Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on
bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Fiesta, Days of the Dead & Other Mexican Festivals
by Chloe Sayer
Drawing on her travels all over Mexico, Chloe Sayer (The Skeleton at the Feast) mixes religious tradition, popular culture and folk art in this colorfully illustrated survey of Mexican celebrations.
Culture Smart! Mexico
by Sian Hughes
A concise, no-nonsense guide to local customs, etiquette and culture with a short overview of the land and people along with practical travel advice.
The Essential Cuisines of Mexico,
by Diana Kennedy
The thoroughly revised edition of Kennedy's influential and savory survey of the authentic food of Mexico, with 30 new recipes.
Oaxaca Celebration, Family, Food and Fiestas in Teotitlan
by Mary Jane Gagnier Mendoza
Gagnier Mendoza captures the rituals and celebrations of Day of the Dead, Fiesta of the Black Christ of Esquipalasm, Easter and wedding ceremonies in this overview featuring 100 color photographs.
Moon Mexico City
by Julie Doherty
A compact, comprehensive full-color travel guide with an excellent overview of history and culture.
Conquest: Montezuma, Cortéz and the Fall of Old Mexico
by Thomas, Hugh
Moon Handbook Oaxaca
by Justin Henderson
An invaluable travel guide featuring a good overview of the culture and history of the region, along with coverage of local events, recommendations on accommodations and dining. With photos, illustrations, and dozens of local and city maps.
Oaxaca Map
by Mapas Independencia
Published in Mexico, this full-color plan includes a regional map (1:650,000), Oaxaca (1:22,600), Santo Domingo Tehuantepec (1:22,000) and Puerto Escondido (1:27,400). With some legends and a brief history. Dual Spanish/English language.
Oaxaca al Gusto
by Diana Kennedy
Diana Kennedy celebrates the diversity of the food, life, and culture of Oaxaca in 300 exhaustively researched, authentic recipes.
Skull Duggery
by Aaron J. Elkins
This 16th book in Aaron Elkin's Gideon Oliver series finds the skeleton detective vacationing in charming Teotitlan del Valle in Oaxaca, where wife Julie's expatriate relatives, the Gallaghers, operate a dude ranch resort. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty!
Mexico, A Culinary Quest
by Ana Paula Gerard (Editor), Hossein Amirsadeghi
Distilling a personal, culinary journey into 100 profiles, this well-produced tribute to Mexican food looks at the country's original personalities and their tables, menus, local specialties, and more with 1,000 commissioned photographs.
Many Mexicos
by Lesley Byrd Simpson
This widely-known popular history of Mexico, first published in 1941, stands as an enjoyable, well-written introduction to the country and its history.
Oaxaca Journal
by Oliver Sacks
Talented essayist and neurologist Oliver Sacks shows his wide-ranging intellectual curiosity in this transporting tale, interweaving observations, and travels with the history, nature, and culture of Oaxaca.
Discovery and Conquest of Mexico
by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, A.P. Maudslay (Translator), Hugh Thomas (Introduction)
A vivid eyewitness account from a soldier's perspective. Diaz attempts to set the story straight and his classic first-person account is a richly detailed, well-written and essential narrative of the Spanish conquest of Mexico.
Under the Volcano
by Malcolm Lowry
The former British consul drinks away the haunting troubles of his past on the Mexico's Day of the Dead in Lowry's celebrated novel.
Ancient Oaxaca, The Monte Alban State
by Richard Blanton, Gary Feinman, Stephen Kowalewski, Linda Nicholas
A scholarly account of the archaeology of the Valley of Oaxaca from 500 B.C. The four contributors cover the physical and social setting and origins of the civilization of Monte Alban.
The Cities of Ancient Mexico
by Jeremy Sabloff
With 152 black-and-white photographs, illustrations, and site diagrams, this portrait of ancient civilizations in Mexico features chapters on the Oaxaca Valley, Teotihuacan, and Palenque. Written by a renowned Mayanist, it also includes insightful chapters on how archaeologists have reconstructed the past in Mexico.
Lonely Planet Mexican Spanish Phrasebook
by Rafael Carmona
This handy take-along phrasebook with essential vocabulary for travelers.
The Labyrinth of Solitude
by Octavio Paz
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.
