Mexico Books

Been there? Want to go there? Won't go but want to know? Buy this book. Funny, warm, based in reality rather than fiction. Places and people come alive. Not really anthropology nor tourist guide--but much more. Hard to put down. I read two chapters of a friend's copy, and put it down long enough to order my own copy. Worth re-reading! Worth sharing.

Seems that CM Mayo has a deft touch for selecting just the right literary gems that give the rich color & warmth of Mexico. What is most impressive is that she was able to find the translators who understand the nuances of Spanish and never lost the quality of the original writing. Amazingly enjoyable to read - a wonderful companion for the arm chair or true traveler. A perfect gift for anyone.

The range of work is interesting here, from some of Mexico's most famous writers to complete newcomers, from complete stories to excerpts from longer works--a perfect sampler. The arrangement of the book by the geographical setting of each story gives a delightful sense of traveling the country. Biographical information about each author adds depth to the selections.
Mexico City: An Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler

If you are interested in this subject it is a wonderful book, both for the photos, sketches and history.

this book let me understand a little bit more about this fenomena...
and is kind of rare to find this subject, but is incredible all this devotion
truh this little images.

This book gives a very thorough history of Milagros. It is also filled with a variety of different examples.

From Preface:

"This book has been written to accompany the traveling exhibition of paintings on pottery made by the ancient southwestern Native American culture we call the Mimbres and to present to a wider public a visual record of these remarkable works. The Mimbres painting tradition, which flourished for about 150 years, ended about 800 years ago and disappeared from human knowledge until late in the last century.

For many years after its rediscovery, Mimbres painting attracted little attention except among southwestern prehistorians. Some examples of the art entered public and private collections during the last half century, and a few have been included in virtually all major exhibitions of American Indian art organized since 1932. Nonetheless, exhibitions of Mimbres paintings outside university and anthropology museums have been rare, and this may well be the first one directed toward a public that is unfamiliar with ancient Southwest Indian art. Our intent, in both the exhibition and the book, has been to provide this new audience with the conceptual and historical contexts that make possible an informed interpretation of this exotic art.

We do not know what the Mimbres people called themselves. The name we give them is the Spanish word for 'willows' and refers to the trees that grow along the lovely stream in southwestern New Mexico that was the center of Mimbres territory. The Mimbres were one of many isolated farming groups of the ancient Southwest and their art, for all of its unique qualities, belongs to a much larger tradition shared by many peoples. The nature of Mimbres art and the similarities between the art and culture of the Mimbres and that of their neighbors provide the focus of this book.

An essential aspect of Mimbres painting, and one that is found nowhere else in its time and place, is its representational character. About 1/4 of existing Mimbres paintings -- almost 2,000 examples -- carry images of animals, humans, and objects which are often shown in narrative interaction. Because of the pictorial nature of Mimbres art we know more about the content and quality of the intellectual life of these peole than about any of their contemporary neighbors."

This is classic Mibres at its best. If you don't have this one in your library - WHY NOT?!

This book is hard to find in libraries but is an excellent resource. Excellent photographs of bowls and clear description of styles and meaning makes the book invaluable. We use it in our class.

This book is an excellent read. It provides great estimula for both mind and eyes. As I have lived and worked among poor Mayan peasants for many months, I have been suveying the market of books that describe the situation of the Maya of today. Who they are, how they live, how they think. This book shows you it all, without pretending to be an anthropological monograph.

The advantage of this book is that it does not try to submit its message to the reader in didactical terms. Instead, the photos and the accompanying essays elegantly unfold a series of descriptions, episodes and profound insights that together make it possible for the reader to grasp what Mayan life is like today, and how it evolved from the 1960's and 30 years ahead.

The "photo-essay" chosen by Everton as the form of presentation is a brilliant choice. Everton, author and photographer, lets the reader see a series of facets of Mayan everyday life from the point of view of individual Mayan friends of Everton. The solidarity and love with which Everton shows us scenes from Mayan everyday life do not undermine the books credibility. All general conclusions are based on individual examples. The care for precision in details and the interest taken in describing the common episodes and daily chores of Mayan peasant life make it possible for us to get close to Everton's friends. I have not come across any other book that equals Evertons work in this respect.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the book is the way it reveals to the reader how the book came to be. Already the introductory chapters pose the problem, how we should think about the concept of Mayan culture. It discusses how Mayas are usually portrayed in the Western world, and it contemplates how this idea can be refined.

