Tea with tequila. The stories of five British women and their legacies to Mexico.
In this original and engaging book Bridget Galsworthy Estavillo captures the lives of five intrepid and talented British women who have played a significant role in the cultural and civic life of Mexico, a country that often baffled but always enchanted them.
The author gives us Fanny Calderón de la Barca who sailed into the harbor of Veracruz in 1839 and then wrote the most influential Latin American Travel Narrative of the 19th Century, Adela Breton who painted and explored Mexico at the time of Porfirio Diaz, Rosa King who gave the English-speaking world an unforgettable account of the Mexico Revolution in Tempest Over Mexico, Leonora Carrington the 20th century acclaimed Surrealists artist and writer and Diana Kennedy, the preeminent food journalist, who explained the complexities of Mexican cuisine to food lovers the world over. Bridget shows us how these women, each in her turn, have taken the rich cultural heritage of Mexico and created work that explains, preserves and enhances the image of Mexico beyond its borders.
Tea with Tequila not only provides the reader with fascinating portraits of five extraordinary women but also gives us a short history lesson illuminating the times in which each women found herself in Mexico. In addition, the book displays the author’s deep understanding of both Britain and Mexico as she explains in a postscript to each chapter her own personal Mexican experience. Bridget Galsworthy Estavillo has proven in this unique history of five notable women that the best books are those that not only enlighten but also delight.
Bridget Galsworthy Estavillo
British by birth yet born in Greece, Bridget had resided as a diplomat’s daughter in six countries before settling in Mexico. There she worked first in the Mexican government, tourism promotion, private investment and was a speech writer for a Mexican President’s wife. In 1999, Bridget discovered her real passion when she entered the world of books and became the manager of a small publishing house in Mexico City. By 2005, now living in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Bridget, together with two friends, founded the literary café, La Sombra del Sabino. After 10 happy years, promoting authors and selling books, she decided to retire and begin her journey as a writer.
Over the years, Bridget has been involved in many community projects, two of which are closest to her heart. The first was the restoration of the Cornish cemetery in Real del Monte, Hidalgo, a decade-long undertaking culminating in the 2014 visit of the Duke of Cornwall, now King Charles III. Bridget was awarded a B.E.M (British Empire Medal) in recognition of her work. The second project was even more personal. After two bouts of breast cancer, together with another survivor, she co-founded Tepoz Rosa A.C.: a non-profit organization, dedicated to preventing breast cancer’s high mortality rate amongst Mexican women. Tepoz Rosa provides the local women of Tepoztlán, Morelos with help, guidance and support on their journey (www.tepozrosa.org).
Bridget and Alberto have been married for almost half a century, have two wonderful children JenniKate and Joshua and four magnificent grandchildren, Tristan, Nicholas, Isabella and Cassandra. ¡Qué bonita es esta vida! – How beautiful is this life!
