Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel

Book Description

Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel takes readers inside the Lost City of the Incas for a groundbreaking perspective never before seen by tourists or archeologists. Built high in the Andes on a seemingly impossible site, Machu Picchu stands as a testament to Early Native Americans and their ability to plan and build. How was it possible to create a mountain-top city complete with running water, drainage systems, food production, and stone structures so advanced they have endured for over 500 years? Authors Kenneth R. Wright and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra explain these and other mysteries, based on their original engineering and scientific research. A fascinating book, Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel is a must-have for civil engineers, archeologists, armchair travelers, and tourists alike. An illustrated walking guide and detailed map allow readers to become familiar with each building and pathway, and numerous photographs take readers on a breathtaking pictorial adventure.

Customer Reviews:

This Book Enhanced Our Trip!.......2002-11-13

For the University of Denver Water Law Review,
Vol. 6, Issue 1, Fall 2002

Coloradans Ken and Ruth Wright have teamed with Peruvian archeologist Alfredo Valencia to place back in working order the sixteen fountains of Machu Picchu. You can see for yourself.

The Inca were master water handlers. They chose Machu Picchu as a ceremonial center because the mountains and the river spoke to them of life-giving power. The Urubamba River far below snakes triangular around the base of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountains. A saddle between these peaks cradles the temples, rock shrines, dwelling places, and agricultural terraces that dance between the clouds in early morning and emerge to sunlight by Noon.

Water at the center of it all. The paleo-hydrologic studies of the Wrights and Valencia reveal how the Inca predicated the design and construction of Machu Picchu upon the flow of a spring. From high on the side of Machu Picchu Mountain, a canal brings water across an agricultural terrace to the first fountain just above the Temple of the Sun. From there, sixteen fountains splash, spout, and sing down a staircase to the Temple of the Condor.

The May 2002, issue of National Geographic Magazine contains yet another map of Machu Picchu deriving from the Wright-Valencia partnership. This map shows how magnificent Machu Picchu must have looked with its thatched roofs uplifted to the condor sky.
Underneath your feet at every turn is the invisible sixty-percent of Machu Picchu. In their Civil Engineering book, Ken and Alfredo describe the genius of Machu Picchu's foundational structure. The Inca edifices and agricultural terraces stand the test of time because of careful drainage and methodical trenchwork. The visible forty-percent of Machu Picchu rests on mountain bedrock and the skill of people who learned through ancestral experience how to counter earthquake and erosion's despoiling effect.

Ken and Alfredo deduce from their studies that the Inca did not irrigate the agricultural terraces at Machu Picchu, though they did elsewhere. Here, the rainy season and supplemental importation of agricultural products met the needs of the small resident population and the influx of those attending rituals. The Inca ruler Pachacuti began Machu Picchu as a ceremonial retreat in A.D. 1450. It likely ceased normal operation by A.D. 1540 due to the collapse of the Inca Empire under Spanish invasion.

Ken and Alfredo explain that Machu Picchu's durability stems from high quality professional workmanship:

"Machu Picchu's technical planning is surely the key to the site's longevity and functionality. The Inca's careful use of hydraulic, drainage, and construction techniques ensured that the retreat was not reduced to rubble during its many years of abandonment. These techniques, combined with a strong knowledge of hydrology, were what made it a grand and operational retreat high in the most rugged of terrain."

The Civil Engineering book is easily readable, yet contains much study and analysis of Machu Picchu's structural accomplishment. Ken and Alfredo devote chapters to (1) setting, geology, climate, and site selection; (2) city planning and engineering infrastructure; (3) hydrogeology, collection works, water requirements, and water supplies; (4) hydraulic engineering, water supply canal, and fountains; (5) drainage infrastructure, surface runoff and drainage criteria, agricultural terraces, and urban sector; (6) agriculture, hand-placed soil, crop water needs, and adequacy of nutrient production; (7) building foundations and stone walls; (8) construction methods, rock quarry, transporting and lifting rocks, using wood and vegetation, roof structures, canal stones, floors and plaster, bridges, and tools of the trade; (9) cultural background and Inca heritage; and (10) a walking tour of the engineering works (Ruth's contribution).

