I know of no better guide book to Oaxaca: not the Moon Mexico Guide, not the Lonely Planet guide. This book is simply the best book on Oaxaca in English. The problem with the other books is that Mexico is simply too big and rich: you can't fit the entire country in one volume without skimping on something great. That is where Oaxaca and Moon Handbooks' other regional publications come in. This book takes its time, reports on every single corner of the state, and tries to be as thorugh as possible. I only wish there were guidebooks as detailed and complete for Mexico's other states.

There are a few complaints I have though: there is no mention of Santiago Matatlan, the world's Mezcal capital, even though the town is full of Mezcal stores selling an amazing variety of local distills. Also, the road from Oaxaca to Salina Cruz is long and dreary, about 5 hours of driving... and the few small towns along the way often only offer very suspect dining and rest options. It would be nice if there were mention of a place or two where pitstops could be done. (Also the book makes no effort to identify where gas stations are located on Oaxaca's long and lonely highways) I ended up finding a good spot to eat in El Camaron, but not with the guidebook's help. Also, readers of the guidebook would think that there are only two ways to drive to Huatulco: via the Oaxaca-Pochutla highway or via the Oaxaca-Salina Cruz highway. There is no acknowledgement that the safest route from Mexico City to Huatulco actually circumvents the high and rugged Oaxaca mountains (Sierra Madre Sur) altogether, passing through flat Veracruz state before heading south across the equally flat Tehuantepec isthmus.

All in all, though, this is the very best source of info on Oaxaca state in English!

Even after 15 years of traveling to the region I learned many new things about the state and the city. A most thorough, complete and honest opinion of one of Mexico's most delightful and complicated regions; not only from a historical view point but also shopping, driving,and siteseeing the out of the way places. Makes me want to grab two months and a van and hit the road! The ONLY book you need to take with you...

D.H. Lawrence writes like a painter would write were he to. What is most real in the writings of Lawrence is the physical world, and of course the body. Mornings in Mexico is really a slight work but with a charm to it. There is a relating of facts (especially about Indian life and thought) that you would expect from a travel piece but the charm is in the kind of easy sauntering pace that the narrative keeps. That feeling that it is vacation time and there really is no hurry. The house he lives in for his stay in Mexico and the surrounding markets and open fields in which he walks and the balcony he stands on in the morning with parrot are all pleasantly described. It feels like a place you want to be. The way time away should feel. There is a slight mournful air to the fact that the Americans are beginning to spoil the place, it is as if the Americans have brought that intruder time itself into this timeless land. It's not so much the details you will remember as the overall feel of the work. And Lawrence himself. And here he seems at ease, searching as always but not desperately so, which is a nice Lawrence to spend time with.

Lawrence was a good traveller in these parts and he spent a lot of time carefully observing the Indians he met along the way. He was particularly interested in the ways of thought of the Indians and their religious beliefs and the ways their ideas differed from yours and mine. On simple concepts like time and distance, for example: "To an Indian, time is a vague, foggy reality. There are only three times: en la manana (morning); en la tarde (afternoon); en la noche (night). But to the white monkey (you and me) there are exact spots of time, such as five o'clock and half past three." The Indian's concept of God was different from ours. "With the Indians...there is strictly no god. The Indian does not consider himself as created and therefore external to God, or the creature of God. There is, in our sense of the word, no God. But all is godly. There is no great mind directing the universe. Yet the mystery of creation, the wonder and fascination of creation shimmers in every leaf and stone... There is no God looking on. The only God there is is involved all the time in the dramatic wonder and inconsistency of creation. God is immersed, as it were, in creation, not to be separated or distinguished. There can be no ideal God." Lawrence does a wonderful job of digging into this exotic culture and explaining to us the significance of Indian rituals and dances. I particularly liked one of his statements: "The Indian is completely immersed in the wonder of his own drama." There is also a lovely example of descriptive travel writing in "Market Day", a chapter that makes you slow down your reading pace to savor the beautiful descriptions of small things like a bird's flight or flowers in a doorway. I guess this is the difference between reading and information-processing, which we do so much of today.

I loved this book! I am 11 years old and what I liked about this book was how real the characters were. I started reading this book and couldn't stop! It was such a page turner! I also liked the mystery and suspence. I think everybody should read this book!

