Product Description
Mexico City was the Casablanca of the Cold War--a hotbed of spies, revolutionaries, and assassins. The CIA's station there was the front line of the United States' fight against international communism, as important for Latin America as Berlin was for Europe. And its undisputed spymaster was Winston Mackinley Scott.

Chief of the Mexico City station from 1956 to 1969, Win Scott occupied a key position in the founding generation of the Central Intelligence Agency, but until now he has remained a shadowy figure. Investigative reporter Jefferson Morley traces Scott's remarkable career from his humble origins in rural Alabama to wartime G-man to OSS London operative (and close friend of the notorious Kim Philby), to right-hand man of CIA Director Allen Dulles, to his remarkable reign for more than a decade as virtual proconsul in Mexico. Morley also follows the quest of Win Scott's son Michael to confront the reality of his father's life as a spy. He reveals how Scott ran hundreds of covert espionage operations from his headquarters in the U.S. Embassy while keeping three Mexican presidents on the agency's payroll, participating in the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and, most intriguingly, overseeing the surveillance of Lee Harvey Oswald during his visit to the Mexican capital just weeks before the assassination of President Kennedy.

Morley reveals the previously unknown scope of the agency's interest in Oswald in late 1963, identifying for the first time the code names of Scott's surveillance programs that monitored Oswald's movements. He shows that CIA headquarters cut Scott out of the loop of the agency's latest reporting on Oswald before Kennedy was killed. He documents why Scott came to reject a key finding of the Warren Report on the assassination and how his disillusionment with the agency came to worry his longtime friend James Jesus Angleton, legendary chief of CIA counterintelligence. Angleton not only covered up the agency's interest in Oswald but also, after Scott died, absconded with the only copies of his unpublished memoir.

Interweaving Win Scott's personal and professional lives, Morley has crafted a real-life thriller of Cold War intrigue--a compelling saga of espionage that uncovers another chapter in the CIA's history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Great perspective.
This author contacted a family member (of mine) for info on the family member's possible role in CIA activities in Mexico in preparation for this book.I appreciate the author's integrity.This is an excellent book, providing a unique perspective in the ongoing search for the truth regarding JFK's assassination.I highly recommend this book.Way to go, Mr. Morley.

The Coda to a half Century of CIA History
Although the early chapters of this book give a detailed if an overly glamorized version of early CIA clandestine successes and even a glancing view of a few of its many failures, when it does finally get down to where the rubber meets the road; i.e., to the role Winston Scott, David Atlee Phillips, Richard Helms, E. Howard Hunt, and James Jesus Angleton, among others, played in the Mexico City events that presaged JFK's assassination, no one should be the least bit surprised that, as has happened elsewhere, this author ducked rather than face this pivotal issue straight-on. His clumsy and disingenuous attempt to finesse it finally robs the book of what little integrity it had a chance of claiming.

Offered up as Michael's (one of Winston Scott's sons), recollections, from his father's confiscated manuscript, the book sets forth the improbable and already thoroughly discredited theory that Oswald was a Communist agent "sent" by Castro to kill JFK. However, as even the evidence from Mexico City presented in this book attests, that "dog won't hunt." There is just too much contrary evidence that the CIA along with rightwing elements from the "Cowboy political sphere" were knee deep in the JFK assassination. (It is also what the Kennedys themselves believed.)

It is a much too fine-grained view of U.S.-Cuban episode from the Mexico City end of the telescope and thus is altogether an exceedingly weak apologia for the CIA's half-century of historical swashbuckling capers, including its involvement in the JFK assassination.

For most of its history, the guys here were a "band of brothers out to conquer the world and most of all protect it from Communism. But they were arrogant, smart, and untutored powers unto themselves, who played by their own rules and were unaccountable for their failures.

One will be hard-pressed to find even a single piece of independently confirmable evidence that Oswald was ever in Mexico City during the period the CIA claims he was there (between September 27-October 1, 1963). Compare that with the wealth of evidence produced by reading between the lines: that whoever was there was indeed impersonating Oswald, and was very likely under the full control of CIA handlers, most likely David Atlee Phillips and/or James Jesus Angleton -- and this version of events turns out to be much less than the sum of its parts. Even the author's summary passage on page 279 confirms this contrary point of view:

"The story of Oswald's encounters with Phillips' AMSPELL network; the missing LIERODE photos of his visit to the Cuban consulate; the misleading October 10 cable from HQT; the illegal HTLINGUAL monitoring of Oswald's correspondence, not to mention Karamessines' panicky efforts the day after JFK was killed to "preserve U.S. freedom of action on the whole question of Cuban responsibility" and Phillips promotion of Alvarado's provocative story, all tended to confirm what Fidel alleged, what Win Knew, and what supporters of the Warren Commission would heatedly deny: that "a person of great interest" to the CIA had killed the commander in Chief."

There is simply no one left in the known universe to believe the weakly concocted, transparent and well-worn "cover story" that Oswald's movements in the "fake" FPCC during his time in New Orleans and his "supposed" Mexico City visit went unmonitored, un-photographed and un-reported by the eagle-eyed "Sir" Winston Scott, or the equally intrepid CI master spy James Angleton. The incredulity required to believe that these two could have allowed Oswald to move freely from New Orleans to Mexico City, and then on to Dallas to murder a President they all hated, is so staggering as to leave a logical hole large enough to drive a Mac truck through.