Dr. Gordon McEwan, excavator of Pikillacta and Chokepukio, illuminates the cultural background of the Inca in a fine chapter he contributes to the Civil Engineering work (chapter 9). He further explains in a June 2002 National Geographic Magazine article how the Inca culture built upon the Wari culture (A.D. 600-1000). At Pikillacta, the Wari relied on an aqueduct whose portals also served as their gateways and guardways to the Cusco Valley. Before the Wari, dating from B.C. 200, the Pukara and the Tiwanaku peoples conducted water for pragmatic and religious purposes.

The Inca were religious and practical people. They revered the earth, the mountains, and the sky, as their descendants the Quechua still do. On mountain torsos they saw visages of the serpent, the puma, and the condor. Rocks and dead ancestors were equally alive to inform and inspire them by daily consultation in community. They were expert engineers, architects, and water workers. Joseph and Pharaoh-like, they dreamed of drought and famine; so, they stored the plentiful crop against the certitude of impending scarcity. The Inca exacted a tax in the form of labor. In return, the community benefited from stored food and ritual celebrations.

In the third summer of a North American western drought (A.D.2002), with the published work of Ken, Ruth, and Alfredo in hand, I could see it too--how water works at Machu Picchu for domestic water supply, aesthetic, and spiritual needs. The Inca water containment and delivery structures join those of the Mayans at Tikal, the Anasazi at Mesa Verde, and the Hopi at their mesas in a centuries-old mosaic of water use in the Western Hemisphere.

In scarcity lies the opportunity for community. The native peoples of the Americas practiced the art of water works construction out of ingenuity and necessity, praying to the gods for rain to fill their earth-constructed hope against despair. The native peoples also demonstrated that water supply planning and infrastructure is a core responsibility of those who would govern in the public interest. Westerners always come round to the practical and symbolic value of water for people and the environment.

Get it before you go, take it with you.......2001-10-14

Great book that goes way beyond the standard guide book fare. It inspired me to make the trip after reading it, to see first hand how the ancient Inca Empire created a complete fortified city in the sky, to trace the old Inca trails by the watchtower, the drawbrige and into the main gate with the view of city and the peak beyond. Other travel books have beautiful pictures and "where to eat and where to stay" for this citadel but very little information on how the city itself came into being and survived.

City maps and commentary in the book are far better than you can get on-site. Don't leave home without it. Even if you are just an armchair traveler you will be amazed with the accomplishments of the Inca Empire.

Machu Picchu - A Civil Engineering Marvel.......2001-07-31

Abandoned for centuries and overgrown by dense subtropical forest, this awesome city in the sky has been the subject of speculation and conjecture since Hiram Bingham first disclosed it in 1911. Now, for the first time, the wonders of Machu Picchus' construction and water supply are revealed in a new book by Kenneth R. Wright and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. Anyone who has read Bingham's Lost City of the Incas, or who has visited this ancient city of the Incas or who yearns to journey there, should read this new and searching volume that delves into and solves many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu. Why was it built, how the site was selected, and what were the critical criterial criteria that were met to make the ridge top site suitable for an alternate home for the Inca Pachacuti? Machu Picchu served as a residence, a fortress and a holy place. The developement of a water supply, the construction of terraces for agriculture and the remarkable and enduring granite structures were well concealed by its unique location. Near vertical cliffs, the roaring Urubamba river all contributed to the concealment of Machu Picchu from the Spanish invaders How an ancient people, without the written word, without instruments and steel tools so capably built and prospered there for more than a century is now revealed in this landmark book that will increase both the awe and respect of the reader for the Inca people.

Skilled Ancient Civilizations.......2001-07-25

Don't let the title scare you if you are not an engineer. Reading through the book is like taking a stroll with the ancient men who planned, designed and built this great site. It is a "must take along" if you are planning a visit. Even if you cannot afford to visit, the book is worth the read to be able to admire the skills of ancient people.

The Miracle of Machu Picchu.......2001-07-11

The story of Machu Picchu is a tribute to the prehistoric Native Americans who planned and built this mystical mountaintop royal estate for Emperor Pachacuti between AD 1450 and 1540. The authors have, at last, defined for scientists and layman alike what makes Machu Picchu such a beautiful and special place: the innumerable details of Machu Picchu, when combined into a whole, create a visual and spiritual experience that is unparalleled in the New World.

