Baja California is a place where nothing is as it seems. Cleaved from the Mexican mainland by the Sea of Cortés and separated from the rest of North America by a multitude of cultural and economic differences, the nearly one-thousand-mile-long peninsula is scarred by imperial transgressions yet blessed with extraordinary natural beauty. “The very air here is miraculous,” wrote John Steinbeck, “and outlines of reality change with the moment.”

It was desire that first took C.M. Mayo to Baja California, but only a longing for understanding could produce this exquisite portrait of “the Other Mexico.” As mindful of the peninsula’s history of conquest and exploitation as she is receptive to the extraordinary characters who are drawn to it—from daredevil aviators to expatriate artists, and from hawkers of plastic Virgins to corrupt modern politicos—Mayo offers a deep reading of this endlessly fascinating place. Intimate, perceptive, and incomparably rich, Miraculous Air will delight readers who already know and love Baja California, and provide a memorable introduction for those who know it primarily as a distant source of allure.