I was a captive audience in this wonderful mystery! The author cleverly guides her reader on a Mexican adventure through the eyes of a young girl as she discovers the truth about her amulet and the trials and tribulations of living in a mobile family. The story brought back a few memories for me of the feelings associated with moving to different schools. I recommend this book for anyone who loves a good mystery or wants to know what it's like to move many times.

This book is an autobiography of an American woman who came to Mexico on what she thought was going to be a brief assignment and ended marrying with a Mexican and staying in Mexico for the rest of her happy life. But the book is much more than this. It describes the clash between the very different cultures of Mexico and the USA which result, almost always, in hilarious situations.

Almost everything described happens in Monterrey, Mexico where she lived with her husband and eventually with her children, but as she mentions in the book, the extended family is extremely important in Mexico and she got to love and respect her "Mamacita" and "Papacito" (mother and father-in-law) as much, or maybe even more, than her own parents. "To Mamacita and Papacito I dedicate this book in loving memory."

The Treviño Borton family is, in my humble opinion, "every family of mankind, the archetypal family about whom all mankind is dreaming." (Quoting from a review of Finnegans Wake). As such, anyone may appreciate this book, but... for Regiomontanos (people from Monterrey) it means much more: it describes the inner workings of the social fabric in the city, it brings to life the infinite subtlety of their ways, it gives a microscopic historical view of the 1930's that you can hardly find anywhere else, it creates a deep longing for a beautiful past.

I, like Borton, married with Monterrey. Her husband was Luis Treviño. My wife is Olivia Treviño and through Borton I finally understood why "the Family" is of such overwhelming importance for my wife.

The interest that this book generated in me was so great that I decided to journey through Elizabeth's world... 70 years later.

I have built a web site where you can see how her house, her Mamacitas house, and many other places she mentions in the book look TODAY... 70 YEARS LATER. ...

Many things have changed during the years but writing from Monterrey I can say, as she once said, "I was then, as now, so safe, so happy, within that fortress - the family."

Reading this autobio, you can see why the author won a Newbery for "I, Juan de Pareja." Recently reprinted, I was given this book as a gift and was stunned by it

This short yet sweet accounting of the author's marriage and life in Mexico is a joy to read. It begins in long ago in California, when a young woman named Elizabeth Borton travels to Monterrey with a Mexican PR worker, a young man named Luis Trevino. A few months later, they are married, and a modern young woman from the US must get used to life in traditional Mexico, with all the joys and cultural rifts that includes. A delightful extended family and Elizabeth's excellent kids add to the cultural enjoyment over the course of the book.

In her colorful, sparkling prose, you are transported to the world of Mamacita and Papacita and Tia Rosa, of Robert's peculiar courtship of his girlfriend and the trials and tribulations of setting up house in a new country. How does Elizabeth adjust to the cultura!l changes, the passionate natures of the people around her, and the expectations of a Mexican wife and mother?

I was feeling depressed until I read this book, but it immediately perked me up. Read it and enjoy!

My Heart Lies South, by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño, is a book to laugh and cry with and to keep in your heart forever. Elizabeth Borton, a young American newspaperwoman, meets Luis Treviño during a business trip to Monterrey, Mexico in the early 1930's. This true story is about her marriage to Luis...and to his family. You will fall in love with Mamacita, Elizabeth's wise and funny mother-in-law, and with Papacito, her adorable father-in-law. The author has attained a deep understanding of Mexican family values--after having questioned them and learning to accept them, she has made them her own. Not only is the book truly entertaining--the kind of book to read aloud to your family and friends--it will provide you with insight into Mexican family life and into family values in general.

I first read this book as a child and it has remained one of my favorites. The author so vividly brings to life her story that I am transported back in time with her. I consider it a classic.

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..

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".

If I could have given this book a thousand stars, I would have. I would like to see more like this from Tracie.

After book one, the author fast forwards a few decades and introduces the adult children of the first book. It is done very well, with enough of the familiar to make the reader comfortable, enough new to keep interest and more than enough intrigue for me!

There are, again, four short books in one. The first, The Heart's Calling, is Pamela's story. She is a rebellious young woman who loves the shady Brady. Her parents attempt to stop this destined to fail romance and send her away to live with her grandmother. While there, sulking and hoping to run away, she is suddenly abducted, but not by the man she hopes has come for her. Threading the story back to book one, the reader immediately knows why the kidnapping happened and who it was intended to save. However, I am not sure who was the more surprised, the kidnapper or the victim!

