A Privileged Life in Mexico
Fanny Calderon de la Barca was the Scottish-born wife of Spain's first ambassador to the newly independent Mexico and the couple spent a period of two years in that country (1840-42) at a time when political upheavals were a regular occurrence. Naturally, theirs was a privileged position and the couple received "royal treatment" wherever they went, thus avoiding many of the hardships that travel presented in that era when roads were frequently in deplorable condition, banditry was common and hostelries not up to European standards. Fanny, however, was an intelligent, inquisitive woman, and flexible enough to accept differences. She used her position to visit and explore many of the country's institutions, such as its hospitals, churches, bullfights and convents, as well as the rounds of social calls, fetes and visits to the theatre where her observations of the Mexican people are often very astute.. Although her views are those of a foreigner and tainted by the opinions then prevalent in "western" nations who often viewed turbulent Latin America with an air of contempt, she nonetheless offers many valuable insights into the events and habits of the people of those times. Written in the form of letters to family and friends "back home", these were later editied and published to wide acclaim in Europe and the States. Serialization in Mexico, however, was rapidly cancelled after her words caused an uproar among intellectual circles there. The new introduction and treatment in this volume includes many of the names of personages omitted in earlier ones, which is helpful to a student of history. For anyone with an interest in Mexican history or who enjoys travel writing from any era, this is an excellent and informative read.
