A mother's influence on a ceramic artist of Mata Ortiz
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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Driving down to Mexico again
I'm just back from California with my new car. It's a '93 Ford Explorer that I purchased from a good friend on one condition--that she help me drive it back to Ajijic. Yes, she's a very good friend. An...
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Adjusting to life in Mexico: Patience, acceptance and charity
Today is my second anniversary in Mexico. Three events happened during the last few weeks that made me realize how much I've changed and learned during this time.
On Patience
On ...
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Has tourism ruined the real Mexico?
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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The fake ID that brought me to Mexico
This is the second in a series of excerpts from a book I'm writing that consists of interviews with women who have come to Mexico alone. Join me and Virginia as we sit at the kitchen table of her two b...
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Flag Day in a Mexican school: Day of the abanderamiento
I'm sitting behind a small desk in the English department of a Ciudad Juárez politécnico - a sort of combination senior vocational high school cum junior college - across the Rio Grande from E...
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Thriving in Mexico: Extraordinary choices by ordinary women
I'm writing a non-fiction book that chronicles a new trend -- independent women from America, Canada and Europe, choosing to live the remaining years of their lives in Mexico. Moving to a foreign count...
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Mexican behaviorf or gringos: A short primer
There are many positive things about the US and her people. Having traveled widely, including Communist countries, I have seen what can happen when there is neither freedom nor even the ability to have...
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Learning the ropes in Mata Ortiz
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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Power surge
Over and over and over this is all I hear. It would appear that this noise means that my uninterruptable power supply is currently being interrupted.
Click-clack, click-clack.
Click-clack, click-clac...
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Liliana, mi corazoncita
Corazoncita, or little heart, is a Mexican expression of affection, similar to 'sweetheart'. This is a story of my first visit to Mexico, and how a sweet, little Mexican girl became mi corazonci...
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English, South-of-the-border style
We're living in those heady, early days of Salinismo, and in a Mexican public elementary school an excited young woman teacher is explaining to her enthralled class of fourth graders that a middle-aged...
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The Ugly American
"...So I called the damned cable company and set 'em straight. I mean, how are my kids supposed to survive without cartoons? And how the hell am I supposed to get by without being able to watch wrestli...
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Internet Friend
A couple of years ago, like many others in this 'communicated' world, I got hooked by that magical web known as the Internet. I started to participate in many discussion forums, and, of course, met a l...
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Charity begins at home
( En Español: La Caridad Empieza En Casa)
By: Ing. Luis Dumois
Weeks ago, the world was shocked by the news arriving from Acteal, Chiapas. More than forty persons, including women and children, ...
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After all, This Is Mexico
I'm sitting behind a small desk in the English department of a Ciudad Juárez politécnico -- a sort of combination senior vocational high school cum junior college -- across the Rio Grande from...
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Owls, turtles, javelinas and rabbits in Mata Ortiz, Mexico
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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Mexico retirement: healthcare concerns
Two friends have fallen this month and each has broken a hip. That's the bad news. It's easy to do here if you're window shopping instead of watching where you're walking. Between the cobblestones and ...
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Friday nights in Guadalajara
I had had a bad day. I had gone back to work after being sick for three days with the flu. People who were supposed to pay didn't. My appointment this morning didn't work out as well as I could have ho...
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Traveling in Mexico by car, plane, bus and taxi
Is driving in Mexico safe? Can I take my young children in the car? Are the toll roads expensive?
There are so many questions and stories about driving in Mexico. Unless you're in Chiapas, driving is ...
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After the storm: Summer in Oaxaca
This photo was taken in one of the few buildings left standing at Piña Palmera, on Zipolite beach. By now, the foot or so of mud on the floor has been mucked out. By now, also, relief should be reachi...
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My search for the perfect bathroom
Refugees from Loxicha, near Huatulco, brought their animals with them to the zocalo in Oaxaca. They set up a tarpaulin over a sewer grate for use as a bathroom. The governor did not invite them to use ...
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Mexico: a typical day in paradise
One of my readers asked me to describe a typical day here in the Lake Chapala area of Mexico. Others have asked, "What do you do all day?" So, I am inviting you to spend this day with me in the charmin...
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Stan Gotlieb in Oaxaca: the author talks about himself
This is my 73rd article. The other 72, as well as a "letters to the editor" section, answers to some Frequently asked Questions and a subscription Newsletter sample, are also available on this site. Ta...
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A new life in Mexico
Last year, I arrived in Mexico from the States. I decided to spend the first few years of my retirement on the inland Mexican Riviera. There are several towns - really just large villages - along the s...
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