Properly, this book is dedicated to the young Yale explorer Hiram Bingham, John Rowe and Pat Lyons of the University of California/Berkeley, Richard Burger and Lucy Salazar of Yale University, and several others who had a hand in supporting the research work in both the United States and Peru.

Ten chapters, 160 photographs, many sketches and maps, in conjunction with a detailed index, provide both the scholar and casual tourist with a description of Machu Picchu that is a must-read before leaving Cusco for the trip down the Urubamba River to see this most important archaeological ruin of the Western Hemisphere. The book is designed so that much of the story can be appreciated even if one only looks at the photographs and reads the captions; much like a National Geographic magazine.

Chapter 1 explains the when, where and why of Machu Picchu along with it ancient climate. Site selection reasons are described; here you will learn why the Inca chose such a difficult site for construction and how the mountain and water played a major role in its choice. In Chapter 2, you will learn about the Inca-period planning that went into the royal estate so that it would function. For instance, based on engineering evidence, the Inca spring and canal layout details were established before the Inca Royal Residence and the Temple of the Sun locations were chosen. It is no coincidence that the one-half-mile-long canal ends near the Royal Residence and Fountain No. 1 so that the emperor would have the first use of the domestic water supply.

Without the Inca Spring on the north side of Machu Picchu Mountain, there would be no archaeological ruin here. The Inca water source is described in Chapter 3. The hydrology of the spring and its flow are presented in an easy-to-understand manner; the reader will learn why the water supply is a child of the geologic faulting, upthrusts and related cracking of the granite bedrock and that the spring flow rises and falls throughout the year with a several-month lag time between the rainfall. But most of all, the chapter describes the original spring works and its water supply so that its technical significance to the Inca engineer can be fully appreciated. For water quality aficionados, a detailed water quality table of constituents is described; you will learn that the water supply of Machu Picchu was and is clear and pure.

Also in Chapter 3, the remarkable recent discoveries of long lost water supplies are explained. A previously unknown extension of the Inca Trail down to the Urubamba River is also described. One fountain is shown flowing in 1999 after nearly five centuries of being buried under the forest floor.

Chapter 4 explains the hydraulic engineering of Machu Picchu and the meticulous fountain work that delivered water to the heart of Machu Picchu. Hydraulic works such as the Abandoned Canal are pictured to show that even when Machu Picchu was left to the forest in AD 1540, the royal estate was still under construction. Machu Picchu represented a pinnacle of the Inca architectural and engineering achievements.

The author explains in Chapter 5 that, without good drainage, Machu Picchu would not have endured through the centuries. The drainage system is analyzed using modern methods to prove the type of planning and engineering that preceded the actual building construction, all with figures and photographs so that the drainage components can be examined in the field to provide a greater appreciation. Discovery of the first and only gold at Machu Picchu in 1996 is a story that illustrates the Machu Picchu mysteries that still await discovery; a gold bracelet was found in and amongst the stone chips that underlie the Playa. A photograph of the gold bracelet shows its graceful curves.

The agriculture of Machu Picchu is amply illustrated and described in Chapter 6, along with the nutrient producing capabilities of the hundreds of terraces. It was determined that the terraces would provide food for no more than 55 people and, therefore, food was brought into Machu Picchu from elsewhere. Actually, the terraces were used mostly for growing corn, probably to produce the ceremonial Inca beer known as chi cha.

Chapters 7 and 8 satisfy one's need to know about how the Machu Picchu stonework was built and why it has endured. Eighteen types of stonework wall patterns are illustrated and lintel beams are described along with many special-use stones. Methods of construction are analyzed to show how large stones were moved, shaped and placed. Evidence of potential Inca renegade stonemasons is shown on page 77, a controversy on which Inca scholars still disagree.

One of the best descriptions of how the Inca were able to do so much in such a short time is given in Chapter 9, prepared by scholar Gordon McEwan, in a chapter on cultural background and the Inca heritage.

The final chapter of the book provides a capstone in the form of a walking tour that takes the reader to each and every Machu Picchu highlight, complete with 44 figures and photographs. The four pages of Machu Picchu mapping helps the armchair traveler know just where he or she is at all times.

