This work presents a chronicle of contemporary life in Mexico, which ranges over 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 United States and the organization of Mexico City's urban poor in the wake of a devastating earthquake. Carlos Monsivais is the author of "Amor Perdio" (Lost Love), "Escenas de Pudo y Liviandad" (Scenes of Frivolity and Shame), "Entrade Libre" (Free Entry), and "Rituales del Caos" (The Rituals of Chaos).