Mexico has many myths but this was a wonderful truth, six military academy cadets, in defiance of Gen. Nicholas Bravo's order to retreat, choosing to fight to the finish. They were lieutenant Juan de la Barrera, 20, Agustin Melgar, Vicente Suarez, Francisco Marquez, Fernando Montes de Oca and Juan Escutia. One by one they were struck down. read more

I bought another watch the other day. I didn't need it, but there is great joy in negotiating with the watch salesman. A chunky, little man works the villages along the north side of Lake Chapala in the exciting state of Jalisco. His specialty is watches with fancy faces, famous names and very ordinary insides. He always has make-believe Rolexes and sometimes Cartiers and Movados. read more

This old gringo, from time to time, receives a flurry of comments and questions. Many are predictable. Where should I visit? How much does it cost? How's the weather in January? Is it safe to drive? ... read more

Last year, the Dallas Morning News reported that more than a million Americans live in Mexico. It didn't say how many more or where the heck are they. read more

A funny thing happened the other day to one of my favorite Mexicans. He was invited to speak at a college, which, once upon a time, slammed the front door in his face. Rodolfo Calva Marquez © Marv... read more

Having been accused by two cynical readers of putting a smiley face on everything Mexico except lirio (water hyacinths) and topes (speed bumps), here is a feeble attempt to be fair and balanced. read more

Questions and answers about life in Mexico. read more

An adventurous English couple builds a boat, sails toward Oregon to buy horses, but settles on Mexico's Bay of Banderas in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle where they run a restaurant and promote Huichol art. read more

Through the years, Colima, Colima meant volcano views, small sacks of sea salt, classy museums, pretty parks, souvenir casts and carvings of hairless dogs -- and another hour to the beach. ¡No más! ... read more

The good government of Jocotepec, centralized at the west end of Lake Chapala in the great state of Jalisco, has given new meaning to the word "mañana." Too early on a Monday morning in mid-Decembe... read more

Image by John Hardman Web Page During Christmas holidays, a college sophomore stumbled into a board game, "Pancho Villa, Dead or Alive." He was surprised I had heard of Pancho but not... read more

Questions and answers about life in Mexico. read more

According to the international brotherhood of insurance salesmen, a car or truck is stolen every 12 minutes in Mexico. That priceless bit of information is the marketing pitch for more and better cover... read more

Southbound gringos of retirement age have the uncanny ability to immediately identify changes that should be made in Mexican lifestyle. Maybe you've heard the laundry list. "Punctuality is in desperat... read more

Based on very personal experience, let me tell you there is a considerable difference in coming to Mexico and going from Mexico. Fourteen years ago, old friends Charles and Ginger Rudder pulled up T... read more

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow waxed poetic about the bronze bells of San Blas without seeing or hearing them. These less eloquent westwords are about the bugs of San Blas, a very up-close and much too-per... read more

The real Don Adams came to Mexico to die. It seemed like a good place for such a significant event. Convenient. He could drive down from Texas. Good weather if anybody wanted to walk in a funeral march... read more

The backroads of Mexico often offer adventure, perhaps a bit of excitement, sometimes a touch of the dramatic and, occasionally, a hint of danger. We thought we'd found all four on a deteriorating 10-... read more

Marta Palomares and her husband, Michael Dickson A genuine Mexico love story lives in a big, beautiful home behind a high wall in Tzurumutaro, a not-much-to-it community adjoining Patzcuaro in the r... read more

Questions and answers about life in Mexico. read more

Gary West with Salvador A fishin' we will go, a fishin' we will go; hi, ho, the merry-o, a fishin' we will go. Second son Gary came to the west end of Lake Chapala, to the suburbs of Jocotepec, in ... read more

Ben and Debs Blench, brave Brits in their 30s, threw away their jobs, sold their car, subleased their Amsterdam apartment and set off to see the world. They allocated one year for this unusual adventur... read more

Questions and answers about life in Mexico. 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

Alas and alas, this may be my/your final dispatch from the Grady Allen treasury of tall tales. The scrappy little survivor of Texas oilfields has departed this life and Mexico is poorer for his passing... read more