Moving Here Permanently? Alvin Starkman

Transporting your worldly possessions into Mexico is both an art and a science, even more so if you intend to do so on your own… truck and all. Then the task also becomes a challenge and an adventure... read more

Stormy Weather: Rainy Season In Oaxaca Alvin Starkman

Stormy Weather: Rainy Season In Oaxaca By Alvin Starkman © Alvin Starkman 2006 - It's the impact that the storms have on electricity that is stunning, both whi... read more

geography Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Diana Ricci Diana Ricci

The Photographer Talks About Herself I guess it could be said that I am a Mexico-phile. In my teens in Arden, Delaware I listened excitedly to tales of travel told by a family in the community... read more

author Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Oaxaca Gaceta Consular

Located in the southern part of the Mexican Republic, the state of Oaxaca is bordered on the north by the states of Puebla and Veracruz, to the east by Chiapas, to the west by Guerrero, and to the sout... read more

exploring-tourism Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Our beloved Oaxaca, now on US and Canadian Do Not Visit list Maggie Van Ostrand

Is no one thinking of the ordinary people of Oaxaca and how this event is causing distress and loss of income? read more

perspectives social-issues Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Lloyd Mexico Economic Report July 2005

Table of Contents Record tourism numbers Airport upgrades Hotel investments ... read more

finance-economics Guadalajara, Jalisco Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Oaxaca, Mexico: a day in one of the New World's finest cities Tony Burton

Given the long and illustrious history of Mexico, it is only fitting that just a few kilometers to the east of the oldest urban center in the Americas is one of the loveliest present-day cities in the Americas - the city of Oaxaca. All visitors to Mexico should consider Oaxaca (pronounced Wah-hah-cah) a "must-see". Over the centuries, Oaxaca has become particularly adept at preserving the old and the interesting, while simultaneously keeping pace with the demands of even the most discerning foreign visitor.

Mexican Folk Art from Oaxacan Artist Families by Arden Aibel Rothstein and Anya Leah Rothstein Reviewed by Allan Cogan

There are hundreds of photos of all kinds of artistic output, from pottery to wood carvings, from basket weaving to candle making, and lots more but we're given a much closer look at the actual creators of all this work. We're treated to wonderful works featuring mermaids, clowns, devils, angels, fishes, skeletons, Biblical scenes, animals and birds of all kinds, and even ladies of the night. These are all used to decorate masks, bedspreads, candles, baskets, jewelry, furniture, statues, toys, pottery and clothing and much, much more plus some 87 brief biographies of each of the artists. read more

art artists book-reviews crafts day-of-the-dead family Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Mexicans: Changing The Eastern Oregon Perspective Amanda Villagómez

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... read more

culture-customs family lifestyles perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Central Valley of Oaxaca: Oaxaca city, Monte Alban Tony Burton

Clickable interactive map of Central Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico: Oaxaca city, Monte Alban read more

archeological-sites exploring-tourism maps Oaxaca Oaxaca, Oaxaca Monte Alban, Oaxaca

Day of the Dead or El Dia de los Muertos in Oaxaca Maria Diaz

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... read more

culture-customs day-of-the-dead Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks Reviewed by Allan Cogan

Oliver Sacks is obviously too seasoned a traveller and too astute an observer to confine himself to ferns. One encounters a host of pleasures as he ruminates on a variety of topics. He muses about the New World's contributions to civilization -cocoa, tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, chilies, gourds, pepper, maize, chewing gum, cochineal and exotic hallucinogens. In Monte Alban he considers the production of rubber which the Zapotec people used to make balls. read more

book-reviews crafts flora food-drink travelogue Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Oaxaca, the spirit of Mexico Reviewed by Bill Begalke

Review of "Oaxaca, The Spirit of Mexico" Photographs by Judith Cooper Haden, introduction by Phil Borges, text by Matthew Jaffe; published by Artisan, 2002 All journeys of discovery have a beginning ... read more

book-reviews Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Surface Tension Mary Ellen Sanger

Only the official registration form on file in the archives and my now-aging memory can attest to Celestino’s entry in the 1952 contest, the year of his biggest loss. The neighbors only saw him carry... read more

exploring-tourism fiestas-traditions Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Dry season in Oaaxaca: are we flushing today? Janet Stanley

I have been living in southern Mexico, in the city of Oaxaca, for two years noticing daily customs and ways of doing things that are not the same as where I lived in the mountains of Colorado. One big ... read more

lifestyles social-issues Oaxaca, Oaxaca

The bus ride from hell that I learned to love Oaxaca Curt Rosengren

"Is it always this bad?" I asked, panting in the heat. "Oh no! Sometimes it's much worse," the grandmotherly woman across the aisle assured me. "It can be much hotter...and a lot more crowded." The b... read more

exploring-tourism transportation Oaxaca, Oaxaca

The Virgin of Guadalupe celebration in Oaxaca Barbara Lyons-Perez

Guadalupe is the mother of all Mexicans, the savior and succor of the indigenous spirit, protectress of the poor, dark, ailing and humble. She is the Dark Madonna of Indian features, who appeared just after the invasion by the white-skinned Europeans. She is miraculous and comforting, the emotional support to a conquered nation, orphaned from their pantheon of gods and spirits of nature. read more

religion Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Stan Gotlieb and Diana Ricci in Oaxaca Stan Gotlieb and Diana Ricci

Diana and Stan's Biography Photography by Diana Ricci Stan Gotlieb and Diana Ricci have been together for about six years. This is a story about their time together. The picture at the r... read more

author Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Classical concert in Oaxaca's Macedonio Alcala Theater Stan Gotlieb

Inside the main chapel at Santo Domingo Church, one of many highly decorated colonial and post colonial buildings in Oaxaca in which music is presented. The Teatro Macedonio Alcala exists because of t... read more

music perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca

My search for a doctor in Oaxaca Stan Gotlieb

This drawing of a latrine is painted on a wall next to the main square in San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca. It was paid for by the National Health, as a preventative medicine strategy. There are fou... read more

health perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Questions and answers on life in Oaxaca, Mexico Stan Gotlieb

Below are some archives of letters to the editor that Stan has chosen to answer with open responses.December 20, 1995 Victor Salas writes that, having been born and raised in Mexico, and having come t... read more

perspectives question Oaxaca, Oaxaca

Handcrafted puzzles for sale: The rompecabeza man in Oaxaca Stan Gotlieb

Maestro Ignacio Cervantes plies his trade in the Alameda, in front of the Cathedral in Oaxaca. Photography by Diana Ricci [" Rompe - Cabeza " (ROM-pe ca -BAY-sa, literally "head b... read more

perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca

What's today's rate? Mexico's floating peso Stan Gotlieb

I wrote this in early 1995, when the peso was on a slide. For many, especially the Mexican people, the "devaluation" was no laughing matter. "It's 5.0 at the Caseta de Cambio (money changer) in Cinco ... read more

finance-economics perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca

No tengo cambio: Paying with coins in Mexico Stan Gotlieb

This clown is plying his trade in the Oaxaca Zócalo. He probably needs change. Photography by Diana Ricci There is a deep, dark, secret hole where all the change goes, and nobody k... read more

finance-economics social-issues Oaxaca, Oaxaca

A writer in Oaxaca: On being an old extranjero Stan Gotlieb and Diana Ricci

This is our patio. We can seat 26 in a pinch, but we like to hold it down to 20. This is not as much work as it may seem, since all our large parties are pot-luck, and everyone we know either cooks lik... read more

perspectives Oaxaca, Oaxaca