To wit: Even though Scott and Angleton were nothing if not meticulous and exacting in their surveillance and data collection activities, the author wants us to believe the cockamamie story that there are no pictures of Oswald's "supposed" several visits to both the Cuban and Russian Embassies while in Mexico City on September 27, 1963. The one surviving photo (exposed by J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI) shows a portly man (depicted in the plates following page 246) whose voice was not that of Oswald entering and leaving those Embassies. The FBI data leaves open the distinct possibility that Oswald was never in Mexico City, or if there, never visited either Embassy.

Whatever is the truth, it is clear that Win Scott was among only a handful of insiders who knew what it was, but he went to his grave without telling us. In many ways this book is "The Ultimate Sacrifice" redux with a few new bells and whistles, a new twist in the plot here and there, but with the same ending: The JFK assassination was just an unfortunate case of the Kennedy brothers getting their own tails caught up in their own duplicity, while the CIA stood by watching them do so?

An equally plausible theory is that advanced by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison: that Oswald was a patsy set up by or controlled by David Atlee Phillips who was seen with Oswald in Dallas in the weeks between his supposed returned from Mexico, City and JFK's assassination. The man who testified to the House Committee on Assassinations of this version of events, Antonio Veciana, was shot in the head but survived. He of course changed his story afterwards. Can there be an innocent explanation for Phillips and Oswald being in each others company in Dallas a few weeks before JFK's assassination?

Regarding who actually killed JFK, James Angleton's enigmatic words about says it all:

"A mansion has many rooms and there are many things going on... I am not privy to who struck John." (page 290).

Three Stars

A Realistic Picture
As a former longtime employee of CIA, I can attest that this book conveys a true picture of the goings on within the agency. The story focuses on the life of Win Scott, who rose to become station chief in Mexico City for many years. Meticulously researched and documented, the book relates how the "company" evolved from wartime OSS in London. We learn about some key operations inpostwar Europe and in Central America, and about how counter-intelligence works.
Building his story by telling exactly who did what and when, this author has achieved an authentic history of the period through the assassination of President Kennedy and afterward. The CIA's contacts with Oswald in the weeks before the shooting in Dallas,
and the subsequent stonewalling, withholding and even destruction of information are all spelled out so the reader is aware of whatpieces of history are still hidden.

A hard look at hard C.I.A data
This very well-documented book tells you in precise and unnerving detail how C.I.A.operatives work and what they knew about Oswald in Mexico before the Kennedy assassination -- a lot more than you knew befoe.It is particularly convincing because it's personal, the real story of a man who lived his life inside that system of power, accountable to no one.It's a page-turner with unrecognized spies (everyone?), double agents, stolen loves, a son wants to know his father, a loyal secretary, a dangerous wedding, enough destroyed documents to make you weep and an ending that sets up for a sequel we hope can come from further investigation by this diligent author. Highly recommended for everyone, not just specialists, but there is plenty here for them as well.

...one step closer to the truth...


...peeling off layer after layer, we (well, those who still care, but I understand there are quite numerous around the world...) can now forty five years after the facts have a much better, much clearer understanding of what took place in Dallas.

The review above says it all. The book is on one level, the personnal history of the search of a son (adopted, it turns out..) for his mysterious, elusive father.

The fact that the father in question happenned to be Win Scot, head of the CIA Mexico station in the Sixties (the biggest CIA operation targeted at Soviet and Cuban interest outside the US) when Oswald, according to the official story, popped up there and started making himself noticed just a few weeks before Dallas, transforms what would be a mere personnal quest into something of historical importance.

Author Morley is known, appropriately, for his groundbreaking work bringing to light most notably the very strange story of George Joannides' s dealing with the DRE. Morley's work definitely showed how the CIA, deceptively,put Joannides in charge of contacts with the HSCA regarding Cuban matters,without ever mentioning his previous responsabilities as Focal Officer for the DRE during the latter part of November 63...

Students of JFK's assassination may remember that the DRE was very heavily involved in the early attempts to paint Oswald as a Communist Pro-Castro assassin, participatingin a conspiracy.

Joannides's field reports on the DRE activities for the relevant period are still missing, and are the subject of a FOIA lawsuit by Morley....

A few pieces are still missing, and we still have a few open questions, but the picture is now getting clearer and clearer:

*the official story of the assassination is a fairy tale

*the events in Mexico City (most notably how the station and HQ handled the visits of a known "intelligence risk" to ennemy embassies..)are crucial in understanding what took place

*the inner workings of the CIA (need-to-know, etc..), and most notably the total autonomy and secrecy of Angleton's group (CI)made feasible any type of obscure intelligence operation whithout the slightest possibility of outside control or supervision.


Great, great book.

I would recommand as a companion Peter Dale Scott "Oswald in Mexico", which is the ultimate post-mortem on Mexico.

If you never thought reading administrative cables could make for a riveting read, or draw the outline of the most-wanted "smoking gun", brace yourself... ... Read more

Product Description
For several years, the armies of Napoleon III deployed some 450 Muslim Sudanese slave soldiers in Veracruz, the port of Mexico City. As in the other case of Western hemisphere military slavery (the West India Regiments, a British unit in existence 1795-1815), the Sudanese were imported from Africa in the hopes that they would better survive the tropical diseases that so terribly afflicted European soldiers. In both cases, the Africans did indeed fulfill these expectations.

