Zone of Tolerance: The Guaymas Chronicles

by David E. Stuart

David Stuart's critically acclaimed first volume, The Guaymas La Mandadera (Southwest Books of the Year 2003, Albuquerque Alibi best book of 2003), told a little girl's story and a very personal tale of love set in Guaymas, Mexico, a fishing port and vacation destination located on Mexico's Sea of Cortez, about four hundred miles south of Tucson. Zone of Tolerance, is about the "big girls" of the 1970s Guaymas night club district and the conflicting needs, wants, realities, and illusions at the core of the viejas' ("working" girls') lives. Stuart focuses on the exotic fallen angels of the once fabled Club Río Rita in Guaymas's Zona de Tolerancia (red-light district). Moving, funny, and at times tragic, the layered dimensions of their world are mesmerizing. He also continues the stories of his working class friends and compadres in Guaymas, some closer to him than his stateside family. Their struggles with life on the streets provide a rich and uplifting counterpoint to daily life in the Zona. Zone of Tolerance is important, not only for its human and historical context, but precisely because it is a snapshot of a long-gone, little known slice of Mexican life. In this volume, as in the first, Stuart brings his unique perspective to bear on people seldom written about and a world rarely revealed.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2005

About the author

David E. Stuart is professor and associate provost at the University of New Mexico. He is broadly trained in both anthropology and archaeology. His previous books include Prehistoric New Mexico (with R.P. Gauthier), Glimpses of the Ancient Southwest, and The Magic of Bandelier National Monument. His passion is undergraduate teaching.

Reviews

[Felipe Splawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book book about, "La Zona", it is a real treasure. I really didn't want it to end, it was my comfort read, that I would go back to as a refuge to enjoy and refresh myself. This is the only reason it took me so long to read and truely relish it. The characters were vivid and raw, "Las Viejas", were profoundly pitiful but endearing. The descriptions of Guaymas were sweaty but sweet, in a humid city on the west coast. Dusty and shabby at times, but the people so alive and really heartwarming. This is Mexico of the 70's, where friendships were valued and lifelong. It will forever remind of my travels through Mexico in the winter of 68, and passing through Guaymas on my way back the states. Such warm, hospitable people with a true love of life and the simple pleasures of family and friendship.

[Raquel Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea in the classic sense but a decent account of city edge realities. Volume One was much more palatable. Much like an account of an old man reveling in wild oat sewing tales, it left me feeling so sad for the ladies and a growing disdain for the participating men. Hooker life aside, the acceptance of each other, the family-like concerns rivals north-side society. That’s the part to focus on - the people. The care. That’s real living and why he returned to it with so much sentiment.

[Donna Kubiak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on the brothels of San Carlos during the 70's...introduced us to real people and their life stories. Pretty descriptive sexual content, though