Originally published in 1843, Fanny Calderon de la Barca, gives her spirited account of living in Mexico–from her travels with her husband through Mexico as the Spanish diplomat to the daily struggles with finding good help–Fanny gives the reader an enlivened picture of the life and times of a country still struggling with independence.

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