A bestseller in Spanish, this is the story of an extraordinary Mexican woman whose life was as passionate and conflicted as Mexico itself. She defied tradition and class to bring changes to her country, but the fraudulent election of 1929 led to her suicide.

In the Shadow of the Angel

Literature & Fiction

Blair, Kathryn S.

Contemporary

AuthorHouse

A richly textured historical novel chronicles the exploits, adventures, and accomplishments of Anonieta Rivas Mercado, one of Mexico's feminist heroines, as narrated by her daughter-in-law. (Historical Fiction)

A La Sombra Del Angel / In the Shadow of an Angel (Spanish Edition)

Planeta Publishing

This new edition with special added materials will give you a look into the private life of a powerful, forward-thinking woman in male dominated, turbulent Mexico…  The only suicide ever in Notre Dame In 1931 brought to an end the dramatic life of this amazing woman.  Decades ahead of her time, she had a dream of creating an educated Mexico immersed in the new world culture of the Arts after the tumultuous Revolution left Mexico 25 years behind Europe and the United States.  This book traces the life of Antonieta Rivas Mercado, defender of women´s rights and promoter of education starting at the lowest socio-economic level.  Called by many, the Mexican “Gone with the Wind”, the novel covers three transcendental decades in Mexican history: 1900 to 1931.    The story unfolds through the life of an extraordinary Mexican woman who defied tradition and class to bring change to her country and the ultimate price she paid for her quest.           The “scandalous” Antonieta consorted with the likes of Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Tina Modotti, Garcia Lorca, bullfighters, communists and Ambassadors.    She dared seek a divorce: her ill-fated marriage to Albert Blair, an Anglo-American revolutionary, and her obsession with Rodriguez Lozano,  a homosexual painter became Antonieta´s personal “vía crusis”.    In 1928 she entered the political arena and led the cause for women´s right to vote in the campaign of Presidential candidate, José Vasconcelos.

In the Shadow of the Angel: Three Critical Decades in Mexico's History

Genre Fiction

Kathryn S. Blair

FORGING A NATION Product description The history, culture and promise of America's most important national border country... Mexico… Yes, most Americans and Canadians just don't get Mexico... The news headlines tell a tiny part of the story… But the numbers reveal even more… Out of 227 countries in the world, Mexico ranks number 11 in population ahead of: Germany (16), France (21), United Kingdom (22), South Korea (26), Canada (37) and Australia (55). And ranks a whopping number 12 of 227 in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ahead of powerhouses like: South Korea (13), Spain (14), Canada (15) Australia (18) and Saudi Arabia (23)… And in the category of known oil reserves: Mexico is 18 of 227 countries ahead of the European Union (25), India (23), Australia (29), Italy (53) and France (68). You have only to look at how the European Union and other trading blocks (countries working together across borders) to see the impact of these international trading blocks... ...and see the problem pushing the United States into further decline if it does not recognize the importance of working with Mexico like a partner rather than treating it like a problem. Story Finally Told… This engaging, entertaining and quick reading history of Mexico spanning 5,000 years brings history to life and removes the shroud of secrecy, stereotypes and misconceptions that have plagued USA-Mexican relations. This book finally transcends the gory headlines of today’s media and delivers on the promise of giving the reader a perspective and insight on Mexico that few English speakers grasp. Kathryn S. Blair, author of the mega-hit, In Shadow of the Angel, (200,000+ copies in print) turns her American perspective, command of Mexican history, and ability to make history come alive into brief but engaging and entertaining history of Mexico. Blair paints an evolutionary history with texture and insight in her unique story telling style… no difficult academic slogging here. At age 91, Blair, an American, has spent 70 of her 91 years living and working in Mexico. She has a lifetime of experience living, working and researching both cultures. Her highly entertaining accounts of key players in Mexican history and culture like Moctezuma, Hernan Cortes, Emperor Maximilian, General Scott, President Woodrow Wilson, Ann Morrow, Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata, Charles Lindberg, Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Leon Trotsky makes this history come alive.

Forging A Nation: The Story of Mexico From the Aztecs to the Present

History

Americas

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

"In the Shadow of the Angel," which has been called Mexico's "Gone with the Wind," takes place during three transformational decades in Mexican history: 1900-1931, as mirrored by the life of an extraordinary Mexican woman, Antonieta Rivas Mercado.The daughter of the architect of Mexico´s famous Independence Monument, popularly known as "The Angel," Antonieta defied tradition and class to bring change to her country, and paid the price for her passionate rebellion.Her roller-coaster life paralleled Mexico´s struggle for national identity: the final decade of a long dictatorship that ended in the lavish Centennial celebration of 1910; the chaos wrought by ten years of violent revolution; and the ensuing brutal struggle for power among the Generals who established the social and political order by which Mexico is governed today. Brilliant, educated in Europe, heiress to a fortune, Antonieta became both muse and patron to the young writers, artists and musicians of the 1920s who were eager to join the modern world.  The "scandalous" Antonieta consorted with the likes of everyone from Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Tina Modotti, and Garcia Lorca, to bullfighters, Communists and ambassadors.She dared seek a divorce: her ill-fated marriage to Albert Blair, an Anglo-American who came to Mexico to fight in the revolution, and her obsession with a homosexual painter became Antonieta´s personal vía crusis .In 1928 she entered the political arena, championing the cause of womens' voting rights in the campaign of presidential candidate, José Vasconcelos, with whom she shared a vision of an educated, just and democratic Mexico.Committed to their mutual goals, Antonieta devoted her heart and her money to his campaign. Caught in the vortex of the fraudulent election of 1929, her lover defeated, violence flaring, fortune gone, she kidnapped her son and fled to Paris.Though an inspiration to so many, the tired, dispirited woman churned with insecurities and conflicting emotions. At the age of thirty, Antonieta Rivas Mercado committed suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral. During Mexico´s Bicentennial celebration in 2010, Antonieta was officially recognized as a primary promoter of modern Mexican culture.The President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón, called Antonieta "our national Angel."Considered a classic in Mexico, "In the Shadow of the Angel" is acclaimed both for its historical and literary content. The author is married to Antonieta´s son.

In The Shadow of the Angel: Three Critical Decades in Mexico's History