) city of Yuma, Arizona. During my time there I visited the Californian and northern Baja Californian sections of this huge hyperarid land. I eventually moved to the less humid (if less hyperarid in terms of rainfall) city of Tucson, where I explored a considerable part of the eastern Arizonan part of the desert, as well as taking trips into the desert in southern Baja California and Sonora itself. This is a fascinating land and one with great surprises, such as a fauna of fish and aquatic insects, desert crusts of cyanobacteria, tropical birds, army and leaf-cutting ants and strange plants.

Now Steven J. Phillips and Patricia Comus of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum have edited a neat guide to the area in "A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert". The various sections contain numerous bits of information, many of which were new to me despite about 25 years of wandering in the Sonoran Desert. The discussions of the structure and history of the desert are particularly informative. This book should be in the bookshelf, and indeed in the knapsack (despite its size), of all travelers in this fantastic desert.

I have to admit that I know five of the authors- namely Steve Prchal, Renee Lizotte, Gary Paul Nabhan, Carl A. Olson and Thomas Van Devender- excellent writers all- but I can also say that it is a worthwhile book based just on the work of writers whom I've never met and so I can claim some non-bias.

To add to this praise I have a few very minor quibbles. I wish that there had been more reference sections- certainly there are several books on the identification of desert plants, birds, mammals and fish! Also, as a jumping spider specialist I was disappointed that the quite readily seen red and black Apache jumping spider (Phidippus apacheanus), which appears to mimic velvet ants, was not mentioned (but then I am prejudiced!). Also not mentioned were the bright red velvet mites that emerge after desert rains (I get these brought to me all the time by people wanting to know what they are.) In addition, I could not find any reference in the index to tadpole shrimp- a very abundant inhabitant of desert temporary pools. I suppose that there was little room to add such in this already over 600 page work, but it is a pity, as I think they are of interest to the visitor. One other quibble is that I personally dislike the term "brown spider" as there are lots of "brown spiders"- including wolf spiders, some crab spiders, and many others. I prefer "violin spider" as being more specifically descriptive, although I could never get W. J. Gertsch to agree with me on this (I believe that he is the original source of this common name!)

Having said this, I will reiterate that anybody who wants to have some idea of what they are seeing in the Sonoran Desert has to have this book! They can find no better guide on the market!

This is the ideal book to take along on trips to the Sonora Desert. Whether it is the Cailfornian , including Baja, Arizonian(it actually covers five states) or Mexican portions of the vast and diverse Sonara Desert, the details and complexities of this eco system are truly amazing. This book is an indespensible guide to all facets of this immense gift, including the many plants and animals that inhabit this harsh yet bountiful environment. It is a book to read before, as well as after the trips to the desert. Since it is so diverse and vast , covering some 100, 000 sq.mi., the amount of information given is quite a bit but done in such a mannner that one can easily navigate the text to the desired area of interest Inevitably one will stray into an area of new found interest. The little known facts are a lay persons path to knowledge about what the heck they just saw or are about to see. The black and white illustrations for the plants and animals you will or did encounter are excellent and extremely helpful for identification. There is a section with color photographs as well to further illustrate the beauty of the Sonora Desert. With contributions by some thirty five different experts in their pespective field this book is the ultimate guide. Do not hesitate to buy this book if you are visting the Sonora Desert as it will prove to be a valuble reference tool that can be used over and over. Since there is so much to learn about the Sonora Desert and it's inhabitants, this book can be read anytime, anywhere since it is nearly impossible to experience it all. Recommended for the tourist, naturalist or anyone interested in learning more about the 2000 species of plants, 550 species of verbrates and thousands of unknown invertebrate species who make the Sonora Desert home. This is truly fascinating material that only nature can provide so don't hesitate to purchase this book.

we agree with all of the other reveiws.... a great discovery and a great resource....Glad we got it...

