In the Shadow of Quetzalcoatl: Zelda Nuttall and the Search for Mexico’s Ancient Civilizations by Merilee Grindle

     So I didn’t love this book but it was an interesting look at turn of the century Mexico and a pretty interesting woman. Zelda Nuttall was a single mother and a Mexican American archaeologist who lived in Mexico but also travelled and lived throughout the United States and Europe. She published about the Aztecs mainly, and helped to make many discoveries.

     Unfortunately, not a ton is documented about her, so a lot of the book is filler about the setting of her life and the people she knew instead of about her. And the book takes a weird tone at times about the way she would assert herself to get credit for her discoveries. It felt a little infantilizing to me and made her seem egotistical instead of just matter-of-factly getting credit for her work. I think it is done to imply a point about her struggles as a woman, but that doesn’t get said explicitly. She is ultimately a really interesting person, but the book is probably a little too long.