Walking a City's History - by Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo (Paperback)

About the Book

"Mexico City is the fifth largest city in the world and one of the few veritable megalopolises in the Americas. Established upon a lake in the 1400s as the seat of the Aztec Empire and later expanded and reinvented with the arrival of Spanish conquerors, the birth of the Republic, and several wars, invasions, and migratory waves in between, it has long been a source of endless fascination. It has also been and continues to be a meeting place for artists, intellectuals, and revolutionaries; religious pilgrims; and now, digital nomads. In Walking a City's History, the acclaimed historian Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo presents readers with a unique portrait of a city long dear to him, presenting a vivid account of the thoughts and emotions it contains and unlocks. This book is a historically informed imaginative journey, an immersive tour through centuries of the city's rich history. Beginning in the 1400s and making its way to the present, it seeks to rescue spaces and moments that have been lost to time. What would Tenochtitlan have smelled like on the eve of the Spanish invasion? What did it look like as US troops overtook it in 1847? What would Maximilian I have seen from his hilltop castle during his short-lived empire? What traces, monuments, and grand design plans did the Revolution leave behind? Who remains in Frida Kahlo's once trendy neighborhood of Coyoacan now that the bohemians are no longer there? These are just some of the questions that readers are given the chance to contemplate. Full of charm and erudition in equal measure, this book shows how one can do historical work just by traveling and walking, and it reveals the many layers of one of the world's greatest cities"--

Book Synopsis

Take a street-level tour of Mexico's capital and learn how one of the world's most extraordinary cities has transformed over the centuries.

Walking a City'sHistory is both a richly documented panoramic view of Mexico City's long history and an intimate essay on its social and cultural fabric. In this book, Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo uses his expertise as a historian and his talents as a storyteller to bring the city to life.

Using influential moments in Mexico City's history from the Battle of Tenochtitlán in 1521 to the present, Tenorio-Trillo illustrates the capital's transformations against a national and global background. Walking a City's History offers an original, unique perspective on the social, architectural, artistic, and political dimensions of Mexico City, guided by chronicles, literary works, historical accounts, and the author's own lifetime of walks through the city.

Review Quotes

"A beautifully written and deeply personal tour of Mexico City, organized as a chronological discussion of literary and artistic sources, with ample discussion of architecture and urbanism. Tenorio-Trillo's passion for the subject matter comes across in every page, and he's managed to perfectly combine erudition and readability."-- "Rubén Gallo, Princeton University"

"Despite its vast scope, this book offers both meticulous research and a highly engaging narrative. Through a witty and elegant style, it becomes not only a compelling meditation on Mexico City's central role in the modern urban experience across the Atlantic world but also a reflection on language, on the city's ability to absorb and reshape the diverse cultures in constant flux within its shifting urban landscape."-- "Adela Pineda Franco, University of Texas at Austin"

About the Author

Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo is the Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor of History at the University of Chicago. He is the author of several books, including Latin America: The Allure and Power of an Idea; "I Speak of the City" Mexico City at the Turn of the Twentieth Century; and Clio's Laws: On History and Language.