Shopping in Mexico - Bus Journey Across Mexico - page 274

Frances Calderón de la Barca, Life in Mexico. This Scottish lady, married to the Spanish
Ambassador, keeps a diary (1839-1842) and writes lucid, humorous letters filled with ob-
servations about manners, people and events. Sometimes you think she is Balzac writing a
novel.
Dane Chandos, Village in the Sun and House in the Sun. These two books were written in
the early 1940s about the personal experiences of an expatriate who settled in Ajijic on the
shore of Lake Chapala and became an innkeeper. It recounts the stories of the people he
keeps and who keep him. The topic is in English, but Chandos adds flavor, humor and un-
derstanding with dialogue literally translated. This is bittersweet for those who now visit
Lake Chapala.
History: The Indians' Point of View
The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico , by Miguel Leon-Por-
tillo. The topic relies on historical Aztec recollections.
Mexican Codices by Maria Sten provides clues to the pre-Columbian world.
Reading the Maya Glyphs by Michael D. Coe and Mark Van Stone is clearly written, easy
to understand, an artistic pleasure and hard to absorb. First read is for pleasure, and then
it's a must study.
The Mexican Dream, Or, the Interrupted Thought of Amerindian Civilizations , by J M
G Le Clezio. The topic presents a deep view of the personalities of the conquerors and
the conquered, of Nezahualcoyotl, a poet, politician and despot, and speculations on what
might have been.
Popol Vuh: The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life , by Dennis Tedlock depicts the creation
of the world. It's the Mayan bible.
History: The 1910-1920 Revolution
Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias by Timothy Turner: A news reporter travels with Madero,
Villa, Carranza, Obregon and reports on the Revolution. It's the best adventure book
I've read in a decade. His descriptions are better than a camera. And he captures the