Isla Isabel is located 34 kilometers (21 miles) off Mexico's west coast. It is a National Park and wildlife refuge with a population of some 42,000 birds and, in 2003, was named a World Heritage Site. ... read more

Three Mexican fishermen, lost at sea for nine months and nine days, were world news for a few minutes in 2006.

Their survival was a miracle of faith and fierce determination, or the biggest fish tale ever told. read more

Link to interactive map The one hundred and eight mile (290 kilometer) coast of Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit extends from upscale Nuevo Vallarta to the historic, beach town of San Blas. Well, official... read more

This charming little beach town located on Pacific Mexico's Riviera Nayarit, is only a forty-minute drive north of Puerto Vallarta. Sayulita has exploded in popularity as an alternative beach vacation... read more

Here is a gift for you, good news, a mid-term report from my favorite little Mexican school. Several years ago I told you about Edd Bissell, pharmacist from New Market, Tennessee, who retired to the high-rent district, Punta Pelicanos, in the town of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, on the beautiful Bay of Banderas, in the state of Nayarit. That spot may or may not be something like Heaven. Gentle breezes come and go. The Pacific lovingly laps the sandy shore. Sunsets through palm trees range from spectacular to unbelievable. read more

Exploring the beautiful State of Nayarit Link to interactive map Are you looking for a unique and affordable vacation experience far from the world of all-inclusive resorts? Would you like to ex... read more

Larry Herman and his best friend Lynda escaped subsidized senior housing, packed suitcases and moved to Mexico — even though neither one had ever been south of the border.
They stayed in Bucerias for a month and explored the area by bus.
Their modest apartment in Sayulita, one block from the beach, costs them about $500 U.S. per month, depending on the exchange rate the day you pay. read more

The beaches of San Blas are extravagantly beautiful and beckon the adventurer with several palm lined pristine secluded beaches, and hundreds of migratory birds. For Indiana Joe and Jane, San Blas's co... read more

Rincon de Guayabitos on the Nayarit coast is an affordable, beautiful beach side paradise with something for everyone. read more

Playa San Francisco is a beautiful wide, sandy beach, fierce and riotous, set in the artsy town commonly referred to as "San Pancho." Like most towns along the Nayarit coast, San Pancho was once a fish... read more

Sayulita beach is stunningly beautiful, and most visitors are completely captivated by its charm. The two-mile long beach boasts soft fine sand, warm blue waters, perfect surfing waves and is adorned b... read more

As sunlight flooded my room, I opened my eyes to see pelicans gliding in formation above the blue Mexican Pacific. I stretched, brewed a pot of coffee, and enjoyed a steaming cup on the balcony overlooking the beach as the world awakened. Life is laid back and casual in the Mexico town of Rincon de Guayabitos, and hotel Villas Buena Vida offers all the creature comforts for a quiet vacation in the sun. read more

I began to discover that certain vested interests involving the Huichol did not welcome outsiders. There was almost a political rivalry among various individuals and groups who regarded the Huichol as their own private preserve. This sense of proprietary rights by over the Huichol was confirmed later when I went to Mexico City. Back then there was intense rivalry among people working with the Huichol., too. read more

Huichol art is even more prolific today than it was during the years 1890 to 1898 when Carl Lumholtz, the Norwegian explorer and ethnographer, first visited the Huichol and recorded their symbolic and decorative art in such remarkable detail that we are able to make direct comparisons between Huichol art then and now. The major difference is that today Huichol artisans have a much greater variety of imported and commercial materials with which to work, but many traditional designs and functions have been preserved to the present day. read more

The woman's voice from the dashboard announces, "In three point five kilometers, turn right onto I 80 toward Qptlantapque." - "What did she say? What is she talking about?" I ask. I'm driving, peering at the array of green signs ahead which look vaguely familiar. Not one comes close to matching any destination our audible guide has pronounced with such an unusual number of consonants. Bill consults the Mexico map book spread across his lap. "Ignore her," he says and takes the GPS from its special perch to enter new information.

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The authenticity of Huichol art on the market today becomes of some importance when called into question by no less an authority on the Indians of Mexico than the famous Mexican historian and anthropologist Fernando Benítez, who once described the popular Huichol yarn paintings as "...a falsification and an industry." read more

How did Robert Mulligan find himself, in August, in a Mexican jungle, running a small flat-bottomed boat up a sleepy little river into the steamy interior, pointing out tiny alligators to the wives of ... read more

Artist James Vitale, owner and operator of El Encanto, a boutique eco-hotel or maybe a healing place or perhaps a vibrant retreat for creativity and education, came onto his verandah to say "Good morni... read more

After many downhill twists and turns, at the very end of a road built for Nayarit royalty, is a little lake that could have spilled from a book of fairy tales. La laguna Santa Maria del Oro, in the cr... read more

Series Index How well can a person understand a culture not their own? Can experiences be understood without full command of the Spanish language; a language in which civility is interwoven l... read more

Despite calls from PRD candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his supporters for a complete recount, it looks almost certain that the Federal Electoral Institute will confirm very shortly that the presidential election was won by PAN candidate Felipe Calderón Hinojosa. The new president will take office on December 1.

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Table of Contents Wine consumption Tortillas in China Can anyone counter Wal-Mart? ... read more

While living in Guadalajara, Ms. Finerty became acquainted with some Franciscan priests and also with some Huichol Indians who were associated with the Franciscans. Eventually she was invited to visit a Huichol village about a thirty minute flight from Tepic, high in the Sierras in Western Mexico. The only other way to reach this community — Jesús María — was by taking an eight day mule ride. The village wasn't even marked on the map. read more

Clickable interactive map of Nayarit, Mexico: Tepic, Nueva Vallarta, Guayabitos read more

The author of the famous poem "The Bells of San Blas" had never ever visited the town. The San Blas that the poem refers to is in the state of Nayarit, on the Pacific coast. Today, it is a small town,... read more