Agaves can be thought of as another chain of "7-Elevens". The numerous members of the Agave family are all native to the New World. "Agave" is derived from the Greek word "agauos" (admirable). Ag... read more

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

Not a river exactly, Xochimilco is a vast system of canals and gardens at the southern extreme of this megalopolis called Mexico City. It was a lake at the time of the Aztecs. They floated rafts on the... read more

Oliver Sacks is obviously too seasoned a traveller and too astute an observer to confine himself to ferns. One encounters a host of pleasures as he ruminates on a variety of topics. He muses about the New World's contributions to civilization -cocoa, tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, chilies, gourds, pepper, maize, chewing gum, cochineal and exotic hallucinogens. In Monte Alban he considers the production of rubber which the Zapotec people used to make balls. read more

  A gated entrance to this garden follows the principles of Feng Shui, inviting you to enter gracefully into the "house of water" - the area corresponding to an easy flow of life as prescribed by F... read more

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

Copyright © 2000 by Maria Elena. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.   There are three plants that are an essential part of the Mexican household, limon [lime, not lemon], papaya, and the trus... read more

At over 2000 years old, El Arbol del Tule, which is actually an Ahuehuete Cypress, is amongst the oldest living trees in the world. With a 10 meter (33 feet) diameter trunk it is also considered by many to be the broadest tree in the world. The circumference of the trunk is an amazing 54 meters (178 feet) It is over 40 meters (130 feet) high, boasts a foliage diameter of over 51 meters (170 feet), and weighs over 500 tons.

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Bruce Berger is an excellent guide to the Baja. He’s been going there since the mid '60s, having driven the length of the peninsula at least three times when that meant travelling more than 1,000 kilometers of single lane dirt road. One could drive for a day and meet only one other car. And you would never dream of leaving without taking plenty of food, water and gasoline plus whatever extras and spare parts you might need to fix auto problems along the way. read more

Orchid. This sole word conjures up all that is beautiful, exotic, rare. An aura of fascination has always encircled this extraordinary plant family. Its cultivation is considered something esoteri... read more

Chaya plant © Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, 2009 Updated in October, 2009 "Here is a contribution of the unforgettable Maya Indians, whom we have abandoned," is the wistful introd... read more