7 April 2012
Interesting Books About Yucatan
It has not escaped our attention lately that contemporary writers are starting to notice and write about the Yucatan. When we first became interested in this part of the world, we were happy to discover some of the older books that had been written in the early to mid 20th Century. Of course, there is the always interesting Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vols. I and II, which anyone with a deep and abiding interest in this part of the world will get to eventually. Beyond that, we were always excited to find old books about the Yucatan and Merida, books like The Red Tiger: Adventures in Yucatan and Mexico, which we have only been able to find on eBay. We have even found old children’s books for American children, written about a visit to Merida.
The culture and history here is so fascinating, colorful and largely unknown, that it was almost just a matter of time that new books would be written as more and more people have moved here. Below are some of the more interesting books we have heard about lately, or books written by friends, or books we have heard of and would like to read. We’re staying away from scholarly works or textbooks, though goodness knows, there are plenty of those! We plan to add to this list as we find more, so feel free to bookmark this page (at the bottom, you’ll can see a way to do that) and return often.
You should also know that where possible, we have linked the books to a way to purchase them. If you buy them from Amazon, a few cents will be thrown our way… your contribution to keeping Yucatan Living free to read and going strong. Thanks in advance for that if you do!
*****
Xuxub Must Die
Author:Paul Sullivan Description: In 1875 an American plantation manager named Robert Stephens and a number of his workers were murdered by a band of Maya rebels. To this day, no one knows why. Was it the result of feuding between aristocratic families for greater power and wealth? Was it the foreseeable consequence of years of oppression and abuse of Maya plantation workers? Was a rebel leader seeking money and fame—or perhaps retribution for the loss of the woman he loved?
For whites, the events that took place at Xuxub, Stephens’s plantation, are virtually unknown, even though they engendered a diplomatic and legal dispute that vexed Mexican-U.S. relations for over six decades. The construction of “official” histories allowed the very name of Xuxub to die, much as the plantation itself was subsumed by the jungle. For the Maya, however, what happened at Xuxub is more than a story they pass down through generations—it is a defining moment in how they see themselves.
Sullivan masterfully weaves the intricately tangled threads of this story into a fascinating account of human accomplishments and failings, in which good and evil are never quite what they seem at first, and truth proves to be elusive. Xuxub Must Die seeks not only to fathom a mystery, but also to explore the nature of guilt, blame, and understanding.
Price: $24.95, or $9.95 for Kindle edition Buy it at: Amazon (click on the Amazon link to the right)
*****
The Polo Affair Author: Sean Hennessy Description:This fast-paced novel is written by the owner of Merida’s most successful Irish pub, Hennessy’s on Paseo de Montejo. The novel benefits greatly from Sean’s intimate knowledge of the culture of Merida and the game of polo. The story follows an Irishman who moves to Mexico, falls in love with polo and the niece of a famous polo player, Fernando, his friend and patron and the owner of a large hacienda. Fernando takes David under his wing, giving him a place to stay and teaching him everything he knows about polo.
But there are forces at work that are conspiring to take Fernando’s hacienda away from him, and with it, his family, his history and his entire way of life. As David discovers the plot leading up to an important polo competition, he comes face-to-face with corruption, dirty politics, racial discrimination and plain old greed.
David realizes he must believe in himself in order to achieve victory. The stakes are high, and the odds are against him in one important showdown… a winner-takes-all polo game, where He Who Dares, wins. The Polo Affair takes place in Cancun and around the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and if you love this area, you’ll love the book.
Website: www.thepoloaffair.com Price: $8.99 for Kindle through the link above. Soon to be available in paperback on Amazon. Paperback: $19.95 Buy it at: Amazon or Lulu.com
*****
The Sacred Knowledge of the Maya
Author:Miguel Angel Vergara Calleros Description: In this age where technology invades almost every corner of life as we know it, we feel a spiritual urgency that grows more insistent with each passing day. There are many who are writing about 2012, a time of great change, and many who expound on this subject have an academic understanding of the Mayan codices, glyphs and cultures. Here, for the first time in print, is a teacher with a deep and experiential understanding of the Maya cosmology. Miguel Angel Vergara Calleros has lived and studied in the shadow of Chichen Itza, where he served as director for four years and where he studied for over 20 years with traditional Mayan Elders. Integration of the spirit into any life takes dedication, commitment, attention and time. This book can provide you with a core of teachings to return to, again and again… a way to share the presence and wisdom of the Mayan Elders. This book was conceived and produced by our good friend, Trudy Woodcock, who runs Casa K’in.
