Beginning about 1900 the expanded international role of
the United States brought increased attention to the cultures of other
peoples and a growth of interest in Latin America. The Enormous Vogue of
Things Mexican traces the evolution of cultural relations between the United
States and Mexico from 1920 to 1935, identifying the individuals, institutions,
and themes that made up this fascinating chapter in the history of the
two countries.

A comprehensive, ambitious, and valuable work on an increasingly important subject

In the Preface to her new study, Latin Americanist Helen Delpar writes, "Since the seventeenth century, Americans have turned their gaze toward the lands to the south, seeing in them fields for religious proselytization, economic enterprise, and military conquest." Delpar, consequently, aims her considerable gaze back at those Americans and the story behind their longtime fascination with Latin American culture. By visiting seminal works and the cultures from which they emerged, following...