Book Description

This wide-ranging survey has established itself as the best single-volume introduction to Andean art and architecture. Now fully revised, it describes the strikingly varied artistic achievements of the Chavín, Paracas, Moche, Chimú, and Inca cultures, among others. Their impressive cities, tall pyramids, shining goldwork, and intricate textiles constitute one of the greatest artistic traditions in history.

For the second edition, Rebecca Stone-Miller has added new material covering the earliest mummification in the world at Chinchorros, wonderful new Moche murals and architectural reconstructions, the latest finds from the Chachapoyas culture, and a greater emphasis on shamanism. Throughout, Stone-Miller demonstrates how the Andean peoples adapted and refined their aesthetic response to an extremely inhospitable environment. 185 illustrations, 35 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Balanced and Astute.......2004-07-08

This book stands out, among many others, for the quality of insight that Rebecca Stone-Miller brings to her study of Andean art. Not content with simple typology and iconography, her account is illuminated by the cultural constants - "duality, reciprocity, hierarchy, and embeddedness in nature" (p. 218) that she finds in the underlying Andean cultures. Art history, in these terms, becomes an exploration of meaning, both of the art that is produced and of the culture that produces it. It's rare to find so much insight in an introductory book; I highly recommend it.

Another strength of the book is the nicely-judged balance of attention that the author pays to the multitude of cultures (including the Chavin, Nasca, Moche, Wari, Tiwanaku, Chimu, and Inca, to name just some) that weave together into the Andean tapestry. The author also provides balanced coverage of all the arts -- metalwork, tapestry, featherwork, stone working, and architecture, in addition to the ever-popular ceramics (pottery).

With so much ground to cover, there are relatively few individual ceramic examples in the book; this unfortunately gives a too-restricted an idea of the range of form, beauty, and variety of Pre-Columbian pottery from South America. I recommend a book such as "Ceramics of Ancient Peru," by Christopher B. Donnan, as a supplement to Rebecca Stone-Miller's study.

A small number of errors have made it through the second edition. For example, the distance from Quito to Santiago is quoted as 3400 miles, rather than the correct 3400 kilometers. A bothersome number of specialized terms were left out of the index. A glossary would have been helpful, and one wishes that more of the photos had been printed in color rather than black and white.

In summary, "Art of the Andes" is a balanced and insightful survey that should appeal to a wide variety of readers. It's the kind of book that doesn't just sit on the shelf after one reading, but gets picked up again, thumbed through, and read more than once.

Excellent historical overview of native Andean art........2000-09-23

This is an excellent overview of native Andean artform the earliest perod through Chavin, Paracas, Nasca, Moche, Tiwanaku, Wari, to Incan. Covers architecture, textiles ,pottery and metallic arts. Looks at the main themes of religious and secular art in these various mediums. Text is accompanied by many black and white photographs, drawings and plans. Some photographs are in colour.

Book Description

In communities throughout precontact Mesoamerica, calendar priests and diviners relied on pictographic almanacs to predict the fate of newborns, to guide people in choosing marriage partners and auspicious wedding dates, to know when to plant and harvest crops, and to be successful in many of life's activities. As the Spanish colonized Mesoamerica in the sixteenth century, they made a determined effort to destroy these books, in which the Aztec and neighboring peoples recorded their understanding of the invisible world of the sacred calendar and the cosmic forces and supernaturals that adhered to time. Today, only a few of these divinatory codices survive. Visually complex, esoteric, and strikingly beautiful, painted books such as the famous Codex Borgia and Codex Borbonicus still serve as portals into the ancient Mexican calendrical systems and the cycles of time and meaning they encode.

In this comprehensive study, Elizabeth Hill Boone analyzes the entire extant corpus of Mexican divinatory codices and offers a masterful explanation of the genre as a whole. She introduces the sacred, divinatory calendar and the calendar priests and diviners who owned and used the books. Boone then explains the graphic vocabulary of the calendar and its prophetic forces and describes the organizing principles that structure the codices. She shows how they form almanacs that either offer general purpose guidance or focus topically on specific aspects of life, such as birth, marriage, agriculture and rain, travel, and the forces of the planet Venus. Boone also tackles two major areas of controversy—the great narrative passage in the Codex Borgia, which she freshly interprets as a cosmic narrative of creation, and the disputed origins of the codices, which, she argues, grew out of a single religious and divinatory system.