Price: $14.95 Buy it at: At Lulu.com
*****
A Mango for the Teacher
Author: Deborah Susan Frisch Description: With a keen eye for the natural world and an ear for the humor in Mexican speech, Frisch pilots readers through harrowing and hilarious encounters with sharks, con men, tarantulas and a president. Pen-and-ink illustrations by Frisch’s son, artist Arturo Avila, add another dimension to the story.
Frisch earned a master’s degree in teaching English as a Second Language at NYU. Then New York City’s budget crisis of the ’seventies left her jobless. In the meantime Frisch lost the three people to whom she felt closest. So the day after her last public school job ended in 1975, the 27-year-old drove out of Brooklyn and south to Cancún. There she founded and ran a popular language school for Mexican adults. Thirteen successful years later, Frisch nevertheless returned to the states with her young son. She settled in the SF Bay Area, where she continues teaching ESL. She also produces innovative language-learning materials, writes for children and adults, and speaks at educators’ conferences.
Website: www.deborahsusanfrisch.com Price:$13.99 USD, $3.99 for Kindle
Buy it at: Amazon (click on the Amazon link to the right)
*****
Tales About Yucatan Jungle: Life in a Mayan Village
Author: Kristine Ellingson Description: Join Kristine as she recounts her journey in finding a new home and family in a peaceful village near the Mayan ruins of Uxmal. From Spanish flash cards to falling in love with a Mayan hotel desk clerk, a transformation occurs both with Kristine and the village. In spite of being an outsider and looking nothing like the Mayas – she is tall and blonde – she is accepted by the village and becomes an integral part of their community. Kristine creates multiple businesses in her village, fusing two cultures, two beliefs, two ways of life. Twenty years later, and still married to the Mayan hotel clerk who is now her business partner, Kristine shares her real life stories of love, pain, loss, and learning. Kristine is the owner of the Flycatcher Inn near Uxmal, and is not only a wonderful and knowledgeable host, but she has a way of sharing her glimpses into a sacred, rich and magical Mayan way of life.
Website: www.flycatcherinn.com/talesfromtheyucatanjungle.html
Price:$16.99 USD or $9.99 for Kindle
Buy it at: Amazon
*****
Magic Made In Mexico
Author: Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado Description: As a native tour guide from Canada, Joanna van der Gracht met—and married—native Yucateco Jorge Rosado thirty-five years ago and together built a successful business and made a life in México. An “insider” with an outsider’s perspective, she gives a wonderful portrait of both the traditional and historical background of México and the interplay between the new “international” culture and the traditional [Mexican] way. As Barbara Bode wrote, “…in an odd way, this is a ‘How-to’ book…. If ever there were a battle cry,a leadership cheer for expats, this is it . . .Adapt!” Anyone needing to adapt, or even adjust, to life in México – which definitely includes those planning only a limited stay — will find their experience greatly enhanced from a reading of Magic Made in Mexico. Joanne also has a blog, linked below, and has written another book, “Tomando Agua de Pozo – A Guide for the Neophyte Yucatecan”.
Website: magicmadeinmexico.wordpress.com/
Price: $13.46 USD
Buy it at: Amazon
*****
2012: A Deadly Awakening Author: Beryl Gorbman Description: There are probably thousands of books written about 2012 by now, so we can’t list them all. This one is a novel, written by a longtime resident, whose various scenarios do NOT so far seem to be playing out in the Yucatan. This is a mystery novel set in Merida and Chichen Itza Yucatan around the crucial date of December 21, 2012. The scene in Merida is chaotic and tense. People think that the world is about to end, as it is the end of the Maya long-count calendar. Other people think humanity will evolve to a higher form of consciousness. You wouldn’t think these are ideals people would kill to protect, but they do. Thousands of spiritual tourists have descended upon this once-peaceful city, creating chaos. And then people start dying… very badly. New York investigator Miriam Glass teams up with Yucatecan police chief JL Contreras to solve the dramatic murders
Interesting Books About Yucatan • Opuss № I