Lamentations of Nezahualcóyotl

Nezahualcoyotl (1402-1472) was a Nahuatl poet, philosopher, urban planner, warrior, ruler, and one of the crucial historical figures who defined the Aztec Empire. His verses, only a handful of which survive, explore the most intimate aspects of his people. An icon of modern Mexico whose legacy remains the subject of intense debate, he died approximately fifty years before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, whose devastations he foresaw.

Ilan Stavans was born in Mexico City and is the Publisher of Restless Books and the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College. His books include On Borrowed Words, Spanglish, Dictionary Days, The Disappearance, and A Critic’s Journey. He has edited The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature, the three-volume set Isaac Bashevis Singer: Collected Stories, The Poetry of Pablo Neruda, among dozens of other volumes. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, Chile’s Presidential Medal, the International Latino Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award. Stavans’s work, translated into twenty languages, has been adapted to the stage and screen. A cofounder of the Great Books Summer Program at Amherst, Stanford, Chicago, Oxford, and Dublin, he is the host of the NPR podcast "In Contrast."

Cuauhtémoc Wetzka is an illustrator originally from Zongolica, recognized for his work that gives voice to childhood, the indigenous community and the richness of native languages. He has illustrated story books, posters, illustrations and cartoons for brands including Google, Apple, Cirque du Soleil's One Drop Foundation, and various publishers. His work has been exhibited in Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Spain, France, Estonia, Slovakia, Poland, Taiwan, Canada, Turkey and the United States.