Another Mexico

A Mexican saying holds that "Como Mexico no hay dos"--There is only one Mexico. American media these days interpret that notion with a vengeance. Story after story depicts a country overrun by out-of-control drug wars and murder, where corrupt police officers trip over beheaded victims more often than they nab perpetrators. South of the border, a beauty queen smuggles drugs. Kidnappers take a hostage negotiator hostage. People with money keep security SWAT teams close by. Killers invade hospitals to shoot enemies who escaped earlier hits. All that in a land that endlessly exports illiterate illegal immigrants, viewed by many in the United States as either continuing threats to the economy or ethnic jokes who stoke the rise of a book such as Gustavo Arellano's "Ask a Mexican!". In this article, the author describes Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara (FIL), the foremost book fair in the Spanish-speaking world, the pride of this venerable capital of Jalisco state, about four hours east of Puerto Vallarta. It drew an astonishing 600,000 visitors over nine days in late November and early December--up from 150,000 its first year--a good 60,000 of them children and most of them buying books. Founded two decades ago, FIL annually draws to Mexico's second-largest city--the metropolitan area here comprises 4.5 million people--approximately 600 publishers and 15,000 book professionals from 40 countries, among them more than 500 authors. The author contends that this international literary festival in Guadalajara should close the book on media stereotypes of America's much-maligned neighbor.