Mexico Books

Thomas J. Steele's New Mexican Spanish Religious Oratory 1800-1900 is a well-researched collection of orations and sermons delivered to the devout parishioners of various parishes and congregations in colonial and territorial New Mexico. He begans his work with a rich sermon delivered on Good Friday by Mexican-born Manuel Antonio Garcia del Valle, a Franciscan priest then assigned to Nambe Pueblo. While Steele disects the form and structure of the sermon, he inherently reveals something of the academic or intellectual strength also found in Nuevo Mexico in the early 1800's. Essentially, while the Church and general populace of Nuevo Mexico are frequently described as lacking in organization, learnedness, and culture in that era, Steele produces evidence of all of these elements.

Steele then provides three orations of the infamous Padre Antonio Jose Martinez. Here, the reader is exposed to . . . something of the substance of the man. In reviewing his sermons, one begins to know more personally a young Padre Martinez --who was cordial to non-Catholic Clergymen, who early-on embraced the leadership of his eventual nemesis (Bishop Lamy), and who cherished the notion of America's liberty for all men.

Other sermons and teaching by Joseph P. Machebeuf, Lamy himself, and other Presbyterian and Methodist figureheads are then provided. Again, the sermons are but the first view at what Steele undoubtably intends, --to give meaning and context to our view of an earlier era in New Mexico, to personalize the participants, --both orators and parishioners, for the reader.

In summary, the content of Steele's work is a fine and authentic example of Christianity as it was delivered to Nuevo Mexicanos in the 1800-1900's. Just as important, he critiques his orators every step of the way, permitting us not only to see their writing and hear their sermons, --but to come to know the values of the man, the orator, and his intentions for his listeners.

This book is a "must" for any serious student of New Mexico history.

The Jesuit Father Thomas Steele brilliantly informs our knowledge of Church History in a broad sense as well as closely in the colonial New Mexico period, beginning with the early Franciscan friars and proceeding through the Protestant incursions.

Thus we find published here primary documents in the handwritten copies of sermons from 1800 (although perhaps earlier) up to 1900, ably translated by the learned Reverend Father Steele from the archaic Spanish into modern English. He apologizes for his mehodology in his introduction, admitting that in order to relay the spirit and personality of the sermonizer to the modern reader, he performed in some instances a hermeneutic rather than a strictly literal translation which would have relayed to us less of the sense of the original oratory now so alien to our thought.

In fact, the title in itself might stun some modern readers. Oratory here is not some post-Renaissance form of European quasi-liturgical music, nor is it a place in which to pray (as if prayer depends on location). Rather the titular sense of the term oratory reflects the original sense of the Latin word, coming from the word to pray (as in Ora et Labora, or Ora pro nobis), with also the sense as in the title of the historical work Frederick Douglass: Oratory from Slavery (Great American Orators). Oratory thus is a formal public speech, often in Church, but later in academic or political pleadings.

Here we have translated in this bilingual edition the public oratory of a series of clergy preaching in New Mexican territory, in the period well before becoming a United State of America, and reaching in fact into the Spanish colonial period. As mentioned above, the Reverend Father Steele not only translates very effectively these texts, but has also transcribed them from very difficult, idiosyncratic and archaic handwritten sources barely preserved under often unfavorable conditions. Herein we find Father Steele's transcription of the original upon the facing page of his translation, and thus are invited in his introduction to supplement his translation with reference to the original as well as to his copious footnotes.

Indeed Father Steele's footnotes, ample introductions to each writer, including historical setting, and lengthy general introduction, which make up the bulk of the text are in themselves scholarly wonders. Not only is Father Steele an excellent transcriptionist and translator, but also a keenly insightful and comprehensive historian, as well as an engaging and lively writer himself.

I had never before considered the apocalyptic vision of the early Fransciscan friars, who found the eschatological reality in this New World, this New Creation, this New Heaven and New Earth, and especially within the New Adam and the New Eve inhabiting this New World. Thus the Franciscans at least of this area approached the indigenous peoples with a much differnet attitude and theology than the later colonialist and monarchical impositions of the Tridentine diocesan hierarchy. We observe this phenomenon up to our present time, in which great Catholic Theologians such as Friar Leonardo Boff expresses our Faith from the perspective of the poor, and for this was briefly silenced (for example see his excellent commentary and study of the Lord's Prayer: The Prayer of Integral Liberation.