Some 20 Mayan peoples of today are the descendants of the ancient Mayas who built the famous pyramid temples. But we must consider that the Mayas have a present and a future as well as a past. Otherwise, we will not be able to understand the dynamics of contemporary Mayan life, says the book. In this respect, the ever changing Mayan culture is just like any other human culture in history.

Everton's photo essays form a persuading defense of the value of what he calls the "cultural diversity" of the world. Everton shows us that cultural diversity may be just as necessary for the survival of the human race as is the biological diversity found in our surroundings.

Everton profiles several Mayan families and follows their lives, in words and pictures, for twenty years. The results are compelling and the black and white photgraphy is stunning. He presents the changes that are taking place in their culture due to the demise of the hennequen and chicle industries and the rise of the tourism industry. The message is one of hope. The Maya have survived through thousands of years of change and they will continue to do so. Having met some of the people profiled in the book in person, I can tell you it is genuine in everyway. A must have for anyone interested in the Maya people and the survival of indigenous cultures!

This book is an excellent read. It provides great estimula for both mind and eyes. As I have lived and worked among poor Mayan peasants for many months, I have been suveying the market of books that describe the situation of the modern Maya of today. Who they are, how they live, how they think. This book shows you it all, without pretending to be an anthropological monograph.

The advantage of this book is that it does not try to submit its message to the reader in didactical terms. Instead, the photos and the accompanying essays elegantly unfold a series of descriptions, episodes and profound insights that together make it possible for the reader to grasp what Mayan life is like today, and how it evolved from the 1960's and 30 years ahead.

The "photo-essay" chosen by Everton as the form of presentation, is a brilliant choice. Everton, author and photographer, lets the reader see a series of facets of Mayan everyday life from the point of view of individual Mayan friends of Everton. The solidarity and love with which Everton shows us scenes from Mayan everyday life does not undermine the books credibility. All general conclusions are based on individual examples. The care for precision in details and the interest taken in describing the common episodes and daily chores of Mayan peasant life make it possible for us to get close to Everton's friends. I have not come across any other book that equals Evertons work in this respect.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the book is the way it reveals to the reader how the book came to be. Already the ntroductory chapters pose the problem, how we should think about the concept of Mayan culture. It discusses how Mayas are usually portrayed in the Western world, and it contemplates how this idea can be refined.

Some 20 Mayan peoples of today are the descendants of the ancient Mayas who built the famous pyramid temples. But we must consider that the Mayas have a present and a future as well as a past. Otherwize, we will not be able to understand the dynamics of contemporary Mayan life, says the book. In this respect, the ever changing Mayan culture is just like any other human culture in history.

Everton's photo essays form a persuading defense of the value of what is called the "cultural diversity" of the world.

A beautiful, fluid and masterfully written novel. It takes what seems to be a simple act of murder in a dive bar called La Tortuga and builds, nuance by nuance, a group of characters and a series of events that are utterly real. We look through the eyes of Kiko Vigil, as he is viciously murdered while sitting across from his lover, Lorraine Garza, the wife of a crime lord. Only a drifter in wheelchair, knocked over by the killer as he runs to his car with a struggling woman slung over his shoulder, has the answers everyone is looking for. Danny Mora, or Moony as only his oldest friend knows him, is hired by Vigil's colleague to investigate the murder when the INS decides it would be better for time to swallow it hole. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the further he gets from the drifter and closer to a killer that puts all he knows and loves into mortal danger.

This book is a stand alone to Ramos' other books in his Luis Montez series. It's ending left me in shock, slack jawed at what had just happened. You could not find a higher standard of writing than the one found in this definitive work.

My sister recommended this book to me. I was intrigued, so when I read it this last weekend I was pretty excited. Wow, what a great book!!! I loved the characters and Ramos talks about the city like someone who loves it.

I was drawn into the lives of the characters right off. They come across as very realistic and natural. I want to read more about them.

Ramos also managed to surprise me with the ending which happens less and less lately.

