The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire

How the Fate of a Half-American Child Shaped the Future of Mexico
DENVER--(Business Wire)--
Who knew that Mexico once had a half-American prince? Or that this little boy`s
future was hotly debated not just in Mexico but in Washington, D.C. and in every
court in Europe? With Mexico dominating the headlines, now is the time for
Americans to better understand our neighbor, and what happened to this little
boy was part of shaping the future of Mexico and Mexican-American relations.

On May 5th, Unbridled Books will release a novel that illuminates this little
known history, THE LAST PRINCE OF THE MEXICAN EMPIRE by C.M. Mayo, a Flannery
O`Connor Fiction Award winner and well-known translator of contemporary Mexican
literature who has lived in Mexico for more than twenty years.

THE LAST PRINCE OF THE MEXICAN EMPIRE is the never before completely told story
about a little half-American, half-Mexican boy who, as in a fairytale, became a
prince and then a pawn in the struggle-to-the-death over Mexico's destiny. Set
during the mid-19th century, when Maximilian became Emperor of Mexico, Mayo`s
novel becomes a story of Mexico itself, its struggle for national identity
amidst the wrangling for control of the Americas, its complexity, its rich
history, its beauty, its culture. The book is being released on the anniversary
of the Mexican victory over the French troops at the City of Puebla.

In 1864, Maximilian and his consort, Carlota, arrived in Mexico City. Childless,
in 1865, Maximilian took custody of-with all appearances that this would be his
Heir Presumptive-the two-year old Prince Agustín de Iturbide, grandson of
Mexico's first emperor, a leader of Mexico's Independence from Spain, who had
been executed before a firing squad. The boy's father, a Mexican diplomat, and
mother, a Washington, D.C. belle, immediately regretted their complicity. But
Maximilian refused to relinquish the child, sparking an international scandal.

Booklist said, "Mayo resurrects a sad story from the footnotes of history and
embroiders the few details known about it into a rich historical novel."
Publishers Weekly said, "Mayo's reanimation of a crucial period in Mexican
history should satisfy history buffs and those in the mood for an engaging story
brimming with majestic ambition."

C.M. Mayo has been living in and writing about Mexico for many years. Her books
include the widely-lauded travel memoir, Miraculous Air:Journey of a Thousand
Miles through Baja California, the Other Mexico, and Sky Over El Nido, which won
the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. An avid translator of
contemporary Mexican literature, Mayo is founding editor of Tameme Chapbooks ~
Cuadernos, and has also edited the anthology Mexico: A Traveler's Literary
Companion. She divides her time between Washington, D.C. and Mexico City.

She will tour to the following cities: Washington, D.C.; Bethesda; Austin;
Houston; San Antonio; Corte Madera; Berkeley; Palo Alto; Pasadena; Del Mar; and
Mexico City.

To request review copies or interviews, please contact Caitlin Hamilton Summie
at caitlin@unbridledbooks.com or 888-732-3822, x104.

For complete tour and other information, please visit www.unbridledbooks.com or
www.cmmayo.com. The Spanish language version of her website can be found at
www.cmmayo.com/espanol.html.

Unbridled Books
Caitlin Hamilton Summie, 888-732-3822 x104
caitlin@unbridledbooks.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009