2 comments about Mexican Churches.

1. Contiene una amplia colección de fotografías que muestran la gran variedad y riqueza arquitectónica de las iglesias de México, algunas de las cuales son poco conocidas, y que en cierta medida deben su esplendor al sincretismo cultural hispano-indígena. Las fotografías fueron tomadas alrededor de 1956, por el excelente fotógrafo, sobre todo de paisajes, Eliot Porter (quién abandonó la fotografía por la medicina).

   It contains a large colection of photos that shows the great variety and arquitectonic richness of Mexican churches, some of them are not well know, and their splendor is in certain way product of the cultural hispano-indian sincretism. The photos were taken around 1956 by the excelent photographer, landscape specialist, Eliot Porter (who quit medicine for photography).




2. This is a book of photographs of the interiors of Churches in Mexico, and their shrines and alters, and saints which adorn them.
   
   Porter's photographs capture a religious grace which is direct, simple, beautiful, and moving. Seeing these pictures gives an outsider into a window on a world in which life may be difficult, but heart and faith are celebrated and strong.

4 comments about Las Misiones Antiguas: The Spanish Missions of Baja California.

1. I would truly like to honor the authors effort by giving this book five stars, but can unfortunately not do so, due to inaccuracies that I find significant.
   This book is written by a dedicated author and obviously designed for anyone who would like to visit the remains of the Baja Missions. In order to do so Mr. Vernon provides GPS data, which would be great if they would be accurate.
   I have not yet visited any of the described sites, but noticed during the lecture of the book that some GPS data are far from where the Missions are placed on the books map. Mission San Francisco de Borja for example is according to the coordinates in the book located on the Mexican mainland and not on the Baja Peninsula. Visita de la Presentacion, too is marked on the books map far from the given longitude and latitude. This of course makes me wonder how many other coordinates are faulty. Minor errors may be undetectable on the map, but can be quite aggravating on site I suppose.
   Still I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Missions of Baja California. Just don't rely on it when you want to go there.



2. A beautiful 300-page book on the missions of Baja California. Scores of color photographs make it delight to peruse. The historical anecdotes, and the great maps and plans, and older black-and-white pictures enhance the reading experience and help convey how the missions grew, flourished, and in some cases returned to the rocks and soil from which they came. This is such a detailed and impressive labor of love and such a sincere work of scholarship, I have no trouble forgiving the author his few typos or locational inaccuracies. The book will long grace my coffee table and delight and inspire my Baja aficionado friends. I have visited many of these Baja missions and look forward now to visiting the rest



3. This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Baja California Sur, giving you a window onto what life was like for the indians and missionaries in those wild deserts and mountains long before the age of the resorts.



4. A very good guide to the missions of Baja. Have had very little problem finding the missions from the coordinates given in the book. Excellent photography.

4 comments about Hooked on Baja: Where & How to Fish Mexico's Legendary Waters.

1. I pre-ordered this book months before it was published; the title sounded too good to pass up for a fisherman like me that travels to the baja to fish. HA! I returned the book a day after receiving it. It is insipid, written to "cover" all subjects in the table of contents in the minimum of pages. Unfortunately, it does not cover anything usefully. It is so simple it reads as if it was published by a government agency to drum up tourism.
   
   The author may (or may not) know fishing, but he did not display fishing knowledge in this book. Pages 30-80 are a reference, a list of descriptions of the fish in the waters around Baja; this should have been an appendix or deleted. It is not until page 80 that you come across a chapter with a title that sounds like it will be of use, "Terminal tackle and Fishing Suggestions", but this chapter is brief compared to the pedantic ramblings about each of the fish species along the baja and it does not deliver on its title. After that it just continues downhill. It includes fishing maps, marginally useful and less detailed than free ones on line. Follow this up with fish recipes, that is correct, fish recipes from the book with the subtitle, "Where and How to Fish Mexico's Legendary Waters". Then the author has the gaul to describe the personalities of Baja fishing--let me see did the title indicate I would get to read about the people? Let's recap, recipes, fish descriptions, resorts descriptions, descriptions of the fishermen of the baja, and 5 pages on suggested tackle that don't deliver. Thank goodness, Amazon allows returns.



