When taking the bus in Mexico, timing is everything
I write for fun, and I love my adopted Oaxaca. Don't take me literally. I try not to take myself too seriously; neither should you. Still, there is truth in here somewhere, and it's as much about me an...
read more
Oaxaca: a festive city
Guitarists sing and play on a city street in Oaxaca, Mexico.
© Allan Cogan, 1997
A first visit to Oaxaca, capital of Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca, should begin at the zócalo, the town plaza....
read more
Touring Oaxaca's central valley
February 1997
Oaxaca is called "Tierra del Sol," and it a landscape blessed with a spring-like climate and plenty of sunshine. The city of Oaxaca is located in a picturesque valley with an altitude of...
read more
The Classic Period (300-900 AD) Part 2: Cholula
The most important center of the Mexican highlands after the fall of Teotihuacan was Cholula, near the twin volcanic peaks Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl and the city of Puebla. The Great Pyramid there,...
read more
Athletics, tour guides, evangelism and Mexico border crossings
Below are some archives of letters to the editor that Stan has chosen to answer with open responses.
August 23, 1996: A Border Resident Shares Her Experiences
Sandy Weisel writes:
Hi, I just love ...
read more
The Oaxaca Valley: A week's adventures in a single day
Of all the thousands of possible day-trips from tourist centers in Mexico, perhaps none is as varied, educational, beautiful and just plain fun as that along the eastern part of the Valley of Oaxaca. O...
read more
Organic coffee in Mexico
This piece was written in early 1995. A year later, pieces on why we should buy "organic" coffee were appearing regularly in the mainstream press. (The picture is of the ancient cedar in Tule, outside ...
read more
Mexico's Native American peoples and the global economy
I wrote his in early 1995. Thankfully, the decency and good will of the average Oaxacan had not vanished along with their purchasing power and hopes for the future.
Teen age gangs, on the rise, have m...
read more
Protest in Oaxaca: Watch out for the wind
This was written around Christmas of 1994. The banner hangs outside an opposition union office in Oaxaca.
After ten days, the occupation ended. The teachers, some ten thousand strong, went back home t...
read more
How to survive - and stay - in Oaxaca
This was written in 1994. How to survive - and stay - in Oaxaca, were very much on my mind. (The picture is of the Oaxaca State Band playing their Sunday concert in the zocalo.) Photography by Diana Ri...
read more
