A Perfect Red

I am reading Amy Butler Greenfield´s book, A Perfect Red, which explores the economic and social history of cochineal, an insect that grows on the nopal cactus and is the source of the world´s best, natural red dye. It is a marvelous history, thoroughly researched, easy to read. It opens up the transition between Aztec Mexico and Spanish Mexico in some interesting ways. For example, it describes in great detail the way in which the Spanish stepped in as beneficiaries of the tribute system set up over centuries by the Aztecs; they displaced and replaced the Mexicans at the mouth of a river of cacao, corn, gold, silver, textiles, and cochineal delivered by subjects spread out over a vast geographical area. The book is also enlightening on the social importance of color, particularly red. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of the Americas, textiles, the power of fashion, or the economic relationships between the New World and the Old World. If you get really interested in cochineal you can visit Oaxaca where it continues to be produced and used in the dyeing of textiles, particularly the beautiful rugs produced by the weavers of Teotitlan del Valle.