Central America Books

Through The Eyes Of The Condor: An Aerial Vision of Latin America

Robert B. Haas

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Step aboard a private plane for a breathtaking tour of the immense and varied wilderness of Latin America—lush lands and scenic waterways nearly impossible to experience any other way. Your guide to this remarkable vision is Robert B. Haas, award-winning environmentalist and one of the world's foremost artists in aerial photography.

To create this elegant portfolio, Haas covered 14 countries and an astonishing 80 percent of the land mass of Latin America. In magnificent color and exquisite composition, he captures the majesty of the Amazon, the fickleness of rare wildlife in Patagonia, and the incredible topography of untouched lands. Photographs are presented in large double-page panoramas, inviting the viewer to appreciate their abstract qualities and become absorbed in rich details. The aerial perspective gives a generous view of the land below: While large-scale environmental effects may be seen, man's blemishes are mostly diminished when viewed against the vastness of the land. A full-page map highlights countries and specific places photographed.

An introduction by Marie Arana—author of American Chica and Cellophane—prefaces the book. The photographs and commentary are organized thematically: landscapes, humans and their impact, wildlife, abstracts, ancient sites. Poignant essays penned by Haas while living in Latin America expand on themes important to understanding the region: culture, economy, development, tourism, and more.

Oasis of Stone: Visions of Baja California Sur

Bruce Berger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Magic in the desert 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This oversized table top book is simply amazing. The photographs are otherworldly yet these are the visions of Baja Califonia where desert stone meets the sand and shore. Photographer Miguel Angel de La Cueva presents pictures of Baja California that are mind blowing land and sea visons that look unreal. The photogrpahs reveal glimpses of habitats and micro-habitats that look as though they are from some alien planet. The views from above ,revealing the terrain as it meets the sea looks like molecular observations, it is as though you were looking at blood running through veins in a body;in many ways it is one and the same. The photographs of the various cacti are magnificent, the sun illuminating the spines, making the cacti look like angels with halos or at times their thorny presentation looking like a medussa of devil horns highlighted by the sun. The shots taken at night are superb revealing the austerity and serenity of the desert. The colorful flowering plants of the desert are a sight to behold whether you are a Baja traveler or an arm chair adventurer. The Sierra de La Laguna exhibits some of the most colorful depictions of the desert that defy our sterotypical thoughts regading what a desert looks like. Nature is presented in all it's beauty. Seeing a tree growing like the wild fig, on the side of a cliff, with it's roots extending the length of city blocks is a sight that goes against our normal perceptions of tree growth; the natural beauty of the landscape is impressive. The section on the creatures of the desert is interesting but the photographs of the land and sea far exceeeds those about the animals that hunt and survive. The text is lyrical and expressive of the beauty of the desert that is Baja California. This book is recommended for all Baja enthusiasts, community libraries or high schools. Unfortunately there were only 5,000 copies printed in the first printing so get yours now while you still can.

Editorial Review:

Gorgeous full-color photography by award-winning photographer Miguel Ángel de la Cueva, and evocative text by Bruce Berger (Almost an Island, There Was a River), bring the southern half of Baja California to life. Beginning with its unique geology, and moving on to the coastal, desert, and mountain ecosystems of Mexico's little-known peninsula, this lushly decorated coffee-table book highlights the geology that created this "oasis of stone" and the flora and fauna that are make their homes here.

Ending with a short photo-essay on "The Newcomers" (mankind) from cave painters to the enduring rancheros, the book packs a pro-environmental punch by following the many pages of glorious natural beauty with some succinct words and images of what man's enduring legacy might be, should we continue unchecked.

Las Soldaderas: Women of the Mexican Revolution

Elena Poniatowska

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Tribute to the brave women who were active participants in the Mexican Revolution 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Elena Poniatowska's "Las Soldaderas: Women of the Mexican Revolution" (Cinco Puntos Press, $12.95 paperback) demonstrates the riveting, almost hypnotic power of photographs.

Poniatowska's text (translated from Spanish by David Dorado Romo) is wisely limited to about two dozen pages and acts as a frame for the remarkable black-and-white images of the brave women who fought on either side of the Mexican Revolution.

