Treasures in Heaven

Kathleen Alcalá: "This is a story about women organizing across class lines to benefit one another-a story that is more relevant than ever right now. These Mexican women braved a lot of scorn, prison, and physical danger to live out their ideals."

Treasures in Heaven is a turbulent tale of love and political awakening set in Mexico a century ago. The protagonist, Estela, finds herself swept into a world of politics and entangled in secret relationships. What starts as lessons to educate poor children grows into a school for prostitutes. The school leads to a radical underground newspaper and a dangerous movement for social change that foreshadows the Mexican Revolution.

Treasures in Heaven is one of three stand-alone books set in nineteenth-century Mexico and based on Kathleen Alcalá's family's stories-stories both historical and universal. The first two books, Spirits of the Ordinary and The Flower in the Skull, stick pretty closely to the author's family lore, while Treasures in Heaven explores the feminist movement that arose in Mexico.
We hope that this new edition brings some well-deserved recognition to an important Chicana author. Originally published in 2000 by Chronicle Books, Treasures in Heaven is a story, inspired by true events, that is especially relevant today. The new foreword is written by M. Miriam Herrera, Senior Lecturer, Department of Writing and Language Studies, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.