Thus this chronicle begins with sermons from the Franciscans of the Northern Territory in a pair of sermons, accompanied by the lengthy and academic and well written introduction by Father Steele. Among other clergy, Father Steele includes sermons from the French clergy who served this New Mexican territory, copying and translating their Spanish sermons in what few documents remain from them. After other Catholic clergy, Father Steele concludes with his translations of sermons by Presbyterian and Methodist preachers, inclduing his study of their provenance and theologies.

Throughout Father Steele not only serves as excellent historian but also astute theologian. This beautifully bound book well fills a gaping need in any library of ecclesiology and in itself serves as compelling reading as presented and performed by the brliiant and Reverend Father Steele.

Congratulation! An exceptionally well written problem-solving book and the price is good for a teacher and a student to discover the beauty of math from a competitive perspective.

A gentle and nice introduction to math contest problems. The problems are beautifully posed and many are unusual. Most are not as hard as Titu Andreescu's problems but serve as excellent prelude to them.

New Mexico Treasure Tales by W. C. Jameson is a small treasure within itself.
This is the type of book you could easily read within a couple of hours of straight reading, but...not the type; you would want to. This is a fun book, a book filled with an array of lost-treasure stories that manipulate and tease the imagination. Based on all true events, the author gives the reader just enough of the alleged story lines to let them know that there were real people involved in the loosing of these very real treasures. Like the Sirens' calling to Ulysses, the reader is drawn deeper into the enchanted lands of New Mexico.

Unlike the more serious focused treasure hunting books such as: "What Men Call Treasure: The Search for Gold at Victorio Peak" by David Schweidel and Robert Boswell, or the classic Atocha find by Mel Fisher, this book still allows the reader to dream without sinking into the quicksand of financial ruin, State and Federal tax responsibilities, or... becoming choked to death by legal law-suits if, one were "lucky" enough to find a treasure.

New Mexico Treasure Tales lets the reader keep that small portion of an "Indiana Jones" persona and still continue to go about the drudgeries of everyday life.

This is the type of book you should take with you along to the doctor's office, a business trip, a vacation, or....to keep by your bedside. Where ever you may go, this is a nice little companion to carry along.

Enjoy this read!!

This books makes you feel like you can go and find the treasure yourself. It is a book of stories of treasures in New Mexico. It is a fascinating read with enough detail to keep it interesting anad yet not too much detail that you get bogged down while reading it. Each chapter is a short story or a short essay about one treasure. This is a good book to use for ideas of exploring underexplored areas of New Mexico. It is an enjoyable read.

This is a nice quick read for an adult, and if you've got a child who has nightmares easily, I suggest you quickly read it before turning it over to him or her. It's not particularly scary, but easily scared kids will disagree with me!

As far as Carole's concerned, nothing is as it should be - they are far from their "real" home, the one they'd shared with her father before the divorce, and they are moving in with Uncle Jake, but Uncle Jake is missing. From the moment they arrive, Carole finds the house a little spooky. The house has nothing on Perky Patty.

Perky Patty is a lifesized doll that resembles the daughter Jake lost years ago, the daughter who grew up with Carole's mother and after whom Carole was named. She also bears a striking and disturbing resemblance to Carole! Perky Patty begins to walk and talk on her own but will only talk to Carole. Is this real? Or is it Carole's mis-placed sorrow over her parents' divorce and the loss of her lifelong home? And what, if anything, does the doll have to do with Uncle Jake being missing?

Hello all. I just wanted to let the reader know that I am the girl on the cover of this book. When I was younger I usually chose a book by its cover...now that I'm older I realize that it is not its cover that should intrest you but possibly the short excerpt on the back cover that should grab your attention and make you want to read it. Now basically what I'm saying is that even though I'm on the cover that did not initially want to make me read the book it was what was on the back cover that had interested me so much to do so. The book was very enjoyable and easy to follow I would reccommend it to any child to read...and not just because I want to show myself off.

Covering the history of cattle ranching from before Columbus to the present day; it allows you to see how each step of the process evolved from the situation before. Discusses the contributions from the Spanish and English emigrants, and the African slaves. Reviews which breeds were used where,how they did, and why. The economics of success and failure of the different regions. Clear and easy reading for those with only a passive interest and enough tables and references and footnotes for a college paper.

The book is excellent; takes a complex look at how ranching developed in North America and replaces many myths with facts. A cultural geographer, Jordan is a consummate researcher and explores the way cattle (and people) moved into North America, and how it shaped settlement. If you are like me, and bristle when reading Walter Prescott Webb, because you just KNOW it's not really like that--this book explains what really happened, as cattle and people moved onto the Plains. He provides lots of valuable bibliographic sources, too.