The term "soldadera" comes from "soldada," or salary. Poniatowska explains that "during all wars and invasions, soldiers used their 'soldada' (a word of Aragonese origin) to hire a female servant. The woman would go to the barracks to charge her salary, i.e., soldada." Thus, the term "soldadera" was coined.

The photographs are culled from the enormous Casasola Collection in the Fototeca Nacional of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico. The publisher tells us that the collection is based on the work of Agustín Casasola (1874-1938), one of the first photojournalists in Mexico and founder of the photo agency that carries his name.

It is difficult not to mull over these photographs of Mexican and indigenous women from the early part of the last century as they pose with their pistols, horses, children or husbands. These are women who played different roles, sometimes as brave soldiers, other times as helpmates (or even prostitutes without much choice) to the male warriors.

Poniatowska offers anecdotes to help us know these women, sometimes using their own words. Pancho Villa does not fair well here, nor do other men who took brutal advantage of -- or even murdered -- these women.

"Las Soldaderas" perfectly weds words with photographs as a poignant tribute to the brave women who were active participants in the Mexican Revolution.

[The full review first appeared in the El Paso Times.]

Editorial Review:

The photographs of Las Soldaderas and Elena Poniatowska's remarkable commentary rescue the women of the Mexican Revolution from the dust and oblivion of history. These are the Adelitas and Valentinas celebrated in famous corridos mexicanos, but whose destiny was much more profound and tragic than the idealistic words of ballads. The photographs remind Poniatowska of the trail of women warriors that begins with the Spanish conquest and continues to Mexico's violent revolution. These women are valiant, furious, loyal, maternal, and hardworking; they wear a mask that is part immaculate virgin, part mother and wife, and part savage warrior; and they are joined together in the cruel hymn of blood and death from which they built their own history of the Revolution.

The photographs are culled from the vast Casasola Collection in the Fototeca Nacional of the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico.

In the Eye of the Sun: Mexican Fiestas

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Gorgeous color imagery from Mexico 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 13 people found this review helpful.

This book shares the light, color, and poetry of Mexico with its readers. The photographer's passion for his subjects comes through with every photo. It is also an interesting view into the unique Mexican history of fiestas; the context of the traditions within daily life is very intriguing. I would highly recommend this book to those interested in either Mexico or color photography. It is a beautiful and sensitive work.

Editorial Review:

A study, in photographs, of the popular fiestas of Mexico, showing the inhabitants of several Mexican villages. The fiestas intertwine some of the great pagan festivals with Catholic ritual and tradition. These photographs show family scenes, revellers and religious ceremonies.

Revelations: Latin American Wisdom for Every Day (Offerings for Humanity)

Olivier Follmi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Such beauty. 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

Danielle and Olivier Follmi have created several books that I absolutely love. With wonderful photographs and thoughtful quotes from a variety of thinkers on every page, the Follmis reveal the beauty and genius of humanity that we sometimes lose sight of, or that so much of the media obscures. I already owned "OFFERINGS: Buddhist Wisdom for Every Day," "WISDOM: Thoughts from Indian Masters," and "ORIGINS: African Wisdom for Every Day." Now with "REVELATIONS: Latin American Wisdom for Every Day," the Follmis once again have created an extraordinary compilation of images and ideas that I will learn from and delight in for the rest of my life. They've also provided another gift idea for the next round of birthdays or other occasions, as I so enjoy passing these books along to others.
I hope people in the media start giving these photographers the publicity they deserve. Maybe Oprah Winfrey will consider them for her book club, or other Amazon customers will review these treasures.
I don't have the words to do these books justice; but I feel like if they find their way to the classrooms, coffee tables and nightstands of more people, the world would be a more joyful, respectful and insightful place.

"REVELATIONS" has quotes from a variety of sources including Octavio Paz, Violeta Parra, Paulo Coelho, Pablo Neruda, the Popol Vuh, and various oral traditions. One of the quotes from Carlos Fuentes is "If we do not recognize our humanity in others, we shall not recognize it in ourselves." That's what "REVELATIONS" and the Follmi's other books do so masterfully - they help us to recognize our common humanity, and to remember the holy parts of our nature.
I can't imagine a greater gift we can share with each other.

