By Arts & Culture Editor Joan Kirschner
Our southern neighbor Mexico is a country of many beautiful and fascinating destinations. While many people know it for its beaches and resorts, for me the places of interest are its historic cities, towns, and archeological sites. Between 1992 and 2006, I made four memorable and remarkable trips, visiting Mexico City, Guadalajara, Guanajuato, San Miguel De Allende, Dolores Hildalgo, and Oaxaca, and there are still many places in Mexico on my list.
My Mexican travel fascination began when I was charmed by a “Travel and Leisure” article on San Miguel de Allende in the late 80s, and I added it to my files of travel articles about all the places worldwide that I hoped to visit. Before long, I had two file drawers devoted to my diverse collection of destinations. Eventually, but reluctantly, I discarded the paper files, but not before I reread everything. The hotels and restaurant suggestions were outdated, and what to see and do is easily researchable on the internet.
However, some longer-form travel writing on Mexico remains timeless. These books, published over several decades, provide unique insights into the complex history and culture of Mexico.
Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone – Mary Morris, 1988. Morris, now 77, is a novelist and short story writer whose work often references travel.
Mexico, Some Travels and Some Travelers There – Alice Adams, 1990. Adams (1926-1999) published 12 novels and multiple short story collections, and visited Mexico repeatedly. She was the winner of numerous literary prizes.
On Mexican Time (2000) and Mexican Days, Journeys into the Heart of Mexico (2006) – Tony Cohan. Cohan, 86, is known for his travel writing and essays, and was a jazz drummer and lyricist in his earlier days.
Mexico in Mind, an Anthology – Maria Finn, 2006. 180 years of diverse writing on Mexico compiled and edited by the peripatetic author/editor and professor of English.
Fiction
Remember Me – Mario Escobar, 2019. During the Spanish Civil War, many parents sent their children abroad to ensure their safety, including over 400 who were sheltered in a school in Morelia, Mexico. Escobar is a Spanish writer of historical fiction and other works. https://marioescobar.es/rember-me
Stones for Ibarra (1984) and Consider This, Senora (1993) – Harriett Doerr. Doerr (1910-2002) published her first novel at 74. Stones for Ibarra won a National Book Award for Fiction and was adapted into a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation starring Glenn Close.
The Murmur of Bees – Sofía Segovia, 2015. Segovia is a Mexican journalist and novelist. This novel is set during the Mexican Revolution and the 1918 flu epidemic and includes elements of the supernatural and magical realism.
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel, 1989. Esquivel is a Mexican screenwriter and a prolific novelist. This novel was adapted into a popular movie, and a new streaming series on HBO Max.
The House on Mango Street – Sandra Cisneros, 1984. Cisneros is a Chicago-born Mexican American writer and has been the recipient of many awards and fellowships. This New York Times bestseller follows a young Chicano girl and her family in their struggling Chicago neighborhood.
More Movies and TV
“Frida” is a 2002 film based on the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and adapted from the biography by historian Hayden Herrera. Salma Hayek starred as Frida, and Alfred Molina as her husband and fellow artist Diego Rivera.
Eva Longoria presents “Searching for Mexico”, a travel and food series on CNN.
One Last Thing…
For in-person travel, the Decorative Arts Trust is featuring a trip to Mexico City later this year that sounds absolutely fantástico!
Joan Kirschner is a Boston area writer and editor who reviews books, museum exhibitions, theater, film, music, and travel experiences. Her commentary previously appeared on SonsiWoman.com, UllaPopken.com, WomenofGloucesterCounty.com, Trazzler.com, and IndieReader.com. She attributes a lifelong love of reading and cultural events to parents who encouraged her early on. Joan began as a retail and mail order catalog copywriter in the pre-digital age. She advanced through the ranks and changes in technology, adding corporate communications, social media, and digital advertising and promotion to her experience. Surrounded by the babble of languages in Manhattan and Brooklyn and sympathizing with the challenges of non-English speakers, she earned a certificate in the Teaching of English as Second Language (TESOL) and added a second career teaching and tutoring adults and college students. Joan now works part-time in grants administration, is a reviewer at Reader Views and covers books and the arts on her blog, No Shortage of Words