The mixture of cultures embodied by this event has piqued the interest of several historians, so it is by no means unknown. Hill and Hogg provide a particularly thorough, if unimaginative, account of this exotic interlude, explaining its background, looking in detail at the battle record in Mexico, and figuring out who exactly made up the battalion. Much in their account is odd and interesting, for example, the Sudanese superiority to Austrian troops and their festive nine-day spree in Paris on the emperor's tab. The authors also assess the episode's longer-term impact on the Sudan, showing that the veterans of Mexico, having learned much from their extended exposure to French military practices, rose quickly in the ranks, then taught these methods to others.

CONTENTS:
- Preface and Acknowledgements;
- Abbreviations;
- Summary Concordance of Military Ranks obtaining in 1863-1867;
- Some Contemporary Ottoman Honorifics;
1. Background to the Egyptian; Sudanese Presence in Mexico
2. The Voyage to Veracruz;
3. Acclimatization, 1863;
4. War in 1864;
5. War and Weariness in 1865;
6. Mutiny of the Relief Battalion in the Sudan;
7. A Diplomatic Confrontation: the Government of the United States versus the Sudanese Battalion;
8. War in 1866;
9. The Mission Completed;
10. The Voyage Home;
11. The Veterans from Mexico in African History;
- The Contrôle Nominatif (Battalion Nominal Roll) with Brief Records of Service;
- Other Sources Used;
- Index ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A life-time accomplishment by two world-class experts.
Two great experts on the history of the Sudan coordinated a fine study of the only time a force of regular African troops were deployed to the New World.Taking place during the French intervention in Mexico, this is the story of a battalion of Sudanese infantry who fought against Juarez and his Mexican patriots.

Hill and Hogg start off with a look at the Sudan during the first half of the 19th century.Then part of an Egyptian empire, they explain why these soldiers would be sent to Mexico, and how this impacted on Egypt's foreign relations.

The work covers a wide range of topics, ranging from recruitment, training, deployment, and combat.Also nice is a look at how the surviviors played important roles in the failing Egyptian empire of the 1870s-80s.

American, French, Egyptian, and Sudanese sources are employed.An interesting work that will proabaly never be surpased.Sadly, it was Richard Hill's last book. ... Read more

Product Description
A rich gathering of essays that evoke the unique and mysterious appeal New Mexico has had for some of the twentieth century’s best-known writers. Included are selections by Mary Austin, Oliver La Farge, Conrad Richter, D.H. Lawrence, C.G. Jung, Winfield Townley Scott, John DeWitt McKee, Ernie Pyle, Harvey Fergusson, and Lawrence Clark Powell. Hillerman’s preface and introduction are choice specimens of his incisive humor and his own deep love of the state.

“Should be required reading for all those who call themselves New Mexican.”—James Arnholz ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Enchanted by New Mexico
Four visits to Albuquerque and surrounding areas have convinced me that I, too, have fallen under the spell of New Mexico as vividly described by the writers of this book.The book becomes especially meaningful to those who have visited New Mexico, but could also inspire others to make that first journey which will likely not be the last!!

Truly an enchanted land
I love New Mexico.I actually fell in love with the state before visiting it through Hillerman's mystery novels.Having been to Navajoland, Los Alamos, Espanola, Santa Fe, etc. but not having the ocasion to return, I bought this book to bring me back there as an armchair traveler.The word pictures created by the different authors are so vivid that I feel I am back there when I read them.Hillerman's foreword is an excellent description not only of the book but of his love for New Mexico.Sadly, Hillerman passed away in October of this year.Happily, his works and New Mexico, endure.

An exceptional collection of essays about the appeal of New Mexico
There are not many books that stay in print for thirty five years, especially one with such a narrow ambit, but this one deserves the honor.

Tony Hillerman has done an exceptional job of writing the Preface and the Introduction, and in collecting the eleven other essays contained in this excellent compilation. It's impossible to summarize the treasures; here are a few of the fragments I particularly enjoyed.

Tony Hillerman: "Pretentious as it sounds, and tough as it is to prove, there does seem to be something about New Mexico which not only attracts creative people but stimulates their creativity."

Oliver La Farge: "What is New Mexico, then? How to sum it up? It is a vast, harsh, poverty-stricken, varied, and beautiful land, a breeder of artists and warriors. It is the home, by birth or by passionate adoption, of a wildly assorted population which has shown itself capable of achieving homogeneity without sacrificing its diversity."

Winfield Townley Scott: "The breadth and height of the land, its huge self and its huge sky, strike you like a blow."

Ernie Pyle: "We like it here because we're on top of the world, in a way; and because we are not stifled and smothered and hemmed in by buildings and trees and traffic and people. We like it because the sky is so bright and you can see so much of it. And because out here you actually see the clouds and the stars and the storms, instead of just reading about them in the newspapers."

Oliver La Farge: "If you stay on, and if you keep quiet, the rhythms of drum, song, and dance, the endlessly changing formations of the lines of dancers, the very heat and dust, unite and take hold. You will realize slowly that what looked simple is complex, disciplined, sophisticated. You will forget yourself. The chances are then that you will go away with that same odd, empty, satisfied feeling which comes after absorbing any great work of art."

In a compelling way, this collection constitutes a "work of art", informed by an appreciation that D.H. Lawrence describes as "for greatness of beauty I have never experienced anything like New Mexico.... It had a splendid silent terror, and a vast far-and-wide magnificence which made it way beyond mere aesthetic appreciation."

If you have any interest in seeing New Mexico as a number of excellent writers do, this is the book for you.