Editorial Review:

A cradle of Nobel Prize winners and a font of ancient wisdom, Latin America provides a wealth of sublime source material for the husband-and-wife creative team of Danielle and Olivier Föllmi. In the latest installment in their Offerings for Humanity series, the authors draw nuggets of written wisdom from the Andean plains to the Mexican desert. Set against the stunning visual backdrop of 365 photographs, taken all across the continent by Olivier, these quotations come from both world-renowned Latin American writers (including Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, and Carlos Fuentes) and traditional Indian spiritual teachings, demonstrating the subtle interweaving of ancestral belief and contemporary thought in one of the world’s most intellectually fertile regions.

Like their previous explorations of Buddhist, Indian, and African wisdom, this new volume will surprise, enlighten, and nourish the soul.

Guatemala Rainbow

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Stunning! 5 out of 5 stars.
56 of 57 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my family as we are adopting a child from Guatemala. This was one of the only books with pictures of the culture that I could find, and I am SO glad that I did. I can be rest assured that my son will feel pleasure and pride in his birth-country after looking at the pictures in this book. It is a beautiful, colorful, and rich culture that deserves to be displayed vividly for all to see!

A pot of gold 5 out of 5 stars.
22 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Guatemala Rainbow is just what I hoped it might be and more- the photos are stunning and full of local color. They portray the personality of the Guatemalan people. Having lived in Central America, I can say that they authentically document the typical lifestyle of those outside the capital city, free from United States' influence. This will be a real gem in my collection for Spanish classes as I introduce the students to the culture. The images will help them get a feel for being there.

Editorial Review:

Guatemala is one of the few places on earth where traditional textile arts from ancient cultures survive: Mayan spinners and weavers still produce the traditional motifs developed by their ancestors, but modern dyes add brilliant, luminous color to their textiles. This book presents 150 superb photographs by Gianni Vecchiato, providing a magnificent view of the textiles people, and daily life of Guatemala. It is truly a feast for the eye and spirit.

Costa Rica: A Journey through Nature

Adrian Hepworth

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A magnificent illustrated testimony to Costa Rica's fragile beauty.

This exquisite book of photographs, brilliant in color and enchanting in subject, takes readers on a personal journey through the jeweled treasure that is Costa Rica. Images of spacious beaches, muddy river banks, crystal clear waterfalls, and lush jungles adorned with tropical blooms and prehistoric plants will stay in the reader's mind for a long time to come.

Costa Rica is organized by region -- the Central Divide, Guanacaste, the Central Pacific, the Osa Peninsula, the North Caribbean, the South Caribbean -- and closes with a discussion on conservation and responsible tourism. Like an informed tour guide, the extended captions provide interesting facts and valuable context, much of it from the perspective of the author/photographer.

Highlights on the journey include:

• Arenal, one of the world's most active volcanoes, in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve
• Tortuguero National Park, where a lone jaguarstalks a sea turtle struggling to reach safety
• Giant tree ferns -- evolutionary relics that predate flowering plants
• Blood-scarlet passion flowers emerging through leaf litter
• A partially submerged crocodile, its riveting stare fixed on the photographer
• Poison arrow frogs, vividly painted in deadly blues, greens, reds, spots, stripes and ragged patterns.

Overflowing with brilliant page-filling photographs and informative text, this book is as close as one can get to Costa Rica without a passport.

Flor Garduno: Witnesses Of Time

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Sentinels to the Passage of Time 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Flor Garduno is a mystical artist. She travels about the Americas pausing to observe and conserve rituals of the sacred and profane nature as embodied in the native peoples of Mexico,
Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. At times her photographs may seem stark or frozen in time or posed to minimize interaction with the surrounding landscape/homescape, but this technique only adds to the mystical element Garduno celebrates.

