Mexican History Books...name some worth reading?

[Catfish]

I am a high school history teacher wanting to learn more about Mexico, Central and South America.

I just picked up "Born in Blood and Fire" A Concise History of Latin America by John Chasteen from the library.

Thanks a lot for suggestions.

[sidspaceman]

Conquest, Montezuma, Cortes, and the fall of Old Mexico

The Conquest of New Spain" by Bernal Diaz

[Catfish]

WOW! You are every where. I really appreciate it.

BTW, where are you?

[sidspaceman]

I'm in New York.

[sidspaceman]

Another good book is Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, 25th Anniversary Edition By Eduardo Galeano, who also wrote Soccer in Sun and Shadow one of the best books about soccer ever written.

[nergserg]

One book I read that breaks down how different spanish words are used in Mexico is:

NTC's Dictionary of Mexican Cultural Code Words : The Complete Guide to Key Words That Express How the Mexicans Think, Communicate, and Behave

You are not going to get complete history in the book, but understanding what these words mean in Mexico can give great insight into the culture. Fast read too.

[JAOL24]

I enjoy reading fictional works, more than non-fiction. Three books i have read dealing with Mexican history are Aztec, Aztec Autumn, and Aztec Blood, written by Gary Jennings. The first one was was an excellent read. the other two were ok, but i no where as good as the first one. These are fictional novels. So they may not be what your looking for.

[LMvCP]

I picked up my mom yesterday from the airport. She spent a month in Mexico City/Toluca this past month. She bought me some books and one of them is related to history.

Its called "Tradiciones Mexicanas" by Sebastian Verti.

I have started to read it, but just by glancing it.. it looks like an interesting read.

The book itself is a special edition by La Costeña. It reads in Spanish "Edicion Especial de lujo"

from glancing at the book. it has the recipes, traditions, the reason behind the traditions, history, original names of cuisines and places, etc.

I was amazed that it has this maiz diagram and breaks down the types of miaz and which ones you use and the differences between tamal, taco, sopes, etc, etc.. there were some that i had never even heard of. in fact it had named the type of tamal(es) that are native to each region and state

[El Buki]

The Wind that Swept Mexico is a good book on the mex. revolution, written just a few years after. It has a ton of really awesome pictures.

On latin american history, my all time favorite, is an awesome book,
Memory of Fire: Century of the Wind. It is probably the best book I have ever read on history

[Levante]

[i]The Conquest of New Spain" by Bernal Diaz

A great primary source.