Annotation Unlike the United States, Mexico took shape suddenly and abruptly.Earlier civilizations systematically were destroyed and newcomers tookover. There was no systematic formation of boundaries and possessions.While the first English pilgrims clung perilously to a few acres ofMassachusetts forest, Mexico already had laws, churches, mines, shipbuilding, riots and a compelling mestizo conscience.This narration takes readers through Mexico City at night and in thedaytime, through its suburbs rich and poor, into its ceremonies -Christian and pre-Christian - and on journeys with reformers, rebels, manipulators, workers. It unravels "The Imaginary State of Petroleo"(which is more real than you might think), explores the orchards andlanded estates of northeastern Mexico and the deserts where ancientcave paintings mark the existence of lost cultures and where drug dealershave established hidden landing strips.From rural villages in the northwest through Tijuana and the meleethat is life on the U.S.-Mexican border, and from Baja and the cultivatedcoastal plains to the changing rhythms of Oaxaca, Chiapas andYucatan, the experiences, opinions and adventures of Mexicans from allwalks of life form a mosaic designed to perplex, provoke and entertain.
