Sitting in California, Old Mexico, in July 1996, I realize how much of my time is wasted dealing with borders, particularly the one between here and the Old Country (Pictured is a fruit stand on the ro... read more

There's nothing like leaving home to help a person see things a new way. Traveling from my home in Oaxaca to the U.S. in the spring of 1996 provided exactly such an experience (Pictured is a performance artist doing her thing on the plaza in front of the Cathedral.). read more

When I wrote "Getting And Giving Back", in the spring of 1996, I had no idea that I would be meeting Gerardo a few weeks later. (This statue is in the ex-convent in Cuilapan, near Oaxaca.) Photogr... read more

The church in Ocotlan de Morelos, near Oaxaca, that artist Rodolfo Morales had restored as a gift to his community. Photography by Diana Ricci Much of Mexico is poverty-stricken, but only in economic... read more

An Easter pageant in Tlacolula, near Oaxaca. Photography by Diana Ricci We're out of here! Our bags are almost packed, except for a few last minute gifts for the kids and the grandkids. Arrangements ... read more

The panteon (cemetery) in San Felipe del Agua, a suburb of Oaxaca, decorated for Day of the Dead. Photography by Diana Ricci All my life, I have been a coward about death and dying. It's all so unsan... read more

This is a love song and a lament. Ojala (it should only be), I'll sing it every spring for many years to come. Photography by Diana Ricci Springtime has come to Oaxaca. The jacaranda trees are in ful... read more

After this was written, the federal agency in charge of the Pemex sales withdrew all offers and returned all bids. This was a dramatic demonstration of how little support neoliberalism has among the pe... read more

Travel guide books are good to have, and I have many. Still, they do have their faults. This was written after an intense, 2,000 mile, 2 week trip through the Mexican part of the Ruta Maya. (Pictured a... read more

It's not a new story: the U.S. government, and the business interests it represents, lend "counterterrorist" or "countersmuggler" aid to a Latin American government, and the "aid", which happens to loo... read more

Here's a slice from a decades-long sausage of U.S. interference and bumbling diplomacy when it comes to Mexico, written in 1996. "Alas, poor Mexico", the saying goes, "so far from God and so close to t... read more

Expatriates, especially "older" folks, are often without families. Those with families "back there" can get a little wistful during the Holidays, too. (Pictured is a Day of the Dead figure of wire, pap... read more

This is a tale of one festival, two celebrations, and three women. It is my longest article. (Pictured are women from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec parading in Oaxaca.) Photography by Diana Ricci In mid... read more

Perhaps one of the most "dated" of my articles, I also count it among my most prophetic. The debtors movement continued to grow. As of this writing, they remain the Mexican middle class's most powerful... read more

Since I started printing my articles on the World Wide Web, I have received many letters. Some have been critical, some flattering; some seeking and some offering information; some expressing fear for ... read more

This story is over 500 years old, and as up to the minute as tomorrow. Next Columbus day add another year, change a few details, and it will still be fresh. (Pictured is a Mayan house in the Yucatan.) ... read more

I'm no economist, but I knew what people were saying: that things were getting worse for them, and for their families and friends. In 1995, Mexico appeared to remain a great place for a smart foreign i... read more

This was written in early 1996. In March of 1996, under intense pressure from his own party, Governor Figueroa stepped down. (Pictured is a teacher's union march going by the Governor's official reside... read more

If a prophet is not without honor save in his own country, becoming an expatriate is doubly dishonorable. Photography by Diana Ricci Being an expatriate is like being a heretic. Your old coreligionis... read more

Nobody loves a circus more than the average Mexican; and nobody needs bread more... This story was written in 1995. (Pictured is one of the Radish Festival exhibits.) Photography by Diana Ricci On Se... read more

Showing amazing sticking power and protected by their "respectability" and urban savvy, the Barzonistas continue to be a major voice in the national clamor for reform. (Pictured is a Barzon-sponsored t... read more

Working under the guns of the Mexican army, the Zapatistas, like many indigenous movements before them, struggle to survive with dignity and in peace. To this end, they have tried to involve a broad ba... read more

These Monarchs were snapped by a young entrepreneur who walked around with a fistful of copies of different photos, gleefully selling to Gringos like us who, even though we had our own camera, lacked c... read more

Technology is changing the face of Mexico. As in the U.S., the new technologies manifest themselves in strange and unpredictable ways; and affect the political landscape with outcomes which are alterna... read more

Every once in awhile, I write a piece that doesn't seem to go out of currency. This unfortunately is one of them. (The photo shows part of a children's drawing contest for Day of the Dead.) Photography... read more