Why go
A little reading before a trip can add depth to encounters with colonial art, revolutionary history and debates about national identity. Begin with one period or author: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz for colonial literary culture, Mariano Azuela for revolutionary themes, or Juan Rulfo among the major voices of twentieth-century Mexico.
The full story
Mexican literature has roots in the traditions of Indigenous Mesoamerica and developed new forms under Spanish colonial rule. In New Spain, Baroque writers included Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Juan Ruiz de Alarcón. Their work belongs to the same colonial world whose churches and decorative arts visitors encounter across the country. As independence approached, writers sought a literature distinct from that of Spain. José Joaquín Fernández de Lizardi's El Periquillo Sarniento is a useful landmark in that development. Later, the Mexican Revolution became a subject for novels, stories and plays, with Mariano Azuela among its notable interpreters. The twentieth century brought competing movements rather than one national style. Los Contemporáneos included Salvador Novo and Xavier Villaurrutia, while Juan Rulfo, Rosario Castellanos, Octavio Paz and Carlos Fuentes offer further starting points. Select an author whose period interests you rather than treating this history as a reading checklist.