We sit crushed together, moist and miserable, in the back of the battered old VW van as we do every day about this time. Interesting odors assail our noses. We would rather not know what it is we are s... read more

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

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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

For Mexico, the Easter holidays are a combination of Semana Santa (Holy Week — Palm Sunday to Easter Saturday) and Pascua (Resurrection Sunday until the following Saturday). For most Mexicans, this 2 week period is the time of year for holiday vacations (good time to not be on the highways — just stay put and enjoy the community of your choice during this holday season). Holy Week celebrates the last days of the Christ's life. Easter is the celebration of the Christ's Resurrection. It is also the release from the sacrifices of Lent. 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

I adore travelling Mexico by bus. Mexico's bus system offers travelers an economical, efficient and effective means to explore the entire country. The routes are highly organized and the connections a... read more

Xtabentum: A Novel of Yucatan begins in 1906, in those tense years just preceding the Mexican Revolution. A woman in Merida is giving birth to a baby girl, who will be named Amanda Diaz, and who will be one of the principal characters in Xtabentum.

The young Amanda, with the help of her thoughtful father, begins to understand la Casta Divina, the Divine Class, and how most members of this class "considered themselves superior by birth and the lighter color of their skin." read more

This news bulletin just in: Mexico considers revising history books. Another holiday proposed. Famous explorer discovers Jocotepec! Okay, maybe not in the way Christopher Columbus did his thing. It ap... read more

Think tequila, and many think of spring break and tequila shots, followed by who knows what?

But precursors of this quintessentially Mexican drink considered a gift from the gods.

Tequila has to do with its real roots, with the land it comes from and the lifestyle surrounding it. Here are my top five tequila drinks. read more

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

The richest man in the world is one of Mexico's many amazing contradictions. From one point of view, he is a predator, taking unbelievable profits from the poor and poorer. From another perspective, he is a gracious philanthropist who funds charitable causes and thousands of college scholarships. He has provided many, many pairs of reading glasses, 294,755 bicycles to children who live far from their schools and two or three times that many medical operations for poor people with health problems. read more

I looked at him with what could only be described as pure skepticism. "Affordable, direct ocean view Mexico real estate and just steps from the beach?" I said. "Show me." As realtor and expat Max Katz... read more

Mexico today has a Jewish community of between 40,000 to 50,000 with about 37,000 living in Mexico city. The majority of them, Mexican citizens who practice Judaism, are descendents of people who, from 1881 to 1939, found refuge here. Because Mexican economic prosperity allowed religious tolerance, Jews enjoyed the same rights as any other Mexican citizen. read more

Celebrated 45 days before Easter (February 8th this year), Carnaval is a celebration of earthly, or carnal pleasures before the austerity and sacrifice of Lent. Beginning on the Friday before Ash Wednesday, Carnival reaches its climax on Mardi Gras — "Fat Tuesday."

With excellent weather all year round, Mexico is a great place to experience the excitement, music, dance and color of Carnaval. Here are our Top Ten picks for Carnival in Mexico, but there are many, many more. read more

February 20, 1943 — A brand-new volcano, subsequently called Paricutín, erupts in a farmer’s field in Michoacan. It attracts world-wide attention. In succeeding years of eruption, two villages, Paricutin and San Juan Parangaricutirimícuaro are lost beneath the lava. Read about Mexico's important historical events that have occurred during the month of February.

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50 weeks out of the year Tlacotalpan sits in its torpid tropical slumber, but starting late January and running for two weeks it celebrates the Fiesta de la Candelaria. For most of these two weeks the Feria (fair) is made up of a carnival, bailes tropicales (salsa dances), and a very large tianguis (temporary market). Then – in stark contrast to its normal tranquility — on January 31st through February 2nd the town explodes into a religious and secular frenzy, its streets stuffed with true believers and joyful revelers. 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

Whether it's an exclusive, modern hotel on a beach, a boutique hostelry built into a 17th Century hacienda, or a simple bed-and-breakfast in a beguiling resort town, you're likely to find prices and packages more affordable these days.

Mexico is always less costly for Americans, given its proximity to the U.S., but fits budgets even better today, given the recent publicity it has unfairly endured.

What's true of hotels is also likely to be true of airfare, restaurant meals, tour plans and all-inclusive deals. For a holiday that's truly easy on the wallet, there may never have been a better time to consider Mexico than right now. 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

Having written a bit about chia some years back, as part of an article on the use of seeds in Mexican cooking, I was not surprised to learn that chia seeds have been lauded as the new superfood of 2013.

Nutritionally dense, chia seeds are loaded with antioxidents, fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also gluten free and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Chia seeds met the nutritional needs of early Mesoamericans, and were so valued by the Aztecs that they were considered one of the four grains acceptable as tribute to the Aztec state. read more

Made with lime juice and sweetened with sugar, agua de chia, or Mexican chia seed drink is especially popular during Mexico's hot spring season. The seeds absorb and hold liquids, thereby helping to pr... read more

Ridiculously simple to make and fun to eat, this chia coconut puddingcould also be prepared with almond milk. Ingredients 4 tablespoons chia seeds 1 cup coconut milk 1 tablespoon hone... read more

Chia's natural ability to gel makes it perfect for vegans or anyone else adverse to using commercial gelatins made with animal hooves. Use any kind of fruit juice, including those that aren't available... read more