Preface
Glossary
Introduction by Woodrow Borah
Letters 1-8: October to December, 1839
Letters 8-23: January to June, 1840
Letters 23-30: July to December, 1840
Letters 30-41: January to June, 1841
Letters 41-51: July to December, 1841
Letters 52-54: January to April, 1842

"Published in 1843, [Life in Mexico] gives a unique and personal insight into the history, customs and manners of Mexico of that period."—Boston Globe

"The memoir of the Scottish-born Fanny Calderón de la Barca of her stay as a diplomat's wife in Mexico, published more than a century ago, is one of the most enduring, lighthearted and informative books ever written about that complicated country. Her Life in Mexico describes a nation and a people just entering their third chaotic decade of independence. . . . She was an inspired an literate gadabout and a sharp-eyed, tart-tongued critic of manners and morals. She recorded her observations with fidelity, insight and wit."—New York Times

"The picture it presents of mid-19th century Mexican life bulges with social, political, and human interest. . . . her pages ripple with heady descriptions, a sharp, but generous, eye for the idiosyncratic in person or place, and batches of informative chatter about everything from food and etiquette to rough treks out to the silver mines or a risky exploration of the beautiful cave of Cacahuamilpa. Cultured and blessed with extraordinary vivacity, Fanny's responses to the bull rings or cathedrals or state visits are always spontaneous, vivid, shrewd. A little classic."—Kirkus Reviews

"Her singular sensibilities make her, willy-nilly, the best of historians and sociologists."—Book Week