A beautiful, fluid and masterfully written novel. It takes what seems to be a simple act of murder in a dive bar called La Tortuga and builds, nuance by nuance, a group of characters and a series of events that are utterly real. We look through the eyes of Kiko Vigil, as he is viciously murdered while sitting across from his lover, Lorraine Garza, the wife of a crime lord. Only a drifter, in a wheelchair, knocked over by the killer as he runs to his car with a struggling woman slung over his shoulder, has the answers everyone is looking for. Danny Mora, or Moony as only his oldest friend knows him, is hired by Vigil's colleague to investigate the murder when the INS decides it would be better for time to swallow it hole. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the further he gets from the drifter and closer to a killer that puts all he knows and loves into mortal danger.

This book is a stand alone to Ramos' other books in his Luis Montez series. It's ending left me in shock, slack jawed at what had just happened. You could not find a higher standard of writing than the one found in this definitive work.

Patricia Santana has struck a chord on so many levels. She went back into the 1960's where even as children we knew they were turbulent, yet exhilarating times. Her expression of adolescent curiosities, love and confusion are as prevalent today as they were during that time, making this a novel that most people will have a self-to-text connection with. Being the child of immigrants I easily related to the home she grew up in and the traditions of the world during that time.
The novel is a well crafted. It makes us look at the world through the eyes of truly plausible, interesting characters and gives us some insights of the devastating aftermath of the Vietnam War.

I'm a great fan of the "coming of age" story and of the first novel. "The Cider House Rules" by John Irving, being one of my favorite coming of age stories.

In Patracia Santana's "Motorcyle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility" we view the world from the eyes of a teenage Mexican American girl/woman whose brothers' recent return from Vietnam has turned her world upside down. Her brother, like so many Vietnam vets., has returned home possessed by demons.

While her brother struggles to right himself fourteen-year-old Yolanda "Yoli" Sahagun must not only learn to deal with her beloved brothers' gloom and doom mood but learn to deal with her own daunting and confusing experience. That of becoming a woman.

I hope the rest of America soon discovers, as I did, this rich, humorous, sad, and wonderful story. Author Santana obviously has her finger, and her heart, on the pulse of the Latino community. The dialoge is strong and Latino in this well written and well told story. For a glimps inside the life of a real Mexican Ameican family, read "Motorcyle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility." Cammy Diaz A @ L

Unfortunately, I am not the Francisco that Yoli, the young heroine in Patricia Santana's beautiful first novel, falls in love with. But I wish I was. For long after having read this novel, I still find myself thinking of Yoli and imagining her giving me "the look". Isn't that the highest and most worthwhile achievement of a novel? That a Yoli or a Don Quixote become as real as hope, and in our moments of reflection, their words and actions echo our own internal beauty? Patricia, may you give us many more Yoli's and may your clear and strong writing, like a rippling, cool, mountain brook, continue to remind us of our source.

What a delightful read. Although I am not a hiker, I enjoy being an armchair explorer and Smith's book brings nature close to hand. The unique and insightful perspectives on hiking makes one believe they are also experiencing his awe of the wilderness. Although many books have been written about nature, Smith is able to see and share the unique in what others would describe as common. His encounters with wild animals are related to the reader in such a way as to impact on all your senses. His book also exposes the reader to the Native American culture in the Southwest, including new vocabulary and traditions. One of the most interesting aspects of Smith's book, for an armchair explorer, is the accessibility of his experiences rather than the exotic, available to the few. It feels as though I could experience everything he has by following in his footsteps.

Throughout Smith's book, there is an underlying theme of camaraderie, showing nature can be shared with others and yet he is able find moments of solitude at the same time. If you wish to explore nature in the Southwest, there is no better guide than Smith. His writing style is very conversational and filled with images you can recreate very easily in your own mind. For those of us who are not ardent hikers, this is a great way to have a very memorable vicarious experience with nature. Do yourself a favor, take some time from your busy schedule and enjoy the outdoors through the eyes of a marvelous writer.

Growing up I traveled frequently to the West and Southwest with my parents (a geologist and an anthropologist) on trips to complete field work. Mountain Harmonies captures the wonderful spirit of the West that I came to know on those many forays. The many fine stories in this book brought back fond memories of those trips with my parents. Of all the rales I really enjoyed the encounters with grizzly and black bears because for me they symbolize natures purity. This is an engaging and enjoyable book.

