Seth Mallios, Professor and Chairman of San Diego State’s Department of Anthropology, is proud to announce his book, “Hail Montezuma: The Hidden Treasures of San Diego State,” which will be available for purchase Aug. 22nd.
Mallios has been working diligently on this book for the past 11 years. The large coffee table sized book is a fully colored 256-page volume featuring 115 years of SDSU’s history and artifacts.
In the first few pages of the book, SDSU President Elliot Hirshman wrote a message about the significance of understanding the history of the campus. “This book tells the story of how the San Diego Normal School became the nationally-renowned research university we celebrate today,” Hirshman said.
The first draft of “Hail Montezuma” was 750 pages, according to Mallios. He had the difficult task of going through each page and deciding which stories were most important to keep in the book.
When asked if he would have done anything differently while compiling this revealing book, he said he would have liked to learn earlier on that sometimes pictures speak louder than words.One striking image that appears within the book is a photo of former President John F. Kennedy speaking at the SDSU commencement speech in 1963.
“At the commencement ceremony, JFK was granted San Diego State’s first-ever honorary doctorate … That visit paved the way for the emergence of San Diego State as a research powerhouse,” according to Mallios in “Hail Montezuma.”
SDSU has many hidden secrets and Mallios said he could not have completed this project without the endless help from the Alumni Association and all of the San Diego community who met with him to share their personal stories.
Mallios’ archaeological background combined withSDSU’srichhistoryconnectspeople through time while providing an entertaining and informative read for any Aztec.
- Courtesy of Mallios