2. Author Tom Gatch's insights into fishing have been published in columns and articles for issues of "The Log, Southern California's #1 Boating & Fishing Newspaper" and "Baja Times". Hooked on Baja: Where & How To Fish Mexico's Legendary Waters distills Gatch's lifetime of experience into a handy and readily accessible guide for would-be Baja fishermen of all backgrounds. Chapters extend beyond the limits of a typical fishing handbook, discussing tips on how to purchase and legally secure real estate property on the Baja California peninsula, authentic south-of-the-border recipes, and true-life tales from Baja's well-known outdoors personalities as well as the basics about a wide variety of Baja fish species, Baja fishing maps, terminal tackle and fishing suggestions, and more. Black-and-white illustrations plus a handful of color photographs enhance this premier "must-have" for anyone seeking to enjoy catching fish south of the Mexican border.



3. I am so glad to have found this book. I love to travel in Baja and this is a great resource. I actually don't fish but the descriptions of the area are very useful to me.



4. Tom loves fishing and Baja! His passion about the area shows in this informative book about Mexico's abundant Baja fisheries.
   
   With a folksy style that everyone can enjoy he shares his knowledge freely about the Baja its fish to great recipes for their preparation.
   
   Worth the read! Irene
   
   Hooked on Baja: Where & How to Fish Mexico's Legendary Waters

3 comments about Tropical Mexico: The Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guide (A Volume in the Ecotravellers' Wildlife Guides Series) (Ecotravellers Wildlife Guide: Tropical Mexico).

1. Simply, a terrific wildlife guide and the best of its kind for Mexico. Chapters provided detailed information (with photos!) of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals found in southern Mexico. Recommeneded for any serious student of biology or dedicated eco traveler.



2. I can appreciate the author's intent - to create a more comprehensive guide to the wildlife of a region that is sorely lacking in accesible information. It is a pioneering effort, and I am grateful that such guides are being attempted. But after reviewing the bird plates I became quite upset - this guide will lead to many misidentifications due to innacurate portrayals and information, as well as omissions. While I can understand the impossibility of covering all the living species in a large and diverse region, it would be nice if the ones chosen were depicted accurately, and reference was made to similar species occuring within other parts of the covered range. For just one example, plate 45 shows four species of Motmot as being the ame size and shape, when the Tody Motmot is HALF the size (and a very different shape) of the others. While this is indicated (in small print), anyone relying on the pictures could easily become confused. Beletsky list Howell's excellent "Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America" in his references, but he clearly should have been paying more attention! As to omissions, if an abbreviated list is desired in the interest of keeping this book accesible for the more casual enthusiast, it would have been far better to at least focus on the species most likely to be encountered. While some rarely seen species are included, many quite visible and common birds are left out! And how could Beletsky leave out the Boat-billed Heron? Not only is this species an icon amongst Mexican birds, but it is a favorite species for boat tour operators on both coasts to find for visitors! After seeing what the bird plates are like, how could I ever feel positive about identifying other wildlife using this book?
   On the positive side, I will reiterate that I am glad that such books are being written. There is often no information available (in practical form) on tropical reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, etc. But I hope guides like this will get a whole lot better! Skimping on information for portability is not the answer. Accuracy should be far more important. In Beletsky's favor are the habitat photos, and coverage of ecotourism and conservation issues.



3. This book has disucssions and beautiful color illustrations of not just birds, but frogs, snakes, fish, mammals and even some plants. There are discussions of different ecosystmes and what one might expect to encounter in each of them. There are notes on local bird lore. I took this on a guided boat tour run by one of the local people. It was extremely helpful to have the names of the birds in English AND Spanish, as the other people in the boat spoke only Spanish and the guide used mostly Spanish. The book is written from the standpoint of the Eco-Tourist. The author discusses some of the important conservation efforts in progress to preserve these beautiful and unique ecosystems.
   Of course the book is not exhaustive, but fortunate is the traveller who sees all the species discussed here. In addition the book is actually quite readable and while in Yucatan, this was the guide that I frequently picked to review what I had seen or what I might be seeing on my next excursion. There are many different habitats in this part of Mexico, each with its own inhabitants. The book contains a wealth of information presented in an entertaining manner. I checked in several local bookstores, and could find nothing comperable, in English or Spanish. Although it may not satisfy the ardent birder, the book helps one feel at home when he is encountering so many new species.

