20 Must-Read Works of Historical Fiction Set in Mexico

Thank you for signing up! Keep an oculus connected your inbox.

By signing up you hold to our terms of use

Malinche by Laura Esquivel

Recollections of Things to Come by Elena Garro

Moving connected to a classical acceptable astir betwixt 1910 and 1926, successful the tiny fictional municipality of Ixtepec, Oaxaca. Also a publication successful translation, Recollections of Things to Come tells the communicative of this town’s residents and however their lives are upended by unit and oppression. It each begins with the accomplishment of General Francisco Rosas, who rules the spot with an robust fist and floods the streets with corpses. Things get adjacent worse for Ixtepec erstwhile a alien shows up and escapes with Julia, General Rosas’s reluctant beloved.

Tear This Heart Out by Ángeles Mastretta

The adjacent enactment of humanities fabrication acceptable successful Mexico takes america to 1940s Puebla. Tear This Heart Out is besides a caller successful translation, and it’s the coming-of-age communicative of a young pistillate named Catalina Guzmán. She falls successful emotion with a overmuch older antheral named Andrés Ascencio, a General with large governmental aspirations. The 2 extremity up getting married, but he’s a convulsive spouse and ruthless person who doesn’t fto Catalina person a dependable of her own.

A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande

Moving connected to a publication that is mostly set successful Mexico, but that I inactive included due to the fact that it talks astir the Mexican-American War of the 1840s. A Ballad of Love and Glory begins erstwhile the U.S. Army marches southbound to combat for the Río Grande Boundary. That’s wherever Ximena, a talented Mexican nurse, meets John. He is an Irish migrant who recovered the warfare sickening, truthful helium crossed the borderline and joined the Mexican Army. Slowly but surely, the 2 of them autumn successful love. Their combat for state besides becomes a combat for a aboriginal together.

The Murmur of Bees by Sofía Segovia

The Murmur of Bees volition instrumentality you to the municipality of Linares successful the aboriginal 1900s, a clip play which involves some the Mexican Revolution and a devastating influenza epidemic. Translated from Spanish, the communicative follows a lad named Simonopio. He was adopted by a mates of landowners who emotion him similar his ain — adjacent if the remainder of Linares dislikes him due to the fact that of his gift. That’s due to the fact that he’s ever surrounded by a swarm of bees, and helium tin spot visions of the aboriginal too. This quality volition beryllium particularly helpful, arsenic it volition let Simonopio to support his household harmless from the upcoming storm.

The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

The adjacent enactment of humanities fabrication acceptable successful Mexico volition instrumentality you backmost to 1889. The Hummingbird’s Daughter follows a young pistillate named Teresita, who knows precise small astir her past oregon her family. She was taken successful by an aged healer named Huila, who taught her however to cure others with plants earlier Teresita discovered she has a magical gift. Teresita tin heal radical with her interaction too. But this acquisition mightiness besides beryllium her downfall. For erstwhile the authorities hears astir her powers, it volition bash thing to destruct a menace to its power.

In the Shadow of the Angel by Kathryn S. Blair

Moving connected to different caller successful translation. This 1 is chiefly acceptable successful aboriginal 20th period Mexico, arsenic it reimagines the beingness of the celebrated Antonieta Rivas Mercado. In the Shadow of the Angel talks astir her abbreviated life, arsenic she died by termination erstwhile she was 30 years old. Throughout it, Antonieta defied contented clip and clip again, from being a “scandalous” pistillate surrounded by celebrated artists, to her divorce, and her governmental career. The second is wherever she met statesmanlike campaigner José Vasconcelos. They had akin views, truthful she decided to assistance him, lone to beryllium caught successful an electoral fraud that would travel her for the remainder of her life.

Battles successful the Desert by José Emilio Pacheco

Battles successful the Desert is different classical of Mexican lit successful translation. It’s besides a coming-of-age novella successful which the protagonist recounts his memories arsenic a kid during the 1940s and 1950s. His sanction is Carlos, and his communicative begins erstwhile helium defends a classmate named Jim successful a fight. That’s however Carlos ends up gathering Mariana, Jim’s mom. Carlos rapidly falls successful emotion with her, adjacent if it’s much than impossible. But still, this crush volition unravel Carlos’s beingness successful ways helium ne'er imagined.

The Untameable by Guillermo Arriaga

The adjacent enactment of humanities fabrication acceptable successful Mexico is simply a translated thriller that takes spot during the 1960s! The Untameable follows the communicative of Juan Guillermo, a young antheral who plots revenge against the Catholic fanatics who murdered his older brother. The occupation is, those men are good trained. Plus they’re allies of a corrupt and influential constabulary commandant — which means they’re beauteous overmuch untouchable. Still, Juan Guillermo volition halt astatine thing to enact his revenge.

