The village of San Jose de Gracia is not mentioned in any history of Mexico, nor is it referred to in any of the annals of the state of Michoacan. It is not to be found at all on most maps, and almost none show its correct location. It is an unknown point in space, in time, and in the consciousness of the Mexican republic.

In Luis Gonzalez's classic history of the world of San Jose, he turns his attention in every direction: toward what is lasting and what is ephemeral, everyday and unusual, material and spiritual. The story is, to some extent, the story of rural life anywhere, in...