This, as well as all the other guides in the Compass series, is a fantastic resource! The text is witty, engaging and full of wonderfully descriptive information, with an emphasis on the historical and cultural background of the area. Not only that, but the pages of the book are peppered with gorgeous color photographs and sidebars relating historical anecdotes and extra tidbits of information. It also includes the standard information on festivals, tourist attractions, restaurants & hotels, but the value of the book, for me, lies in the writing. The deep love and enthusiasm of the contributing authors for this part of the country is infectious, and makes for great reading. I have spent hours poring over the other Compass guides in bookstores, although the American Southwest is the only one I actually own, and they all follow the same pattern; this will definitely be my guide of choice for any US destination!

First of all, let me confess - I am an armchair traveller with respect to the Indian Ocean! Still saving up my few bob to go to some of the wonderful places mentioned in this book.

The book is amazingly detailed, especially in detailing the culture and history of the islands, and very readable.

My only criticism is that more photos would have been better!

Loved the book. The patterns are very southwestern and very well done. Would love to have more of her books. But cant find any. The patterns are very helpful in making up my own patterns and the colors she uses are bold and very well put together.

This book should become a major contribution to Latin American studies, because it provides fresh perspectives on topics we'd thought we already knew well. It does so by relating Latin America to vital issues in history, notably recent research on frontier history, "the new Western history," & themes of race, class & gender. The chapter by Susan Socolow, discussing Argentine frontier women & thus engendering the history of the gauchos, is particularly strong, but so are most of the others. One drawback is that coverage is largely limited to the far margins of Spanish America (northern Mexico & Rio de la Plata regions), when there is plenty of work to do on the frontiers of core areas of Spain's New World empire, e.g. Peru & Bolivia. (There is some fine material on Brazil, but the book's main emphasis is on Spanish America.) Nevertheless, this work definitely advances understanding of important aspects of Latin American history.

What a refreshing look at Hispanic folklore. Now we can relish the stories we grew up hearing as young latino children. Our parents' and grandparents' stories handed down throughout the generations, welcome us once again in listening to these audio tapes of "The Corn Woman." Didn't you ever wonder where your parents and grandparents stories got their roots from? Try listening to this series and perhaps you will find your answer. These stories add spice to our imaginations. They take us back to our youth, as if we were hearing them for the first time from our elders. Enjoy the splendor of hearing these folklore stories in either Spanish or English, with your purchase of this audio series.

This collection of folk literature is valuable for anyone teaching bilingual Spanish/English literature. It is also very useful for teachers of Spanish language, anthropology , children's literature, and folklore. I am using it in a college level writing class. Stories are printed in both Spanish and English. They are short and well-written, retaining the flavor of the original in the translation.

My high school was overcrowded by the time it was four years old and so a new high school was build called Cibola, which meant everybody got a quick history lesson in Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's exploration for the Seven Cities of Gold, one of which was, of course, Cibola. Coronado, like Columbus, Ponce de Leon, and so many other explorers, found things they were never looking for because they never did find what they wanted, since the cities they found did not have riches. Starting from Compostela on the western shore of Mexico, Coronado and his men headed north into what are now the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. Robin S. Doak details this incredible journey in fine style. This book is richly illustrated with both historic paintings and etchings, as well as contemporary color photographs of the areas of the southwest explored by Coronado. This is a nice combination of illustrations and informative text. Other titles in the Exploring the World series look at Jacques Cartier's search for the Northwest Passage, Vasco de Gama sailing around the Cape of Good Hope, and Ferdinand Magellan's first trip around the world.

I'm not an impartial judge, since I'm the principle author of this book. But all the same, this book of one-liners and riddles is pretty funny. It was written as a class project when I was living in Arizona - I'm only listed as the author because I wrote about half the jokes. If you have any background or interest in the life of a cowpoke - you'll enjoy this book.

How many people reading this know that badgers and coyotes sometimes enter into cooperative relationships in order to hunt more successfully? Elegant, artful, and playful illustations accompany a blunt text about hunger and duress during a drought in the U.S. Southwest. A single mother badger with two dependent pups teams up with an old coyote to hunt for food. Working together they are able to secure enough food for themselves as well as the two young pups. But when one pup is taken for food by an eagle, the mother badger takes the remaining pup and moves on. Eventually, the drought ends. Many of the pictures feature cross sections into the desert floor. Root masses, rocks, and rodent warrens are visible in the manner of an 'Ant Farm' toy. Each picture features shards of broken pottery embedded underground. There are also the ancient and crumbling structures left behind by the Anasazi people over a thousand years ago. The animals have inherited it all.
The author provides an engaging and educational 'afterward' to the story describing his fascination with the Southwest, the Anasazi and the behavior of coyotes and badgers. When he says that he has actually observed a coyote and a badger interacting cooperatively, I was glad that he was inspired to write this beautiful book.

Truly a spectacular cookbook, Mark Miller has recipes that will delight the senses and make you a hero at any dinner party. The ingredient combinations play off of each other and offer unique twists on traditional southwestern cooking. As one very familar with the southwest and it's cuisine, this book ranks as enticing and innovative. The recipes are foolproof and easy to follow, but you will need to adhere to the fresh ingredients rule-- no canned black beans, or frozen corn for these recipes, stick with fresh and you can not fail. Unlike some other cookbooks that feature regional cuisine, Coyote Cafe includes complete recipes that you do not need to tinker with and that are tested. So go ahead cook with Miller and howl at the moon!