Robert C. Ross2008

The Spell of New Mexico
This is a must read for anyone seriously interested in the state of New Mexico. ... Read more

Product Description
Johns captures the pulse of a brawling city, with a sure-handed feel for both the grit and the dazzle. . . . Anybody involved in Mexico in whatever way should read this work with care, or ignore it at their peril. It is simply superb."--Karl W. Butzer, Dickson Centennial Professor of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at AustinMexico City assumed its current character around the turn of the twentieth century, during the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz (1876-1911). In those years, wealthy Mexicans moved away from the Zócalo, the city's traditional center, to western suburbs where they sought to imitate European and American ways of life. At the same time, poorer Mexicans, many of whom were peasants, crowded into eastern suburbs that lacked such basic amenities as schools, potable water, and adequate sewerage. These slums looked and felt more like rural villages than city neighborhoods. A century--and some twenty million more inhabitants--later, Mexico City retains its divided, robust, and almost labyrinthine character.In this provocative and beautifully written book, Michael Johns proposes to fathom the character of Mexico City and, through it, the Mexican national character that shaped and was shaped by the capital city. Drawing on sources from government documents to newspapers to literary works, he looks at such things as work, taste, violence, architecture, and political power during the formative Díaz era. From this portrait of daily life in Mexico City, he shows us the qualities that "make a Mexican a Mexican" and have created a culture in which, as the Mexican saying goes, "everything changes so that everything remains the same." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
I prefer reading history books to novels and my favorite history books are often written in America. Michael Johns' "City of Mexico"is a fine example why American history often makes for such compelling reading. The book is a mix of excellent research, a engaging vision on the timeframe, and prose that offers a kaleidoscopical view on the city. Johns really achieves bringing back to life the Mexico City of 100 years ago, it's as if by reading this book, we walk through the streets of late 19th century Mexico city.

One of the superior qualities of the book, is that Johns has been able to present Mexico City in the Age of Diaz as a mirror of Mexico's history since the conquest by Cortes. The legacy of Mexico's repressive colonial and traumatic post-colonial history shines through every page of this book, and is illustrated by many fascinating, painful and sometimes hilarious anecdotes.

This book reminds me of another excellent book I read a couple of years ago, Jeffrey Pilcher's "Que vivan los tamales. Food and the making of Mexican identity", which is also a must-read.

Turn of the century in Mexico City
I define a great book as one that changes and clarifies the way that I view the world.This one changed the way I viewed part of the world, and that's good enough for me to highly recommend it.I scarcely knew the history of the country on our southern border, and Diaz was simply a name with no context.This book is an eloquent geographical study of Mexico City during the turn of the 19th-20th century.Johns unravels cause and effect, patterns and trends, politics and society in what would seem to a visitor to be mere chaos.This academic book not only lays out the context and causes of the Revolucion, but provides some lessons in politics and power that play out even today.The only drawback is that the book brings us to the edge of the Mexican Revolution and then the book ends, like the first movie in a trilogy, teasing the reader for a sequel.But then I suppose the book would have lost its focus, soI am satisfied that is a self-contained and tight (and well-referenced) exploration of an intriguing place and time. ... Read more

Product Description
Grandparents are our teachers, our allies, and a great source of love. They supply endless stories that connect us to a past way of life and to people long gone--people who led ordinary lives, but were full of extraordinary teachings. This is the subject of Sweet Nata, a memoir about familial traditions and the joys and hardships the author experienced in her youth. Set during the 1950s and 1960s in Mora and Corrales, New Mexico, Zamora reveals her interaction with her parents, grandparents, and other extended family members who had the greatest influence on her life. She paints a picture of native New Mexican culture and history for younger generations that will also be nostalgic for older generations.

"Zamora offers a unique and authentic perspective on the Hispanic experience in New Mexico. As a memoir, it's a rare glimpse into the daily living of a family and a community."--Ana Baca, author of Mama Fela's Girls (UNM Press) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An eminently readable account, highly recommended
Sweet Nata: Growing Up in Rural New Mexico is the true-life memoir of author Gloria Zamora, who lived with her maternal grandparents in a rural Northern Mexico village near Mora as a young girl. Her memories of being surrounded by a large family and living among a Hispanic community are vividly brought to life - such as watching her beloved grandmother making oatmeal with sweet nata. At age six, the author left this community and went to live with her parents, encountering a complete transition as she struggled to adapt to siblings she barely knew and a thoroughly different way of life. Sweet Nata is a memoir of sharp contrasts, and the power of love to carry one through early life in two dramatically different cultures. An eminently readable account, highly recommended.
... Read more

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Product Description
The second edition of this accessible study of Mexico includes two new features, an examination of cultural developments since Independence from Spain in 1821 and a discussion of contemporary issues up to the time of publication. Several new plates with captions expand the thematic coverage in the book. The updated edition examines the administration of Vicente Fox, who came to power with the elections of 2000. The new sections reinforce the importance of Mexico's long and disparate history, from the Precolumbian era onwards, in shaping the country as it is today. This Concise History looks at Mexico from political, economic and cultural perspectives, and tackles controversial themes such as the impact of the Spanish Conquest and the struggle to establish an independent Mexico. A broad range of readers interested in the modern-day Americas should find here a helpful introduction to this vibrant and dynamic North-American society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Poor introduction to Mexican history
This book, like many others have said, is far too technical and abstract to be an introduction to mexican history.For example, the section about the Mexican Revolution (starting in 1910) has no background information, it does not introduce any of the main ideas or people, and leaders during the 30 year history just seem to come and go based on this account.I was very disappointed with this book.

