Mexico Books

No one should buy a home without reading this book first! It is a gem--packed with useful information in a very readable format. The author uses his knowledge of the real estate business and his own experiences as a professional to provide a valuable and thoughtful perspective on the whole process. I wish I'd read this book before my first foray into the world of home-buying, but even after several such ventures in my life, I still found I learned a lot by reading this book.

Buying a house would be a lot easier for all of us if we did it frequently. But most of us only buy a home a few times in our lives and, face it, the process is dauntingly complex. As with any complex field, real estate has developed its own technical vocabulary. Fortunately, this book is written in plain English, and makes few assumptions about its readers.

That being the case, it is an invaluable resource to potential home buyers, *especially* if the buyer is looking in the author's home state of Colorado.

The reader learns about the advantages of "buyer agents" and is walked step-by step, in plain English, through the maze involved in finding and purchasing just the right home. Numerous anecdotal "horror stories" illustrate the potential pitfalls in the buying process.

I know *I* will be able to make better decisions on my next house purchase after having read this book.

Saburo Sugiyama, who has participated in many of the key excavations in Teotihuacan, explore the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, in so far as this Pyramid (and human sacrifices associated) is an evidence of State Ideology and rising militarism of a superpower in Mesoamérica between 200-650 AD.
Excellent archaeological book!

Teotihuacan is an amazing mystery. At its peak, it was the 6th largest city in the entire world and exerted at least partial control over key Maya cities up to 600 miles away. Yet it did so with stone age technology, no written language, no beasts of burden, and not even the wheel. And because of the lack of written records, it's very difficult for us today to understand how any of this was possible in general terms, let alone know the details of its civilization and administration.

This book is an attempt to throw some light on these enigmas. It was written by one of the recognized experts on the site, who has participated in many of the key excavations there, and is based on what is known as of the present. The main discussion is a detailing of the massive (200-odd) victim human sacrifice that was part of the ground-breaking ceremony of the Feathered Serpent Pyramid, one of the 3 major buildings of Teotihuacan, and its implications for the government of the city.

This book is definitely not light reading. It's written in a clear yet rather technical manner, so those who aren't familiar with scientific writing might find it rather heavy going, although still informative. For those with a real interest in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican history, however, it's a very useful and fascinating book. However, there's no way around the disturbing nature of its subject matter, although the book doesn't dwell or even speculate on the gory details. It just tries to explain what the quantity and arrangement of bodies and artifacts means for our understanding of life and government in Teotihuacan.

I went to grade school with the gal who commited this horrendous crime and while I was deeply upset by her actions, I was glad to be able to read about what happened.

This is one of the better true-crime books I've read. What a horrific crime! What a disturbed person! One almost feels sorry for Darci, yet her gruesome crime is unforgivable. This book was well researched and very well written. I found myself neglecting everything around me until I finished this book; I simply couldn't put it down!

In the modern age, traveling from Iowa to California is nothing. But in 1849, it was deadly and treacherous journey. "I Have Seen the Fire" is a splice of reality and fiction, following Sarah Royce (a woman who truly existed) in a work of historical fiction. Telling of her family's journey west, "I Have Seen the Fire" is an eye-opening look at the harsh journey and trials people undertook for a chance at a better life. Highly recommended for community library historical fiction collections.

I was enchanted by this book and had to force myself to put it down so i would have some left to read tomorrow. Knowing that the author is a noted historian, you might expect this book to be a history lesson of sorts and it's true that the details of life on the trail heading west and in the mining camps are colorful and engaging. But mostly this is a deeply personal story written from inside the mind of a righteous, brave and interestingly optimistic woman who feels more deeply and passionately than she may even admit to herself. Hine writes a woman's voice so well you feel like you know Sarah Royce, a woman who loves her home and yet travels constantly, who sees God and yet is haunted by her own failings in not saving a friend from a fire as a child, who supports her husband and yet has a very special relationship with a man with clear, blue eyes. Maybe like me you won't want this short little book to end, but when it does that ending will make you catch your breath!

What can I say that hasn't already been said about this AMAZINGLY produced book?