A sunset, moonrise, early morning at Pine River, a snow-covered
trail to Summerland, rambling along rainforest paths, view
Emerald Lake, places with a magic all their own.
These are true adventures, unforgettable beauty, nature.
Follow as Smith travles the seldon-used trails, experience
Mountain Harmonies.

"Dorothy Cave uses her extensive experience and travel of New Mexico to show the world the beauty she has discovered. She skillfully spins a story rich with cultural and linguistic details. She expertly captures the innocence of small town life. Cave brings Descano alive with her vivid description of its residents and their customers. By the end of the novel, the reader dreams of giving up the hustle and bustle of today's world and going back to 'that forgotten pocket of God's overall,' where nothing is too important and everything can wait until manana."

Dorothy Cave has given us an unexpected gem, a work that radiates with a love of the blended cultures of the remote villages of Northern New Mexico. In "Mountains of the Blue Stone", we experience life as seen by an Anglo man, Drake, as he discards the trapping of his own life in hopes of finding his true self. Drake becomes "Carlos" and discovers the roots of his own soul, and in so doing, finds that life lived simply, near to the old gods of the earth, is life at its best. Ms. Cave demonstrates considerable talent as a mature writer who knows and cares deeply about her subjects. I look forward to her next work.

If you enjoyed Rudolfo Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima", you will treasure this work.

I recently lived in El Paso and traveled throughout New Mexico. And Dorthory Cave's novel, Mountains of the Blue Stone, captures the land, the people, and the intense mystical spiritual realism of New Mexico. Through the eyes of Drake Cavanaugh, a near burntout "modern man," we view the book's main characters: the people of the land who are still giving meaning and birth to the spiritual.

The book is a journey of the soul, a trip up one of the many paths of the mountain to meaning. "But first we have to find the mountain!" Cave has found the mountain, and she and Drake happily allow us to travel with them and the proud and beautiful people of the "Land of Enchantment."

You are going to love this book. I am an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and my wife is a school teacher. We have both read this book and found our way up the mountain enlightened. Perhaps you will too.

I agree with both previous reviews. Cannot really add anything other than it was completely enjoyable to read and certainly sheds new light on many aspects of how we have viewed and are now viewing the Maya and their spectacular civilzation...so nice toknow that the longer the culture existed the better off the lot of the common people.

There are many books written on the subject of the Maya civilization. What sets

Jeremy Sabloff's book apart from the rest is how he approaches the subject. He refers

to his book as a story, and provides his reader with a very concise overview of the Maya

civilization. The clarity of his text enhances the usefulness of the book, which in turn

broadens the audience from anthropology students to anyone interested in learning

about the Maya. Sabloff sets out his `story' to combine history, theory, methods and

fieldwork and best describes the text in his own preface, an "attempt to explain how

early archaeologists arrived at the `traditional model' of ancient Maya civilization that

was popular in the first half of the century and how fieldwork has given birth to new

discoveries of the Maya." (Sabloff, preface). The text is broken down into six chapters

and in each chapter he uses subheadings to organize his interpretation of the

information and to reveal an accurate knowledge of Maya studies.

Using Maya archaeology as an extended study, Sabloff uses relevant sites

during specific time periods as case studies to examine the area he wishes to describe

to his reader.

The first chapter is entitled `Growth of Modern Scientific Archaeology',almost

beginning were the preface left on in terms of what Sabloff views as the `traditional

model' of early Maya archaeology. This begins with the idea of what stream of

questions the archaeologist should ask. In the `traditional model', Sabloff shows that

the `what' and `where' questions of the past are no longer as relevant as the newly

replaced `why' and `how' shift. It is in this chapter that Sabloff introduces the first of

many different scholars to emphasize each section. Schiffer and Binford are discussed

as well as one of their more popular methodological issues of the past, linked cultural

activities.

The next two chapters give the reader a contrast with the `traditional model' of

ancient civilization and new views of the classic period. With these topics, Sabloff

refers to the findings of Morley and Thompson in chapter two and Willey and

Proskouriakoff in the following section. The way he introduces these scholars is one of

respect. Sabloff does not bash the early ideas of archaeologists (knowing now that the

information is not thorough), he describes their work prior to the archaeological

revolution as successful and that many of their ideas were not wrong, just not

developed enough. With regards to the later of the four scholars, Sabloff explains

Proskouriakoff's remarkable findings from the Usumacinta River sites of Piedras and

Yaxchilan and the breakthrough idea that Maya texts record history. What Sabloff

seems to stress is that with each decade, the scholars and the information they have

gathered help the next generation of archaeologists in their quest to better understand

Maya civilization.

