9 recommended reads for those traveling to Mexico – Modern Mrs Darcy
Our next literary excursion takes us south of the U.S. border into Mexico. As a student, I learned how Mexican literature was shaped by the oral tradition of indigenous people, Spanish colonizers who documented their experiences, and revolution. The complex history makes for a rich text for writers past and present.
I haven’t spent much time in Mexico, and I’m longing to go again—especially to Mexico City. As you can no doubt imagine, libraries and bookstores are high on my list of priority destinations. Independent bookstores abound, and Mexico also hosts the Guadalajara International Book Fair each winter.
As far as literary destinations go, La Biblioteca Nacional de México is part of Mexico City’s University Cultural Center; it was established in 1867 and now boasts a collection of more than 1.3 million documents, including books, maps, and recordings. The architecture and floating shelves of Biblioteca Vasconcelos look so cool on the internet; I’d love to see them in person. For a more colorful option, the psychedelic murals on display at Biblioteca Miguel Lerdo de Tejada are breathtaking; they’re by Russian-Mexican artist Vladimir Víktorovich Kibálchich Rusakov and depict revolutionary scenes through the years.
For those of us ready to indulge in vicarious travel instead, I hope this list will make you even more excited about your next trip or provide an accessible and affordable means of escape via armchair travel. To send you off on your literary adventure, I’m sharing nine books that I’ve read and loved or that are on my To Be Read list written by Mexican and Mexican American authors. There’s no way to include every book set in Mexico on this list, and that’s where you come in: we’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments section!
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In his timely memoir about displacement and uncertainty, prize-winning poet Castillo shares his experience growing up undocumented in the US. He was five when his family crossed the US border from Tepechitlán, Mexico and fifteen when his father was deported. He was finally able to get his green card when he was twenty-six. Castillo gives an unflinching account of his family’s encounters with a draconian system in their quest for a safer, better life and the ripple effect these unforgiving policies had on them all. (Heads up for sensitive readers: this deals with child abuse and domestic violence.) More info →
A 2023 Summer Reading Guide selection. Movies cast magic spells in this unique and darkly humorous thriller set in 1990s Mexico City. Montserrat and Tristán are childhood friends who once bonded over classic horror films. Now, nearing forty, she’s an under-appreciated disabled sound engineer and he’s a washed-up telenovela star. When they cross paths with a legendary director, he persuades the two to help him complete an unfinished horror film from the 30s, the script for which was written by a Nazi occultist. The director claims that bad luck has plagued everyone who worked on the film, but completing it will break the curse and bring their trio prosperity. But instead of luck, their interference unleashes something dark and deadly in Mexico City. Surprising, sharp, and smart. More info →
Every summer, Lala Reyes’s entire extended family drives from Chicago to visit her paternal grandparents in Mexico City. She begins to tell the story of Awful Grandmother’s life, starting with the rebozos her family manufactured and the prize design Caramelo, with frequent interjections and corrections from her grandmother. A sprawling multigenerational family story with plenty of lies, secrets, and warmth. More info →
Cañas’s debut supernatural gothic suspense novel explores colonialism, Catholicism, and women’s agency through the eyes of Beatriz following the Mexican War of Independence. In need of protection after the execution of her father, she accepts a proposal from Don Rodolfo Solórzano, ignoring the rumors about his deceased first wife and focusing on the home Hacienda San Isidro will provide. Until she starts seeing gruesome specters and no one believes her. Desperate for answers, she seeks aid from Padre Andrés, a handsome young priest and witch, who agrees to exorcise the house of its demons. An eerie and atmospheric tale. More info →
When Mexican American journalist Corchado received word that he was the Zetas cartel’s next target due to his reporting on the Mexican drug war, he decided to investigate the threat, rather than flee the country. While his family lived in the US, he returned to Mexico in 1994, hoping to bring about accountability and change. He traces the country’s history, corruption, and elections while trying to evade the threat on his life in this gripping blend of memoir and investigative journalism. More info →
Gutierrez’s debut mystery follows author Cassie as she stumbles across the story of Lore Rivera, whose marriage to two men at the same time led to tragedy. Lore agrees to talk with Cassie and shares how her job as an international banker facilitated her double life until the day her husband Andres left their home in Mexico City and surprised her by visiting her in Laredo, TX where he discovered her other husband Fabian. Fabian killed Andres that night and was sentenced to prison. But what is the truth behind those events and what will it illuminate about Cassie’s own family tragedy? Content warnings apply. More info →
Urrea based this historical novel on his great-aunt’s life. Teresita is the sixteen year old illegitimate daughter of a wealthy rancher as civil war brews in 1889 Mexico. She dreams that she died and then realizes she really did die and has returned with the power to heal. Becoming the Saint of Cabora is only the start of her trials and tribulations as indigenous pilgrims make their way to the ranch to seek her aid and blessing. More info →
Esquivel uses magical realism to great effect in this novel set in turn-of-the-century Mexico. As the youngest daughter, Tita De Garza is forbidden to marry as she must care for her mother until she dies. When she and Pedro fall in love, he marries her sister so they can at least be near each other. If that sounds like a recipe for torture, you’re right. As the family deals with one tragedy after another, Tita pours her emotions into her cooking as she preserves their recipes, causing everyone who eats the food to react in different ways. It will have you yearning for Tita and Pedro to somehow find a way back to one another. Translated from the Spanish by Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. More info →
A small Mexican town is forever changed when an abandoned baby is discovered under a bridge, disfigured and covered in a protective swarm of bees. His adoptive parents Francisco and Beatriz love Simonopio and also view him with wonder for he’s gifted with foresight. A gift that, along with his ever present bees, will protect the family as the country goes through the Mexican Revolution and the Spanish Flu of 1918. This is bestselling Mexican author Segovia’s first novel to be translated into English, beautifully rendered by Simon Bruni. More info →
What are your favorite books set in Mexico by Mexican or Mexican American authors? Please share in the comments.
