Mexico, with a population of over 126 million, is the largest Spanish speaking country in the world. Here you can find book recommendations to help you understand and explore this fascinating country.
The explorer, filmmaker and writer, Hugh Thomson, chooses his best five books on the country, covering everything from the Conquistadores to the Revolution of 1910 and more. As he explains, the 1910 revolution was of great importance, as it lasted from 1910 to 1920 and was the first modern Latin American revolution, providing Mexico with its political direction for most of the 20th century and having implications for the whole of Latin America. He also talks about retracing the steps of the early Conquistadors from the coast to what is now Mexico City. He discusses how various European, particularly British writers have viewed Mexico, choosing books by Malcolm Lowry and Evelyn Waugh.
Elsewhere Regina Marchi looks at the best books on the Day of the Dead, a festival celebrated throughout Latin America, but most famously and most spectacularly in Mexico. It is now widely celebrated in the United States, too, brought by Mexican immigrants.
The best books on The Day of The Dead, recommended by Regina Marchi
The Latin American holiday commemorating dead relatives is characterised by altars decorated with skulls and marigolds, explains the author of a book on how the festival has now migrated to the American mainstream
The best books on Mexico, recommended by Hugh Thomson
Explorer, film-maker and writer, Hugh Thomson, picks the best books on Mexico, from the revolution in 1910, to the conquistadors, to gold mines, to the fatalism of Mexico and more.
