Did You Know? Cinco de Mayo is more widely celebrated in USA than Mexico
Of the many battles fought on Mexican soil in the nineteenth century, only one— the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862— has given rise to a Mexican national holiday.
Why this one? The main re...
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Did You Know? Quetzal Dancers in Puebla, Mexico
The Quetzal Dance is one of the most colorful folkloric dances anywhere in the country. It is also thought to be one of the most ancient. Both the dance and the spectacular headdresses worn b...
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Did you know? Mexico's Nobel Prize nominee and music revolutionary
A Mexican who tried to revolutionize the world of classical music was once nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics.
In 1950, Julián Carrillo was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics. The nominat...
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Did you know? Thousands of Mexico's students receive classes by TV
Mexico's pioneering "telesecundaria" or "television secondary school" system began back in 1968. It now provides junior high school classes in remote areas, serving about one million students in grades...
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Did You Know? Mexico in the Guinness world records: part two
An earlier column described several Guinness records and their connection to Mexico and Mexicans. This month's column examines four more very different Guinness records which do not involve quite as mu...
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Did You Know? Mexico in the Guinness world records: part one
In the current edition of Guinness, the Mexican responsible for most records is Sergio Rodriguez Villarreal from the northern state of Nuevo León. He specializes in creating giant Christmas figures an...
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Did You Know? Some national symbols in Mexico are not what they seem
This month, Mexico celebrates her birthday, the anniversary of her independence from Spain. On the evening of September 15, the annual El Grito ceremony is held in town plazas all across the cou...
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Family Roots: The Soteno Trees Of Life
For the Soteno brethren of Metepec in the State of Mexico, creating the sculptures known as árboles de la vida (trees of life) is more than an art form - it is a family tradition.
It all began i...
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The Obsidian Butterfly
"The Nawatl art is creating archetypes, in the Jungian sense, awakening unconsciously the common roots of the artist and the viewer."
Huitzilopotztli
Never have I ...
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Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum
Dating back to pre-Hispanic times, the nahual is a shape shifter who switches between human and animal forms and is often characterized as a shaman.
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Traveling exhibit offers portal into Huichol world
The Huichols are one of the four indigenous groups that reside in the region known as the Gran Nayar, located in the southern part of the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains. The Huichols call themselves...
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Day of the Dead or El Dia de los Muertos in Oaxaca
Drawn by the intrigue of all-night vigils in cemeteries and life-size skeletons propped jauntily in shop windows, tourists flock to Oaxaca and other points in Mexico for Day of the Dead.
During the la...
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Armando
Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make earthenware jars i...
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A Storyteller - On Pottery
Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make ollas,
earthe...
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Luz - Another Village Light
Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make ollas,
eart...
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Mexicans: Changing The Eastern Oregon Perspective
Large families, devout Catholics, modest clothing, very poor - these are some of the common preconceived notions about Mexicans from a rural eastern Oregon perspective. However, such a view is limiting...
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Huellas ...entre flores
Most mothers in Mexico look forward to May 10 as a day to take it easy and be pampered by family. For Esperanza Perez, proprietress of Ajijic's most popular flower shop, the date means not only business as usual, but extra work and longer hours.
read moreHuellas ...del Cohetero
It's a brisk, moonless night. At the edge of the Ajijic plaza, an anxious group of villagers huddle shoulder to shoulder, casting expectant glances towards the star-studded sky. A sudden barrage of whistling, sputtering explosives rents the night air. The crowd takes a collective lunge backwards, letting out a gasp of wondrous surprise. A brilliant flash of multi-colored lights illuminates the mass of upturned faces.
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Huellas ...de la gente del pueblo - or, welcome back to the lady who says thank you
Not long after her husband died, our friend Lila decided to leave Mexico and return to the USA. She chose Florida over her native New York. As a newly single senior, it seemed like a good place for her...
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Huellas ...debajo de la piñata
The Christmas season in Mexico is a time filled with delightfully colorful customs, among which one of my personal favorites is the traditional piñata -breaking that highlights most holiday festi...
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Viva Mexico! Viva El Mariachi!
Nothing better exemplifies the lively spirit of Mexico than a fiery shot of tequila, dashing charro horsemen and the stirring strains of a mariachi band. Jalisco is the heartland of these emblematic fi...
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Huellas ...reflections on Día 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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Huellas ...en San Pedro Itzicán
As a home-based working mother I recently found myself faced with an annual quandary: how to keep my two restless pre-teens entertained over their summer holiday and simultaneously squeeze some quality...
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Cascarones: Egging On Mexican Fiestas
The Romans coined the phrase
Omne vivum ex ovo, "All life comes from an egg." The egg is a universal symbol of birth and resurrection, employed in burial practices of the ancient Egyptians and Gre...
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Huellas ...de Santa Cecilia
November is a festive month here in Ajijic, beginning with the celebrations of All Saints Day and Day of the Dead, and ending with the feast of the village's patron, San Andrés.
Invariably the most l...
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