This is one of the best books of nonfiction I've read. Not only does it function as a primary-source document for study, but it is genuinely good reading. Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos is a powerful writer, and this book documents a selection of his poems, letters, communiqués and even fables for young children. Marcos, the most wanted man in Mexico, will go down as a major figure in Latin American Literature.

Since reading this book (actually, before I was even halfway finished) I had decided I needed to buy copies for family and friends as gifts and recommend it to pretty much everyone. Marcos is an amazing writer, and the story of the Zapatistas is extremely relevant and intriguing for anyone interested in modern society, politics, Latin America, social movements, civil wars, literature and poetry, what "integrity" means in such troubled times, and so much more. No matter your interest, you will not be dissapointed by this purchase.

Too often those of us who seek social justice for people who have been traditionally oppressed tend to just reminisce on the past.

However, this book proves that there is a great social movement that ordinary people CAN , RIGHT NOW make a diffrence about

The history of Mexico, like the history of Latin America, is a history of pain, struggle, and exploitation.

Marcos shows us a movement that seeks to right some of the wrong, and leads a movement of the oldest of the old, the oppressed of the oppressed: Indigenous campesinos (farmers) of Southern Mexico. Where pictures of Jesus Christ stand right there alongside of.....Che Guevara.

A people that have been traditionally been treated like dirt, for lack of a better word, now taking an inspirational and highly moving stand and demand an end to exploitation and a better way of life.

Through their charismatic and briliant leader, Marcos, he tells us the story of the people known as Zapatistas and their struggle for dignity.

The dignity of a people no longer willing to tolerate centuries of injustice.

What human being cannot be moved by such extroadinary courage?

Without a doubt, Subcomandante Marcos is one of the most important present day writers and activists in the Americas. "Our Word is Our Weapon" is a huge collection of his essays and short stories about the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas.As such, I highly recommend it for peace and justice activists engaged in Latin American solidarity work, the anti-corporate globalization movement and indigenous struggles. Moreover, it is an interesting study of grassroots participatory democracy in action. Read it and be inspired!

Subcomandante Marcos is not just a man, he is a myth in his own lifetime. The cult of personality that surrounds him is completely deserved. His poetic voice is so sharp and poignant you can not help but feel sympathetic for his Zapatistan cause.

The highlight of the book is the last third which features primarily his writing. The stories and poetry he shares are accessible to almost anyone. He is the antithesis of stuffy. His anecdotes and points are so simple yet so perplexing you wonder how he does it.

I passed this around to several friends. One had played high school basketball and the other didn't know a zone press from a printing press. Both loved the book. You get a real sense of the country and some of its people, as well as joining the author on a personal journey. Great read!

If you like sports from a spectator or participant viewpoint, chances are you will like this book. You will love the book if you have ever coached, are Irish, play or listen to Celtic music or simply have a great sense of humor. The book is well-written, a quick and delightful journey into an idividual's dream that is lived out in a real-life way. I visited Ireland for the first time shortly after reading the book. The accounts are accurate and added an additional dimension to my visit.

As an aspiring writer and former hoops coach, I was very interested in reading this book after getting re-acquainted with Coach Rus (we first met at Don Haskins' summer camp in 1989) at a local book signing. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. There were many times when I would find myself laughing out loud at his witty observations about the basketball-challenged Irish culture or his players' quirks. Coach Rus' story transcends the sport of basketball, but will entertain the best hoops junkie. His journeys to the Irish pubs and eventual fiddling sessions made me want to book a tour of Ireland. And true to any hero's journey, Coach Rus gets rewarded for his perserverance.

He's not Ernie Hemingway, but if you have a great story to tell, it doesn't matter. And he has a terrific story to tell.

A good read for those who like basketball. Music gets less attention, but the music teachers are interesting.

I love the People of the... series of books. Can't wait until another comes out. The formula for the books are all pretty similar, but the descriptions of different tribes, the historical evidence that is put in, and the anticipation of what is going to happen next is well worth the wait and the read. But this one is especially well written, with lots of history and insight.

