An account of Hugh Thomson's first wild adventure in Mexico, which ignited his love for Latin America, and of his subsequent exploration of the country, its people and its history. Tequila Oil reveals a much more dangerous side of Mexico than that seen by the package holiday-makers, taking the reader from the badlands of Chihuahua to the forests of the Yucatan; the book ends deep in the Mexican jungle, face to face with one the most enigmatic and least understood cultures on the planet, the Maya, with a sense of humility at how little we still know about the pre-Columbian past. Just as in The Motorcycle Diaries, by throwing himself on the kindness, hospitality and mercy of the Mexicans he met (or crashed into), Hugh was given an unusual and peculiarly vulnerable insight into Mexico. He returns many years later with a deeper understanding and the ability to explore the deep roots of pre-Columbian culture within Mexican life and to see how much archaeologists have revealed about the Maya and the Aztecs in just the last few years.

About the Author

Hugh Thomson's previous books include The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland and Nanda Devi, a journey to a usually inaccessible part of the Himalayas. He has led many research expeditions to Peru. He is also a film-maker and has won many awards for his documentaries, which include Indian Journeys with William Dalrymple, and Dancing in the Street: A Rock and Roll History. He lives in Oxfordshire. More details can be seen at www.thewhiterock.co.uk

Prizes

The White Rock has sold 11,500 copies and is reprinting in paperback Fascinating facts about the unknown Mexico Hugh always receives fantastic reviews: 'In The White Rock, the whole continent becomes a plot with suspense and a cast of outrageous characters...This is Bruce Chatwin with cojones.' Andy Martin, The Independent; 'Thomson is a writer who explores and not an explorer who writes. [His] extreme humility in the face of both danger and extraordinary success places him in the same tradition as Eric Newby.' Geographical

Reviews

'A sublime and richly informative travelogue from a true heavyweight explorer... highly recommended for those jaded by travel writing's cosy and ever-expanding stable of 'wits'." BOOKS QUARTERLY 'a riotous, tequila-soaked jaunt... Thomson's Mexico is one of beauty, humour and freedom, laced with a tantalising hint of danger.' WANDERLUST 'Informative and absorbing, his adventures are balanced with historical accounts of the places he passes through. Would-be visitors... will find plenty to whet their appetite' FINANCIAL TIMES 'a beautiful book, full of appreciation and aphorism, an unashamedly personal story. It's soulful, very funny, thoughtful, with a deep romanticism at its heart.' -- Martin Fletcher THE INDEPENDENT 'a cracking travel yarn, a chemical-addled ramble through small-town Mexico, a land populated with pyramids, volcanoes, mosquitoes and corrupt officials in equal measure.' BBC TOP GEAR MAGAZINE 'a thrilling travelogue that rails against the homogenisation of the world' TRAVELLER MAGAZINE 'Thomson steers through a series of hair-raising encounters with wit, wisdom and an easy charm that makes you fall for the road trip - and Central America - at the same time' THE TIMES

Thomson (The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland) returns to Latin America and revisits a trek from Texas he made some 30 years earlier. He writes of his 18-year-old self's madcap adventures (including not knowing how to drive a car and bribing a civil servant for a license in Mexico City) and alcohol consumption in Mexico and Belize. Recounting his more recent trip back, he remembers what was there for him then and considers what is there for him now. Although Thomson's travelog narrates a journey the average person would not (and should not) repeat-driving in Mexico without insurance, legal registration, or a driver's license, often after drinking beer and liquor-readers warm up to the author, hoping he and the car make it to Belize in one piece. Verdict Thomson is a succinct writer, and these pages really give one the flavor and history of Mexico and Belize (as The White Rock did for the Inca lands). Recommended for readeres with an interest in Mexican history and culture.-Lee Arnold, Historical Soc. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.