Looks at the ruins of the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan, describes the culture and daily life of its people, and recounts how the city was built.

The myths and beliefs of the great pre-Columbian civilizations of Mesoamerica have baffled and fascinated outsiders ever since the Spanish Conquest. Yet, until now, no single-volume introduction has existed to act as a guide to this labyrinthine symbolic world. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya is the first-ever English-language dictionary of Mesoamerican mythology and religion. Nearly 300 entries, from accession to yoke, describe the main gods and symbols of the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs. Topics range from jaguar and jester gods to reptile eye and rubber, from creation accounts and sacred places to ritual practices such as bloodletting, confession, dance, and pilgrimage. In addition, two introductory essays provide succinct accounts of Mesoamerican history and religion, while a substantial bibliographical survey directs the reader to original sources and recent discussions. Dictionary entries are illustrated with photographs and specially commissioned line drawings. Mary Miller and Karl Taube draw on their research in the fast-changing field of Maya studies, and on the latest Mexican discoveries, to produce an authoritative work that will serve as a standard reference for students, scholars, and travelers.

An unrequited love, a passionless marriage, and an exotic adventure all play a role in this “engrossing” novel by a National Book Award–winning author (The New York Times Book Review). Blomberg has loved Noni for what seems like his whole life. He loves her like he loves the sunset, like he loves the air he breathes. But beautiful, strange, impulsive Noni—who has spent years in a passionless marriage to one of Boston’s most notorious swindlers—has only a few months to live; her heart is about to give out. Before she dies, Noni begs Blom to finance a trip to Mexico, where she can obtain a quick divorce and marry the man she loves. That man is not Blom, however, but Gil—an upstanding young gentleman who is to know nothing of Noni’s condition. With his own heart aching, Blom arranges the money, and the trio heads south on a journey that will bring them face to face with the mysteries of life and death. Featuring a character based on the author’s friend and protégé Malcolm Lowry, this is a deeply personal and psychologically astute novel by a versatile writer who was the recipient of the Pulitzer and Bollingen Prizes for his poetry, among other literary honors.

The first complete history of Mexico for general readers in many years, and maybe the very first intentionally non-academic history of Mexico, Gods, Gachupines and Gringos is a solidly researched introduction to a surprisingly multi-cultural, multi-faceted nation.

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. “A spellbinding fairy tale rooted in Mexican mythology . . . Gods of Jade and Shadow is a magical fairy tale about identity, freedom, and love, and it's like nothing you've read before.”—Bustle NEBULA AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • Tordotcom • The New York Public Library • BookRiot The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true. In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld. Praise for Gods of Jade and Shadow “A dark, dazzling fairy tale . . . a whirlwind tour of a 1920s Mexico vivid with jazz, the memories of revolution, and gods, demons, and magic.”—NPR “Snappy dialog, stellar worldbuilding, lyrical prose, and a slow-burn romance make this a standout. . . . Purchase where Naomi Novik, Nnedi Okorafor, and N. K. Jemisin are popular.”—Library Journal (starred review) “A magical novel of duality, tradition, and change . . . Moreno-Garcia’s seamless blend of mythology and history provides a ripe setting for Casiopea’s stellar journey of self-discovery, which culminates in a dramatic denouement. Readers will gladly immerse themselves in Moreno-Garcia’s rich and complex tale of desperate hopes and complicated relationships.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This book is a reflective, original, and sometimes speculative essay on the concept of power and the man-god tradition in Mexican colonial history, with some provocative thoughts on how that tradition affected the way the indigenous population reacted to the cultural upheavals of the Spanish Conquest and its aftermath. The basis of the work is the rich documentation that survives from efforts to prosecute cases of idolatry and witchcraft. The author closely examines four such cases - Indian peasants living in central Mexico who proclaimed themselves successors of the gods during various stages of the colonial era (in 1537, 1659, 1665, and 1761). Drawing on the testimony of these man-gods and their followers, the author describes the emergence of these native leaders, discusses their individual qualities, and evaluates their impact and hold on their followers. He also sets out in substance their speeches and depositions, which provide a rare critique of colonial society. Coming from the lower classes, socially and culturally marginal, these man-gods tried to understand and surmount the profound changes that were crushing their society. Their actions were doomed to failure, but they reveal a dynamism and creativity that have been ignored by conventional historians. In a more general way, the book demonstrates through concrete examples how popular cultures constantly change and recreate their own traditions, and how vanquished and dominated societies, in order to construct a new identity, create new cultural forms.