Sonora: An Intimate Geography

by David Yetman

Now available in paperback, this informal account of the people, culture, land, and history of Sonora, Mexico, describes blistering deserts, alpine mountains, tropical river valleys, and arid coastlines, and relates the lives and stories of cattlemen, lumbermen, fishermen, weavers, cobblers, musicians, bootleggers, and Indians. The author's curiosity extends to the weaving of Nácori hats, the distillation of fiery bacanora, and the utility of the tegua, the Sonoran cowboy boot. Sonora is also a record of painful twentieth-century change of human dislocation from rural villages to industrial cities and the relentless destruction of Sonoran forests, jungles, deserts, and rivers. A regular visitor for over thirty years, the author provides a colorful portrait of the Sonora of the past, present, and future.

Genres: Travel

264 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sonorans are proud of their independence and have always been. They resent Mexico City's control, referring to the residents of the capital with the disparaging terms chilango (chile-eater). They find southerners to be uncouth and low-class, referring to them with the pejorative term guacho (something akin to 'klutz'). They often express a closer affinity to the United States than to the distant capital in the south." (8)

"Mexico is still overwhelmingly Catholic. While evangelical Protestant sects are growing, Protestants are still associated with the United States, so much so that some Sonorans refer to North Americans as aleluyas (hallelujahs)." (74)

"Sonorans reveal their lack of high respect for burros by referring to groups of them as licenciados (graduates) or diputados (legislators)." (84)

[Andy Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now outdated, but still an excellent fly-over view of Sonora’s history from an informed outsiders perspective.

[Cheryl Schibley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's about the culture and history of Sonora, Mexico. I love Mexico and this book was very informative and answered so many questions. Great Read!!