Treasure Chest Thursday: There Was an App for That

Phillip C. McCormick (1892 – 1981)
Benita (McGinnis) McCormick (1889 – 1984)

Phillip Columbus McCormick, circa 1914. From the scrapbook of Benita (McGinnis) McCormick.

 

My great-uncle, Phillip Columbus McCormick, who always loved the Spanish language, must been smitten with it during the trip that he and my great-aunt Detty, Benita (McGinnis) McCormick, took to Mexico in 1937.

But unlike many people in the 21st century who rely on electronic applications, or “apps,” to aid with translating and pronouncing foreign words, Uncle Phil used something more basic and tangible. And in this age of hardware and software updates and crashes, his handy little tool happily endures to this day.

 

One day while in downtown Mexico City, he visited an American bookstore and stumbled across a small, cloth-bound phrasebook, Spanish for your Mexican visit. It was authored by Frances Toor, an American anthropologist who wrote several books on the Spanish language and Mexican culture. It contained everything he could have needed in his travels.

 

This small book, written by American anthropologist Frances Toor, contains chapters on culture and language for the traveler and the expat living in Mexico.

Ms. Toor geared the book toward expats and tourists, filling it with helpful vocabulary and relevant chapters, such as ordering food, visiting the doctor, asking for directions, and haggling for souvenirs. Her short, chatty paragraphs about the people and various practical situations could easily put newcomers at ease.  She even included pertinent, full page advertisements before each chapter for local businesses, such as restaurants, hotels, and jewelry stores.  While the ads must have helped defray publishing costs, they were probably among the few English-language ads for places and services that British and American tourists would have needed – and found –  during their stay.

The inside cover page bears the name of its owner, “P. McGinnis       Mexico City  8/30/37”

Advertisements such as the one above at right, not only reassured visitors to Mexico that there were goods and services available that were just as good – or better, in many cases – than some of the things they would find back home.