Anna Sandoval has come to the small town of Nazareth, New Mexico with her own agenda. She is a reporter from D C but she has a secret tie to this town. Feeling safe in her ananimoity she is investigateing the death, of the Call family. A triple murder that happened twelve years ago. At least a double murder, the mother was never found. A suspect was arrested and he committed suicide in the local jail. However, Anna knows more than she is telling and she knows that he was not the murder.

Deacon Call is a bad boy cop with burn out. HE is also the only surivor of the CAll family, he was not at home when the murders happened. Deke has returned home to try to find his way out of the misery and pain from his last undercover operation. He must find his way out of the bottle and back into a life he isnt sure he wants. When he finds out Anna is questioning others about the murder he is incensed. Then another murder exactly like the one that took his family happens in the same house.

Maybe he doesn't want to live anymore but he can't go until he has resolved the freak murders, in case they are connected to his family. Anna and Deke are finally forced by the deep attraction between them to join forces. Deke's Uncle is being attacked in the dark of night and now he has been shot. What is going on?

Absolutely great, had me from the first page and took me on a long ride. I hated for it to end. Wish there were more authors out there who can give me such a great treat. I loved it.

This was a really great book.

Twelve years ago in Nazareth, New Mexico a family was brutally slain. The only survivor was one son, Deke Call. And at the same time Deke's mother went missing.
The man that was arrested for the murder was a drifter and he killed hisself in his cell.
After 12 years, Deke Call comes home to find answers to the murders and what happened to his Mother.
Also there is a new woman in town, Anna Sandoval. She is writing a book about the call murders.
Anna and Deke are attracted to each other, but they both have secrets from their past that could distroy and kind of relationship.
Someone is shooting and messing with Deke's Uncles's ranch. And someone is trying to kill or scare Anna off.
Then the unspeakable happens again in the house that Deke grew up on. The Father and son of the family are killed and the wife is missing.
Coincidence? Or is the real killer back?

This book was so fast paced that it was hard to put it down. Even though I figured out the killer early in the book, the ending was still good.

Reviews of JOHN F. MOFFTTT and SANTIAGO SEBASTIAN: O Brave New People: The European Invention of the American Indian. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996.

Published review, in Latin-American Indian Literatures Journal: "The book merits wide circulation. The impressive scholarship embraces both pictorial and written sources, and the lengthy quotations in English translation from the early explorers and chroniclers are helpful."

Another published review by DANIEL K. RICHTER (Dickinson College), in American Historical Review, December 1998.

This book by John F. Moffitt and Santiago Sebastián appears, at first glance, to be a blast from the historiographical past. Readers of such standard works as Robert Berkhofer, Jr.'s The White Man's Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present (1979) and Olive Patricia Dickason's The Myth of the Savage and the Beginnings of French Colonialism in the Americas (1984) will find much that is familiar. Early modern Europeans invented perniciously enduring stereotypes about Indians, images rooted almost entirely in their own fantasies and fears rather than in empirical data. Those familiar with such more recent, theoretically sophisticated studies as Stephen Greenblatt's Marvelous Possessions: The Wonder of the New World (1991), Anthony Pagden's European Encounters with the New World: From Renaissance to Romanticism (1992), or Gordon M. Sayre's Les Sauvages Américains: Representations of Native Americans in French and English Colonial Literature (1997) will be disappointed in a book that openly disavows "the imposition of the kind of theoretical constructs that so bedevil current, postmodernist academic writing" (p. 3). Nonetheless, this product of a long collaboration between Moffitt and the late Sebastián has at least three great strengths. First, as art historians, the authors bring to visual materials an attention to detail seldom available to more text-oriented scholars. Second, as specialists in Renaissance art, they take medieval and classical influences on those materials seriously as systems of belief rather than mere artistic conventions. These first two strengths especially come together in their analysis of the meaning of the term India to fifteenth-century Europeans. When Christopher Columbus reported that he had found "Paradise-on-Earth" on "the Indian Islands, Located Beyond the Ganges River, Which Have Just Been Newly Rediscovered," Moffitt and Sebastián argue, he was not merely compounding a geographic error with rhetorical exaggeration. Instead, "as employed by Columbus, the term precisely meant a specific place described in the Book of Genesis as having been initially inhabited by Adam and Eve," a place Columbus and contemporary artists and map-makers sincerely believed still existed at the extreme tip of the Indian subcontinent (p. 16). This framework of ideas about an Indian Eden provides a compelling context for the many descriptions of "Indians" as pre- or post-lapsarian inhabitants of an early paradise. It also helps to explain why explorers, map-makers, and illustrators peopled the Americas with every lurid humanoid type found in the pages of The Travels of Sir John Mandeville (13561357) and other Indian subcontinent travel fantasies. The third strength of Moffitt and Sebastián is their effort to reconstruct the ways in which early modern viewers actually experienced images of alleged Native Americans. They are particularly effective in contextualizing dozens of woodcut and copperplate illustrations that previous historians have considered in isolation from the books in which they first appeared. When placed against the texts-and in light of the fact that European illustrators nearly always worked solely from written descriptions rather than illustrations from life-it becomes clear that the visual images were entirely products of European imaginations rather than American experience. Illustrators appear to have made almost no attempt to render details about Native American appearance and behavior contained in explorers's written accounts with any accuracy. Instead, they reproduced stock images of "savages," "wild men," "Amazons," and "cannibals" familiar from books written well before 1492. Few publications went as far as a 1554 edition of Francisco López de Gómara's Historia General de las Indias y Nuevo Mundo mas la conquista del Peru y de Mexico that recycled a set of illustrations originally drawn for a 1520 edition of Livy's history of Rome. Yet most had little more relevance to the subjects they purported to illustrate. The same disconnection from American reality apparent in negative stereotypes also applied in more positive, and presumably accurate, contexts. The famous illustrations of Theodore de Bry-most of which took as their originals the watercolors that Englishman John White painted at Roanoke in 1585-were, Moffitt and Sebastián argue, part of a concerted effort by Philip lI's Dutch Protestant opponents to promulgate the "Black Legend" of Spanish cruelty to Native Americans. In this politicized context, de Bry's images, far from attempting to convey accurate information about Native Americans, added to "the Noble and Ignoble Indian tropes" a new, third stereotype: "the figure of the 'doomed Indian'" (p. 303).

