W. E. Carson

Mexico: the Wonderland of the South W. E. Carson

William English Carson (1870-1940) was a controversial writer about social issues but when his book about Mexico first appeared in 1910, critics enthused: ?Mr. Carson knows Mexico thoroughly ?It would be hard to discover anything worth seeing that he has not seen. He has wandered around the Mexican capital and other old cities; he had explored the gold and silver mines and visited some of the quaint health resorts; he had gone mountain climbing and tarpon fishing ?compendious, concise and clear?. A century later Anthony Burton was less impressed: ?Despite being an enthusiastic traveler, many of his views about Mexicans will strike modern readers as stereo-typical. For example, he dedicated an entire chapter to The Mexican Woman, which makes for fascinating reading despite many statements which read today as outrageous over-generalizations, such as ?no foreigner, unless he be associated with diplomacy, is likely to have any chance of studying and judging the Mexican women?; ?the Mexican girl has but two things in life to occupy her, love and religion?; ?As a rule, the Mexican women are not beautiful?. !!! While readers may not agree with Carson?s views, the volume remains a classic depiction of Mexico in an era of turmoil.