I enjoyed every moment of the reading of this book. I found it interesting and hard to put down until I had completed it .
I have read all of the First American Series by the Gears and will continue to do so as soon as the new ones come out in paper back .
The whole series is well worth the price for anyone interested in thier interpretation of how the first native peoples in the Amerca's loved ,lived and died .

I enjoyed this book, as with all the others in this series. Next it will go to my mohter, who will then read it and send it along to her neighbor. We are all fans, and this is a good, fast read.

Have been buying the First North Americans series for my adult daughter. She has encouraged me to read them also. We are both pleased with Michael & Kathleen Gear's series. Nicely written. It holds one interest and invites you to read and re-read each book.

Ironically, the criticisms I have of the writing are based on the fact that I love the Gears' series so much that I'm now familiar with their style and recurring tropes. Don't get me wrong, this is a great page-turner and I always admire how they combine anthropologicial evidence and research with fiction. Particularly for someone who is fairly new to the Gears' NA series, this is one of the better ones in a while. I do like how they take characters from People of the Sun (Nightshade, Night Sun, Ironwood) and show us their ultimate fates. I guess I'm just a little too familiar now with the stock characters of 1) Reluctant Dreamer who ends up basically predicting everything; 2)diabolical determined War Chief who will stop at nothing; 3) hot chick and nice guy who get it on after being forced to travel together. I guess that's the way of fiction: Take "adversaries" of the opposite sex, make them HAVE to hang out with each other, and they WILL fall in love ! (LOL: Of course every young woman is long-legged, big breasted and narrow-hipped.) But beyond these overly familiar themes, (oh yes, and the inevitable "Maureen's shapely [...]" theme in the introduction) the descriptions of war, the motivation for cannibalism, the historical details are all fascinating and the Gears' writing is never less than vivid and humorous.

This is the real thing folks. No more cute travel stories that romanticize without substance, that Disneyize and exaggerate. This book is the story of the author's courageous and thoughtful trip through an amazingly historical place that is also presently complicated and important. However, the author comes at it from a personal angle: the cosmology of canoes. We learn the importance of canoe travel not only to the Maya but to the author and people in general. That connects to the Maya cosmology and culture, the sense of place that is inherent in living in a watershed and having your existence contingent to flowing water (whether you live in the Lacandon forest or Westchester County), the importance of the geography of the region to the people who live there, and then finally to how all this connects to the Zapatista movement and the modern, and not so modern (this thing is full of scholarly but apt historical asides) plight of the indigenous Maya. All along the way you get to like the author, in his sometimes goofy gringo ways but his omnipresent awareness of his own place within the experience. Sprinkle in healthy doses of heart-thumping whitewater in canoes with inexperienced bow-men, death defying swims, life-threatening bandits, and tight, musical prose, and you've got one heck of a book. I tell you what, Shaw's got it right, the same way Matthiesson did. I recommend this book extremely highly. I wish it were getting more publicity. Read it. Its important.

I was disappointed after getting to the end of the book to find out that the author only navegated half-way down the Usumacinta. It's like reading a book about someone who goes half-way up Everest! I understand his reasoning (security) and financial limitations, however the security situation dramatically improved shortly after he left and he could have easily finished the trip. Putting in the extra effort and completing the task would have definitely improved the book and the author's contribution to the world's body of knowledge. His insights on the Mayan's use of rivers for commerce and the east/west trade routes are excellent. His thorough research into the more recent history of the area was also excellent.

(From Planeta Journal) - Ready to explore one of the world's most intriguing regions? Take your trip with Christopher Shaw who introduces readers to the Usumacinta River and its magnificent watershed that stretches across the Mexico-Guatemala border in his new book, Sacred Monkey River (New York: W.W. Norton, 2000).