Confusing
The book does not serve its purpose as a general introduction to Mexican history because the author does not present a narrative history in any sense. Rather, the book contains a very high-level and abstract analysis of major economic and social forces surrounding the historical events, the basic outline of which the reader needs to know in advance. Perhaps the book would do better finding "some resonance among fellow disciplinarians" (from the Preface, p. xii) than appealing to the general (educated) reader.

good intro
Concise history of mexico is just that. It gives you a run down through Mexican history from the Indian days to the present looking at different time periods as well as movements that have helped to define the country. The book describes how both internal influences such as the effect of the Catholic church as well as external influences like relations with the United States and Europe have affected Mexico's history and development. It also deals with the economics and political history of Mexico helping to give a better explanation of how Mexico has turned out the way that it has.

A poor survey
Readers looking for an introduction to Mexico should look elsewhere. The author's decision to emphasize a thematic rather than chronological approach was probably the correct one, but the book's brevity prevents him from developing his themes adequately. At the same time, the narrative of Mexican history collapses in confusion. The book is also sloppily written.

Not very clear ...
This book was very hard to read.It jumps from one event to another without respecting the dates.It was very difficult for me to follow the developement of the different events since it doesn't respect a timeline.The different regimes of the varying political leaders (from emperors and dictators to presidents) are not described in a clear/easy way.In my opinion, the author dedicates very little time to describe very important events such as the independence or the revolution.At the end, I just got a general idea of the history of Mexico but not a very clear one.I wouldn't recomend this book to any person interested in the history of Mexico.I gave it two stars only because I think the pictures in the book are quite good and relevant to the description of events. ... Read more

Product Description
Every American should be familiar with the history of Mexico, which in many ways parallels that of the United States. This narrative history of Mexico through 1998 will readersunderstand the lively and sometimes turbulent history of our neighbor to the south.Surveying Mexico from the arrival of the first humans in the Western Hemisphere to current issues at the turn of the new century, this work dispels many of the stereotypes about Mexico, its history, and its people. The sweep of the narrative transports the reader from Mexico's great cultural past to current issues such as the war on drugs, participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the search for political stability as it enters the 21st century.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Comprehensive
This book is very well-written and comprehensive in terms of the periods it covers. It is fair and unbiased and provides a good amount of detail without being overwhelming. Exactly what I was looking for.

Easy readinggood layout
Good book for a quick orderly history of Mexico. Well thought out. Nota newspaper that is as up to date as today, but you don't expect that in a book written a couple of years ago. Wold buy it again.

Succint, useful history
The two greatest attributes of Kirkwood's History of Mexico are its brevity and readability.Roughly the length of a long novel, it makes for a quick and easy read for those traveling to Mexico or just interested in its basic history.It is short on cultural movements and longer on the military and economic evolution of the country.Like the editorial reviewer above, I wish Kirkwood would have dedicated significantly more room (and more facts) to present-day issues, such as immigration, the NAFTA, the peso bailout and the achievements and failures of the Fox administration.Still, the book provides a good, short, readable background on Mexican history for English speakers with limited basic knowledge of the country's history. ... Read more

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Product Description
Mexico's political, social, and economic landscapes have shifted in very striking ways in recent years, and the country now moves cautiously forward in the twenty-first century. Revised to address these remarkable transformations, The Course of Mexican History, now in its ninth edition, offers a completely up-to-date, lively, and engaging survey from the pre-Columbian times to the present.

The leading textbook in its field, The Course of Mexican History, Ninth Edition, is indispensable for students of Mexican history, politics, economics, and culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Okay
I didn't like the way the first chapter was written (the one on the ancient history of Mexico--Aztecs, Olmecs, etc.). I thought it wasn't well organized. Everything was a mess, which is understandable, since there isn't much written material of ancient civilization, but I feel it could have been done better.

The more recent history is better organized but densely packed. Also, there is no glossary, and sometimes there are Spanish words thrown in the book with no English translation. Many points are made in this book but oftentimes, these points are not explained. It touches on a subject but does not go deeper in it. Understandable, since there is a lot to be said in such a huge time span. Still, again, I feel it could have been done better.

Alright book
They sent me a different edition than what I order so I was a little mad about that but i was still able to use it for class.

An indespensible book
As an undergraduate student of history and a Mexican born dual citizen I find this book to be a great work of historical analysis and research. I own the 2003 edition, thus I have owned it for several years. When I came to study abroad in Mexico, this was one of the books I brought with me. The authors hold an objective tone in their easy-to-read scholarly writing. It is very comprehensive and it includes various sub-themes per chapter such as: Women and Society, Culture and Society, Intellectuals and Society, etc.

It also includes various helpful charts and tables to explain data and recent information. As any concise history, it is very brief on some important events but nonetheless it includes the most important facts of the events. For example, the Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968 is explained in a couple pages, but the elements of the basics are there.

I have used this book to do my essays and research both in California and in Mexico. I strongly recommend this book to any student of history, politics, or economy and to the lay and curious reader as well.

Alright for a text book
Had to buy this book for a Modern Mexican History class, so I only read the chapters dealing with Mexican history from the end of the colonial period through the end of the book.What I read was interesting, brief and to the point as a text book should be.However, I would not enjoy just sitting down and reading it for fun.

typical college text
This is a general narrative summary of Mexican history.It is not very deep on anything, has few direct quotes from primary materials, but it's organized fairly well. For the beginner - or college student who is not very intellectually ambitious or curious - it's OK.For anyone else, I'd advise buying the really excellent Mexico Reader, Duke Univ Press, edited by Gil Joseph et al. The Mexico Reader is a terrific compendium of original sources covering all the same periods and can be used as a complement or in place of this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Winner of the 2005 Society for American Archaeology Book Award.This authoritative book explores every aspect of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, from Paleo-Indian times to the sixteenth century. It provides overviews of the best-known regional cultures, such as those of the Olmecs, Maya, Zapotecs, and Aztecs, as well as balanced coverage of Mesoamerica as a whole.

