The Labyrinth of Solitude
By Octavio Paz
This is a classic book about the Mexican character, written by the Nobel prize winning essayist. Worth buying for the chapter about the day of the dead celebrations

Mexican Mornings
By Michael Hogan
The publisher sums this one up more eloquently than I could: "Hogan writes with deep affection for his adopted country, mixed with an insider's keen interest about things Mexican. He adroitly highlights the best, and sometimes the worst, of life in this setting. The inexhaustible patience and
forgiveness of the Mexican character is portrayed in many of his narratives, in which life is lived largely in the slow lane but with a degree of dignity and grace that might help explain why so many North Americans choose to call
Mexico home."