The Pre-Columbian Painting Murals of the Mesoamerica: Murals of the Mesoamerica

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The Pre-Columbian Painting Murals of the Mesoamerica: Murals of the Mesoamerica
Tatiana Falcon , Maria Elena Ruiz Gallut , Felipe Solis , Leticia Staines Cicero , Maria Teresa Uriarte , and Beatriz De LA Fuente
Manufacturer: Jaca Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 8816690038

Lords of Sipan: A True Story of Pre-Inca Tombs, Archaeology, and Crime

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Also good book!
If you liked the Celestine Prophecy, you will love this!!

Lords of Sipan: A True Story of Pre-Inca Tombs, Archaeology, and Crime
Sidney D. Kirkpatrick
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0688103960

Customer Reviews:

Also good book!.......2006-12-07

I've become a big fan of the author Sidney Kirkpatrick I've read his other books, The Revenge of Thomas Eakins and Edgar Cayce, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Then I stumbled across this one and decided to give it a read, and I have to say I love it too! Very insightful and fascinating, I highly recommend it.

If you liked the Celestine Prophecy, you will love this!!.......1998-03-08

My wife and I have personally been to the Sipan Project at Huaca Rajada three times. We feel that this book should be brought back in print right away!! Except for actually going to Peru, there is very few sources of factual information about this amazing find. The richest 'dig' in our part of the world EVER!! (began 1987). A story that will bring tears to your eyes, hope to your heart and is an awesome adventure tale that will keep you up all night. Find it, read it ... help to share and preserve the Ancient Cultures of our mutual past.(my actual rating is 22).

Peru: Art from the Chavin to the Incas (Collections Du Petit Palais, Musee Des Beaux-Arts de la VILL)

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Peru: Art from the Chavin to the Incas (Collections Du Petit Palais, Musee Des Beaux-Arts de la VILL)

Manufacturer: Skira
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Ancient & Classical | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 8876246924
Release Date: 2006-09-05

Book Description

Richly illustrated, this book describes the grandeur and richness of the numerous civilizations predating the Incas, including the Paracas, Nazca, Recuay, SicÃ¡n-Lambayeque, Moche-SipÃ¡n, and ChimÃº cultures, as well as the great Inca civilization. Included in the book are the important sites and landscapes representative of the three major ecological levels of Peru, as well as a general view and a historical perspective of the pre-Columbian cultures of Peru. Luis Guillermo Lumbreras examines the historical and archaeological context while Fernando de Szyslo presents the viewpoint of a contemporary Peruvian artist. Informative text written by Peruvian specialists in the field introduce each chapter dedicated to each of the pre-Columbian cultures. Two hundred stunning objectsâpottery, textiles, and jewelryâillustrate the varied artistic achievements of each ancient culture.

Arts of the Indian Americas: Leaves from the Sacred Tree (Icon Editions)

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ONE OF A KIND

Arts of the Indian Americas: Leaves from the Sacred Tree (Icon Editions)
Jamake Highwater
Manufacturer: Icon (Harpe)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0064333302

Customer Reviews:

ONE OF A KIND.......1999-11-03

What a pity that this fine book is currently out-of-print. It is the only book of its kind, drawing together the native arts of the entire Western Hemisphere by art form catagory: painting, architecture, pottery, sculpture, beadwork, literature, etc. The scope is enormous, from pre-Columbian times to the present, covering North, Central, and South America with amazing detail. Anyone interested in native art forms will find this book tops. It is high on my list of favorite books.

Masters of the Americas: In praise of the Pre-Columbian Artists

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Great Photos

Masters of the Americas: In praise of the Pre-Columbian Artists
Elisabeth Benson , Michael Coe , Gillet Griffin , David Joralemon , Genevieve Lefort , John Pohl , Sergio Purini , Dorie Reents-Budet , Kent Riley , and Fernando Rochaix
Manufacturer: 5 Continents Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 8874392583

Book Description

This volume of photographs and commentary brings together one of the most outstanding private collections of Pre-Columbian art treasures. Some highlights of the collection include Zapotec ceramics, Aztec onyx figures, Peruvian textiles, Olmec masks, Maya jade and pre-Columbian goldwork, all of extraordinary quality and beauty.