If you have a heart go out and buy a copy of this book. It will change your perspective about life. Also, it makes you realize that more humanitarians are needed in this world.

Mia Kirshner writes from the heart about her experiences to these four places in need of humanitarian efforts.
Dont forget to help out her organization, I Live Here, by making a donation.

Remember that WE are all humans and everyone of us will need help from someone else one day. Give a helping hand today in order to make the difference TOMORROW!

This book is really a series of four smaller books inside a unique packaging. Each book illuminates the lives, often horrendous, of people in Ingushetia, Ciudad Juarez, Burma, and Malawi. Each book has a slightly different approach to the subject matter, using Mia Kirshner's journals and interviews, graphic novel techniques and photographs from her collaborators. There is nothing lightweight in here. If Mia Kirshner's career as an actress lead me to this book, she totally downplays any glamour and sticks totally to the subject at hand. I applaud all those involved for their courage and insights

I'm an adult, but I found this book very helpful in the study about the Aztecs. The illustrations really help to bring the period to life. It covers some mature topics though, like human sacrifice that I hope won't disturb kids reading this book. A great overview about the conquest of Mexico.

Tanaka attempts to portray Cortez's invasion of Mexico from the persective of the Aztecs. Illustrations are vivid and there is lots of information and food for discussion in these pages. Minor discrepancies exist, but overall an excellent book to help balance the Western view of history.

John Nichols's short, prescient essays and Bill Davis's photographs constitute a classic memoir of a place. The book describes a small Hispanic and Native American agricultural community forced to modernize by big business and a group of hippies.

Nichols moved to Taos in 1969, after an "eye-opening and life-changing trip" to Guatemala, which gave him a perspective on the disparity of wealth and poverty. He found a similar battle in Taos with Taos farmers fighting against the construction of a dam.

Davis came from Georgia almost 40 years ago; he arrived in Taos on Christmas Eve: "The mystery so captivated my heart and soul that in the years since I have had little cause to leave the village of Taos and its surrounding countryside."

Nichols lived (and still lives) in a three-room adobe, drove an ancient Dodge pickup, and worked "the graveyard shift", writing every night from about 10 pm until dawn. "And I love this wounded valley for precisely the same reasons that I often hate it: It is one of the few places that I have ever been that I have truly taken personally."

Nichols went on to write a trilogy of novels, essential to understand the conflicts between this indigenous society and "progress": The Milagro Beanfield War: A Novel, The Magic Journey: A Novel and The Nirvana Blues: A Novel.

Nichols's essays in If Mountains Die deal with the difficulties and joys of living in an adobe building, the joy of trout fishing, and the challenges of maintaining the irrigation system. His most moving passages deal with his neighbors and their efforts to maintain their way of life.

Davis contributed sixty-five color photographs that capture the mountains, mesas, forests, deserts, rivers and farmland in several seasons. People rarely appear in the photographs; the scenery predominates; but the impact of humanity is always in evidence.

Together, Nichols and Davis have created a extraordinary memoir of a wonderful place.

Robert C. Ross 2008

New Mexico, and the Taos area in particular, has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. John Nichols captures this beauty perfectly in his first of the Taos series, "If Mountains Should Die." Accompanied by heart-grabbing photographs, this book describes his first few years in Taos as a transplanted East-Coaster. Nichols not only captures the raw beauty of the land, but also the people that occupy it. Along with this, he describes the disturbing and continous struggle to keep it alive and free from suburbanization. His personal and touching accounts of his own struggle with the place and the people bring it alive in unexpected ways. There is also plenty of respect here, along with a deep anger for what is being done to the land, the people, and the unique way of life found in Taos Valley. As this is a very special place in my heart, I found it easy to cry and laugh along with him.

I have not yet read this book, I have only just ordered it, but I am so excited to read it because currently I am the coordinator of the Hollenback Community Garden in Brooklyn New York. Our garden is on the former site of the Hollenback Mansion where Amelia grew up, which burned down in 1979.

