Seabiscuit Stamped Envelope (44 cents) © United States Postal Service, 2009

US postage stamps and Tijuana, Mexico’s Seabiscuit connection

In 1934 during the depths of the Great Depression, horse trainer Tom Smith was living out of a stall at Mexico’s Agua Caliente racetrack in Tijuana. Flat broke, Smith shared the stall with Noble Threewit, who trained horses for a friend of Charles Howard. Howard was seeking a trainer for his new horse, Seabiscuit, a […]

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Charreria

A Companion Guide to La Charreada

Mexico has its own version of the rodeo called la charreada. This basic guide is designed to enhance the enjoyment of the competition for those unfamiliar with Mexico’s national sport by offering a brief introduction to the traditional horsemanship skills that will be displayed by the charros (horsemen). The keyhole-shaped lienzo charro (arena) comprises two main areas. The first […]

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Arena For Charreria Championship

Famed Singer Bankrolls State-of-the-art Arena For Charreria Championship

Motorists traveling recently along the Guadalajara-Chapala highway may have been puzzled by what looks like the structural foundations of a mighty cathedral rising up near the roadway between the airport and the Cajititlan turn-off. The towering tangle of iron girders is in fact the framework for what will soon turn into a temple for Mexico’s […]

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The Paseo de Muerte is considered the most breath-taking of Charreada events. Photography by Gilbert W. Kelner. © 2000

Mexican espectaculos, or rodeo-type shows, a mini-series. the introduction.

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 like lace? With these questions I return again and again to Mexico. Invited to sit “down at the table,” I’m gradually getting to know the people […]

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El Señor. ¡Muy Guapo! Photography by Wendy Devlin. © 2000

Receiving end of a Mexican rodeo:Recibimiento a las fiestas taurinas

Young people paraded through the village plaza, singing and dancing. In large letters against a white background their banner proclaimed: Las Fiestas Taurinas, Los Ingenios, Diciembre 17, Sabado, 2:00 P.M. Most bystander heads swung their way, proving the effectiveness of Mexican-style public announcements. All this hoopla guaranteed that somewhere, a good time was coming soon. Las […]

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