The book covers every major site, from La Venta and Monte Albán to Teotihuacan, Palenque, and Tenochtitlan. It includes detailed discussion of major cultural themes, such as the ball game, and is lavishly illustrated with photographs, drawings, and maps. It has now been thoroughly updated to include new interpretations and recent discoveries.
459 illustrations, 80 in color ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great!
Great book, no markings that I've seen. Should have been under super awesome condition. :D

The Complete ancient Mexico reader
With one look at this book its easy to say it was written in a textbook fashion for high school or maybe introductory college, one might assume the depth of the information discussed is only an overview or an introduction. This is deceiving.The second edition of this wonderful book is packed with clear and crisp illustrations, 426 to be exact, and covers central American culture from Mesoamerica to Motecuzoma in detail. At nearly 600 pages this is a behemoth read with tiny side notes and explanations woven into the tightly knit text that fits neatly into 5 separate sections. I would recommend this book for anyone into central American studies and would think it makes a great course textbook for upper college instructors. ... Read more

Product Description
At last available in paperback, the twenty-five essayscollected here re-create everyday activities of the Hispanic people ofcolonial northern New Mexico. What people wore, when they shopped, howthey amused themselves¾these are but a few of the commonplaceactivities considered here.

In reconstructing the daily routines of domestic life and work habitsSimmons captures the precariousness of lives threatened by drought,crop failure, Apache raids, and accidents. Simmons's essays permit usto imagine what people long ago thought and felt, which is aconsiderable accomplishment. But he doesn't stop there: the finalsection of this volume offers a glimpse of the historian atwork. Entitled "Reading History," these essays introduce three lateeighteenth-century documents and provide readers with a primer inunderstanding economic and social problems of the past. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Overview of Colonial New Mexico Life
This is a great book to get the feel of what life was like in colonial NM...It is a bunch of short essays with a WIDE range of topics relating to life in NM.....Marc Simmons has a pretty nice style of writing too....I liked the part about the New Mexican "tube" socks!!!

Wonderful daily historical insight
As usual, Mr. Simmons takes you back in time and brings the everyday life of early New Mexico to life.He has done extensive research to enlighten us.This book covers everything from homemaking, dressing, Inidans and food.A must have for historical researchers. ... Read more

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1990 Western Writers of America Spur Award. New Mexico's heritage spans more than four and a half centuries. Roadside History of New Mexico brings the state's history to vibrant life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

New Mexico History
Fair.Not too bad really.Kind of home made.Sort of like what your inlaws might do.

Definitely a book about New Mexico
I like this book.I do.But I'm just not crazy about it.
It's a fairly handy reference, and has a good index, and it especially has a lot of good information on a lot of southern New Mexico towns like Radium Springs and Fort Seldon.Factually, it's great.
The way it divides the state up into sections however seems somewhat random--into areas that were into cattle, areas that were affected by the railroad, et cetera--and unless you are very familiar with these areas, you may find the book awkward to use.The book also passes over New Mexico's best ghost towns--Hagan and Tejon and the others on La Madera Road--but it's full of facts, and is pretty readable.
If you are looking to build a small New Mexico library, definitely get this book.
But if you just want one book on New Mexico, get Robert Julyan's "The Place Names of New Mexico."It's better organized and has more of the places you mighr want to know about.

If you are a history buff - get Roadside.
Eureka!What a find.Besides being a phenomenal ROADSIDE history book (best used with an automobile traveling the highways and byways), it is worth the purchase for the 100s of black & white photos that are found throughout the book.In my recent two week of travel through New Mexico there was not a ghost town, pueblo, town or city that was not expounded upon.

Folks, this is a wonderful book, and works best as a supplement to a good traveling guide (my recommendation is Fodor's New Mexico [see my review]).Now, I will admit that traveling guides usually have a brief sketch of the history of locations, but Roadside History expands that and the photos are priceless.Strongly recommended

Fascinating!
This book is really fascinating. I was thinking about getting another book on the history of New Mexico but I wasn't quite sure about it. The sales clerk at a bookstore in Sante Fe recommended that I get this one.I didn't even see it until she pointed it out to me. Boy, am I glad she did!
Once I started looking at it at the bookstore I found it so interesting that I could literally not stop reading it.I guess that was a good sign that I should buy it.
My boyfriend and I have never been to New Mexico- and as wedrove through little towns along the way I opened up the book and read about the history behind each town. It was very informative and helpful.
It has great black and white photos and neat drawings that depict the historical events in a fascinating fashion.
Every town is mentioned- even tiny ones that no one has ever heard of such as: Wagon Mound, Maxwell, Embudo, Watrous, Valmora, Tatum, Dora, Lingo, White Rock, etc....
It mentions Los Alomos and the Manhattan Project, Taos, Albuquerque, etc...
This book gives a history of each town, how and when it was founded, by whom, and in some cases how the town got its name.
I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

Highly insulting
I quit reading the book right after the authors state that "Geronimo was never captured, unless he let himself be because hewanted a good meal..."This is highly insulting to Native Americans everywhere, and completely in error.For an Apache, being held captive was absolutely the worst form of torture imaginable (see "Once We Moved Like the Wind).Geronimo died in an 8X10 cell at Fort Sill, Oklahoma after being held prisoner for about 20 years.I was so incenced that I threw the book away. ... Read more

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Learn about the many colorful traditions of Mexico in this beautifully illustrated book. ... Read more

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Product Description
A war that started under questionable pretexts. A president who is convinced of his country’s might and right. A military and political stalemate with United States troops occupying a foreign land against a stubborn and deadly insurgency.

