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Unless otherwise indicated, the books listed are the personal choice of Don Casteel, Platiquemos' chairman, and the comments are his. We have tried to provide a representative sampling of some of the best writing about Mexico, but welcome suggestions, comments, or criticisms.

Fire and Blood originally came out in 1973, and immediately became the standard single-volume history of Mexico.  This edition was  updated in 1995, which brings it about as close to being current as any history can be.  While some might disagree for various reasons (including the fact that Fehrenbach, Professor of History at the University of Texas, is not a Mexican), I still consider this the most readable, and objective introduction to Mexican history for the American reader.  Particularly if you're planning to visit Mexico or have business in or with Mexicans, this is almost a "must".  It is only available new as a paperback, but there are lots of used hard covers around.

If you read the comments on the Amazon page, you'll find Distant Neighbors described as everything from the best to the worst book about Mexico.  I believe it is one of the "best"; like most of the books I've found about many countries that offer some real insights, it was written by a journalist. (If anybody wants recommendations about China, France or Italy, please contact me.)  Drawing on his 12 years working in Mexico, a good deal of study and a wide range of contacts, Riding has written a book which explains why Mexico is the way it is better than any other I've seen.  If someone were only able to read two books about Mexico [which I wouldn't advocate], Distant Neighbors and Fire and Blood would be my recommendations. 

If you want to read a one-volume history of Mexico written by a Mexican, Triumphs and Tragedy: A History of the Mexican People by Ramón Eduardo Ruiz is my personal favorite.   Ruiz explains the title of his  book as indicating that while the Mexican people have achieved many discrete triumphs, those triumphs must be viewed against a backdrop of ongoing tragedy.  Ruiz draws a sympathetic picture of the Mexican people, although he is sharply critical of their leaders.  Some might feel that his conclusions are overly pessimistic. Ruiz is also a good writer, which makes the book an easy read. Ruiz has also written about life on the Mexican side of the border, and about the Mexican Revolution, which he calls the Great Rebellion.

The Labyrinth of Solitude: The Other Mexico, Return to the Labyrinth of Solitude, Mexico and the United States, the Philanthropic Ogre.  Octavio Paz, 1990 Nobel Prize winner for literature, was without a doubt Mexico's greatest writer.  When he first published "Labyrinth of Solitude" in 1950, he faced social and professional ostracism, threats against his life, and was denied the usual governmental rewards for politically correct intellectuals, such as ambassadorships, of which authors such as Carlos Fuentes have received a plenitude.  These problems arose out of the very attributes that make his work so valuable: his unflinching honesty, his insight into the darker sides of the Mexican psyche,  and his willingness to tell the truth as he saw it, consequences be damned.  This edition has been enriched with some of his later writings.  My one caution would be to be careful in attributing the traits described by Paz to individual Mexicans; his insights should be viewed more as explaining Mexicans in general. For more information, or to order, click on the cover image above. El Laberinto de la Soledad está también disponible en español. 

Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico by Hugh Thomas. Thomas is probably the pre-eminent popular historian now writing about Latin America. He had available to him much more information than Prescott or Bernal Díaz did when they wrote their accounts, and the results show.; Thomas also is an excellent writer, which makes his books read more like novels than turgid historical tomes. To order, or for more information, click on the cover image. We also recommend Thomas' definitive history of Cuba (click here).

History of the Conquest of Mexico (Modern Library) by William H. Prescott.  Although published over 150 years ago, Prescott's monumental classic remains one of the best accounts of that incredible adventure, the conquest of Mexico. In an astounding feat of scholarship, Prescott wrote both this book and its companion History of the Conquest of Peru entirely from documentary research from his home in Boston. He never visited either country. Both books remain valuable additions to the library of anyone interested in the history of Mexico. 

The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521  by Bernal Díaz Del Castillo.   Written in his old age by one of the common soldiers in Cortez's little army, this book comes as close as we'll ever get to a first-hand, on-the-scene report. You can, if you let your imagination run loose, smell the sweat and hear the shouts. There is an excellent review on Amazon's page. [A culture note: those of you familiar with name conventions in Spanish will know that Bernal's surname is Díaz, del Castillo is his mother's maiden name. Thus, he would be referred to as Díaz, not del Castillo.]