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Chris Humphrey
Mexico
City Handbook, Moon, 2008 (388 pages, $18.95)
- Fourth edition of this popular guidebook boasts a thorough update.
The guide showcases popular and eclectic destinations in the Distrito
Federal. The first edition won Mexico's Pluma de Plata Award,
and this edition is even better. Sidebars examine environmental
issues, Chilango-style cooking and nearby places to visit. |
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| Rob Sangster
and Tim Leffel
Traveler's
Took Kit: Mexico and Central America, Menasha Ridge, 2008
(550 pages, $22.95)
- Everything you need to know to eat well, stay healthy, travel
safely, save money and have a ball! This book is a recommended
overview of nine countries which allows readers to compare places
and choose what best suits particular interests. It's best suited
to travelers who are learning about the region's wonderful diversity.
Book of the
Year Award Winner! |
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| Shepard Barbash
(Author), Vicki Ragan (Photographer)
Changing
Dreams, Museum of New Mexico Press, 2007 156 pages, $39.95)
- This beautiful book documents a generation of wood carvers in
Oaxaca. |
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| Jeffrey M. Pilcher
Que
vivan los tamales!, University of New Mexico Press, 1998
- Mexico's fiery cuisines stand in sharp contrast not only with
traditional European cooking but also with each other. Author
Jeffrey Pilcher uses food itself to provide a unique, insider's
guide to Mexican history and politics. The author's clever synthesis
of nutrition facts, national politics and regional idiosyncrasies
breaks new ground.
Planeta
Review |
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| Joan and David
Peterson
Eat
Smart in Mexico, Ginkgo Press, 1998
- From the authors of Eat
Smart in Brazil, comes this easy-to-use menu guide for travelers
to Mexico. It contains useful phrases in Spanish when ordering
and a collection of recipes for chefs who want to cook Mexican
fare at home. It's one of our favorites and one of the few books
that distinguishes among chiles de árbol, guajillo and
pasilla. Excellente! |
| Sophie Coe
America's
First Cuisines, University of Texas Press, 1994
- Detailed descriptions of the foods eaten by the Aztecs, Maya
and Inca. |
| Alberto Ruy-Sánchez
and Margarita de Orellana, editors
Tequila, Smithsonian Books, 2004 (239 pages, $25.00)
- Tequila is richly illustrated with photos of the art of tequila
bottles, historical paintings, and portraits of Jalisco landscapes.
The authors are the editors of Artes
de Mexico, the leading art magazine of Mexico. Cheers! |
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| Ricardo Ayerza,
Jr. and Wayne Coates
Chia,
University of Arizona Press, 2005 (197 pages, $14.95)
- Get back to basics with the food of the Aztecs. |
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| John Noble,
editor
Mexico,
Lonely Planet, 2008 (1,028 pages, $26.99)
- Fancy a fiesta? Eleventh edition of this guidebook is better
than ever. One of the most popular country guides, this book provides
detailed information for readers who want to visit destinations
beyond the tourism resorts. It includes up-to-date information
on Mexico's national parks and reserves.
Conversation
with John Noble |
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| Peter Hutchison
Mexico
and Central America Handbook, Footprint, 2008 (1,320 pages,
$27.95)
- The Handbook looks better than ever. This guide - now in hardcover
- provides reliable information about general tourism as well
profiles of national parks and reserves in Mexico
and Central America.
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| Bruce Whipperman
Oaxaca
Handbook, Avalon, 2006 (480 pages, $17.95)
- Fourth edition. Bruce is one of our favorite writers. This book
is perfect for those planning an extended visit to Oaxaca.
Coverage is first-rate and includes great tips for visiting archaeological
sites, resorts and mountain communities. |
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| Bruce Whipperman
Acapulco,
Moon, 2006 (396 pages, $18.95)
- Acapulco
is the largest and most storied tourism resort on the Mexican
Pacific. This book shows you how to make the most of your visit.
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| Ben Greensfelder
and Michael Reed
Puerto
Vallarta, Lonely Planet, 2006 (332 pages, $18.99)
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| Ron Mader
Mexico:
Adventures in Nature, John Muir Publications, 1997
- Shameless plug. I wrote this book. This is a concise review
of environmental policy and travel tips. Research lasted from
1994-1997 and cemented a lifetime love of Mexico for the author.
Unfortunately, this book is out of print. The good news is that
much of the text has been recycled into regional and topical travel
guides regularly updated on Planeta.com.
Will there be an edition #2? Perhaps, if one believes in fair
trade.
Book
Index |
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| C.M. Mayo, Editor
Mexico:
Traveler's Literary Companion, Whereabouts Press, 2006
(238 pages, $14.95)
- Stereotype-shattering stories cross the Pacific to the Gulf
of Mexico and from the Yucatán to the northern borderlands.
One of our favorite writers, C.M. Mayo, has collected an exemplary
collection of contemporary writing. |
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| Nick Rider
Yucatan
and Mayan Mexico, Cadogan Guides, 2005 (508 pages, $19.95)
- This guide takes traveler beyond the frequently visited sites
and provides insight into the region and its people. |
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| Enrique Florescano
The
Myth of Quetzalcoatl, Johns Hopkins University Press,
2000
- Translated by Lysa Hochroth and illustrated by Raul Velazquez,
this remarkable academic work traces the worship of the Plumed
Serpent (Quetzalcoatl). Archaeological evidence from Mexico, Guatemala,
El Salvador, and Nicaragua is used to show how the myth spread
throughout Mesoamerica. |
| Bruce and June Conord
Adventure
Guide to the Yucatan, Hunter Publishing, 2004
- Third edition of a recommended guidebook to this fascinating
corner of Mexico, a region which the authors describe as "a
big hitch-hiking thumb." Their interest and hard work has
paid off. It's one of our favorite Mexico books. Eco travelers
will love the Adventure Guide.
