Veracruz online
Veracruz isn’t just about coffee, Caribbean music and beautiful beaches —it’s also about excellent websites. The area boasts a generous mix of everything you could ask for—tropical forests and ...
read more
Gulf of Mexico links
Shaped like an oval and bounded by the United States, Mexico and Cuba, the Gulf of Mexico covers an area of 1,550,000 square kilometers (600,000 square miles). The Gulf serves as a major source of food...
read more
Xalapa, city of flowers
I’m puzzled as to why Xalapa hasn’t become more of a permanent residence for Americans and Canadians. Of the six cities my wife and I visited – Morelia, Cholula, Puebla, Xalapa, Vera Cruz and Queretero – Xalapa is for us the hands-down winner.
read more
Driving from Guadalajara to Laredo and back
My wife and I have driven from the Lakeside area to Laredo a few times on what always seemed to us, looking at the map, to be the shortest route, taking Highway 23 to Zacatecas and highway 54 from there to Saltillo, finishing the trip on Highway 85 via Monterrey. Starting early in the morning, it was easy to make Saltillo by early afternoon. Laredo was an easy hop the next morning. However, a couple of experiences on that route made us reconsider.
read more
Just Like Bogie And Bacall In Tecolutla, Veracruz
The small fishing town of Tecolutla straddles the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Tecolutla in the northern part of Veracruz State. Apart from school vacations and the annual fishing tournament nothing much...
read more
The Xalapa Museum - A Walk Back In Time
Mexico is a country rich in creative expression, and its creative roots go far back into the history of its people. In much of the modern work done today, one can still catch a glimpse of the mysteriou...
read more
Did You Know? Blacks outnumbered Spaniards until after 1810
By common consent, the history of blacks in Mexico is a long one. The first black slave to set foot in Mexico is thought to have been Juan Cortés. He accompanied the conquistadors in 1519. It has been...
read more
Mexico's Danza de los Voladores - a photo-essay
One of the most spectacular dances in the country — la Danza de Los Voladores, literally the Dance of the Flyers — involves only five participants.In the old days, they first had to find a suitable...
read more
Did You Know? Vanilla Festival in Papantla, Veracruz
The Vanilla Festival is held in early summer every year in Papantla, Veracruz. The origins of the festival pre-date the Spanish conquest. Its timing is now tied to the Catholic celebration of the Feast...
read more
Did you know? An enchanted lake in Veracruz rises every dry season, but falls again during the wet season.
Peculiar, but true. There are several lakes named Laguna Encantada (Enchanted Lake) in Mexico, but this one is near Catemaco in the Tuxtlas region of the state of Veracruz. Catemaco is famous for its w...
read more
Did You Know? Mexico in the Guinness world records: part two
An earlier column described several Guinness records and their connection to Mexico and Mexicans. This month's column examines four more very different Guinness records which do not involve quite as mu...
read more
Did You Know? Mayan pyramid in Tabasco, Mexico, has possible Roman links
ROMANS in Mexico?
I've always tried to maintain an open-minded attitude towards history, but even I was incredulous when I first heard this suggestion. And you certainly won't find it in most history ...
read more
Did you know? An early ascent of Mexico's highest peak, El Pico de Orizaba
Scientists first explored El Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest peak, as long ago as 1838.
El Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltépetl (= star), is Mexico's highest peak, with a summit 5,746 meters (18,853 fe...
read more
The Obsidian Butterfly
"The Nawatl art is creating archetypes, in the Jungian sense, awakening unconsciously the common roots of the artist and the viewer."
Huitzilopotztli
Never have I ...
read more
Labor Of Love, The Photographs Of Edna Vite
In a world where greed has become commonplace, it is uplifting to meet a person who wants her work to serve as a conduit of love.
read moreVeracruz For Gringos
When we tell people that we go to Mexico often, they always ask "Cancun or Puerto Vallarta?" When we tell them "Veracruz"' they always ask, "Where is that?". The State of Veracruz is on the east coast ...
read more
It's hot in Zacatepec, Morelos
Zacatepec has three claims to fame – the sugar mill, the Instituto Technológico de Zacatepec and its soccer stadium.
read moreXico - A Village Of Enchantment
Founded in the year 1313, Xico’s original name was Xico-Chimalco in the Náhuatl (Aztec) language meaning "where there are bee hives of yellow wax." Located only 20 minutes from Xalapa, Veracr...
read more
Robert Barrett And Richard Nathan
The first Englishman to set foot in Xalapa was an unfortunate fellow called Robert Barrett. That was back in 1568. Some 432 years later, another Englishman has set foot in this delightful city. But Ric...
read more
Jalapeña Christmas - Navidad Xalapeña
The sights, sounds and smells of Christmas in Mexico are wondrous, and Xalapa is no exception. Sparkling lights, music, cohetes (fireworks) and hot chocolate mix together to fill your senses. Al...
read more
Xalapa De Mis Suenos - Jalapa Of My Dreams
Originally from Boulder, Colorado, I have lived in Xalapa, Veracruz, for the last 27 years. Xalapa (hah-lah-pah) is truly the place of my dreams. Nestled in lush coffee growing hills, with a micro clim...
read more
Juanote
Known affectionately as "Juanote" (Big John) to the inhabitants of Xalapa, Juan Herrera Vasquez ( 1924-1989) was a unique personality who was a humble cargador (mover), just as his father was, y...
read more
La Bamba Explained - Or, The Music Of Veracruz
Can you hear Ritchie Valens belting that one out? One of Rock and Roll’s most copied songs (from garage bands, movies, and college marching bands, to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). La Bamba is an ode to an era, the anthem of the American Boom generation. Many of us over the years continue to sing that catchy song without thinking much about it. But in truth, there is a whole lot more here than meets most peoples ears.
read moreLa Candelaria In Tlacotalpan
In January 1992, looking for the roots of the musical form called
Son Jarocho, I made a pilgrimage to the river port town of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz. At dawn, as I boarded the southbound bus from ...
read more
Un poco de gracia
Veracruz is unlike any other city in Mexico, with a rhythm all its own. Salsa music, the cry of the street vendor, the bell of a trolley, and the comings and goings of sea vessels all blend together. M...
read more
