Pathways to the Heart: An Anthology of Mexican Literature in Translation

"Readings in any literature lead to discoveries about the history and space of that literature. The readings in Pathways to the Heart: An Anthology of Mexican Literature in Translation offer new views and insights into Mexico’s time and space.

The book invites readers on a journey through time. The works are presented in chronological order, many in English translation for the first time. Students will become familiar with the heritage of a literature that began thirty centuries ago with Mayan poetry.

Other works include Aztec poetry transcriptions from the time of the Conquest, Carlos Siguenza y Gongora's description of the first uprising against the Spanish Crown, and Carlos Monsivais's essay on the history of the Bolero. The book includes biographies of the authors, a Spanish-language website for the texts, and reproductions of archeological sites and Mexican art works that enrich understanding of the literature.

Pathways to the Heart gives readers the opportunity to experience literature that is new to them in a rich cultural and historical context. It can be used in courses on Mexican literature, history, and culture.

A native Californian, Margarita Nieto received her three degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Nieto was also a Senior Doctoral Fellow in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute and a California Council for the Humanities grant recipient. Currently, she is a professor of Chicana/o studies at California State University, Northridge. Dr. Nieto has published and lectured extensively on Mexican literature and art history throughout Europe and Latin America."