Sea Monsters by Chloe Aridjis

Sea Monsters is simply a large representation of a young pistillate increasing up successful Mexico during the ’80s. Her sanction is Luisa, and 1 time she decided to hop connected a autobus with a lad she hardly knows alternatively than instrumentality location aft class. That’s due to the fact that Luisa is simply a pistillate connected a mission. She wants to find idiosyncratic who tin ever stay a enigma to her. This takes her each the mode to a formation assemblage successful Oaxaca, wherever she volition proceed to hunt for her enigma arsenic she wanders the shoreline.

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

This fashionable publication successful translation is mostly acceptable successful Mexico during the ’70s, though the main characters question rather a batch successful the book’s 2nd section. The communicative follows Alberto Belano and Ulises Lima, the founders of the visceral realist movement. They’re leaving Mexico with a quest: to find a vanished writer named Cesárea Tinajero. This ngo volition instrumentality them each implicit the world, wherever they volition conscionable radical who crossed paths with Cesárea, until it yet takes them backmost home.

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas (August 29)

The adjacent enactment of humanities fabrication acceptable successful Mexico hasn’t been published yet, but it’s a large fearfulness caller afloat of vampires! Plus the author’s different novel, The Hacienda, would surely acceptable the measure too. Set successful the 1840s, Vampires of El Norte follows the Nena and Néstor. They were puerility sweethearts, but past Nena was attacked by a sinister carnal and Néstor ran distant reasoning she was dead. Nine years later, the 2 joined the combat against the U.S. and yet get the accidental to spot each different again. But their happiness is short-lived since different nightmare afloat of crisp teeth roams the nighttime again.

Here’s to You, Jesusa! by Elena Poniatowska

Let’s sojourn aboriginal 20th period Mexico again with this publication successful translation. Here’s to You, Jesusa! tells the communicative of the eponymous Jesusa Palancares. She’s a working-class pistillate that joined the cavalry during the Mexican Revolution. But present that the struggle is implicit and her hubby is gone, Jesusa takes connected antithetic jobs successful bid to enactment herself. She is an autarkic pistillate successful a clip successful which women were not expected to beryllium — and we’ll get to spot her look galore a situation with grim determination. 

The Book of Lamentations by Rosario Castellanos

Moving connected to a criminally underrated classical successful translation. The Book of Lamentations is acceptable successful 1930s Chiapas, and the communicative follows a fictionalized Maya uprising. It has a large formed of characters, but among them stands retired a landowner with governmental aspirations named Leonardo Cifuentes, arsenic good arsenic an Indigenous prophet named Catalina who is besides instigating rebellion among her people. Both sides volition clash spectacularly arsenic Castellanos explores the narration betwixt unfortunate and tormentor arsenic the communicative progresses.

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

Most radical are acquainted with The House connected Mango Street, but did you cognize Sandra Cisneros besides wrote this sprawling household saga that is acceptable successful some Mexico and the U.S.? Caramelo follows the Reyes household who, each year, battalion up and sojourn Little Grandfather and Awful Grandmother’s location successful Mexico City. Among them, the quality of Lala stands out. She’s an observant young miss struggling to find her dependable — and she’s the 1 who’s telling america the communicative of her household going backmost generations.

The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes

The adjacent enactment of humanities fabrication acceptable successful Mexico is simply a classical successful translation and 1 of Carlos Fuentes’s astir celebrated works. The Death of Artemio Cruz follows the eponymous Artemio Cruz, a erstwhile revolutionary turned affluent landowner. He lies connected his deathbed, which prompts him to look backmost connected his life, from his clip successful the gyration to his emergence to powerfulness — which was afloat of corruption and treachery. All of which his household is gathered astir to hear.

Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

This classical successful translation is acceptable successful the aboriginal years of the 20th period and it’s astir apt 1 of the best-known novels of Mexican literature! Pedro Páramo tells the communicative of Juan Preciado, who promises his parent to find his father: the eponymous Pedro Páramo. That’s however Juan ends up successful a haunted colony known arsenic Comala. As the communicative moves forward, the ghostly inhabitants of Comala volition recount their lives to Juan, arsenic good arsenic the town’s narration with his father.

Cartucho and My Mother’s Hands by Nellie Campobello

This publication binds 2 of Nellie Campobello’s astir celebrated works of fiction. Translated from Spanish, some Cartucho and My Mother’s Hands are semi-autobiographical vignettes of Campobello’s memories of the Mexican Revolution. They’re chiefly narrated from her position arsenic a child, and they overgarment a representation of immoderate of the best-known humanities figures of the era. The full happening shows a much unsocial position of the time, particularly since Campobello and her household had a adjacent narration with salient figures specified arsenic Pancho Villa.

No One Will See Me Cry by Cristina Rivera-Garza

Last but surely not least, this criminally underrated (even successful Spanish!) caller successful translation is acceptable successful 1920s Mexico. No One Will See Me Cry follows a lensman named Joaquín Buitrago, who works astatine the Castañeda Insane Asylum. One time helium meets Matilda, a diligent helium swears helium utilized to cognize earlier coming to the asylum. And truthful begins his obsession with unraveling Matilda’s past, which we gradually get to cognize alongside Joaquín’s ain life.