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Moving beyond the tequila-soaked clichés of Mexican tourism, this multifaceted book explores the influence and experiences of Americans in Mexico since World War II. The authors trace Mexico's growing role as an important refuge for Americans seeking not only sun and fun but also an alternative cultural and social model. And on the other side of the border, Mexican citizens and politicians have responded in creative and unexpected ways to growing numbers of migrants from their northern neighbor.
Delving into the rich and varied worlds of political exiles, students, art dealers, retiree/artist colonies, and tourist zones, this work illustrates why large numbers of Americans have been irresistibly drawn to Mexico for the past sixty years. Specialists in literature, anthropology, history, and geography bring their unique perspectives to the stories of both short- and long-term migrants. Together their essays illuminate the complex goals and impact of American tourism, offering a fascinating interpretation to all those interested in modern Mexican history, border studies, tourism, and retirement in Mexico.
Contributions by: Diana Anhalt, Dina M. Berger, Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Michael Chibnik, Drewey Wayne Gunn, Janet Henshall Momsen, Rebecca M. Schreiber, Rebecca Torres, David Truly, and Richard W. Wilkie
Moving beyond the tequila-soaked clichés of Mexican tourism, this multifaceted book explores the influence and experiences of Americans in Mexico since World War II. The authors trace Mexico's growing role as an important refuge for Americans seeking not only sun and fun but also an alternative cultural and social model. And on the other side of the border, Mexican citizens and politicians have responded in creative and unexpected ways to growing numbers of migrants from their northern neighbor.
Delving into the rich and varied worlds of political exiles, students, art dealers, retiree/artist colonies, and tourist zones, this work illustrates why large numbers of Americans have been irresistibly drawn to Mexico for the past sixty years. Specialists in literature, anthropology, history, and geography bring their unique perspectives to the stories of both short- and long-term migrants. Together their essays illuminate the complex goals and impact of American tourism, offering a fascinating interpretation to all those interested in modern Mexican history, border studies, tourism, and retirement in Mexico.
Contributions by: Diana Anhalt, Dina M. Berger, Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Michael Chibnik, Drewey Wayne Gunn, Janet Henshall Momsen, Rebecca M. Schreiber, Rebecca Torres, David Truly, and Richard W. Wilkie
Introduction
Chapter 1: A Drink between Friends: Mexican and American Pleasure
Seekers in 1940s Mexico City
Chapter 2: Resort to Exile: Willard Motley's Writings on Postwar
U.S. Tourism in Mexico
Chapter 3: Gringolandia: Cancun and the American Tourist
Chapter 4: The Beat Trail to Mexico
Chapter 5: Dangerous Journeys: Mexico City College Students and the
Mexican Landscape, 1954–1962
Chapter 6: American Merchants and Mexican Folk Art: The Buying and
Selling of Oaxacan Wood Carvings
Chapter 7: Bridging the Cultural Gap: Adaptation to Mexico
Chapter 8: The Lake Chapala Riviera: The Evolution of a
Not-So-American Foreign Community
Chapter 9: To Be Served and Loved: The American Sense of Place in
San Miguel de Allende
Further Reading
Nicholas Dagen Bloom is assistant professor of American history at the New York Institute of Technology and has written extensively on urban affairs.
This anthology explores the varying and complex interactions
between American guests and their host communities. . . . Useful to
scholars investigating cultural and social relations between
Americans and Mexicans south of the border.
*H-Travel*
This collection should be useful to scholars investigating cultural
and social relations between Americans and Mexicans south of the
border.
*H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online*
Adventures into Mexico brings together a variety of materials
useful for the cultural study of U.S. tourism in Mexico. Scholarly
analyses examine the rise of modern tourism in Mexico City and
coastal beach resorts, the tourist market for Mexican folk art, and
the establishment of retirement colonies in Ajijic, Chapala, and
San Miguel de Allende. Other chapters move toward the personal
memoir, recounting the experiences of scholars and intellectuals.
Moving between the personal and the academic, the chapters in
Adventures into Mexico map out the emergence of Mexico as a
destination for tourists and travelers from the United States. The
chapters will serve anthropologists, geographers, sociologists,
historians, and practitioners of literary and cultural studies
interested in United States tourism from the 1940s to the present
and especially the role that tourism has played in shaping modern
Mexico.
*Danny J. Anderson, University of Kansas*
North Americans first came to Mexico in force in 1846 as military
invaders. Today, millions flood in each year as tourists, while
thousands more live in Mexico as permanent or semi-permanent
expatriates. Surprisingly, this vast human tide, bringing citizens
of the world's wealthiest, most powerful nation into at least
fleeting contact with a very different, highly complex, and far
poorer society, has received scant scholarly attention. This fine
collection of subtle and sophisticated essays goes a long way
toward remedying that neglect. Highly recommended.
*Paul S. Boyer, University of Wisconsin*
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