Bilingual, to appeal to the Spanish-speaking market in the US and in Mexico. The first book (in either English or Spanish) dedicated solely to this branch of handcraft ingenuity, in spite of its long importance to the Mexican festival calendar. In the past 20 years, the craft has experienced a renaissance, resulting in new forms, monumental sizes, cartonería events, and the spread of working with paper and paste in other parts of the country. This book is the first to document the craft's importance, and its revival.
A 2015 Caldecott Honor Book A 2015 Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award Distinguished author/illustrator Yuyi Morales illuminates Frida's life and work in this elegant and fascinating book, Viva Frida. Frida Kahlo, one of the world's most famous and unusual artists is revered around the world. Her life was filled with laughter, love, and tragedy, all of which influenced what she painted on her canvases. A Neal Porter Book
Get the inside scoop on Mexico. From beach parties on Cozumel and nightclubs in nonstop Mexico City to diving with sharks in Baja, MTV Best of Mexico shows you where you want to be, with choices for every budget to help you travel the way you want to. Alternative accommodations. Stay everywhere from a mega resort in Puerto Vallarta to a treehouse-inspired hotel in Playa del Carmen to one of the country's many open-air palapas. Cheap eats. Fuel up with bar-friendly snacks like tacos and tamales, sample cheap seafood at beachside loncherias, or splurge on a restaurant serving traditional mole. Great clubs, bars & hangouts. Find out where to go to listen to live mariachi music, groove to salsa, and chill with locals in town plazas. Offbeat attractions, world-class arts & adrenaline adventures. From paintings by Kahlo and Rivera and ancient Mayan ruins to cenote diving and race car driving, you'll discover Mexico's finest gems.
In the Mexican states of Puebla and Veracruz, old masked dances have survived in isolated mountain regions. These dances include wonderful masks of humans and animals, masks with beautiful, comic, or wicked faces. Created by Indigenous master carvers, mascareros, these masks and puppets appear during religious fiestas. Over 700 vivid color photos reveal these masks and puppets in all their glory. The thoroughly researched text answers the questions about who made these beautiful works of art, who these dance characters are, and the nature of the religion they represent. The Spanish conquerors strove to convert the Indian inhabitants of Mexico to Christianity. However, these converts secretly retained important deities from earlier times to accompany Christian elements, creating a poetic blend of beliefs. Given that these indigenous peoples have suffered many injustices, the masks, puppets, and dance dramas reflect many unresolved societal tensions along with veiled wishes for divine justice.
Juan Zanate used to sit under his favorite tree--with his only friends, the harvest birds--dreaming and planning his life. Juan had big dreams of becoming a farmer like his father and grandfather. But when his father died and the land was divided, there was only enough for his two older brothers. In this charming story from the heart of the Indian tradition in Mexico, Juan learns to determine his own destiny--with help from his loyal friends, the harvest birds.
A contemporary overview of festival activity based on over 30 international case studies. It demonstrates how the nature of festivals crosses borders, how they are a recognisable and growing part of societal and cultural delivery around the globe and that their impacts, economic, social and cultural are a major driver in their development.
The icons documented in this handsome volume appear in many physical forms, ranging from life-size to half an inch tall. They reflect a belief system deeply rooted in the ancient Mayan religion of Guatemala and influenced by centuries of superimposed Christianity. The objects whose photographs appear here are collected as ethnographic folk art by aficionados but they, and the saints they represent, are a living part of Guatemalan culture. Guatemala's Folk Saintsis a rich mélange of observation, interviews, and photographs that combine to give a vivid and intimate portrait of this particular variety of syncretic Christianity. Including extensive information on altars, prayers, and the pantheon of the saints themselves, the book focuses on an entity known both as Maximon and San Simon, a spiritual representative to whom any kind of request can be made. Although petitioners are usually encouraged to pray only for "good causes," San Simon can also be enlisted to get rid of evil spells or even to cast one. San Simon may be a bundle of woven textile topped with a hat or a life-size figure with his face hidden behind a mask and designer sunglasses. He may wear cowboy boots or be covered in petitioners' offerings of silk scarves. Clouded in incense and addressed in indigenous dialects, he is Mayan. Addressed in Spanish, his Christian veneer becomes clear. Other chapters address Rey Pascual (a skeletal deity), the Ajitz Judas, Lucifer, Don Diego, and San Gregorio. The book includes a glossary and bibliography. This unique documentation of modern Mayan culture will be of interest to scholars, collectors, and travelers.