There is something timeless in these moments of ancient ritual, as though Garduno wants us to revere the passage of time as reliquaries for 'lost' civilizations. Yet her subjects and objects are extant: there is no gathering of elements from museums to authenticate these images. These are people and places that time passes by with respect and with reverence.

Some of the beauty of this portfolio is Garduno's concentration on the landscape as an equally important component of her travels. She captures the land of these remote regions in a manner that regards its holiness, its sanctity, its durable presence despite the shift of the winds and the ravages of weather.

This is a book for contemplation. The photographs are accompanied by an illuminating essay by none other than the brilliant Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes. This is a book that is highly recommended for personal libraries as well as for deeply thoughtful gifts. Grady Harp, March 05

Editorial Review:

Witnesses of Time collects Flor Gardu"o's remarkable pictures where the sacred and symbolic are revealed in daily life. In remote corners of Central and South America, native Indians continue to practice ancient rituals as they have for millennia. Their rites embody a distinct worldview and a unique perception of time. The result of travels through ritual towns in Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador, Witnesses of Time encompasses landscape, architecture, ceremonies, tableaux, and individual portraits. Figures in Gardu"o's evocative images become clues to the spirituality of the Indian cosmos. Landforms hint at other as unseen orders of being. Common acts take on an extra dimension through their ritual associations, in communities that still retain their ties to the environment. Complemented by an introduction by the renowned Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes, Witnesses of Time is a tribute to a fascinating way of life, portrayed with an unparalleled grace.

Here Is Tijuana!

Fiamma Montezemolo, Rene Peralta, Heriberto Yepez

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Synopsis "Here is Tijuana!" is a compendium to Tijuana, on the border of Mexico and the USA, and site of fluctuating population, mixed identities, interests, and negotiations. A city with a reputation for intoxication, gambling and prostitution, there are also more benign forms of recreation available, and increasing opportunities for economic development. This book looks to the history of the city, and to its future; to its dark side, and to the possibilities it offers, through a range of texts and a fascinating photographic records. As the work of three editors, an anthropologist, a writer and an architect, the book is a combination of three distinct research projects. It is divided into three sections: "Avatars", addressing the socio-cultural issues surrounding the city; "Desires", which explores questions of morality, cultural practices, and entertainments; and "Permutations", which looks at the built environment. The material presented here is taken from a diverse range of sources, including Mexican and United States government reports; newspaper editorials; travel guides; architectural criticism; market research statistics; homeland security bulletins; tourism and convention literature; the Rotary Club of Tijuana; Yahoo News; and contemporary literature. Contributions include text by Jesse Lerner, Michael Sorkin, Neil Denari, Mike Davis, Jorge Bustamante, Lewis Baltz, Kathy Acker, and Raymond Chandler, amongst others.

Belize : Land of the Free by the Carib Sea

Thor Janson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

THIS IS THE BEST BOOK ON THE JEWEL OF THE CARIBBEAN 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

BELIZE: LAND OF THE FREE BY THE CARIB SEA by Thor Janson is without question one of the most beautiful photographic books I own. I have not visited Belize yet but as I look at the stunning images in Janson's book It has me dreaming of a mid-winter get away to this little country flanked by the Caribbean Sea. The book includes an excellent introductory text which takes the reader all the way from pre-historic times up to the present day and describes in detail all the different cultural groups which make up the rich fabric of contemporary Belezian society. The bulk of the book is comprised of photo layouts including extraordinary shots of wild animals such as jaguars and manatees, ancient Mayan ruins, cultural events (such as the wild Belize City carnaval), peaceful rural scenes, beautiful children, rainforests, savannahs, and pine forests, and plenty of charming, happy, smiling faces giving the impression that Belize must be a very warm, inviting place to visit, indeed. A picture is worth a thousand words, they say, and this excellent book by Thor Janson contains more than 150 extraordinary photos which combined give the reader a real "feel" of what life is like in the diminutive, peaceful nation of Belize.

Editorial Review:

Belize: Land of the Free by the Carib Sea is a book displaying Belizean culture through pictures. Includes detailed photographs of Belize City, district village life, the Cayes, native wildlife, and much more!