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

by Kathryn S. Blair (Author)

"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 v a crusis . In 1928 she entered the political arena, championing the cause of womens' voting rights in the campaign of presidential candidate, Jos 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 Calder n, 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.

Author Biography

Kathryn Skidmore Blair was born in Cuba in 1920. She moved to Mexico with her American parents when she was three, and Mexico has been her home base ever since. Her father was the Manager of an international graphic arts firm, and says she grew up with two strong aromas: ink and tacos. Being bilingual and bicultural has opened doors all her life. Being sent to school in California at fifteen was a real culture shock. To Americans, Mexico was border towns, half-naked children and tequila. Kathryn´s Mexico was a city of volcanoes and pyramids, a castle, an Opera house, lavish gardens and school-mates from all over the world. A recent graduate of UCLA when Pearl Harbor was attacked, Kathryn remained in Los Angeles during the war. She worked at NBC in Hollywood for Nelson Rockefeller´s Office of Interamerican Affairs, creating Spanish language radio programs that aired in the U.S. and across Latin America. Kathryn met Donald Antonio Blair Rivas Mercado and they were married in six months. The Blair´s formed a family of four children, two dogs, and a score of new Mexican and American relatives. Kathryn, who had dreamed of writing a book about Mexico, was intrigued with stories about Don´s grandfather, the architect of Mexico´s Independence Monument, known to all as the "Angel". When she discovered that her husband´s -mother, Antonieta Rivas Mercado, had committed suicide in Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, a scandal hushed by the family for thirty years, she found her heroine. Thus began twenty years of researching Antonieta´s life. Brilliant and independent, defender of women´s rights, heiress to a fortune, she became the center of a post-revolutionary group of young writers, painters, poets, musicians and playwrights eager to join the modern world. Today, Kathryn´s book has triggered official recognition of Antonieta´s efforts to promote Mexico´s modern culture. Felipe Calderón, the President of Mexico, called her "our national Angel". "In the Shadow of the Angel" is Kathryn´s first book. Published in Spanish in 1995, it is now considered a classic, and has sold over 200,000 copies. Her newest book, "Forging a Nation, the Story of Mexico from the Aztecs to the Present" has just reached the bookstores and is available in Amazon & Kindle. Kathryn says that at age 91, her brain and knees still work, and she hopes to continue writing.