El alma de México

This is an ambitious work that entwines the art, history, and culture of Mexico through the centuries. In 12 chapters, the book chronicles each episode of the television series, The Soul of Mexico, examining paintings, sculpture, ceramics, architecture, and film. In the prolog, acclaimed Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes introduces each episode in Mexican history with his usual colorful prose, focusing on the construction of the first pyramids, the Spanish conquest, Mexico's independence and revolution, and the country's position in the world today. The book combines high-quality photographs with well-researched historical essays by renowned historians and cultural critics such as Beatriz de la Fuente and Carlos Monsivais, and Mexico's leading archeologist, Eduardo Matos Moctezuma. The wonderful selection of objects and art pieces is self-explanatory, providing, like no other book of its kind, an excellent preview of Mexican culture over the past 40 centuries.