Abstract: in Historian; a Journal of History, Winter 1998, Colin G. Calloway reviews "O Brave New People: The European Invention of the American Indian" by John F. Moffitt and Santiago Sebastian. Full Text: 0 Brave New People: The European Invention of the American Indian. By John F. Moffitt and Santiago (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996. Pp. xiv, 399. $55.0.) The authors of this book, both art historians, take a rather well-worn subject but examine it from a different perspective and with more attention to detail than have other studies of the images of Indians that were generated by the Columbian encounter and subsequent contacts. That Columbus mistakenly called the native inhabitants of the Americas "Indians" will come as no surprise to anyone. That Europeans created stereotypes of Indian people out of their own preconceptions, on the basis of limited contacts, and for their own purposes, will come as no surprise to readers who are familiar with the work of Roy Harvey Pearce, Robert F. Berkhofer Jr., Olive Dickason, and others. John Moffitt and Santiago Sebastian go beyond previous studies and, in a close critical reading of pre-colonial art and literature, they search out the origins of the baggage of imagery, attitudes, and assumptions that Europeans brought to their encounters with Native Americans. Focusing primarily on Spanish contacts with native peoples in the Caribbean and, to a lesser extent, South America, Moffitt and Sebastian show how Renaissance-era Europeans not only evaluated Indians "according to certain culturally enshrined patterns that seemed most natural or logical to them," but actually reinvented them (p. 4). The authors explain how the scriptural precedent of the Edenic earthly paradise and the equally ancient concept of the noble savage influenced European perceptions and inventions of the "New World" and its people. Moffitt and Sebastian assess the influence of classical models, medieval literary conventions, and previous encounters with other non-European peoples, and they critically analyze depictions of imagined Indians in Renaissance graphic art. Examining how the Indian Eden, which was created by European imagination, was destroyed by European conquest, the authors dissect the "Black Legend" of Spanish atrocities that was established by Bartolomé de Las Casas and perpetuated by Protestant writers and printers. They show how this legend affected the evolving European image of Native Americans and how it continues to distort understanding of Spain's role in the colonization of America, but they perhaps dismiss it too easily as "largely without foundation" (290). Laden with literary and artistic allusions and block quotations, O Brave New People is written in a formal, scholarly--and, as the authors acknowledge, "often rhetorical"--style that will lose some of the readers for whom it is intended (336). Some others will be turned off as they quickly realize that the book has little to do with historical Indian people. It is a detailed examination of the origins and development of the mind-set of a particular group of Renaissance Europeans. Unfortunately, that mind-set has had an enduring legacy. Colin G. Calloway (Dartmouth)

I purchased this book for a ten year old girl who is facinated with Oaxaca as I also am. I also purchased one for myself, it is a beautiful book and something wonderful to share with others. The illustrations are beautiful and very colorful, it depicts Oaxaca and their people as they truly are.

