Tinta Books – serie

While the history of Mexico dates back thousands of years, the story of Mexico City, the country’s capital, only dates to pre-Columbian times, with the founding of Tenochtitlan by the Mexica people in 1325. Tenochtitlan quickly became the most powerful city-state in the region, with a population of about two hundred thousand at its peak, and was known for its architectural and engineering feats.Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in 1521 and began a brutal campaign of colonial conquest. The city fell to Spanish rule, and much of it was destroyed alongside rich indigenous heritage. Cortés rebuilt the city, renaming it and making it the capital of New Spain. Under Spanish rule, Mexico City became one of the wealthiest and most important cities in the Americas and was a center of trade, culture, and political power. Many of its iconic buildings were constructed during this time, including the Cathedral of Mexico City and the National Palace. During the Mexican War of Independence, the city was captured in 1810 by rebel forces under Miguel Hidalgo but soon recaptured by the Spanish. After years of fighting, Mexico finally gained independence from Spain in 1821, and Mexico City became the capital of the new republic. In the decades that followed the city underwent rapid growth and modernization, with new neighborhoods, parks, and public buildings constructed.Mexico City, a playfully illustrated history of the city since 1521, highlights the complex cultural and economic forces and conflicts that shaped this international metropolis, which today is home to more than 20 million people, as well as visitors and expats from around the world.

Derived from the words miscere and genus in Latin, mestizaje refers to a mixing of the races. In the book bilingual book Mestizaje, internationally acclaimed artist Kathy Sosa presents a cross-sectional view of Mexican American culture as it is practiced in the centuries-old blended culture of the Texas-Mexico borderlands. She documents and projects the effects across generations of peoples and cultures meeting, overlapping, and organically blending into something new. The richness and beauty of mestizaje come from a place where people speak Spanglish, eat Tex-Mex food, and dance to Willie Nelson and Flaco Jimenez—sometimes all at once. Sosa foretells what much of the United States has become or will be like before long.The imagery and symbolism of puro mestizaje (total mix) figure prominently in Sosa’s work, and it is a mix unique to the borderlands’ historical traditions and myriad cultures. Sosa derives inspiration from and reflects a bold palette of strong female figures. Celebrating what the women of these borderlands think, feel, and revere culturally, she explores the roles of indigenous traditions, colors, and textiles. Family, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances—real and imagined—participate in the spirit of mexicanidad, though most were not born in Mexico and some have never visited. Supplemented with dual-language essays in English and Spanish by art critics, collectors, and historians, Mestizaje rejoices in feminist notions of blended cultures and opens readers’ eyes to the lessons they offer and what they tell us about America today.

One of the most pervasive yet least studied figures in Latin American culture is La Llorona, the weeping woman. Doomed to wander riverbanks searching for her children, she is both cursed and revered, especially in Mexico and the U.S. borderlands but also throughout Central and South America. The legend tells of a woman who, after being betrayed by her husband, drowns her children in a river in a fit of rage and despair. Overcome with guilt and grief, she spends the rest of her days wandering the riverbank, crying out for her lost children.La Llorona’s origins date to precolonial indigenous cultures. She is said to have been a celebrated goddess of fertility who was worshiped by the Aztecs. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, however, they sought to suppress the native religions and turned La Llorona into a symbol of sin and punishment. Her legend has been passed down for generations and has taken on many variations over time, from a ghostly figure to a vengeful spirit preying on children who wander too close to the water’s edge. The figure appears in literature, film, music, and pop culture media.Weeping Women: La Llorona in Modern Latina and Chicana Lore is an illustrated mixed-genre anthology that brings together poets, researchers, artists, and storytellers from diverse backgrounds to examine the figure’s literal and metaphorical influence. La Llorona continues to be a popular legend in Latin America, but one in need of greater study in order to fully understand her cultural influence and importance.