Mexico on the page: the media before the move

A rethinking of the Americas before contact: far larger populations, sophisticated societies, and landscapes shaped by people long before Europeans arrived.

My take: I got through quite a bit of this but returned it before finishing. It was more focused on the broader Americas and I’m apparently currently hyper-focusing on Mexico alone. Thanks brain. I will revisit it when I’m looking for a more broad survey I think.

An audio narrative of the Conquest of New Spain, centered on the Mexica of Tenochtitlan and the Spanish, Tlaxcalan, and other peoples caught up in the clash that began in 1519.

My take: This was the first thing I listened to and it was an excellent primer for understanding this period of history, especially if it’s been decades since you first encountered this material in school. I think it helped me to follow along with some of the more dense and in depth reads that came after.

Long-form, richly produced narrative episodes on the Aztec and Maya worlds and how they ended, told through the voices of the people who lived it. Episodes run several hours each.

My take: This is dense and long-ish, definitely harder for me to pay attention to, so I suggest breaking it up, and probably in more than just 3 sittings like I did. Or maybe it would be better to listen while driving, not in the evening sitting on the couch. I’m not sure if listening to EVERY historical podcast is totally necessary, but at least some of the names and dates are sticking in my brain. 

The Aztec story told from texts written by the Nahua themselves, from the arrival of Cortés through the centuries of colonial rule that followed.

My take: I really enjoyed this and will likely read again. It was good to understand the complexity of many of the relationships between tribes and frankly had me asking a lot of questions about land claims and war and many other things, even before Cortes landed.

The Spanish conquest as the Nahua survivors recorded it: a collection of indigenous accounts of the fall of Tenochtitlan.

My take: An incredible account of the conquest of Mexico from voices that we don’t always here. It doesn’t mince words or shy away from some of the less “romantic” versions of indigenous life and peoples or of the brutality of the invaders. ‘This isn’t a super long read and should definitely be on everyone’s list.

The long-standing university survey of Mexican history, from the pre-Columbian world to the modern era.

My take: I loved reading this. It covers a lot of ground, and doing it all in one text really shows how the nation and national identity formed. Perhaps it’s because this is the first foray I’m making into the realms outside of “ancient” civilizations, so I’m getting more dopamine hits from the novelty of the new sagas, or perhaps I can relate more to the revolutionary spirit and living in the time of dictators…

Modern Mexican history told through its leaders, from the independence era in 1810 to the 1990s.

My take: Really looking forward to digging more into this read, likely because of it’s closer look at more modern history. Hoping it goes deeper into the topics in Course of Mexican History.

A 2025 sweep of five centuries, opening with the 1511 shipwreck of two Spanish sailors and arguing Mexico was “globally hybrid” from the start.

My take: Although this is on hold, I may pause that for a bit to skip around and get a bit more variety in my reading

Landmark essays on Mexican identity and the national psyche, written in 1950 and still argued over.

My take: this seemed worth the hard copy, given its impact on Mexico. If there is one book I really wish I could read with another person, it’s this one! Very much looking forward to following up with a read of the critiques

A 17th-century nun and poet defends a woman’s right to study and write, in reply to a bishop’s rebuke.

My take: She is already making a very interesting case for joining the sisterhood…hmm…

A man goes looking for his father in the ghost town of Comala and finds a village of whispering dead. A cornerstone of Latin American fiction.

My take: No idea what this is about but saw it recommended on a few sites. Who doesn’t love a ghost story this time of year!

The last day in the life of an alcoholic British consul in Cuernavaca, set on the Day of the Dead in 1938.

My take: One of the “top 100 books” of the century, I am hoping to get a copy to read over my first week in Quintana Roo.

A novel of Maya Tzotzil resistance and colonial power in the Chiapas highlands around San Cristóbal de las Casas.

My take: My plan is to read this during my month in Oaxaca before going to San Cristóbal.

A novel following a young man through Mexico City in the household of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, then on to McCarthy-era America.

My take: I really love reading Kingsolver, so this maybe isn’t the best book to read but sometimes you just like a break

The best-known biography of Frida Kahlo, covering her life, art, and turbulent marriage to Diego Rivera.

My take: I admit I’ve only seen the movie and don’t know too much else about anything art related in Mexico.

The true story of a group of men who crossed the Arizona desert in 2001, and what the journey cost them.

My take: I finished this in one day (yesterday). I couldn’t put it down, despite the difficult material and vivid descriptions. This is incredibly powerful true story should be essential reading for all US citizen. About 20% in I found myself crying listening to the description of the band of walkers who joined this deadly voyage. Challenges our perceptions of who belongs where and the cost to everyone. 

A novel of two friends and their opposite relationships to motherhood.

My take: I just came across this author and my library had this book, so fingers crossed it will be in my hot little hands soon!

A comic novel about an auctioneer who collects the teeth of famous people.

My take: This is…odd. I am truly not sure what to make of it yet. A recommendation from my Google searches. After The Devil’s Highway, a comic novel sounded like a nice change of pace.

A young woman crosses the border to find her brother in a short, mythic novel.

A fragmented novel about a mother in Mexico City haunted by a forgotten poet.

A family road trip toward the border, shadowed by the story of child migrants.

An essay in forty questions, drawn from Luiselli’s work interpreting for migrant children in US immigration court.

A collection of unsettling stories about obsession and the body.

A semi-autobiographical novel of a girl growing up with a birthmark in 1970s Mexico City.

A prose poem and meditation on language and India.