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.

In Iguana Killer there are several stories of young boys and the growing up they have to do usually without too much financial security and the constant challenges that they meet in a bilingual as well as a bi-cultural setting. Rios has a gift for interpreting what goes on in young boys minds, and the stories themselves make for very good reading.

This is a great book, and Carmen Lomas Garza is a great artist. Everything is so detailed, and she tells you exactly who's who. All her pictures are real memories. There is something going on in every corner

Russell Freedman's, "In the Days of the Vaqueros" was written for young adults and in this endeavor it suceeds. It is a 70 page hard back book with numerous high quality paintings, sketches and photographs. He tells the story of the Vaqueros from the arrival of the Spanish in Mexico up to modern days. When I purchased the book, I was hoping to find a book written for adults. Yet, I was not dissapointed. The book's production values are very high and I really enjoyed the art work.

This book shares the light, color, and poetry of Mexico with its readers. The photographer's passion for his subjects comes through with every photo. It is also an interesting view into the unique Mexican history of fiestas; the context of the traditions within daily life is very intriguing. I would highly recommend this book to those interested in either Mexico or color photography. It is a beautiful and sensitive work.

This is a wonderful book of photographs of the flora, fauna, people and places that make these parts of Central America some of the most beautiful places on earth. From the smallest of the Mayan children to the massive volcanic mountains and the magnificent scenery of Lake Atitlan - you will want to visit them through these photos again and again

Castañeda's study goes well beyond the common anthropological focus on the "impact" of tourism on Mayan communities, instead focusing on the complicated, historical relationships between Maya actors, anthropologists, and tourists at the well know archaeological site of Chichén Itzá, and the nearby - but not so well known - Maya community of Pisté. Castañeda's study weaves together the history of anthropology in Yucatan (with a particular focus on the works of Redfield and Steggarda), tourism (including a fascinating analysis of New Age spiritualists and Aztec revivalists during the equinox at Chichén Itzá), and local Maya actors (through an analysis of their engagement with anthropologists, tourists, and the Mexican state).

I had the benefit of taking some of Dr. Reck's anthropology courses and reading this book. From what he tells me, there were many who were reluctant to call it anthropology at the time it was written because it was written as a story rather than a positivist ethnography written with a "voice from nowhere." One might criticize the book for not going far enough and demonstrating reflexivity by including himself within the text, but this is a minor point. This book conveys something about the culture in a readable way, which is the essence of a good ethnography in my opinion.

What a find. This is a small book, but I think anyone who makes pots would value it for life. The author, Toni, outlines the entire, traditional process of making Pueblo pottery. And I mean, she starts with collecting the clay and adding grog and goes all the way through the wood-buring, smoke firing process that produces those wonderful black, burnished pots!

She takes you through the process to create just ONE black pot, which turns out to be a prize-winner! There are lots of pictures throughout that show the pot during various stages and the text gives pretty detailed information on the process. She does leave out some things, maybe assuming the reader already knows them, but you could probably create your own Pueblo pot using this book.

I found the description of burnishing using slip to be most valuable, as well as the firing process, which I'd never seen before.

I highly recommend this to potters, especially handbuilders who use the coil method to build pots.

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