Palm Sunday in Ajijic, Mexico
Reynaldo in Mexico has handwoven Oaxaca rugs and more rugs
Uncovering Tonala's history at the National Ceramic Museum
Dating back to pre-Hispanic times, the nahual is a shape shifter who switches between human and animal forms and is often characterized as a shaman.
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Mexican artist Efren Gonzalez revives an ancient art form with terracotta murals
Part of the wonder and adventure of experiencing life in Ajijic, Mexico is the incredible diversity of color in the natural world — pungent reds, a range of blues, pale purples, brilliant yellows —...
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Peace Corps couple retire to their Mexico paradise
Bob and Judie Terry are not only veterans of the Peace Corps — which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year — they actually met at a National Peace Corps Association meeting. Judie (whose mother...
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The Through Line: A Journey from Darkness into Life
Popular Ajijic photographer Jay Koppelman has two things to celebrate this winter: one, the recent opening of Studio 18, on Colón 18 in Ajijic, which features exclusively his photographs; and two, the recent publication of the first collection of his Mexico photographs, in a handsome coffee-table format, The Through Line.
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Hammering out a future for young people in Chapala, Mexico
The men and women in the Chapala-Ajijic area whom I admire the most are those who can give so generously of their time to help others (without expecting anything in return), and Lakeside seems to be ov...
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Mi Pullman: remodeling a Mexican Art Nouveau townhouse III
This is the third installment in a story about my love affair with an old house in Mexico. One day I found myself standing in front of a beautiful three story, art nouveau town house. It was shabby, obviously neglected, and unlived in, but it had certain magic about it, which captured both my imagination and my heart. I knew, in that moment and with great certainly, that one day I would buy it.
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Sneaking north: an illegal immigrant returns to Mexico with honors
Luis Alberto Martinez Gomez became an illegal four years ago. He was 16.
The family concluded Luis might be better off in the United States. There was an uncle who once made a promise to help the nephew if ever needed. He came through with cash for a border coyote.
Going north sounded so simple.
It wasn't.
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Did tequila originate in the Mexican town of Amatitan, Jalisco?
All the world has been told that tequila, the drink was born in Tequila — the town located 45 kilometers northwest of Guadalajara — but is this really a fact? Curiously, the famed Tequila Express t...
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Gone to Mexico and gone to the dogs
Skimboard kids on a Mexico beach
When it's winter up north, the skimboarding season is in full stride along the Pacific Coast beaches of Mexico. This is when the best talent goes head-to-head to determine ultimately who will make it t...
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In Mexico, Operation Compassion feeds the hungry
Often, when we think of starving children, we're thinking about Central Africa or parts of India or even remote areas of South America. But Mexico has its share of the poor, as close by as the Chapala area. The truth is, unremitting hunger is right here under our noses and most of us aren't aware of it. Three Lakeside residents have formed what they call "Operation Compassion."
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An oasis of comfort in Ajijic: Casa del Sol Bed and Breakfast Inn
In Mexico, it is said you never know what's behind the walls. Typical of Spanish architecture, most homes have high walls around them, affording privacy and sanctuary. It is often impossible to tell if it is a small house or a grand estate behind the walls. This is true of the Casa del Sol Bed & Breakfast Inn in the heart of Ajijic — a 16th century village on Mexico's Lake Chapala, just one hour south of the major metropolis of Guadalajara.
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Seven reasons why tourists to Mexico should choose Ajijic
Tehuamixtle: the Cabo Corrientes shore on Mexico's Pacific coast
The coast south of Cabo Corrientes, the southerly arm of our Bay of Banderas, is known as the Costa Alegre, Happy Coast, all the way down to Manzanillo. Barra de Navidad and Careyes are two of the better known spots. Directly west of El Tuito, the civic center of Cabo Corrientes, lies its bulk — a broad, hilly and ravined stretch of scrub and farm country that is separated from the Pacific by swaths of mile-long beaches and turquoise waters that have remained remarkably pristine.
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Ajijic-Lake Chapala accomodations, hotels, restaurants, services
The lobby of the beautiful La Nueva Posada hotel
Although Lake Chapala's north shore is quaint and beautiful, services are world class. From cozy B&Bs to gracious hotels and bungalows, the trave...
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