2 comments about Baja California Road & Recreation Atlas.

1. I was expecting a full-sized atlas like the "Rand McNally" Road atlas. What I got was a rather small book, 8.5 inches high by 6.5 inches wide. The maps are moderately detailed. The book probably has somewhat better detail, and at a somewhat larger scale, than a folding roadmap. The color graphics are fairly nice. But this book hardly has the detail that one would expect from a truly comprehensive atlas. The indexing system is slightly non-intuitive. Finding the right map to use is slightly difficult, but not really hard. I was also annoyed to see advertising within the book; however this might be helpful to some looking for a place to stay at. In my opinion, this book is not worth the price.
   
   However, this book probably OK for someone sticking strictly to the paved roads in Baja. One advantage is that the book format makes it easy to store; and easier to use, than unfolding a conventional road map.
   
   For people wanting to do more off-the-beaten-path exploring of the Baja Peninsula, who need more detailed maps; the options are currently limited. If you can find it, you may want to get the atlas by Landon. This book is currently out of print, and the cost can be exorbitant. I don't have one, so I can't personally vouch for its quality. I understand it may come back into print.
   
   You might also find an old copy of the "Topographics International" Atlas. (Which I do have.) These offer highly detailed maps with topographic information, almost like our United States Geological Survey maps, but less colorful graphics. For the cities, it may be out of date. But out in the unpopulated areas, it still should be valid for most areas.



2. I didn't get this in time for my trip, but when I was in Baja I saw many copies down there for $10. I'm glad I didn't buy this one as the pages are very small and you have to flip through a number of them to get a good feel for longer distances. Also, the atlas is full of advertising and I found this to be distractive. I saw someone's AAA map and it looked great!

No comments about Retirement Without Borders: How to Retire Abroad--in Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, Costa Rica, Panama, and Other Sunny, Foreign Places (And the Secret to Making It Happen Without Stress).

1 comments about The Unofficial Guide to Mexico's Best Beach Resorts (Unofficial Guides).

1. This book is not written in the same format as the other unofficial guides. This guide only covers a handful of resorts and has very little detail on the ones it does cover. The book is split up into sections and only covers about 10 hotels per area, come on these areas have hundreds of hotels. I mean I don't expect every one to be covered but it looks like the only ones they cover are the ones willing to pay to be in this crummy book. I own several of the unofficial guide books (the unofficial guide to Disney World is a lifesaver) and in the past have found them very useful and entertaining. The other unofficial guides have a lot of relevant information and tips on how to avoid crowds, when the best time to go is and sample itineraries' to help you get the most out of your vacation. This book has none of those things, it is poorly written with little information on the resorts and even less on what is around the resorts. To give an example the resort description says "great resort for families" but then has no information on child care or child activities. Great, why don't I just check out the resorts website and save 15 bucks! I understand this stuff changes all the time but the other books I in this series have first hand reviews of most of the hotels and attractions along with a guide to what is age appropriate. This book nope, none of that the resort information looks like it was copied of a press release. This book is a waste of money, the little information contains can be found for free at any of the web sites for the few resorts that it covers. Having traveled across the US and Europe and owned many many travel books I have to say this is about the worst one I've seen.

No comments about Travels in Mexico and California: Comprising a Journal of a Tour from Brazos Santiago, Through Central Mexico, by Way of Monterey, Chihuahua, the Country ... and the River (Essays on the American West).

No comments about Nelles Mexico Map (Nelles Maps).

No comments about El Malpais, Mt. Taylor, and the Zuni Mountains: A Hiking Guide and History (A Coyote Book).