BOOK ONE - THE HEAD
In the beginning
Realpolitik and dreams
An imperfect likeness
The shaman's apprentice
The god of bread and the god of corn
The Mesoamerican origins of generosity
The envious origins of generosity
The chosen people
The fate of independents
The conception of the Aztec
His royal highness
Centripetal forces
The defeat of Auguste Comte
Revolutionary dreams
The spirit of Madero
The land of Zapata
Villa's angels
Carranza, Obregón, Calles, and the constitution
The dream of a word
Totalitarian threads
BOOK TWO - THE HEART
The werejaguar
Diego Rivera's dogs
The nationality of the rose
Once there was a circle
Real magic
The reinforcement of the worst
BOOK THREE - THE LIVER
Indio, lepero, pelado, naco : four stages of race and class
A savage bite
A dearth of beginners
Maquiladora nation
Where the future falls
The science of dismal prospects
Alternations
Doctors
The ninth Mexican
BOOK FOUR - TONALAMATL
The book of predictions
APPENDIX: TWO ORAL HISTORIES
The political life of Ifigenia Martinez, La Maestra
The education of José Chim Kú.