Presents a chronicle of contemporary life in Mexico, ranging from popular music, Latino hip hop, the murals of Siquerios, film stars, the painter Frida Kahlo, the writer Juan Ruldo, life on the border with the USA and the organization of Mexico City's urban poor in the wake of an earthquake.

In this first translation in book form of his work, Latin American social commentator Carlos Monsivais presents an extraordinary chronicle of contemporary life south of the Rio Grande, ranging over subjects as various as Latino hip hop, Dolores del Rio, boleros, and melodrama. Monsivais's chronicles are laconic and satirical, taking as a constant theme the conflicts between Mexican and North American culture and between modern and traditional ways of life.