The time is the 1840s. The enemy is Mexico. And the war is one of the least known and most important in both Mexican and United States history—a war that really began much earlier and whose consequences still echo today. Acclaimed historian David A. Clary presents this epic struggle for a continent for the first time from both sides, using original Mexican and North American sources.


To Mexico, the yanqui illegals pouring into her territories of Texas and California threatened Mexican sovereignty and security. To North Americans, they manifested their destiny to rule the continent. Two nations, each raising an eagle as her standard, blustered and blundered into a war because no one on either side was brave enough to resist the march into it.

In Eagles and Empire, Clary draws vivid portraits of the period’s most fascinating characters, from the cold-eyed, stubborn United States president James K. Polk to Mexico’s flamboyant and corrupt general-president-dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna; from the legendary and ruthless explorer John Charles Frémont and his guide Kit Carson to the “Angel of Monterey” and the “Boy Heroes” of Chapultepec; from future presidents such as Benito Juárez and Zachary Taylor to soldiers who became famous in both the Mexican and North American civil wars that soon followed. Here also are the Irish Soldiers of Mexico and the Yankee sailors of two squadrons, hero-bandits and fighting Indians of both nations, guerrilleros and Texas Rangers, and some amazing women soldiers.

From the fall of the Alamo and harrowing marches of thousands of miles in the wilderness to the bloody, dramatic conquest of Mexico City and the insurgency that continued to resist, this is a riveting narrative history that weaves together events on the front lines—where Indian raids, guerrilla attacks, and atrocities were matched by stunning acts of heroism and sacrifice—with battles on two home fronts—political backstabbing, civil uprisings, and battle lines between Union and Confederacy and Mexican Federalists and Centralists already being drawn. The definitive account of a defining war, Eagles and Empire is page-turning history—a book not to be missed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Best written and most comprehensive Mexican War history since 1911.
Clary's style is brisque yet engaging, thorough though succinct. It is an amazingly comprehensive treatment of an otherwise extremely complex conflict. Clary's treatment of the Mexican War however produces an unusually balanced perspective seen from both sides, melding them together so as to leave his readers thirsting for more detail. His distinctive approach adroitly and quite successfully illuminates pungent cultural comparisons, significant demographic disparities, and crucial economic contrasts which amply fill the void so long ignored in this important aspect of Westward Movement historiography. Eagles and Empire is the "Go To" source book High School and College faculty should use as their first primer on this subject. Clary's title itself is a double entendre fraught with significance for this one tome that finally brings it all together.
Dr. Michael Zeiler

Satisfy your Passion for Dispassionate History
I'm about one-quarter through "Eagles and Empire" and find myself fascinated with the historical facts presented therein and with Clary's finely-honed abilities as both historian and storyteller.The amount of detail is phenomenal and the author expertly untangles each story line and each character portrait, discusses it in exquisite detail, and reweaves each thread into his rich tapestry of historical storytelling.

I much appreciate that Clary does not state a thesis then set about presenting the facts that prove it.Rather he presents the results of his research and seems content to allow the reader to draw his own conclusions.Along the way, we remind ourselves that historical figures are rarely the wonderful heroes or absolute villans that some would have us believe.Like ourselves, most of the famous names in history were often conflicted, unsure of their mind, their means, or their motives, and were often unwilling or unable to learn from their own mistakes.

So far, Clary is not shy in revealing the mistakes, missteps, and follies - on both sides - that led to war.I'm confident that he will address the blunders and brutalities of the war's battles with equal evenhandedness.This of all books on the subject deserves to be translated into Spanish in the hope that it might be used as a point of departure for future discussions by fair minded people on both sides of the border.

Eagles and Empire
Goodbook.Lousy Kindle experience.Small print and faint printing reproduction of maps make following the action frustrating and overly difficult.Buy the hard copy and enjoy the reading experience.

Outstanding work of history!
This is without a doubt the best one-volume history of any war ever written.Clary is true to his word in covering both sides of the conflict, as well as its origins and aftermath.I agree with the other reader who said that our national politicians (and those of Mexico or any other country, I might add)should be required to read this before they get us into the next mess.But that aside, this is narrative history at its best, exciting, always interesting, and very often entertaining, and of course informative.I recommend it to all, as you will not be disappointed.

