This book-an assemblage of photographic pieces-had an uncertain genesis. A contradictory memory of our ancestors, the ancients,A" when they were mountains, the primordial days of the volcano-woman and volcano-man, an age of giants that inhabit our imagination and of geological forces that give a body and face to the Nation. In the centre of Mexico it is common to find painted walls, ceramic ware, calendars, key chains, drums, ashtrays, pony glasses, and a long etcetera of decorative objects bearing depictions of foundational myths-the origins of woman, of man, of the Nation-on their motley surfaces. At the same time, the forms and styles of all this paraphernalia, the materials employed, the way it is distributed and made use of, clearly reflect our collective visage. The ancient Mexican codices are fundamental documents in the country's collective imagination. This book honors that memory.