Welcome!

Enrich Your Travels with Longitude

We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.

SIGN UP FOR

Longitude News

Get our monthly e-mail update

GET A

Catalog

BEST OF 2011

Wild Coast

John Gimlette

SEE ALL >

FOR THE HOLIDAYS

To the Arctic

Florian Schultz

SEE ALL >

OUR FAVORITES

Arctic Dreams

Barry Lopez

SEE ALL >

GLOBES

The Pioneer

Replogle

SEE ALL >

MEXICO

Colonial Mexico & San Miguel

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

  • E-MAIL
  • PRINT

Kids

Books for

Get the featured set of Essential Reading, our top picks of what to read, and get free shipping on anything else you order.

Essential Reading

Item EXMEX112. Buy these 4 items as a set for $58 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

ADD SET
TO BOOKBAG
Colonial Mexico, A Guide to Historic Districts and Towns

Colonial Mexico, A Guide to Historic Districts and Towns

by Chicki Mallan | Oz Mallan

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 359 PAGES

A practical guidebook to colonial sites throughout central Mexico, with a focus on the wonderful architectural heritage of places such as Acapulco, Guadalajara, Merida, Mexico City, Morelia, Patzcuaro, Queretaro, San Cristobal de las Casas, San Miguel de Allende, Taxco, Veracruz and Zacatecas. (MEX104, $21.95)

The Labyrinth of Solitude

The Labyrinth of Solitude

by Octavio Paz

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 398 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

These essays by the Nobel Prize-winning poet address Mexican culture and character. The chapters on the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead and the conquest are especially memorable. (MEX08, $14.50)

On Mexican Time, A New Life in San Miguel

On Mexican Time, A New Life in San Miguel

by Tony Cohan

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 289 PAGES

A delightful slice of expatriate life in San Miguel del Allende, where Cohan has made his home for the last 15 years. (MEX103, $14.95)

Day Trips from Mexico City Map

Day Trips from Mexico City Map

by Quimera

  • 2005
  • MAP

A colorful traveler's map of the central highlands surrounding Mexico City, at a scale of 1:400,000. (MEX176, $8.95)

 
Mexico Map

Mexico Map


by National Geographic

  • 2011
  • MAP

A convenient, double-sided map of Mexico at a scale of 1:2,425,000. (MEX20, $11.95)

Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish

Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish


by Joseph Keenan

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 215 PAGES

Idioms, common mistakes in word usage, and other helpful advice on tackling spoken Spanish. You'll need some foundation to take full advantage of this book -- but even a complete novice will appreciate the author's playful sense of humor. (CAM06, $19.95)

Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish Phrasebook

Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish Phrasebook


by Rafael Carmona

  • LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 258 PAGES

This handy take-along phrasebook with essential vocabulay for travelers. (MEX257, $8.99)

The People's Guide to Mexico, Wherever You Go, There You Are!

The People's Guide to Mexico, Wherever You Go, There You Are!


by Carl Franz | Lorena Havens

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 573 PAGES

A classic, entertaining guide to travel in Mexico, the original hippie handbook and still a treasure trove of practical and cultural detail. (MEX71, $24.95)

Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico

Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico


by Hugh Thomas

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 812 PAGES

An entertaining and monumental tome on the conquest of Mexico. It's rare to find a work of such scholarship and importance that is also an enjoyable read. (MEX06, $25.00)

Everyday Life and Politics in Nineteenth Century Mexico: Men, Women, and War

Everyday Life and Politics in Nineteenth Century Mexico: Men, Women, and War


by Mark Wasserman

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 262 PAGES

A scholarly, though very readable, overview of life in 19th century Mexico. (MEX140, $29.95)

Life and Times of Mexico

Life and Times of Mexico


by Earl Shorris

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 780 PAGES

Shorris interweaves anecdote, economics, politics, culture and literature in this marvelously insightful portrait of Mexico and its people. (MEX155, $24.95)

Many Mexicos

Many Mexicos


by Lesley Byrd Simpson

  • HISTORY
  • 1983
  • PAPER
  • 389 PAGES

This widely known popular history of Mexico, first published in 1941, stands as an enjoyable, well-written introduction to the country and its history. (MEX38, $27.95)

Mexico, Biography of Power, A History of Modern Mexico, 1810-1996

Mexico, Biography of Power, A History of Modern Mexico, 1810-1996


by Enrique Krauze

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 896 PAGES

In fluid translation from the Spanish, this widely praised, sweeping political and social history of Mexico covers the last two centuries. (MEX52, $22.99)

The Buried Mirror

The Buried Mirror


by Carlos Fuentes

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 399 PAGES

A fascinating, illustrated survey of Latin American culture and history by the great Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. With hundreds of color illustrations. (SPN71, $29.95)

Architecture and Its Sculpture in Viceregal Mexico


by Robert Mullen

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 279 PAGES

An illustrated overview of the architecture of Colonial Mexico (1535-1821), geared for both students and travelers with an interest in the cathedrals, fortresses and public buildings of the Spanish period. With 172 black-and-white photographs, 20 line drawings and five maps. (MEX139, $27.95)

The Doors of San Miguel De Allende


by Robert De Gast

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2000
  • HARD COVER
  • 96 PAGES

A photographic tributes to the architecture of San Miguel de Allende. With a few pages introducing the region and 100 postcard-sized color photographs. (MEX105, $19.95)

Theaters of Conversion, Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico


by Samuel Y. Edgerton | Jorge Perez de Lara

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2001
  • HARD COVER
  • 368 PAGES

A lavishly illustrated overview of Mexican colonial churches, cathedrals and convents. (MEX135, $60.00)

A Visit to Don Otavio, A Traveller's Tale from Mexico

A Visit to Don Otavio, A Traveller's Tale from Mexico


by Sybille Bedford | Bruce Chatwin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

A tale of a leisurely journey to Mexico after World War II, the first book by the marvelous Sybille Bedford. Chatwin called it "the most perfect travel book of the 20th century." (MEX126, $16.00)

Life in Mexico


by Frances Calderon De La Barca

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 1982
  • PAPER
  • 548 PAGES

A wonderfully insightful, celebrated series of letters written by the Scottish wife of the Spanish Ambassador from Mexico, 1839-1842. (MEX36, $28.95)

Mornings in Mexico

Mornings in Mexico


by D.H. Lawrence

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 96 PAGES

Lawrence's magnificent collection of luminous short essays on the allure and spirit of Mexico and the American Southwest. (MEX166, $16.00)

Like Water for Chocolate


by Laura Esquivel

  • LITERATURE
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

This lovely novel uses elements of magical realism to portray themes of family, duty, sacrifice love and freedom. (MEX37, $15.00)

Mexico in Mind

Mexico in Mind


by Maria Finn

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 235 PAGES

John Steinbeck, D.H. Lawrence, Graham Greene, Malcolm Lowry and others offer diverse impressions of the many Mexicos. (MEX178, $14.95)

Mexico, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Mexico, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by C. M. Mayo

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

A who's who of contemporary Mexican authors from Carlos Fuentes and Laura Esquivel to Agustin Cadena and other young stars. (MEX148, $14.95)

Birds of Mexico & Central America, Princeton Illustrated Checklists

Birds of Mexico & Central America, Princeton Illustrated Checklists


by Ber Van Perlo

  • FIELD GUIDE
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

An admirably compact, comprehensive guide featuring color plates. (MEX163, $29.95)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.