Chapter four evaluates new views of the Pre-classic and Post-classic period.

Sabloff introduces specific case studies such as the areas of Chichen Itza and

Cozumel. By focusing in on these areas, Sabloff is able to convey to his reader an

understanding of what archaeology can accomplish.

The remaining two chapters analyze the emergence of a new model and takes a

look at archaeology under this new modern world. Sabloff highlights the scholars

Webster and Gonlin and their research on the emergence of more distant rural

areas among the Maya subareas.

With each chapter, Sabloff gives the reader a new finding in terms of Maya

civilization. He frequently looks for parallels between ourselves and the Maya which

make this civilization even more real and exciting to the reader. The `story' concludes

with Sabloff asking questions to the reader, and having read the book, the questions

encompass so much information in only a few lines. Sabloff leaves the reader thinking

as well as feeling confident enough to ponder the questions himself.

After the final word has been read, there are ten pages of further readings listed

by chapter, which include everyone mentioned in the book and then some.

`The New Archaeology and the Ancient Maya' is lavishly illustrated with

photographs, site plans and maps all of which are in colour. All of these visual aids in

conjunction with the accurate read, help to summerize this complicated subject with

success. Sabloff hits his target perfectly with how he feels this story should be told,

his story is "to understand the development of a past culture, not find lost arks".

I found this book very informative. It demonstrates how much archaeology and our knowledge of the Maya has changed since the Mayan ruins were first 'discovered' in the 19th century.

The cultural biases of the early archaeoligts now explain many of the 'facts' put forward in early books on this subject. Acutally many of these 'facts' were just guesses, but because they were put forward by prominent people they were taken on face value. Much of the work, especially since the 1960's has disproved or changed out of recognition these early 'facts'.

The last overview book on the Maya I read had them as peace loving people in lovely cities in the jungle, who just "gave it all up for no decent reason". This book completly changed my view on that. It made me realise on how slim a foundation many of the earlier works lay.

I'd reccomend this book to anybody who wants to know how much archaeology has changed - and why what these people have discovered is not only in the past, but also has a bearing on us today..

We had bought a couple of other guide books and this was by far a life saver for us on eating in New Mexico. The other books led us to expensive restaurants that left us unimpressed. New Mexico Chow hit the "good New Mexico cookin". Some of the places were out of the way but certainly worth the drive. We threw the other guides away after a couple of days and used New Mexico Chow for the rest of our trip. We were not dissappointed. I just wish this guy had chow books out for more areas.

New Mexico Chow: Restaurants For The Rest Of Us by Albuquerque-based food writer and chef Scott Sharot is a unique guide to a diversity of unique and sometime unexpected New Mexico dining establishments. While there are four-diamond restaurants with international reputations listed, there are also others which are Short's favorite and time-tested places that aren't really restaurants by traditional definition. Among them is a blue trailer that can be found (sometimes) parked on the side of the road near Santa Fe. Others are modest storefront establishments that double as ethnic food markets. Featuring almost one hundred restaurants (by what ever definition), New Mexico Chow showcases Sharot's short, succinct, energetic reviews delivered with wit, wisdom and humor. Sharot doesn't rate the different and differing restaurants other to guarantee that each and ever one of his selections offers "darn good chow" at a darn good price. If you are planning to eat out anywhere in New Mexico, then secure yourself a copy of Scott Sharot's New Mexico Chow!

This was my first visit to New Mexico. I traveled extensively and I could not imagine being on the road without this book. It was just as essential to me as a highway map.
Unlike other Restaurant guides , this book gives unique comments by the author about each restaurant as well his top menu picks , they helped me make the restaurant selection process effortless.
The book is wery well written and gives critical information that helps you select where to eat . I have not found any other restaurant guide as easy and enjoyable to use . Typical information given includes items like: house specialties ,vegetarian options,ambiance,type of service ,credit cards , getting there and many many other pertinent information.The author detailed comments are invaluable and concisely written .
As a visitor to New Mexico I enjoyed great food thanks to this guide . You know what to expect before you walk in the restaurant .I highly recommend this Book