Tzoquito : Dogs Descend on Chiapas! a first novel about Tzoquito.
A legend, a comic novel, a shape shifter, a history and a hope for the future. That is “Tzoquito.”
According to a Mayan legend, which may or may not be true, not all the people of Mexico succumbed to the conquering armies of Spain. Some proud people in the mountains of Meso America could not bear to live in servitude and they fled into the jungle. There they have lived for half a millennium, carving a life and a culture for themselves among the wild animals and under the open sky.
Tzoquito is one of them. He is young and adventurous, and inordinately curious about the humans who live in the valleys below. From what he can see, those people are not suffering so terribly under foreign domination. In fact, they look far happier and at ease with their lives than his own people transformed and hardened by life in the jungle.
He observes the towns, and sees a girl who makes him immediately fall in love. He decides to go and live among the people, and find out what it is that makes their society so attractive to him. However, his arrival in town coincides with the arrival of other outsiders, a group of young people from Los Angeles, there to make some quick money.
Who to trust? Who to avoid? In the sensory overload of this experience, Tzoquito doesn’t know, and he finds himself implicated in the shady business of these new “friends.” The situation is made even more complicated by the bumbling incompetence of these wannabe “gangstas” their local contacts and the neighborhood police. But although the dangers are real, Tzoquito’s innocence and innate wisdom protect him and they create an atmosphere that will eventually prove beneficial to everyone involved. And just in case that’s not enough, it doesn’t hurt to have a whole army of fellow forest men ready to descend on the town and break the place up if necessary, in order to get Tzoquito out of harm’s way.
If you are intrigued by this story, I hope that you will consider buying it there at a reasonable price, and giving me your feedback. You can see it here:
Unfortunately, it is not yet available on international sites. That will have to wait for a later date.
BUT… if anyone is interested in flipping through the pages, the Amazon site has “Look Inside” capabilities.
If you have an E READER of some kind, you can find Tzoquito on Smashwords for ONE DOLLAR!
click here for the smashwords link.
A DOLLAR is too much? You drive a hard bargain. But okay… you can read the whole damn thing on the computer screen for free!! I have uploaded the entire novel to the issuu website. It is a bit inconvenient, though, so after reading a chapter or two, you might consider springing for the hardcopy.
The book online for free at issuu.
Want to learn a little bit more about the world of Tzoquito? Take a look at the interactive glossary. The links to pages 1, 2 and 3 are in the menu at the top of this page.
And to get you started, here is a rogue’s gallery of some of the players in this whimsical clash of three (or more) cultures. Click on an image to enlarge it and read a brief explanation:
The Chiapas coat of arms
A chacmool reads Tzoquito!
Two thugs wait for their payday.
Two girls at a nearby table.
The walls have ears.
Tzoquito and El É under the stars.
Lupe in the jungle.
Two mad cops.
Tzoquito pleads to be let in.
Tzoquito meets the gang.Tzoquito in the Park
In the backseat of the Chevy.
El É from L. A.
Don José watches
Tepiltzin, Tzoquito's older brother
Lupe is a local girl.
Brolo, a foot soldier of the wannabes.
Jinete, El É's best and worst friend
Kweeche
Tzoquito's Notebook 