Iconic Mexico: An Encyclopedia from Acapulco to Zocalo. Edited by Eric Zolov. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2015. 2vols. Acid-free $189 (ISBN 978-1-61069-043-0). Ebook available (978-1-61069-044-7) call for pricing.
Historian Eric Zolov writes about rock music, the “global sixties” and other pop culture topics in Mexico and Latin America. As editor of Iconic Mexico he and seventy-three other scholars present 100 “of the most iconic elements of Mexican history, culture and politics” (xi). The topics range from the globally familiar (Tequila, Bullfighting, Chile Pepper, Gringo) to the exotic and muy mexicano (Lucha Libre, Malinche, Superbarrio, Jesus Malverde). The choice of subjects is designed as a kaleidoscopic window into Mexico and Mexican-ness for many different readers. Each article provides historical context and analysis as to the deeper socio-cultural meanings of the “icon” over time. Illustrative sidebars include photographs and/or documents that detail aspects of the main topic or expand to include a related anecdote or story that did not seem to warrant a full entry. Suggestions for further reading accompany each article. A lengthy introduction gives an overview of Mexican history and a timeline ranges from the cultivation of maize in 8000 BCE to the disappearance of forty-three teaching college students in the state of Guerrero in 2014. A well-constructed index provides additional access points into the one hundred main entries, however, the index would be much improved if it included the names of the seventy-three contributors with page references to their articles in the body of the book. The authors are listed, but without links to their specific contributions.
Michael S. Werner’s Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society and Culture (Fitzroy Dearborn 1997) is a comprehensive and academically rigorous reference work, but its coverage ends before the tumultuous political changes signaled by the “iconic” defeat of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) in 2000 and its return to power in 2012. Though different in focus and more limited in scope, the new Iconic Mexico is a much needed update. Two other titles make unique contributions to the Mexico reference shelf. David Dent’s Encyclopedia of Modern Mexico covers most of the twentieth century and focuses more on the political context of Mexico in the world. Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History by Don Coerver, Suzanne Pasztor and Robert Buffington (ABC-CLIO 2004) covers much of the same territory as Iconic Mexico but it lacks the popular culture emphasis of the newer work.
No single reference work can adequately cover the complex world of the “many Mexicos” made famous by historian Lesley Byrd Simpson (1891–84). The new Iconic Mexico is an excellent and unique addition to the available reference works in English and I would recommend it for public, school, and college libraries.—Molly Molloy, Border and Latin American Specialist, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico