One hour north of Manzanillo, Colima, the Primero Plus gave one final jolt in front of Melaque’s bus station. From air-conditioned comfort, we stepped down into the afternoon warmth. By arriving mid ... read more

Five years ago, I visited the Mexican sea-side resort of San Patricio (Melaque), Jalisco. I arrived with my family and small trailer to join an amiable colony of recreation vehicle campers at the free ... read more

Series Index How well can a person understand a culture not their own? Can experiences be understood without full command of the Spanish language; a language in which civility is interwoven l... read more

"There is a sensitive filament in our beings, which responds to Mexican music…. To the sight of a horse well ridden, to the spectacle of a bull skillfully lassoed…. All of us, a... read more

A bullfight? I flinched at the thought. Earlier during the week, I'd jumped at my young friend's invitations to enjoy all events at La Fiesta de Virgen de Guadalupe. But now, visions of bloody bulls prompted my swift reply, "No! Gracias." read more

Introduction to the Series Part I Part 3 Part 4 Young people paraded through the village plaza, singing and dancing. In large letters against a white background their banne... read more

Introduction to the Series Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 In rural Canada, I live close to the land and to a farming lifestyle that was once traditional. Therefore, when I’m in Mexico th... read more

"Mexico is an endless journey," the Tourism Secretariat boasts. Most visitors will need a roadmap. Fortunately, a plethora of guidebooks are available purporting to show you the way. New editions of cl... read more

HAD I CLOSED MY EYES and only listened I would have known most of the characters that passed by my balcony in a daily parade. Early each morning the swish, swish of straw hitting pavement told me Maria... read more

This is the first coffee-table book I ever reviewed and I have to say right off the bat that it's a winner. It is made up of some 200 photographs from all parts of Mexico - all of them taken from a high elevation, either an aircraft or mountaintop or, occasionally, a tall building. At first it sounds like a rather limited concept but in execution the "godlike" perspective works beautifully to highlight the uniqueness of this country. What this handsome volume delivers is a treasure trove of striking views of deserts, cities, villages, volcanoes, mountain ranges, desolate beaches, crowded beaches, jungles, individual buildings and other striking images. We look down on huge elaborate temple ruins in the midst of lush jungle or on abandoned haciendas in arid desert country, as well as on vast populated modern cities and luxury resorts. read more

What could be more romantic than having both your wedding and your honeymoon at a beautiful destination? And getting married south of the Border is easily done, as you will see. Here are Mexico's... read more

The fog of hallucination that occasionally seems to envelop Mexico hovers over San Blas most of the time. The amiable residents talk of their future as the next Puerto Vallarta while they wave towels t... read more

Read about Mexico's important historical events that have occurred during the month of October.

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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

The author of the famous poem "The Bells of San Blas" had never ever visited the town. The San Blas that the poem refers to is in the state of Nayarit, on the Pacific coast. Today, it is a small town,... read more

Tony Burton Bibliography BOOKS (and chapters in books): MAPS: ACADEMIC JOURNALS: TRAVEL ARTICLES: TRANSLATIONS: ... read more

It is my sad duty to inform you that the times they are a changing, at Barra de Navidad. Our favorite spit of Pacific sand, sticking out just a little bit from Highway 200 along the west bank, is not ... read more

Despite hurricanes and earthquakes, political turmoil, higher gas prices and global warming, Mexico's marvelous Bay of Tenacatita remains a sea of tranquility. White gold sand, the soft slope of the b... read more

Adriano is a sixteen-year-old surfer who helps his mother run one of the many small beachside palapas in the resort community of Playa Azul, north of Ixtapa. You won't read about Playa Azul in most ... read more

The authors tell us that "Since 2000, MedToGo's team have been touring hospitals and developing relationships with highly-recommended, skilled, board-certified, English-speaking doctors all over Mexico." One of the results, certainly to be of interest to many travelers to Mexico as well as to the large expatriate community, is the Mexico Health and Safety Travel Guide. In addition to its "Comprehensive Directory of the Best Hospitals and English-Speaking Doctors," this well-organized and highly detailed (some 640 pages) reference is filled with lots of other useful information. read more

One blazing Baja afternoon, I was sitting inside a palapa restaurant, directly in the airflow of a circulating air fan. The temperature was well over 100 degrees and the humidity was hovering around seventy-five percent. I was trying to work up enough courage to trudge a mile and a half to the beach, when suddenly a middle-aged couple breezed through the doorway. They were attired in crisp tennis whites, and seemingly stepped right out of an advertisement for a Rocky Mountain beer. "Nice day, isn't it?" the man tipped his hat in my direction. "Sure is" I grumbled. read more

It's just about time for the jacaranda trees to bloom, which blanket our lovely village in lavender. That will be exactly five years since I came to Ajijic, fell in love and purchased my home. The gard... read more

Accidents I had my second car accident in Guadalajara last week. The first one was dealt with between us two drivers with a negotiated sum I paid for fixing his dent. I think it was about $200. My opt... read more

It was not, of course, as he remembered it. The plaza was still there, but the buildings that surrounded it were all new and different from the ones he remembered. Mexico and Puerto Vallarta had been the adventure of his life. read more

Bordering on the Pacific Ocean, and nestled up against against Jalisco and Michoacan, the small state of Colima enjoys the best of both culinary worlds: the ocean's bounty of fresh seafood, and the typ... read more