This enduring classic of Mexican literature traces the path to
ruination of a country girl, Santa, who moves to Mexico City after
she is impregnated and abandoned by her lover and subsequently
shunned by her family. Once in the city, Santa turns to
prostitution and soon gains prominence as Mexico City's most
sought-after courtesan. Despite the opportunities afforded by her
success, including the chance to quit prostitution, Santa is
propelled by her personal demons toward her ultimate downfall. This
evocative novel—justly famous for its vividly detailed
depiction of the cityscape and the city's customs, social
interactions, and political activities—assumed singular
importance in Mexican popular culture after its original
publication in 1903. The book inspired Mexico's first "talkie" and
several other film adaptations, a music score, a radio series, a
television soap opera, and a pornographic comic book.
Naturalist writer Federico Gamboa, who was also a lawyer and
politician, reveals much about Mexican mores and culture at the
start of the twentieth century and beyond, from expectations
regarding gender roles to the myth of the corrupting and decadent
city. In describing how Santa is at the mercy of social problems
beyond her control, Gamboa provides a rich historical portrayal of
widespread conditions in the years leading to the Mexican
Revolution.