Author
Website |
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| Pierre Van Den
Berghe
The Quest for the Other, University of Washington Press,
1994
- "Ethnic tourism" in Chiapas comes under scrutiny in
this well-written tome by anthropologist Van Den Berghe. San Cristóbal
has long been one of the hotspots on the "Gringo Trail"
but never has one book attempted to explore the impact with much
depth. Published the same year as the Zapatista Uprising, the
book could use an update, but as is, it's an enlightening and
engrossing tale.
Top
10 Travel Books - Transitions Abroad |
| Tony Burton
Western
Mexico: A Traveller's Treasury, Perception Press, 2001
- Veteran author Tony Burton spins some captivating tales from
his favorite places near Guadalara and Lake Chapala. He has led
hundreds of fieldwork and ecotourist programs throughout Mexico,
specializing in Lake Chapala, Paricutin Volcano, the Monarch Butterfly
reserves. Bonuses include a great index and bibliography
Author
website |
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Chris Humphrey
Mexico
City Handbook, Moon, 2008 (388 pages, $18.95)
- Fourth edition of this popular guidebook boasts a thorough update.
The guide showcases popular and eclectic destinations in the Distrito
Federal. The first edition won Mexico's Pluma de Plata Award,
and this edition is even better. Sidebars examine environmental
issues, Chilango-style cooking and nearby places to visit. |
|
| Jim Johnston
Mexico
City: Opinionated Guide for the Curious Traveler, iUniverse,
2006 (185 pages, $13.95)
- A compact guide to the one of the world's largest cities, this
book provides timely tips and walking tours for those visiting
DF. Great recommendations
on dining out and visiting markets and museums. |
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Virgil Elizondo
Guadalupe:
Mother of the New Creation, Orbis Books, 1997
- Author Elizondo sorts through religious text and popular culture
in this challenging and inspiring review of the Guadelupano
story in which the Virgin Mary makes her first appearance in
the Americas. Excellent reading for anyone visiting the Basilica
of Guadalupe.
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John
Mini
The
Aztec Virgin, Trans-Hyperborean Institute, 2000. 352 pages,
$14.95
- The Secret Mystical Tradition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Excellent
reading for those visiting the Basilica
of Guadalupe.
|
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| Jonathan Kandell
La
Capital, Henry Holt and Company, 1988
- A sweeping chronicle of the life of Mexico's capital city. |
| Margarita de
Orellana and Alberto Ruy-Sánchez, editors
The Crafts of Mexico, Smithsonian Books, 2004 (359
pages, $45.00)
- Authoritative work with more than 400 color photographs and
illustrations. The authors are the editors of Artes
de Mexico, the leading art magazine of Mexico. |
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| Vivian Díaz
Balsera
The
Pyramid Under the Cross, University of Arizona Press,
2005 (270 pages, $45.00)
- This study reviews how the Franciscans interpreted Nahua religious,
spiritual and economic practices during the colonization of Mexico. |
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| Jill Leslie McKeever
Furst
The
Natural History of the Soul in Ancient Mexico, Yale University
Press, 1997 (270 pages, $45.00)
- Drawing on linguistic, ethnographic and iconographic sources,
McKeever Furst argues the Mexica turned to what they experienced
through the senses to understand the soul. |
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| Amy Butler Greenfield
A
Perfect Red, Harper Collins, 2005 (352 pages, $26.95)
- Subtitled "A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest
for the Color of Desire" this is the history of the European
appeal for cochineal, a dye capable of producing the "brightest,
strongest red the Old World had ever seen." Must-reading
for anyone visiting Oaxaca. |
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| David Brackney
Baja California, Automobile Club of Southern California,
2004
- From the U.S. border to Cabo San Lucas, this excellent guide
has been revised and expanded. The guide covers attractions, dining,
nightlife and lodging. For those familiar with AAA (American Automobile
Association), it comes as no surprise that one of the best features
of the book is the excellent maps and driving instructions.
Baja's
Wild West - David Brackney |
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Joel Simon
Endangered
Mexico : An Environment on the Edge, Sierra Club, 1997
- The author examines Mexico's environmental policy from 1990s
and covers the topic quite well. This must-read book provides
a compelling account of Mexico from the U.S.-Mexico border to
the jungles of Chiapas. |
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Les Beletsky
Tropical
Mexico: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide, Academic Press,
1999
- Another impressive first edition and a terrific wildlife guide.
Chapters provided detailed information (with photos!) of amphibians,
reptiles, birds and mammals found in southern Mexico. Recommeneded
for any serious student of biology.
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| Selma Holo
Oaxaca at the Crossroads, Smithsonian Books, 2004 (284
pages, $39.95)
- This book highlights the artists and museums of Oaxaca,
Mexico, famous worldwide for its cultural heritage. The author
looks at how individuals and groups use museums to advance particular
views of history and identity.
Author
website |
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Leticia Arriaga Stranksy
Ruta de la Niebla, Latin America Stock, 2001
- Highly recommended. For travelers heading to Veracruz,
this book is simply a must. Niebla -- roughly translated as
fog -- is an excellent way of describing the mists that shrowd
the central part of the state.
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John Reed
Insurgent
Mexico
- Milestone coverage of the Mexican Revolution by a U.S. journalist.
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| Les Barba
Life
Imitating Death, Artful Codger, 2003 (192 pages, $15.95)
- Subtitled 'Making Dollars and Sense in Chiapas' this novel tells
a tale of indigenous people in Southern Mexico. |
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