We had come down on a chartered bus from LSU with our professor to study Spanish. A classroom had been rented and arrangements made for us to stay in private homes. Classes were held in the morning and... read more

This is an odd volume. I originally bought it because it advertises itself as "a gathering of some of the best travel writing ever" about Mexico. However, you quickly find as you dip into it that not all the articles are about travel. Also, very few of them have been written in recent times. Indeed, a couple were written about 100 years ago. However, that's not a criticism. read more

I have walked around Colonia San Juan and observed women in small groups chatting and laughing and men leaning against the walls, sunning themselves and talking and laughing as though they didn't have ... read more

January 22nd … Adios Cuernavaca…Hola Oaxaca. Not sure how long it would take us to get to Oaxaca, we took off about 7 AM north out of Cuernavaca on Hwy 95D towards Mexico City and shortly thereafter turned south on Hwy 115D (which became 160 at Cuatla) towards Cuatla and Izucar de Matamoros. Although it looked longer on the map than continuing south from Izucar, the plan was to get as soon as possible to the Autopista for Puebla and then go south to Oaxaca on toll roads all the way. Although expensive, toll roads are the way to go as far as I'm concerned.

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January 21st….After getting a couple more hours of cardio-vascular workout hiking the streets of Taxco this A.M. trying to find just the right silver trinket as a gift for my son's novia we took off for Cuernavaca about noon. No rush, as it is only about forty miles from Taxco to Cuernavaca using the Acapulco to Mexico DF toll road, Highway 95. Arriving before 1pm, poorer by $71 pesos for the three tolls charged on even this short stretch of road, we got off the Cuota and cruised Cuernavaca from south to north on the old free highway 95 looking for a hotel.

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Tenochtitlán, the great island city, capital of the Mexica empire, lies cloaked in darkness. An eerie silence pervades the vast ceremonial center — the Teocalli or Templo Mayor — spreading out over Moctezuma's splendid palace, with its botanical gardens and well-stocked zoo, across the market places, canals, aqueducts, and within each of the humble abodes in the residential wards. For five full days, activity in the normally bustling metropolis has ceased. read more

The square five-gallon can with a slow burning fire inside generated enough heat to warm the tortillas and beans. Small containers of salsa, chilis and whatever sat on the ground. The half dozen or so ... read more

Following a policy of keeping the boys and the girls seperated, Martita and Vidal seldom saw each other at school. It must have been some comfort just knowing that the other was close by. Marta's dormi... read more

Perspective: Dateline - Tlaxco, Tlaxcala, Mexico August 3, 1998 COLONIA SAN JUAN The Hacienda San Juan de Tlaxco Night-shadows play over the weathered stone markers in the small aban... read more

Perspective: Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico The Artist and Curandero: continued. La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracru... read more

Perspective: Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico The Artist and Curandero La Ceiba is a small town in the state of Puebla on the highway between Mexico City and Poza Rica, Veracruz. It’s ab... read more

Tiny Tlaxcala may be Mexico's smallest state but it is one of the most quintessentially Mexican in its traditions, especially in the realm of cuisine. The same artistic flair with which the people of t... read more

Milpa means "cornfield," and this soup incorporates not only corn, but a medley of other Tlaxcalan produce abundant at this time of year. Although fresh nopales are preferable, they are availabl... read more

Perspective: Dateline - La Ceiba, Puebla, Mexico May 1, 1998 "La Ceiba" (or maybe Lázaro Cárdenas or Tito Hernández or Villa Avila) La Ceiba is a small town in the state of ... read more

Perspective: Dateline -Tlaxco Tlaxcala Mexico Monday, April 13, l998 TLAXCO 7 A.M. The sky is something of a steel gray, like before the sun comes up or on dark cloudy days before a s... read more

This article describes "a delightful little spa town too few foreign travelers have discovered", to quote the 1979 edition of Fodor's Guide to Mexico. Astonishingly, this description is as appropriate today as it was then.

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The creative blending of diverse ingredients is the hallmark of Mexican cooking, and in the state of Puebla it is a passion. Everywhere there is talk of food. People give detailed accounts of what they... read more

Tinga is a basically a stewed pork dish, cooked with a chipotle sauce and most commonly served on tostadas. A chipotle is a dried jalapeño with a wonderful, smokey flavor. The ... read more

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... read more

Admit it. Next to simmering on the beach or sunning poolside slathered in oil, you visit Mexico to shop. In fact, if you’re a real shopper you bypass beach resorts altogether. On at least one trip ea... read more

It's been my pleasure over the past year to meet many new friends through this column. They've stopped by for a day, stayed for weeks or months. They've rented homes, stayed in hotels and B&Bs. T... read more

I’m going to sound like something of a museum freak – which I’m definitely not. There’s a limit to the amount of "tourism" I can handle when I’m travelling. My strict ration is one castle, or one cathedral or one stately home per day. All of which is my way of saying that by far the classiest, the biggest and the most elegant museum I’ve ever seen is in Mexico City - The National Museum of Anthropology. read more

A riotous image of a storm of people bolting down a wide Mexico City avenue, in the midst of a live Maldita Vecindad rock performance from the back of a moving truck, comprises one of many memorable vi... read more

Anyone out there on the information highway heard of an American photographer named North? Worked in Mexico, made dozens of daguerreotypes of the cities, churches and countryside circa mid-1800s? Gina ... read more

Teotihuacan is one of the major tourist attractions in Mexico City — a place that’s full of attractions. I urge you to go. It’s easy to get to. There are decent eating places out there and lots to see and do. There’s a museum and a cultural center and plenty of places to buy souvenirs. And if you’re feeling energetic, try the climb up to the top of either pyramid. read more