Subtitled "A Canoe Trip with the Gods," this notable book traces the author's canoe trips running the great river. Unlike many adventure travel narratives in which the author plunges into an unknown terrain, Shaw aims for comprehension rather than searching for misadventure. The result is an account which combines the best of travel literature and environmental reporting.

Few travelers opt for the watery path, particularly with the threat of hijackings and shootings in such a remote area. But Shaw, an accomplished river guide and an enthusiast of the Maya culture, will not be deterred.

"In classical art, two gods pictured as canoeists, accompanied travelers on both actual and metaphysical journeys," Shaw explains. "Both gods paddle the souls of the dead to the Otherworld and the cosmic canoe -- the Milky Way -- across the sky."

Shaw also connects with the environmentalists in the region, including Fernando Ochoa and Ronald Nigh -- two pioneers in developing sustainable agricultural practices in the region.

The book is a veritable "Who's Who" in the region. Meet Scott Davis of Ceiba Adventures, Maya scholars Linda Schele and David Freidel, Moises Morales, the owner of El Pachan and Victor Perera, author of The Last Lords of Palenque.

The book is divided into 12 chapters and boasts the 1953 Franz Blom map of the Selva Lacandona on the inside book cover. What would be useful additions would be a map of the author's expeditions and an index of places and names.

Sacred Monkey River deserves a long shelf-life and it will no doubt be consulted for many years by travelers and environmentalists alike.

This book has been a genuine page turner for me, and as I approached the end I tried not to read too much at each sitting so I could prolong its pleasures.

It is for anyone interested in Mesoamerica, Mayan culture, canoeing as adventure, or boats as the movers of trade and ideas. Also for anyone who is lusting for an otherworld experience, metaphorically or actually, though trave, boating, psychogenic drugs, or all of the above. It is full of honest hard-nosed obserevation of nature and the specific nature of this area, and at the same time streches for and is able to peek at the"final" trip, perhaps as many civilizatins saw it, goin on a craft down a river or out to sea/see. shaw effortlessly intertwines some Spanish into his evocative--dare I use the word--poetic English, always aiming for and touching precision and clarity without sacrificing mystery. On, I believe, its deepest level, the language as well as the story drew me into the unknow, into the future, and of course the past as well.

(From Planeta Journal) - Ready to explore one of the world's most intriguing regions? Take your trip with Christopher Shaw who introduces readers to the Usumacinta River and its magnificent watershed that stretches across the Mexico-Guatemala border in his new book, Sacred Monkey River (New York: W.W. Norton, 2000).

Subtitled "A Canoe Trip with the Gods," this notable book traces the author's canoe trips running the great river. Unlike many adventure travel narratives in which the author plunges into an unknown terrain, Shaw aims for comprehension rather than searching for misadventure. The result is an account which combines the best of travel literature and environmental reporting.

Few travelers opt for the watery path, particularly with the threat of hijackings and shootings in such a remote area. But Shaw, an accomplished river guide and an enthusiast of the Maya culture, will not be deterred.

"In classical art, two gods pictured as canoeists, accompanied travelers on both actual and metaphysical journeys," Shaw explains. "Both gods paddle the souls of the dead to the Otherworld and the cosmic canoe -- the Milky Way -- across the sky."

Shaw also connects with the environmentalists in the region, including Fernando Ochoa and Ronald Nigh -- two pioneers in developing sustainable agricultural practices in the region.

The book is a veritable "Who's Who" in the region. Meet Scott Davis of Ceiba Adventures, Maya scholars Linda Schele and David Freidel, Moises Morales, the owner of El Pachan and Victor Perera, author of The Last Lords of Palenque.

The book is divided into 12 chapters and boasts the 1953 Franz Blom map of the Selva Lacandona on the inside book cover. What would be useful additions would be a map of the author's expeditions and an index of places and names.

Sacred Monkey River deserves a long shelf-life and it will no doubt be consulted for many years by travelers and environmentalists alike.