Forever Yours follows, with 23 yr. old independent, stubborn Daughtry Lucas trying to escape the smothering she perceives she is getting from her father, Garrett. As a remedy, she secretly answers a mail order bride ad. She decides to suddenly run away to accomplish her "freedom" all the while having no idea that even as she is using Nicholas Dawson, he is using her as well! He is her ticket to freedom from her home and father, and he, himself has a less than open and fair agenda.

In number three, Angeline is chasing the cause of womens' right
to vote. She meets and follows a strong but deceptive Willa and an even more dastardly Douglas on the circuit for suffrage. She is very young, headstrong and stubborn but finds herself in grave danger and finally realizes the value of an old childhood friendship. But does she realize this just a bit too late?

The last story takes place a little later still - Come Away My Love. Joelle Dawson plans to marry the handsome pilot son of the local town doctor, Daniel Monroe. Howver, while they are engaged, John's horrible accident threatens their relationshop and redirects their lives. When John finds himself paralyzed, Joelle has some serious decisions to make. John tries to make her hate him for the less than whole man he has become. She, on the other hand makes his recovery her purpose in life. In the small Texas town of his rehab, a horrible, violent accident takes its toll on Joelle. This time, it's not only physical, it is mentally, emotionally and sexually destructive. How do these two young Christians in love survive the incredible odds of ever finding happiness? This last story was my favorite of them all. You will be surprised with the ending of this wonderful Tracie Peterson duo set in the young New Mexico wilderness.

This book made me want to get in my car and drive straight to New Mexico! Every page inspired me to visit yet another awesome, beautiful site. Not just the petroglyphs, but White Sands, and the Miraculous Tortilla Shrine! The descriptions of the sites and the fascinating historical tidbits kindled my desire to go New Mexico and see it all for myself. Not only am I motivated to travel to all these locations, I feel I'll approach them and even my home, with a renewed sense of reverence for the beauty all around me, after reading Nealson's inspired prose.

We all experience those dark nights of the soul. A sure cure is to follow author and photographer Christina Nealson on her pilgrimages to out of the way places in the state Georgia O'Keeffe called "the near faraway." As I accompanied Nealson on her spiritual journeys, I felt the strong, luminous presence of artists and writers like O'Keeffe and D.H. Lawrence. Nealson makes New Mexico seem "near" enough, but she never treats a sacred site in a way that robs it of its "faraway" feeling. She also shows a sure touch in her moving and respectful renderings of Hispanic religious and cultural practices. Well worth the trip!

This children's book is about a five-year-old Mexican girl and her first posada (a Christmas festival in Mexico) and her first Christmas piñata. Children have always loved the story and also have used the book to learn more about the culture and life of another country. "Nine Days to Christmas" is highly recommended. Aurora Labastida was the librarian for children's books in Mexico City and she cowrote this story with Marie Ets who was the illustrator. The book won the 1960 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a children's book.

As a child, this book open the world to me. Nine Days to Christmas lets children learn about and explore the traditions of Christmas in Mexico while capturing the thrill and confusion of early childhood. Thirty years after reading this book, I look forward to sharing the magic of Nine Days to Christmas with my own children.

It is important to note that rarely is the enthusiasm and devotion that goes into a work/project so clearly translated into a vibrant and engaging experience for the novice. A common pitfall is that the end product tends to struggle under its own weight and over-arching ambitions, whether the intentions are honest or not. This is not the case with "Oaxaca in the Heart of Mexico". Its author and those who contributed to its articulation at every stage of the creative and productive process have managed to not only show the multi-faceted aspect of Oaxaca, but also enliven the whole interactive experience using a whole array of devices which do not hinder but accentuate the affection and fondness with which the whole project has been encapsulated. It is this contagious tendency which leaves some traces of sub-conscious emotive residual on those who explore this CD-rom, and which will remain until evoked once again in the pysical context of Oaxaca itself. For that is where this touristic opus leads one in the end, and the location the author himself would like others to see for themselves. One could not ask for a better introduction than the one that Antonio Ruiz Zwollo and his team have presented here.

Of course I haven't been able to look at all that this CDrom contains, but I have enjoyed part of the music, part of the gallery of portraits, part of the maps from the Archives of India and almost part of everything.
It is technically excellent and full of information for everyone who wants to travel to Oaxaca or wants information about this wonderful part of Mexico.
Oliver Sacks with his Oaxaca Journal will enjoy going back through this CD.
Congratulations

Martin Ruiz Camino