The song "Bésame mucho" (Kiss me a lot) was written by a young Mexican woman who had never been kissed. This article is a tribute to Consuelo Velázquez, who died January 22, 2005, at the age o... read more

Besides being used as a kind of rough paper for records and correspondence, amate was also cut into human or animal forms as part of witchcraft rituals after which it would be buried in front of the pe... read more

Several ancient civilizations developed astonishingly accurate calendars. Even so, occasional adjustments were needed to bring the calendar back in line with solar events. Archaeologists studying the s... read more

A young Belgian botanist established a business exporting Mexican cacti to Europe back in the 1840s.   Prickly Pear Cactus Flower Henri Guillaume Galeotti was born on September 10, ... read more

La Cucaracha (The Cockroach), one of Mexico's best known corridos, is a comic, satirical song, with infinite possibilities for creative verses. Versions of La Cucaracha have been performed by countless bands and musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Bill Haley & His Comets, Doug Sahm read more

An entire island has been constructed, not by Bob the Builder, but by Richie the Recycler! Amazing but true: off the coast of Quintana Roo, Richie Sowa has painstakingly constructed an entire island,... read more

The Pyramid of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza Photo by Tony Burton Modern sound recordings usually involve tiny disks which can hold dozens of tracks, specially designed to be easily portable an... read more

Comprehensive guide books to Mexico have existed for more than 120 years. Modern travelers to Mexico are often hard-pressed to choose their favorite guide. Fodor's, Frommer's, Real Guide, Insight Guid... read more

Who hasn’t been amazed by the acrobatic antics of hummingbirds? What stunt flyers! They are able to fly not only forwards, but backwards and even briefly upside-down. They can also hover for extended... read more

An earlier column, "Microwaves (with a view)", examined the scenic delights to be found by following the "Microondas" road signs that puzzle many first-time visitors. That column probably didn't appeal... read more

Tlacuaches (opossums) are short-lived but smarter than most people imagine... Imagine "a monstrous beast with a snout like a fox, a tail like a marmoset, ears like a bat, hands like a man, and feet li... read more

Baseball is not the oldest ballgame in the Americas Forget modern "traditions" like the World Series! Forget soccer, tennis and golf! By far the oldest ballgame in the Americas is the little known ga... read more

Mexican cuisine has been one of the country's most successful cultural exports over the past twenty years or so and most large towns in North America and Europe now boast at least one Mexican restauran... read more

Literary-minded travel writers describing Puerto Vallarta as an "island of tourist delights" probably don't realize that their words are closer to the truth than they might imagine. At present, Puerto ... read more

A small church in Michoacán has been called the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas".

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When Mexico braced herself for the imminent arrival of cholera from South America fifteen years ago, many people believed that the disease had never previously been known here. During the nineteenth ce... read more

Thousands of dinosaur bones have been found in northern Mexico. Bones literally litter the ground. Here's a femur; there's a tibia; vertebrae, ribs, skulls... Dozens of dinosaurs, including the world... read more

    The Quetzal Dance is one of the most colorful folkloric dances anywhere in the country. It is also thought to be one of the most ancient. Both the dance and the spectacular headdresses worn b... read more

Believe it or not, there is a village in Mexico with the unlikely name of Honey. Honey. This hardly sounds like a Mexican word and certainly lacks any Nahuatl or Spanish roots. Yet, in the state of Pu... read more

A Mexican who tried to revolutionize the world of classical music was once nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1950, Julián Carrillo was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics. The nominat... read more

There wouldn't be many Irish people in the United States if it wasn't for a Mexican fungus. The census of 1841 in Ireland recorded a population of about 8 million. This figure was a staggering 300% m... read more

A young couple who became famous artists pioneered the San Miguel de Allende foreign community. San Miguel de Allende's vibrant art and music scene is deservedly famous. Among the early pioneers respo... read more

One of the oldest printing presses still in operation anywhere in the world is in Tacámbaro, Michoacán. Juan Pascoe lives on a remote ex-hacienda outside Tacámbaro, Michoacán. Visitors invited to ... read more

A surprising percentage of Mexico's land area is protected in one form or another. A very large number of sites of archaeological or historical importance are managed by the National Institute of Anthr... read more

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