In this book photographer Miguel Gandert records the sacred rituals and dances of the mestizo peoples of the upper Río Grande in 130 black-and-white photographs. Included are images of the two great Indo-Hispano regional traditions, the Matachines conquest dance drama, complete with monsters and bull, and the multifaceted Comanches celebration, with its equestrian victory play and boisterous dances. Comprising 130 stunning black-and-white photographs by Gandert and essays by Southwest scholars Lamadrid, Ram"n Gutierr z, Lucy R. Lippard, and Chris Wilson, this collection reveals, in image and print, a colorful and enduring mestizo culture in the upper R!o Grande corridor. The survival of history and a memory of tradition saturate Gandert's work with meaning and depth. The photographs resonate with movement and reverence as they capture the swaying, stomping bodies of Nuevo M xico Indo-Hispanos performing sacred rituals and dances rooted in the syncretism of garb and gods of the Old and New Spains. The performances of birth and blessings, conquests and pilgrimages, and music and death, so aptly captured by Gandert, serve as ethnographic windows to this border culture, while the essays poignantly provide a richer understanding of their cultural and historical contexts. Highly recommended. Silvia Heredia, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. Miguel Gandert has been photographing the social rituals, people, and landscapes of his native New Mexico for twenty years. His photographs have been exhibited widely in museums and galleries throughout the world, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. He is an associate professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at the University of New Mexico. Used Book in Good Condition