Manuela is turning five. She lives in a small village near the capital city of Mexico. There, she is befriended by two American artists residing in the village. The artists are beguiled by the little girl and when Manuela's birthday arrives, they set out to make her a special doll that Manuela had seen in Mexico City. The doll is unlike anything she has ever seen. Accustomed to her ethnic dolls of Mexico, she is in wonder of the blond haired, blue eyed doll. The village children bring flowers to Manuela's house and her doting parents present her with a baby burro. The artists however, are in a quandry because they are unable to find a doll with blond hair and blue eyes. They then set out to purchase materials to make their friend her dream doll. It is a labor of love for the artists as they finally present the lovely doll to Manuela. Wearing a pair green-shaded sunglasses (a present from her father) she mistakenly thinks the doll's hair is green but is satisfied with the present anyway. She finally removes the glasses and realizes what the artists have done for her. She wraps her new doll in her rebozo and the American artists paint a portrait of Manuela with all of her presents. They call the portrait a "recuerdo". Charming story and illustrations. Multi-cultural friendship story.

This is a wonderful glimpse into the development of detailed maps of Central America. It expresses the necessity of a country to be aware of the resources it possesses and the lengths to which it must go to obtain this information. Another good book along these same lines is "Mapping and Empire" by Matthew Edney, which describes the process of mapmaking the British government undertook in India. Overall, this is a great book.

This book isn't just about Mexico, it's about a man who keeps moving throughout his life trying to find sense and meaning in a world that makes it very difficult to find any. Or at best, allows it under very different conditions than one might have hoped for.

Dahl takes life at face value and his character, Lewis Adams, finds himself that doing so always has strings attached: fighting for what he believes in makes him unpatriotic and giving a chastised woman a chance makes him a sinner.

Life is unpredictible; sometimes you find that it's really just comprised of the little things that aren't considered little until later in life. And if you're lucky, in Mexico.

Richard Spivey's large-format book, MARIA, serves as an excellent visual and textual appreciation of the pottery of Maria Martinez, the famous Native American artist of San Ildefonso pueblo in New Mexico. Numerous full-page color photographs of her pottery and B/W photos of Maria at work with her husband and son provide a feast for the eyes. You can almost feel the smoothness of the pottery eased into being by her creative hands. Much of the text is taken from oral interviews and reminiscences by Maria herself, who died in 1980 at the age of 93. In 1907 Dr. Edgar L. Hewett of the School of American Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico began excavating prehistoric Pueblo sites near San Ildefonso pueblo. Julian Martinez was hired as one of the laborers in the dig. When his wife Maria saw the shards of ancient pottery being unearthed, she was delighted by the designs. Dr. Hewett asked her to try to reproduce the polychrome pottery with those designs and was amazed by the beauty of her work when he returned the next archeological season. Julian had helped by painting traditional designs on his wife's new pottery. Dr. Hewett bought practically everything they had made. From that moment on Maria and Julian dedicated themselves to pottery. Over the next few decades, as tourism increased in New Mexico, Maria's fame spread and potters in other pueblos took up the nearly forgotten ancient art. Maria had been attempting to create pottery since the age of seven. There were still two excellent potters in her pueblo (Martina Montoya and Nicolasa Pena Montoya), who encouraged the little girl in her initial efforts. Their pottery was, as it had always been, beautiful utilitarian pieces -- plates, cups for atole, bowls for mixing chili or soup or dough, cooking pots, and large jars in which to wash hair. Clay "ollas" stood outdoors to collect rainwater. Pottery was traded in other pueblos for wheat, corn, or chile, but never for money. However, Maria's pottery would change all that. Over a 40-year period Julian and Maria shared their labor. Julian gathered clay from the earth. Maria prepared the clay, coiled it, shaped it into pottery, smoothed, and fired the completed pots. Then she polished them with stone or sandpaper. Finally Julian would paint symbolic designs around the piece. He became the leading pottery decorator and she the leading potter of her pueblo. Encouraged by the Museum of New Mexico to continue spending more time on fewer but higher quality pieces, Maria and Julian produced exquisite shapes and designs, which included clouds, butterflies, plumed serpents (avanyu), feathers, plants, clouds, turkeys, kiva steps (ceremonial underground centers), and geometric designs. In 1919 Maria began experimenting with her soon-to-be famous matte-black-on-polished-black ware. After perfecting the right combination of matte and polish accompanied by her husband's designs, Maria unselfishly shared her secrets with other potters. The first Santa Fe Indian Market was held in 1922 under the direction of the School of American Research with all New Mexico pueblos represented. "Native clays, pigments, and traditional methods were required in order to participate in the market." Maria began to win the first of many prizes. In 1924 a bridge was built across the Rio Grande near San Ildefonso and tourists came to the pueblo to buy directly from the potters. Withdrawing from its physical isolation, San Ildefonso became "one of the most progressive arts and crafts centers" among Rio Grande River pueblos. Maria and Julian were the primary causes of this new prosperity. Living standards rose in San Ildefonso and other pueblos where arts and crafts were practiced. Income from pottery began to exceed that of agriculture. Domestic problems declined. New houses were built. Maria began teaching classes at the Indian School in Santa Fe. When her husband died in 1943, Maria turned to her daughter-in-law Santana to paint the designs on her pottery. In 1948 Maria's son, Popovi Da ("Red Fox") opened the Popovi Da Studio of Indian Art at San Ildefonso to display and sell outstanding examples of his mother's and other pueblo artists' work. In 1950 he began assisting in the painting of some of his mother's pots. In 1956, after a highly successful partnership with Santana, Maria began working solely with her son Popovi Da ("Red Fox"). He wanted to carry the art further and began experimenting with new designs ("new colors and combinations of colors, new finishes, and a higher level of perfection.") He respectfully intended to wait until his mother's retirement before branching out completely on his own, but his early death prevented our seeing where he would have taken his art. "Gunmetal" silver was one of the new finishes he added to pottery. He was first to add a bit of turquoise to a piece, also. Skunks became a favorite motif that he worked into his designs. After the death of both Popovi Da and Maria, grandson Tony Da picked up the family tradition of pottery and has carried the art even further into modern designs and styles. This beautiful book serves as an excellent visual and textual overview of Maria's exquisite pottery still unmatched in its fine lines, graceful shapes, and simplicity. As an introduction, there is a moving speech ("Indian Pottery and Indian Values") given in 1969 by Maria's son and fellow potter, Popovi Da, at the School of American Research before his untimely death in 1971.

