Octavio Paz has written one of the most enduring and powerful works ever created on Mexico and its people, character, and culture. Compared to Ortega y Gasset's The Revolt of the Masses for its trenchant analysis, this collection contains Octavio Paz's most famous work, "The Labyrinth of Solitude", a beautifully written and deeply felt discourse on Mexico's quest for identity that gives us an unequaled look at the country hidden behind "the mask".Also included are "Postscript", "Return to the Labyrinth of Solitude", and "Mexico and the United States", all of which develop the themes of the title essay and extend his penetrating commentary to the United States and Latin America.