The University of Arizona Press
May 22, 2026
Please join us in celebrating two honors from the Latin American Studies Association’s (LASA) Mexico Section: Enrique C. Ochoa’s México Between Feast and Famine: Food, Corporate Power, and Inequality has been selected as the winner for the Mejor libro Ciencias Sociales (Best Social Sciences Book), and Rick A. López’s Rooted in Place: Botany, Indigeneity, and Art in the Construction of Mexican Nature, 1570–1914 was awarded an honorable mention for the Mejor libro Humanidades (Best Humanities Book). Congratulations to both authors!
About the books:
In México Between Feast and Famine, Enrique C. Ochoa unveils the historical and contemporary forces behind Mexico’s polarized food systems, providing one of the first comprehensive analyses of Mexico’s food systems and how they reflect the contradictions and inequalities at the heart of Mexico.
In Rooted in Place, historian Rick A. López explores the historical connections between political identities and the natural world. The book analyzes how scientific intellectuals laid claim to nature within Mexico, first on behalf of the Spanish Empire and then in the name of the republic, during three transformative moments, revealing how scientific endeavors were not just about cataloging flora but were deeply intertwined with the construction of identity and the political landscape at three pivotal moments in Mexican history.
Learn more about the books:
- Excerpt from México Between Feast and Famine
- Excerpt from Rooted in Place
- Enrique C. Ochoa on the New Books Network podcast
- Rick A. López on the New Books Network Podcast
Once again, congrats to Enrique and Rick on these incredible achievements!
