Author Oster's portraits make this an excellent account of a timeless and yet changing Mexico. His approach is to focus on twenty varied individuals and use them as a reason to discuss the larger issues they represent. read more

Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make ollas, eart... read more

Are you curious about the title? I thought I'd share my last month with you. Two of my lifetime friends came down for a visit. They stayed ten days and we took a four-day whirlwind tour through Patzcua... read more

Posted by alex in TJ on October 27, 1999 I noted a post by Jeff P. that calls out a very high literacy rate in Mexico. My personal observations confirm this: Mexicans who come from places that are... read more

As a home-based working mother I recently found myself faced with an annual quandary: how to keep my two restless pre-teens entertained over their summer holiday and simultaneously squeeze some quality... read more

One of my readers asked me to talk about bugs and diseases. These are simply my experiences or observations and they apply to the Chapala/Ajijic lakeside area south of Guadalajara. I'm sure different p... read more

Last month, my friend and I drove my Mazda MX6 back to California (yes, my third driving trip), so my son could sell the car for me. Other than illegal means, I had exhausted possibilities for selling ... read more

On Monday, I took two friends with me to Guadalajara. My doctor gave me the address of a female Ob/Gyn who spoke English. It had been three years since I'd seen one and knew it was time for a mammogram... read more

Sayula After having read an article in the local Guadalajara Reporter by a man who retired in Sayula, some friends and I decided to check it out. It's a nice-sized town with a population of about 200,... read more

Mexico Living and Travel © 1994 by Jean and John D. Bryant, Mexico Retirement and Travel Assistance, P.O. Box 2190-23, Pahrump, NV 89041-2190. ISBN 1-878061-01-1. $29.95 The Bryants are veteran ... read more

Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make ollas, eart... read more

Valentine's Day brought me face-to-face with the shady 'lady' hidden in Acapulco. Not only did I meet the 'lady'; I was mistaken for her! Acapulco is one of Mexico's oldest coastal tourist destination... read more

" Mexicans prize the individuality and the intellectual and emotional uniqueness of each person. They regard the innate alma or "spirit" of the individual as the most important of all human qualities a... read more

Anyone interested in purchasing land Lakeside has watched the prices skyrocket over the last two years. It's next to impossible to find single lots because the contractors are buying open land, subdivi... read more

Work Permits: Advice from an old hat   By Julie Black © 1999 All Rights Reserved. Ask no more. Yes, foreigners can legally work in Mexico, for any length of time, provided they obtain the required... read more

This is an e-mail I received from Steve in Montana. He's given me permission to share it with you and I hope it will touch you in the same way it has me: Dear Blue, I have just concluded a wonderful ... read more

This is a very useful book for explaining Mexicans to the rest of us North Americans. Professor Heusinkveld has set out to cover Mexican attitudes to business relationships, social interactions, culture, customs and values and has largely succeeded in describing our neighbors in understandable ways. I would like to have read "Inside Mexico" four years ago when we first came here to live. However, perhaps it's only now, after four years' experience in the country, that I can really appreciate the people. read more

M - Money, Medicine and Maids Most expats here keep the majority of their money in Canada or the States; however, because of the recent peso devaluation, interest rates are high in the bank--33% last ... read more

These next two columns will share some dubious gems of wisdom, organized alphabetically. My editor (are you listening, David?), limits the number of words for each column, so you'll have to wait until ... read more

PASSION: According to the Random House College Dictionary it is "any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling." It is further defined as "a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm or desire for any... read more

I'm sitting behind a small desk in the English department of a Ciudad Juárez politécnico - a sort of combination senior vocational high school cum junior college - across the Rio Grande from E... read more

"When I walked into the museum and saw my ceramic sitting there beside the plaque for the Galardón, I was astonished. I had had no idea I had been awarded the Grand Prize." José Quezada sat with his ... read more

The graceful 18th century Parroquia de San Andrés, is not only Ajijic's chief landmark, but also the hub around which village life revolves. It is the focal point for those important milestones that b... read more

Immersed in the history of art and literature, weaved into the superstitions of the collective consciousness, and illumined by the silver screens of cinema, the Wild Man paradoxically basks in the ligh... read more

Juan Mata Ortíz is a small village of potters, farmers and cowboys in Northern Chihuahua. About 30 years ago, an unschooled artistic genius, Juan Quezada, taught himself how to make earthenware jars i... read more