Acknowledgments

 

The Smoking Mirror has its roots in the culture I grew up in along the South Texas-Mexico border. The places described are real, though I’ve used them in a fictional way. Many of the supernatural creatures in these pages first appeared in the stories I heard at the knee of my grandmother, Marie Garza, or from other relatives and friends through the years.

I owe my familiarity with Monterrey and Saltillo to my wife’s family, whose willingness to love and guide me in tough moments of my life has left me forever in their debt. Also instrumental in this book’s genesis have been the hundreds of students that passed through my care in my fourteen years as a teacher. I learned as much from them as they from me.

Certainly, The Smoking Mirror would not exist were it not for my wife and children, who are eternally supportive of my writing and put up with my weird hours and impromptu readings of key scenes. The same should be said for the writing community of Texas and the Southwest, especially Guadalupe García McCall, Xavier Garza, René Saldaña, Jr., Malín Alegría and Jason Henderson. Their coaching and friendship made this project easier.

Finally, in crafting my fictional version of the Mesoamerican Underworld, I have drawn from several primary source documents, like the Florentine Codex and the Popul Vuh. The reader should note that I blended elements of both Aztec and Mayan mythology together, and any major differences from the actual beliefs of the indigenous peoples of Mexico arise from my own creative choices.

For readers unfamiliar with Spanish, a glossary is included at the back of the book.