Review: The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Unbridled Books (May 4, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1936071614
Source: Publisher

Admittedly, I don’t have that great a knowledge of Mexico’s history. It might as well be galaxies away. C.M. Mayo’s The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire changed all of this for me. It opens in Washington D.C., a city near (literally) and dear to my heart. Young Alice Green meets & falls in love with Angelo de Iturbide, a member of the Mexican delegation. They eventually marry and Angelo carries Alice away to Mexico.

Alice experiences a bit of animosity from parts of Angelo’s family (a situation I can easily sympathize with) but eventually Angelo & Alice are able to conceive, giving birth to a son, Augustin.

Mexico is in turmoil; led by Napoleon, the French invade the country & install Maximilian von Habsburg (Archduke of Austria) as the emperor. Maximilian & his wife are childless. Desperate for an heir, they obtain custody of a child, the grandchild of the first emperor of Mexico. That child is Augustin de Iturbide.

Augustin’s parents, Angelo & Alice, really don’t have much say in the situation so they reluctantly agree. They are promised that Augustin will live a life of wealth and luxury. But when they lose contact with their young son they understandably become desperate to retrieve him. This “custody” battle becomes an international scandal, further tainting Maximilian’s empire.

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire is a fantastic retelling of this bit of unknown Mexican history. It is obvious that Mayo did a TREMENDOUS amount of research to write this book. The characters become alive on the pages; I felt the pain and anguish Angelo & Alice felt upon losing their son.

The cast of characters is long and complex, permitting the reader to get viewpoints from all sides of the story.It was incredibly interesting to me to get a glimpse of this bit of Mexican history. Mayo’s knowledge and familiarity of Mexico really added to the story. She was able to describe the setting and events as if she were there herself, providing a side to this story not often seen.

Fans of detailed historical fiction will gain from reading this book. It is full of historical detail, tinged with a bit of fiction to intrigue the reader. Highly recommended!