Oaxaca: The Spirit Of Mexico is a heady, joyous celebration of Mexican life and culture. A vivid, coffee-table extravaganza packed cover to cover with gorgeous, full-color photographs taken by Judith Cooper Haden are embellished with insightful text commentary by Matthew Jaffe. Highly recommended reading for the armchair traveler, Oaxaca is a wondrous book brimming with festive spirit and a deep connection to Mexico's rich past and exciting future.

This book is several books in one. In addition to his varied personal experiences on the road, it includes some well researched history of the countries he visits, both ancient and contemporary. He talks about the big people in history, like Cortes, Clinton, Subcomandante Marcos, Leon Trotsky, Frida Kahlo and Manuel Noriega. He then gives equal attention to the little people he meets along the way, like the Mexican museum curator whose family had been guarding an ancient relic for several generations. He even travels to Paul Gauguin's house with a Playboy Bunny he met in a youth hostel. But he also engrosses the reader with his thoughts about his personal life, most interestingly, his romance with a Nicaraguan girl. Hurricane Mitch, which strikes when he is Guatemala and devastates the region, adds a sinister backdrop to his odd holiday, but in the end he achieves his goals despite numerous setbacks. It is a little bit like a collection of short stories, since it is written in diary form, so each day represents a new thought, and a new mini adventure. The stories about the crocodile and the monkey I almost wouldn't have believed except that he included photos in the book. I especially liked his description of his climbing of the volcano... and was left feeling it is much more enjoyable - and safer - to read his description of it than to attempt such a feat in real life.

Some years past, a colleague suggested a year of travel instead of my intended return to school. It took thirty years to fulfill that suggestion. David Short didn't require any more prompting than a dull, dirty and dangerous job. His destination, prompted by a world-traveling grandfather, became Central America, specifically, the Panama Canal. The journey lasted just short of six months and resulted in this account of his adventures. A spirited read, An Odd Odyssey should inspire anyone of nearly any age to pull up stakes at least once in a lifetime and venture somewhere distant. Short's account shows how richly rewarding travel can be to those willing to make the effort.

There are two kinds of travel books - the "guidebook" with sights, prices, accommodation ideally suited for those seeking comfort instead of adventure. Glossy photos, usually portraying conditions found on movie sets, detailed maps, prices listed. The other type is the personal journal, which, properly done, imparts a far better sense of "being there" than does the guidebook. Short's chronicle is the second type, a vivid sharing of his thoughts, experiences, disasters, even love. The means of travel was by bus. Just finding one was fraught with hazards - timing, crowding or even just running. Once boarded, there was the issue of finding the proper seat: "Sit in the rear. Bandits will shoot through the front window." On a limited budget the "guidebook" hotels were out of the question for Short. Many havens he found for a night's rest became adventures in their own right. Weather, ever a primary topic for travellers, added its own quirks - a major Caribbean hurricane being the most spectacular.

These minor discomforts aside, Short's recital of his travels points up the many benefits of journeying solo. One of these is that you don't remain alone for long. Not every acquaintance is a welcome companion, but none are dull. They bring their lives into his view, and to ours. Short meets former convicts, travellers from Europe, Canada and Australia. Not limiting himself to fellow "gringos" he deals well with the local residents. Although a few are not as friendly as he - he's robbed twice and has the usual tangles with bureaucrats, cheating taxi drivers and sullen hoteliers. Still, he maintains his equanimity, exhibiting strength in adverse circumstances. In this modern age he can turn to internet cafes, at one point spending more on email and 'net surfing than on accommodation and food.

Short is a learner, eager to know the current and historical conditions of the lands he visits. Teotihuacan, Tikal and the world's largest stone sphere. His account leads you along with him in fine descriptive prose. He shares his learning without becoming pedantic or opinionated. His judgments result of thoughtful assessment and it's easy to agree with them. The book becomes not only the tale of his journey, but a guidebook without gloss or sham. By the end of it, we envy his adventures and his ability to relate them. It's hard not to embark on a similar jaunt with the aim of duplicating his effort for your chosen locale.

Queridos Leectores:

Este libro expone el caso sobre la corrupción que existe en el sistema bancario estadounidense, enfocándose en Citibank, y sobre los casos de IBM-Banco Nacion de Argentina, capos de la droga, y depósitos de provenencia dudosa de funcionarios públicos de varios paises. Les recomiendo esta leectura.

Todo intento - tal como este buen trabajo de investigacion - de desenmascarar la corrupcion de grandes corporaciones y la de funcionarios de gobiernos, merece ser bien recibido y difundido.