Morena Senate coordinator, Adán Augusto López Hernández, came to the Senate bearing gifts this week, in the form of more than 17,000 copies of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s new book.
Hundreds of white boxes filled with AMLO’s tome, “Grandeza” (“Greatness”), each contained a card with the message “With kind regards from Adán Augusto López Hernández, Senator of the Republic.”
“Others usually give turkeys and things like that; I give them books,” said the senator, who wore a Santa Claus cap for the occasion.
López Hernández only delivered books to senators from his (and AMLO’s) own party, Morena. He said that he had given 100 copies to each of the 69 Morena senators, although if each received 13 boxes of 20 copies, as reported, the figure would presumably be higher.
The aim, according to López Hernández, is for senators to distribute the books to Morena supporters during their visits to their communities and districts.
The book’s publishing house, Planeta, set the retail price of “Grandeza” at 448 pesos (US $25), meaning that the total spent on the books could be as high as 7.6 million pesos ($417,500).
Adán said he purchased the books with his own money, although he said in a statement that he didn’t keep track of the total amount he spent on them. One senator, Eugenio Segura, said he paid for the 10 boxes of books he received, which he intends to distribute in his state of Quintana Roo.
The aim of the distribution seems to be at least as much about party promotion as about the edification of constituents. “This is a show of support for President López Obrador, support for our President Claudia Sheinbaum, and support for our movement,” said Segura.
López Obrador introduced “Grandeza” on November 30 by video broadcast from his ranch in Palenque, in Mexico’s southern Chiapas state. The event marked his first significant public appearance since leaving the presidency in October 2024.
López Obrador said that the book aims to vindicate the Indigenous peoples of ancient Mexico, exalt their cultural legacy and challenge the official version of the Conquest.
“This book is the story of our cultures, of our civilizations,” he said. “The goal is to dismantle, to tear down the history created by the invaders and maintained during centuries of elite domination.”
During the presentation, AMLO reiterated his withdrawal from political life, with plans to continue writing. He said he would only return to public life under three conditions: to defend democracy, to support Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum in the event of a coup attempt or to protect national sovereignty.
The book has been in high demand since its release, with copies selling out within the first few days at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.
With reports from El Financiero and El Universal
