A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year. "A work of scope and profound insight into the divided soul of Mexico." —History Today
The Life and Times of Mexico is a grand narrative driven by 3,000 years of history: the Indian world, the Spanish invasion, Independence, the 1910 Revolution, the tragic lives of workers in assembly plants along the border, and the experiences of millions of Mexicans who live in the United States. Mexico is seen here as if it were a person, but in the Aztec way; the mind, the heart, the winds of life; and on every page there are portraits and stories: artists, shamans, teachers, a young Maya political leader; the rich few and the many poor. Earl Shorris is ingenious at finding ways to tell this story: prostitutes in the Plaza Loreto launch the discussion of economics; we are taken inside two crucial elections as Mexico struggles toward democracy; we watch the creation of a popular "telenovela" and meet the country's greatest living intellectual. The result is a work of magnificent scope and profound insight into the divided soul of Mexico.
Earl Shorris (1936–2012) was the author of many works of both fiction and non-fiction including Latinos, Under the Fifth Sun, In the Language of Kings, and Riches for the Poor. He was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Clinton for his founding of the Clemente Course in the Humanities®, Inc.
Table of Contents
Saturday Stories
xi
First Homage to the Memorious Old Man of Agua Prieta
xvi
Book 1
The Head (Tonalli)
1.
Definitions
5
2.
In the Beginning
17
3.
Realpolitik and Dreams
35
4.
An Imperfect Likeness
50
5.
The Shaman's Apprentice
66
6.
The God of Bread and the God of Corn
77
7.
The Mesoamerican Origins of Generosity
87
8.
The Envious Origins of Generosity
94
9.
The Chosen People
110
10.
The Fate of Independents
123
11.
The Conception of the Aztec
137
12.
His Royal Highness
152
13.
Centripetal Forces
167
14.
The Defeat of Auguste Comte
189
15.
Revolutionary Dreams
215
16.
The Spirit of Madero
227
17.
The Land of Zapata
245
18.
Villa's Angels
253
19.
Carranza, Obregon, Calles, and the Constitution
268
20.
The Dream of a Word
275
21.
Totalitarian Threads
284
Book 2
The Heart (Teyolia)
22.
The Werejaguar
345
23.
Diego Rivera's Dogs
355
24.
The Nationality of the Rose
363
25.
Once There Was a Circle
383
26.
Real Magic
399
27.
The Reinforcement of the Worst
428
Book 3
The Liver (Ihiyotl)
28.
Indio, Lepero, Pelado, Naco: Four Stages of Race and Class
459
29.
A Savage Bite
480
30.
A Dearth of Beginners
502
31.
Maquiladora Nation
527
32.
Where the Future Falls
544
33.
The Science of Dismal Prospects
566
34.
Alternations
591
35.
Doctors
632
36.
The Ninth Mexican
645
Book 4
Tonalamatl
37.
The Book of Predictions
681
Appendix
Two Oral Histories
The Political Life of Ifigenia Martinez, La Maestra