Tag: independent

Meet Ocelote, the Fierce Indie Press Redefining Mexican Literature

🐾 Do You Know Ocelote? A New Independent Mexican Publisher Worth Discovering

The ocelot is a carnivorous mammal and one of six species of wild cats native to Mexico. It’s important not to confuse it with the margay. Its scientific name is Leopardus pardalis, and its common name comes from the Nahuatl word océlotl. Medium-sized—between the jaguar and the jaguarundi—its coat features beautiful elongated rosette-like spots along its sides, with brown or black edges and black dots inside. Its ears are short, broad, and rounded.

The term “Ocelote” refers to this wild, striking feline that roams Mexico’s lush jungles and mountainous regions… but it’s also the name of a rising independent publisher based in León, Guanajuato.

Ocelote | zooplus Magazine

Under the motto: “Read differently. Read independently. Read Ocelote“, this publishing house officially launched in 2024. With five published titles and more on the way, Ocelote aims not just to be another press but the literary voice of the Bajío region, Their books are carefully curated and beautifully crafted, showing they mean business. If you haven’t heard of them yet, here are three titles that will draw you into their world of spots and stories.

Editorial Ocelote - Editorial independiente en el bajío mexicano
OCELOTE

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🤖 “The Robots Will Tell Our Stories” by Daniel Centeno

In this short story collection, Daniel Centeno leads the reader through a world where all humans have disappeared, and robots face their own decay. The central question becomes: in a world without humans, what does it mean to be human? These tales dive deep into the absurdity of automation and the tragedy of both artificial and human existence, imagining a future without us.

ROBOTS CONTARÁN NUESTRAS HISTORIAS, LOS

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🌈 “Tornasol” by Alicia Mares

Alicia Mares, finalist of the XXXV Ana María Matute Women’s Narrative Prize and alumna of the Under The Volcano residency, offers a collection of nine chilling and poetic stories. Women and children—marked by grief—take center stage in eerie tales of horror, fantasy, and mystery, set in cold villages of Tlaxcala, the monarch butterfly sanctuaries of Michoacán, and the lonely highways of Veracruz. Through childhood memory, these stories recover wonder, healing, and even tenderness.

Libros de Editorial Ocelote - Librerias Gonvill, s.a. De c.v..

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🐍 “Dear Quetzalcóatl” by Adrián Chávez

Adrián Chávez, translator and winner of the 2017 Juan García Ponce National Short Novel Prize, delivers a brilliant satire based on a real historical episode. In 1930, Mexican politician Pascual Orozco proposed replacing Santa Claus with Quetzalcóatl as a Christmas figure. In this novel, the Mesoamerican god begins to receive Christmas letters. With sharp wit, Chávez critiques Mexican culture, identity, and nationalism, asking us to reconsider the meaning of tradition itself.

QUERIDO QUETZACÓATL

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These three books are just the beginning — Ocelote is taking its first bold steps with exciting new projects on the horizon, including something as rare as… poetry! Yes, in these times. Join the wild ride and read Ocelote

Literature

Www.Lugasoft.Mx. (n.d.). Editorial Ocelote. Editorial Ocelote. https://ocelote.mx/

colaboradores de Wikipedia. (2025, November 2). Leopardus pardalis. Wikipedia, La Enciclopedia Libre. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopardus_pardalis?utm_source=chatgpt.com%20″Leopardus%20pardalis”

Rocha, J. A. (2025, January 16). Descubre la nueva editorial “Ocelote”: Literatura del Bajío para el mundo. Periódico Correo. https://periodicocorreo.com.mx/vida-publica/2024/may/15/descubre-la-nueva-editorial-%20ocelote-literatura-del-bajio-para-el-mundo-99273.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com%20″Descubre%20la%20nueva%20editorial%20&

Writer: Ortiz Lorena
Editor: Flores Nayivi

Mexican Literature in Film: Discover the Books Behind These Movies

Movies You Didn’t Know Were Books First

It’s no secret that many movies are based on books. Global blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter have proven how powerful a great story from the page can be on the big screen. But what about Spanish-language books that aren’t part of a saga, aren’t young adult, and haven’t built a cult following?

Here are three outstanding Mexican and Latin American novels that made their way to the screen—books you may not have realized inspired incredible films, and that are definitely worth reading.

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“Las niñas bien” by Guadalupe Loaeza

This was the debut book by Guadalupe Loaeza, offering a sharp, satirical look at Mexico’s upper class. A key piece for understanding the idiosyncrasies, contradictions, and worldview of this elite sector of society, it also helps us reflect on the present through stories shaped by financial crises. The film adaptation, directed by Alejandra Márquez Abella, follows Sofía, a woman trying to keep up appearances after the 1982 Mexican economic crash. The film stars Ilse Salas, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Paulina Gaitán, and Johanna Murillo

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“The House of the Spirits” by Isabel Allende

Isabel Allende’s first novel tells the story of a powerful family in an unnamed Latin American country. It follows Esteban, a proud and volatile man obsessed with land and his mysterious wife Clara, who possesses supernatural abilities; their daughter Blanca, in love with her father’s foreman’s son; and Alba, the granddaughter who brings the family saga full circle. The film adaptation from 1993, directed by Bille August, features a stellar international cast including Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, and Antonio Banderas.

ISABEL ALLENDE

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“Tear This Heart Out” by Ángeles Mastretta

In this powerful feminist novel, Ángeles Mastretta introduces us to Catalina, a passionate young woman who marries a powerful politician in post-revolutionary Mexico. Caught in a society where women are expected to be beautiful but silent, Catalina begins to rebel, seeking love and meaning on her own terms. The film version, directed by Roberto Sneider, premiered in 2008 with performances by Ana Claudia Talancón, Daniel Giménez Cacho, José María de Tavira, and Irene Azuela.

The official CINRESERVAS website provides a review and important quotes from the plot of Ángeles Mastretta’s film “Arráncame la vida”

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Some of this list probably surprised you (and of course it could!). If you’ve already seen these productions but haven’t read the books, we assure you that delving into them will be a transformative experience. And if you haven’t seen them before, both in print and on screen, these stories will fascinate you.