Recent columnist articles
Reflections on el Dia de Las Madres: the mother of Mexican fiestas
The brassy blast of a trumpet rips me from the comforting embrace of Morpheus. As the familiar strains of Las Mañanitas register in the fuzzy workings of my brain, I roll over and open one eye to...
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Migration
Migration is his third book in a little over three years. Now collecting belongings has been replaced by collecting experiences, and collecting memories of past experiences.
I am reminded a bit of one of my dad's favorite tee-shirts, which reads: "The less you own, the more you have." read more
Ask an old gringo about Mexico education, politics and miracle cures
Mexican master ceramist Jorge Wilmot: the interval between before and after
"I am from Mexico, but it is like (being) from another country that no longer exists," says famed potter Juan Jorge Wilmot Mason.
Mexico lost a beloved artisan when he passed away on January 12, 2012. read more
Flirting in Spanish: What Mexico taught me about love, living and forgiveness
The story began in 1992 in San Miguel de Allende. Susan, in Mexico less than three months and having "decimated whatever savings I once had," supplemented her meagre but easy-earned modeling income by teaching English.
Carlos, the poor Mexican teenager, was indeed wise for his years; after her first class was over, he alone "remained, still seated at the second desk in the middle row, watching me." read more
Infernal Drums
"He found a cheap room at a dive called Hotel Milan in Old Town — the historic center of a coastal metropolis split into neatly demarcated districts of progress and poverty on a peninsula snaking up the coastline of Nayarit."
In Mazatlan he joins up with three New Zealanders, harmless jerks, introduces himself "and played at acting the chum." In San Blas — "on a spit of white land divided by estuaries, surrounded by jungle" — they buy some cheap dope, but the transaction turns out to be a set-up read more
Christmas magic in Oaxaca: A multi-faceted experience of culture & tradition
Oaxaca is magical — its history, culture, art, architecture and folklore. The traditional Guelaguetza, celebrated in July, is a quintessential expression of Oaxaca tradition. Now, Noches Magicas de G...
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The New World Mexican Women of Tecalpulco, Mexico
Chapala's Feria Maestros del Arte: guardians of the folk art tradition
"Art is a country's history and, before Mexicans could read or write, they were telling stories through their art. If this art disappears, so does history."
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Antiques and collectibles in Central and Southern Mexico
The Sunday open air stalls at the Lagunilla in Mexico City, the expansive roadside shops just north of San Miguel de Allende, the stores and weekend marketplace at Los Sapos in Puebla, and good old fas...
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