The eagle's throne

The year is 2020, and the Mexican President has angered the United States by demanding that American troops leave Colombia and that Mexico's oil fetch a higher price. The country's satellite communications are controlled from Miami, and in retaliation Mexico is suddenly cut off from telephone, fax and email.

In a country where politicians have always avoided putting anything on paper, letters become the only way to communicate. The novel unfolds through that correspondence, which exposes the private lives and true feelings of everyone involved.

The most pressing topic in all those letters is who will be the next President and take the Eagle's Throne. As the characters try to work out who will win and ally themselves accordingly, the letters multiply. The candidates include the good-looking Nicolas Valdivia, the bald and lecherous Tacito de la Canal, and the disreputable former President Cesar Leon, and many questions remain open until the final letter is sent.

The author, Carlos Fuentes, was a Mexican novelist, and the book was originally written in Spanish as La silla del aguila.