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, part 2
Following a policy of keeping the boys and the girls seperated, Martita and Vidal seldom saw each other at school. It must have been some comfort just knowing that the other was close by. Marta's dormi...
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San Francisco, Ixtacamaxtitlan, part 1
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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Temexla
The square five-gallon can with a slow burning fire inside generated enough heat to warm the tortillas and beans. Small containers of salsa, chilis and whatever sat on the ground. The half dozen or so ...
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Puebla And Then South
Puebla and then South
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 gla...
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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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Tlaxcala State: traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico
I have been receiving a number of letters from people who have an interest in pre-Columbian Mexico and therefore this article will be mostly about my explorations in the vicinity of Tlaxco. Tlaxco is a...
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Tlaxcala City: traveling the Central High Plains of Mexico
The Plaza de la Constitution is the main plaza or zocalo. Its grounds are well landscaped with large old shade trees, flowers, park benches, decorative green cast lampposts and several fountains. In th...
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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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La Ceiba, Puebla - Part 3
Perspective:
Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico
The Artist and Curandero: continued.
La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and P...
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La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico Part 2
Perspective:
Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico
The Artist and Curandero
La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza R...
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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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