Customer Reviews:

Great Photos.......2007-03-09

This is a large size, heavy book, with great color photos and explanations. I am a collector of Pre Columbian art and artifacts, and this has interesting annotations and terrific color plates.

The Art of Mesoamerica: From Olmec to Aztec (World of Art)

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Successfull challenge
This is very Interesting
Worthwhile but dense
The Art of Mesoamerica..LOVED IT

The Art of Mesoamerica: From Olmec to Aztec (World of Art)
Mary Ellen Miller
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0500203458

Book Description

This essential guide to the art and architecture of ancient Mesoamerica succinctly and evocatively summarizes the artistic achievements of the high pre-Columbian civilizations—Olmec, Maya, Teotihuacan, Tolec, Aztec—as well as those of their less well-known contemporaries. The pyramids and palaces, jades and brightly colored paintings emerge from these pages as vividly as when they first astonished Cortés's men in 1519. There was a surprising unity in Mesoamerican culture from Mexico to Honduras and from 1500 BC to the Spanish Conquest. Among many features shared were a 260-day ritual calendar and a preoccupation with gods representing natural forces. Current research also emphasizes the great importance of rites of kingship, including warfare and blood sacrifice. In this third edition, Mary Miller opens up new windows on the ancient past with fresh readings of works of art, all the while offering careful archaeological interpretations. Recent hieroglyphic decipherments provide insights into ancient art, spelling out long-distance connections between the Maya and their neighbors. Updated throughout, with special attention to evidence for dating, the new Art of Mesoamerica is the ideal companion for students and travelers. 193 illustrations, 44 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Successfull challenge.......2006-02-25

This book has deeply increased my motivation for learning more of the complex precolombian culture, and to visit again the Museo Nacional Antropologica, Mexico. I would recommend to read first David Carrasco " Religions of Mesoamerica ".

This is very Interesting.......2006-02-17

Excelent book, great author and great information.
Olmecs,Maya and Aztecs are studing by Mary Eller.

Worthwhile but dense.......2000-09-05

A solid, useful one-volume survey of Mesoamerican art. Miller is a noted expert in the field, and she does a commendable job of presenting a large amount of information in a short space without resorting to superficiality. The text is clear and the photographs are both copious and well-chosen, with numerous color plates adding to the enjoyment.

Almost of necessity, however, the writing style tends to be fairly dense. Those looking for a readable "History of Mesoamerica" should probably go elsewhere. Nonetheless, most readers will find this book rewarding -- after which they will want to turn to more specific and detailed volumes by Linda Schele and Michael Coe, among others.

The Art of Mesoamerica..LOVED IT.......2000-05-14

I purchased "The Art of Mesoamerica" by Mary Ellen Miller after delving into Gary Jenning's "Aztec", which had me reading both books simultaneously. It was quite a unique reading experience I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend! This book is wonderfully written and illustrated and is suitable for the serious student as well as the simply curious. It takes the reader through centuries of the evolvement of Precolumbian art (the Olmec, Aztec and Maya civilizations) in a condensed and absorbing manner. I was extremely intrigued by the art of the Maya civilization having been to Cancun several times and visiting Chichen Itza. Although I had read up on the Chichen Itza ruins and their excavation prior to my tour, I certainly would have enjoyed the experience even more if I had read this book on the flight! So much of the art (architecture, sculptures, statues, vessels, urns, etc.)becomes much more understandable after one has some knowledge of the various gods worshipped and the rituals performed. The explanations of the 260-and 365-day calendrical systems was fascinating. The book is filled with numerous photos and illustrations which add to the total enjoyment of reading it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in this area, but especially to those with a casual interest who don't want to spend a fortune on a book that ends up sitting on a shelf. Be assured this book will be accompanying me on my next trip to Mexico! My congratulations to Mary Ellen Miller for the immense amount of information she has condensed into such an outstanding and thoroughly enjoyable book.

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