City parks were not an important part of my life when I was a child. I was raised in the country on a farm which, for all practical purposes, was a park. Growing older, though, I learned to appreciate ... read more

The church bells have been tolling most of the night, interrupted only intermittently by the blast of rockets soaring into the night sky. One resounding boom echoes throughout the city at midnight. Thi... read more

For some northerners, heading south of the border to live after a busy career, Mexico looks like the land of mañana. All they have to do is kick back and watch the monarch butterflies pass on their an... read more

The Theft of the Virgin is the ninth book in John Scherber's Murder in Mexico series. He tells a good story.

In The Theft of the Virgin, sixty paintings from the popular Vergruen Reference Collection of outstanding masterpieces of art — all forgeries — are on temporary display at the Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende... But are they all forgeries?

Paul Zacher, one of many talented artists in San Miguel de Allende, is our protagonist and for the most part our narrator.

Zacher suspects a scheme that is putting originals into the hands of very amoral and very wealthy collectors. read more

John Scherber's thoughtful and satisfying book, San Miguel de Allende: A Place in the Heart (2010), is a collection of stories about North Americans "who live here full time, as I do." San Miguel de Allende is their home.

The idea of the book originated when Scherber, after living in San Miguel for only eight months, began asking himself questions like: "What had I given up to come here, and what had I gained? What was my new role in the community? Was I an exile? An expatriate? Would I ever live in the States again? How did I react to Americans I saw here visiting? What had I done?" read more

A new exhibit running through January at the Museo de las Culturas Populares in Coyoacan, Mexico City, celebrates the "wow" factor of the wrestling phenomenon known the world over as lucha libre (free ... read more

San Miguel de Allende has, for decades, been one of the shining jewels of Colonial Mexico, a mecca for painters, writers, musicians or anyone with artistic sensibilities who has been touched by its anc... read more

Gina is a "good deal older" than her circle of "newly retired women with educations, raised in the United States of America but now living in Mexico.

She helps her gardener with his English, takes pleasure in her garden, is fascinated by the old Mayan legends, grateful for the sacrifices of their gods, and holds sacred the food she receives.

A principle she lives by is this: "be thankful and say so regularly." She feels in her heart that this religious attitude is "much easier to grasp than the more intellectual, less sensory religions…." read more

I took one look around the tiny, dingy room I had rented and began questioning my sanity. It was December 2 and I was in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, after a tiring 24-hour bus ride one thousand mil... read more

The flash of skate blades against gleaming ice. A cold-edged wind that creeps into your bones. The sharp, metallic smell of snow in the air. Winter. These are the images that most of us connect to our... read more

Being an expatriate has nothing to do with a lack of patriotism, it merely means a person who lives in a country he wasn't born in.

You must be thinking of ex-patriot; someone who's turned against his country. It's a different spelling, like here and hear.

Usually the reasons are about experiencing a new culture and a different kind of weather, as they were for me. And they're always about reinventing yourself against a background that in Mexico I think of as simpático. It welcomes people in a mood for a lifestyle change.

But how does it work, really? read more

I like the Moon Handbooks and I own several of them — well used, I might add. They are sturdy, easy to read, compact and therefore easily packable whether in luggage or purse or large pocket. This latest, a first edition, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato & The Bajío, covers one of Mexico's most popular tourist destinations.

A resident of San Miguel de Allende for several years, the author, Julie Doherty, writes both with affection and enthusiasm about the Bajío — a vast central plain that includes the states of Guanajuato and Querétaro.

She concentrates on two lovely towns, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, but she also offers us a glimpse of Querétaro City, Tequisquiapan, San Sebastian Bernal, Dolores Hildalgo, Mineral de Pozos, and the large manufacturing city of León. read more

This is referred to as a tart in Mexico, although, having two crusts, it is more like a pie made with tart dough. It makes a good lunch or light supper, with a soup or salad. The recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella De'Angeli and Giorgio D'Angeli. read more

An icon in Mexico City, the Revolution Monument or Monumento a la Revolución is also known as the Arch of the Revolution. It is located on Plaza de la Republica between downtown Reforma and Insurgente... read more

While perfect storms have been ravaging parts of America north of the Mexican border, Mexico itself — and especially Mexico City — is currently enjoying idyllic weather, a veritable Indian summer a... read more

Are there ghosts in Mexico City? Built on the ruins of the grand Aztec City of Tenochtitlan, its history can be traced from the prehistoric past. Legends of murder most foul suggest ghosts abound in this ancient city with its long and troubled history. read more

Driving up the long rise into Mineral de Pozos, framed by the gray-brown humpbacked mountains once laced with veins of silver and gold, the visitor first sees the stone walls of the cemetery, the pante... read more

An American acquaintance of mine, who believes himself to be quite astute about such things, is in the habit of asking whether San Miguel de Allende is the real Mexico and, if it's not, where can it be... read more

It's surely one of the coolest jobs in the world — donning a glittery mask and playing superhero or villain every night, flying around a packed arena. These are the men and women who aim to make thei... read more

The Mexico City airport is the gateway to Mexico City and Central Mexico. The Mexico City airport is also the airline hub for the entire country. If you are flying to a destination in Mexico not served by direct flights from the USA, you will probably change planes in Mexico City. More than 20 million passengers per year pass through this major airport, making it the busiest in Latin America. read more

Please pardon me. I have neglected Mexico City. It has been years since I have told you how much I love it. No need for me to tell you that Mexico City is the financial and cultural center of the country. Strange mix — then and now are many years apart and yet, in places, they are side by side. Fascinating. read more

Ask about the history behind these celebrations, and a few may be able to tell you that the Mexicans defeated an invading French army on that date in 1862. Beyond that — except maybe in Puebla — general knowledge of the circumstances becomes sketchy. Why were the French there? What happened next? Did the French just go away? Many teachers in the U.S. still tell their classes that May fifth is Mexican Independence Day, which is dead wrong. read more

Holy Week — from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday — is observed throughout Mexico. However San Miguel de Allende's fervor and pageantry are some of the most powerful and beautiful. The image of E... read more

Pope Benedict XVI makes his first visit to Mexico this month, which is important news in this predominantly Catholic nation. Appropriately, his visit — from March 23 to the 26th — coincides with Lent, the 40 days before Easter dedicated to reflection and repentance.

His predecessor Pope John Paul II visited Mexico on five occasions and was much beloved here. I was just a child during the last papal visit in 2002, a rowdy little Catholic boy who wanted to be a rock star when I grew up. read more

What can one say about Mexico City? It's the capital of Mexico, the biggest metropolis in the Western Hemisphere and the world's eighth-richest city. It's also a first-rate tourist attraction. Locat... read more