Maria Martinez was an Indian woman from the San Ildefonso Pueblo in New Mexico.The date of her birth is estimated to be between 1881 and 1887. She learned her skills as a potter when she was a child, but went on to perfect her work and become one of the most gifted of the Pueblo potters. Her "black-on-black" style pottery is world famous.

Not far away from the San Ildefonso Pueblo is an ancient village site where the Anasazi Indians had lived. Dr Edgar Lee Hewitt led an archaeological expedition to the Anasazi site in 1908. The archaeologists found caves with artwork on the walls and also discovered pieces of Anasazi pottery. Julian Martinez, Maria's husband was one of the local men to be employed working for the archaeologists on that site. He used his drawing skills to copy the Anasazi drawings. Dr. Hewitt asked if Maria could try to duplicate the ancient pottery and he enlisted the help of Julian to paint the Anasazi designs on her work. Over the years, Maria and Julian created a lot of beautiful pottery. After Julian died in 1943, other members of the family worked with Maria creating the beautiful pieces that are cherished today. Maria Martinez died in 1980.

There are some great photographs of Maria, Julian and other members of the Martinez family at work on their pottery. Maria received many honors and acclaim during her life. In 1934, Eleanor Roosevelt invited her to be her guest at the White House.

Written by an anthropologist who tells Maria's story through short stories as told to her by Maria. This book begins with Maria's accounting of pueblo life during her childhood. You learn of her life with her artistic, but alcoholic, husband Julian. An interesting accounting of their work which earned world acclaim for the unique pottery they produced. This book is a window to a time long forgotten and into the soul of a creative artist. The community spirit of the pueblo is well described and inspiring. You can't put this down once you begin. It's a great read!

This book describes the marine life of the Gulf of Mexico with numerous color photos and paintings by artist Larry Foster. This is a well-written and highly-recommended reference guide that will be particularly useful to readers or travelers visiting the Gulf.

Included in the book is a set of drawings of the skulls of Gulf species allow readers who find beached animals to identify the animal. Sketches provide dorsal, ventral and lateral views.

The authors discuss the environmental problems of the Gulf as they affect marine mammals, concluding: "Suffice it to say that our love for these creatures has the capacity of being turned into a positive conservation force, not for just them but also for their fragile environments worldwide." This is a recommended title!

Mario's Mayan Journey is a great book. It has a very realistic story and terrific pictures. I read it just a few weeks before going to the Mayan ruins.

This book contains an exhaustive volume of data and statistics about Mexico and its states that you simply can't find ANYWHERE else.

I use it in my law/consulting firm in Monterrey on a daily basis.

I have looked for other publications, and nothing exists like this book, put out by the American Chamber of Commerce.

My only worry is that if enough people find out about this, I might be out of a job!

Buettner and Mason hit the mark with this beautifully illustrated and well written narrative of their journey through the Mayan lands. This is a must have for all children and adults who have an interest in anthropology or who have ever dreamt of traveling through foreign lands.

Two Thumbs Up, Boys!