Compiled, edited and Annotated by Mary J. Straw Cook, Immortal Summer: A Victorian Woman's Travels In The Southwest is a collection of letters and black-and-white photographs by Amelia Hollenback, a Victorian woman who had the opportunity to see 1897 America with her own eyes. With extensive contextual annotation, Immortal Summer is a vivid, superbly organized and presented primary source which takes in what American life, land and people were really like more than a century ago. One curious note: Author and historian Mary Cook lives in Santa Fe in the very house that Amelia Hollenback commissioned John Gaw Meem to build in 1932!

We came across this book at the local library and loved it because it incorporated some Spanish words within the stories! My daughter looks for it everytime we go to the library! She loves it and loves to practice filling in the Spanish word when we read the story together... she is only 3 right now! I highly recommend this book for some great short stories with an introduction to bilingualism!

These three simple stories are beautifully written glimpses into the day to day life of a little Mexican girl named Rosa. Magical things happen in her world and the paintings that accompany the text bring that magic to life and give it texture. Oh sure, the book teaches about responsibility and sharing, the importance of helping others and telling the truth, but it doesn't preach. It is a lovely book that my 3 year old never tires of. As a bonus, there are about 20 simple spanish words to enhance the experience. A first-rate keeper and a first-rate gift!

Chaco Canyon is in the middle of nowhere, a unexceptional canyon in the New Mexico desert where nobody in his right mind would try to make a living. All the more amazing is that this barren place was the center of the Anasazi civilization. The Great House of Pueblo Bonito is the largest pre-historic building north of Mexico, counting 800 rooms and constructed about 1,000 years ago.

Chaco is mysterious and this book of seventeen essays by authorities in several fields explores those mysteries. One is given the point of view of the scholars as well as representatives of the Pueblo, Hopi, and the Navajo Indians. Good charts, maps, and photos, some in color, support the text. Perhaps the most interesting of all the mysteries is how the Anasazi fed themselves in this unpromising environment and a brief sidebar talks about Chaco agriculture -- although not enough.

The most interesting essay in the book is titled "The Chaco Navajos" and is about the coming of the Navajos, the Spaniards, and the Anglos to Chaco Canyon long after the Anasazi had disappeared. Included is a brief account of pioneer archaeologist, Richard Wetherill, killed in a gunfight with a Navajo in 1910. "Richard Wetherill Anasazi" by Frank McNitt is a fine biography of Wetherill, a character worthy of legend.

"In Search of Chaco" is an attractive, up-to-date look at current theories and thinking about Chaco. One suspects there's a lot more to learn. One quibble: I despise the politically correct term "Ancestral Pueblo" used by the scholars for the people who built Chaco. The old and romantic name, "Anasazi," is far preferable.

Smallchief

Chaco Canyon is in the middle of nowhere, a unexceptional canyon in the New Mexico desert where nobody in his right mind would try to make a living. All the more amazing is that this barren place was the center of the Anasazi civilization. The Great House of Pueblo Bonito is the largest pre-historic building north of Mexico, counting 800 rooms and constructed about 1,000 years ago.

Chaco is mysterious and this book of seventeen essays by authorities in several fields explores those mysteries. One is given the point of view of the scholars as well as representatives of the Pueblo, Hopi, and the Navajo Indians. Good charts, maps, and photos, some in color, support the text. Perhaps the most interesting of all the mysteries is how the Anasazi fed themselves in this unpromising environment and a brief sidebar talks about Chaco agriculture -- although not enough.

The most interesting essay in the book is titled "The Chaco Navajos" and is about the coming of the Navajos, the Spaniards, and the Anglos to Chaco Canyon long after the Anasazi had disappeared. Included is a brief account of pioneer archaeologist, Richard Wetherill, killed in a gunfight with a Navajo in 1910. "Richard Wetherill Anasazi" by Frank McNitt is a fine biography of Wetherill, a character worthy of legend.

"In Search of Chaco" is an attractive, up-to-date look at current theories and thinking about Chaco. One suspects there's a lot more to learn. One quibble: I despise the politically correct term "Ancestral Pueblo" used by the scholars for the people who built Chaco. The old and romantic name, "Anasazi," is far preferable.

Smallchief