Disappointing
Disappointing and biased account of the US-Mexican War of 1846-1847.The United States armed forces, particularly the volunteer units, are portrayed as constantly harrasing, robbing, raping and pillaging the people of Mexico, leading to, in the author's opinion, the entirely understandable reaction of the populace in entering into guerilla warfare. Much of this may be true but documentation is lacking, and this was probably not as dominant feature of the conflict as is portrayed in the book. Almost all decisions of the United States government and commanders are portrayed as stupid, incompetent or worse.While the morality of the United States efforts can be debated, ulitmately, the war did achieve the goals of the American administration, and the author's stressing of constant incompetence is therefore questionable. The ineffectiveness of the Mexican government is portrayed, but without the condescending attitude the author displays towards every United States initiative.As is too often the case with military history, maps are inadequate, not all battles and campaigns are shown, and some strange selections have been made.For example, there is no campaign level map showing Scott's march to Mexico City, while there is a map of various uprisings against the Mexican government from its inception to long past the Mexican War, even though many of those uprisings are not discussed in the text. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1992 and available now only from UNM Press, An Illustrated History of New Mexico combines more than two hundred photographs and a concise history to create an engaging, panoramic view of New Mexico’s fascinating past. For thousands of years various cultures have filtered into New Mexico, and each has adapted to the land. New Mexico has become a cosmopolitan society of many nationalities and ethnicities, all influenced by those who came before, and all part of a distinctive New Mexican culture that thrives today. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Awesome book for history buffs!
This is easily one of the best New Mexico history books I have in my collection.I started collecting NM history books years ago when I was assigned (quite our of the blue) 2 sections of NM history at the high school I was teaching at.The photos are awesome and the content is rich and detailed.A must buy for New Mexico History buffs.

Not what I expected, but still good
This book is a collection of historic photographs from New Mexico, beginning with the earliest explorers from Mexico and United States.The text is thin, culled from various primary sources.This book should not be considered a narrative history of the state.

The photography is revealing and interesting, but is almost exclusively from before 1940.Those looking for a proper scholarly history of New Mexico should consider alternatives.Rather than "An Illustrated History of New Mexico", I would suggest the title, "A History of Early New Mexico in Illustration." ... Read more

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"Masterly....The complexities of Mexico's ancient cultures areperceptively presented and interpreted."—Library JournalMichael D. Coe's Mexico has long been recognized as the mostreadable and authoritative introduction to the region's ancientcivilizations. This companion to his best-selling The Maya hasnow been completely revised by Professor Coe and Rex Koontz.

Thesixth edition includes new developments in the birth of agriculture andwriting, both of which were independently invented here. Fresh insightsinto the metropolis of Teotihuacan reveal a world of palaces and warriorcults brought down by social revolts. A spectacular new find in thecenter of the Aztec capital, just unearthed, gives us a privilegedglimpse into the funerary rites of the most powerful monarch in NorthAmerica at the time. 181 illustrations, 20 in color ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Mexico - a very mysterious place
I was a little disappointed in Reading "Mexico".I was hoping to read about the ancient peoples of Mexico and what their daliy lives must have been like as well as their history, ways of life, beliefs, etc.. however this book was mainly focuses on archeological excavation sights and the articfacts and goes into great detail of the finds.This is all good and actually very informative for those interested in archeology alone.The book occasionally does touch on the Peoples themselves.Also, it is written in a very dry and sometimes dull and a high-brow manner which was also a turn-off to me.I recommend it though for the purpose of the many illustations and photos (the most interesting parts) and a must read for those interested in archeology.

great book
this is a great book, lots of detailed photos. i am reading this book for a chicano studies class and its a bit hard to read at times.

Great Overview
I have been reading books on pre-Columbian America for over 20 years, and Michael Coe's titles have always been amongst my favorites.He has not dissappointed me this time either.This book is a great summary of what is known, to date, about pre-hispanic Meso America.Good reading, good archeology.

Must have book on Mexican Archeology
This is a simple and easy to use reference to the archeological history of Mexico.Simply laid out with lots of examples.Good book.

Very Informative!
Manuel's review of this book is excellent - I couldn't have written it any better! However, here's my two-cents worth:

This book is a must read for anyone who lacks basic knowledge of the ancient Mexican cultures. It provides the reader with brief (and in some cases, more than brief) summaries of several of the various cultural groups that existed, covering geographic, cultural, agricultural, religious, architectural and political backgrounds. It has timelines and drawn maps to aid the reader's temporal and geographical orientation. It contains many illustrations and photographs of artifacts found, temples, statues...etc. excavated. It even includes a brief section and tips on visiting Mexico.

The only gripe I have with this book is that it provides you with a lot of information on some cultures, such as the Aztecs and Toltecs and leaves you with insufficient info on other cultures mentioned, such as the Totonacs. However, this is probably because what archeologists have unearthed of Mesoamerica is only a tiny fraction of what actually existed, i.e. the less than brief information on some of the cultural groups mentioned in this book is probably due to archeologists not having unearthed enough remnants of the existence of these cultures/not being able to fully interpret or place what they have found to date. I'm sure Coe would have provided more info if there was more in-depth info, though in the case of the Maya, there is simply too much information to be made known and hence, rather than trying to simplify everything into one chapter, a whole, separate book has been dedicated to that group.

To make up for this lack of info on some groups, Coe provides us with pictures of artifacts found, as in the section on the Olmecs, and illustrations and descriptions of their distinctive artistic/architectural style and states the likelihood of the origination of these styles and what they probably signified. I must admit that I found the more than just brief descriptions/concentrations on the artistic styles/pottery work/architectural preferences...etc. of some of the lesser-known groups a little annoying, for I am not an art/archeology student and was looking for info more on the way of life, beliefs...etc. than on their pottery and carving skills and architectural styles. Nonetheless, I am grateful that these were brought to the reader's attention rather than nothing at all mentioned.

I enjoyed this book as a kick-start to my growing interest in ancient Mexican and Andean cultures and think that it makes a good quick-reference book. At least now I have an idea/starting point of some of the ancient Mexican groups. One should read this book keeping in mind that a lot about ancient Mexico has yet to be discovered and will never be discovered (afterall, a majority of the remnants of these cultures were destroyed by conquering forces) and thus, should be thankful for whatever is divulged in this book.
... Read more