Mexico is a land of darkness and light, of images and impressions that remain undying in the memory. This splendidly illustrated volume interweaves these images, bringing to life the first settlers and their successors; the Maya, the Aztecs, the conquistadores, the creoles - down to the present day.

The highly readable and informative text explores the countryside, examines the forces that gave rise to independence and then bloody revolution, and paints a fully rounded portrait of Mexico as it is today, with all its striking contrasts, its rich natural and human resources, and hard-won political stability.