The Zuno house in Guadalajara, Mexico is doubly 'historic'
The romance of the Mexico hacienda: El Carmen and La Labor near Guadalajara
Before the revolution, haciendas dotted the countryside of Mexico. With their classic architecture and splendid great houses, each Mexico hacienda is surrounded in an aura of romance.
Located 40 kilom...
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Mexico City's San Fernando Cemetery for famous sons, present or not
The San Fernando Cemetery first began operating in 1713. The poor were first buried there, in the section known as the "Panteón chico." Later, aristocrats nudged their way in, and then in 1835 the "Panteón grande" was constructed and it became an all-purpose public bone yard.
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Durango's colonial architecture: eleven quarry stone gems
Many of the city of Durango's important architectural gems, some dating back to the 16th century, still stand today; they provide a colonial backdrop for Durango's strolling residents and tourists alike.
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Guachimontones: unearthing a lost world near Teuchitlan, Jalisco
Just outside the unassuming little town of Teuchitlán, Jalisco, 40 kilometers due West of Guadalajara, lies one of the most impressive archeological sites in all of western Mexico.
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The Tecpan of Ocomo: largest indigenous palace in Mesoamerica
The tecpan, or pre-Hispanic palace in Oconahua, Jalisco, dates from between 500 and 1100 A.D. The only tecpan bigger than this one may have been the Palace of Moctezuma, but this can't be verified because it's buried underneath the Zócalo in Mexico City. That makes El Palacio de Ocomo the largest tecpan to be found anywhere.
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Cities beneath our feet
Poking around an archaeological site that's still being dug out is fun. It was my first experience. Five friends and I had the further pleasure of having it all to ourselves while we were there. Work h...
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Did you know? Mexico has more World Heritage sites than any other country in the Americas.
The status of World Heritage site is a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) denomination. The status is conferred on selected sites under the terms of "The Conventi...
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El Bramador: once a bustling colonial mining town
El Bramador is not the bustling, mining village it must have been in the 1860s, but the old mine shafts are still there. It is a ten-minute donkey ride up the mountainside from what was once the town's main plaza. Sidewalks are laid with flat stones that could have been slate dug from the surrounding hills. Red dust covers the streets, but the houses are clean and appear to have been recently painted.
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Did You Know? Trade in Mexico's cacti grew in the 1840s
A young Belgian botanist established a business exporting Mexican cacti to Europe back in the 1840s.
Prickly Pear Cactus Flower
Henri Guillaume Galeotti was born on September 10, ...
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Did You Know? Puerto Vallarta in Mexico will become an island and float away
Literary-minded travel writers describing Puerto Vallarta as an "island of tourist delights" probably don't realize that their words are closer to the truth than they might imagine. At present, Puerto ...
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Did You Know? Mayan pyramid in Tabasco, Mexico, has possible Roman links
ROMANS in Mexico?
I've always tried to maintain an open-minded attitude towards history, but even I was incredulous when I first heard this suggestion. And you certainly won't find it in most history ...
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The Pre-hispanic, The Colonial, The Royal Roads Of Morelos And Puebla
The royal roads were first utilized by Mesoamerican cultures in central Mexico.
...
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Did you know? Steamboats on Lake Chapala.
In the nineteenth century, prior to the advent of the railroads, overland travel was decidedly slow and arduous. To get to Lake Chapala, for example, from Guadalajara usually entailed either an overnig...
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Did You Know? The Hero of Nacozari
November 7, 2007, marks the centenary of the death of Jesús García, the "Hero of Nacozari."
The small town of Nacozari occupies a valley nestled in the foothills of the Western Sierra Madre (Sierra ...
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San Francisco Ixtacamaxtitlan: The conquistadors in Mexico
Prospective:
Dateline-San Francisco Ixtacamaxtitlan
September 29, l998
Part I
In February 1519 Hernan Cortez and his small army of adventurers set sail from Cuba on one of the...
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Baja California - The Wedding
I rented a small house in La Gloria, in the hills between Rosarito Beach and Tijuana. It was a cozy place. I had painted inside and out and landscaped the yard. A willow tree shaded the back patio and ...
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Puebla: traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico
In my original booklet on traveling the Central High Plains, we traveled to Poza Rica by way of Xicotepec and La Ceiba, one of the principal routes between Mexico City and Poza Rica. Since I have used ...
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Veracruz: traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico
A couple of years ago I wrote a booklet about the Central High Plains with the idea that I would offer my services as a guide. This idea, as a lot of my other ideas, fell flat. However, I was asked if ...
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Baja California - Hotel Playas Ensenada
Doors are locked. Lights extinguished. The world belongs to the nocturnal creatures, the ocean, the breeze, and a trickle of night people. Time is irrelevant. The past, the present, and the future assu...
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Papantla: El Tajin archaeological zone
Background
The Tajin belongs to the Totonaca culture. It took shape during the late Classic period and reached its peak development during the transition to the Post-Classic, between 800 and 1150 A.D....
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Yesterday's Train: A Rail Odyssey through Mexican History by Terry Pindell with Lourdes Ramirez Mallis
Author Pindell and Dr. Lourdes Ramírez Mallis, who served as Pindell's interpreter, collaborator and researcher, set out together on a lengthy train journey covering all of Mexico. I should also add that Terry Pindell has written similar books about train journeys in Canada and the U.S. As they travel, we're treated to dissertations on the various locales as well as a fairly serious coverage of Mexican history and the character of the people.
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Churubusco, Museo Nacional de las Intervenciones
If you would like a glimpse of several slices of Mexican history in all their messy complexity, with its heroes and villains, both local and foreign, the National Interventions Museum should be on your...
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South from Puebla, Mexico
From Cholula we are in the city of Puebla in a matter of minutes. Though Puebla is a city of maybe 1.5 million people, it is not a city of tall buildings of steel and glass. The old part of town surrou...
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Cholula: Traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico
On a huge hill, covered with weeds, small trees and debris, was built a church overlooking the city, the Sanctuary de los Remedies. It is a beautiful site, with the towered church silhouetted against t...
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