Magnificent Maya ruins in Mexico
The Magic Circle: Mexico's five ecosystems meet around Guadalajara
For a while I've been asking myself how it's possible that I keep finding new natural wonders to write about after 25 years of living near Guadalajara. So, one day I sat down with a map and drew a circ...
read more
Did you know? Mexico's ancient astronomers had sophisticated calendars
Several ancient civilizations developed astonishingly accurate calendars. Even so, occasional adjustments were needed to bring the calendar back in line with solar events. Archaeologists studying the s...
read more
Did you know? Mayan architects built world's oldest sound recordings
The Pyramid of Kukulkan, Chichen Itza
Photo by Tony Burton
Modern sound recordings usually involve tiny disks which can hold dozens of tracks, specially designed to be easily portable an...
read more
Hats off to Sombrerete in the state of Zacatecas
Several small towns in northern Mexico offer a welcome respite and interesting overnight stop for tourists bored by the long and monotonous stretches of desert driving on their way south. One such dest...
read more
Did you know? Mexico has five of the world's most endangered heritage sites
Five places in Mexico are on the list of the world's 100 most endangered heritage sites.
"The World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the foremost private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation o...
read more
Ruins in the rain forest: An excursion to La Selva Lacandona
Many visitors in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, realize that the quaint mountain town, aside from being a destination in itself, is a perfect jumping-off point for dozens of side-trips. Surround...
read more
Excavating Mexico's archaeology: web sites
Sorting through the rubble, archaeologists work to piece together Mexico's impressive history, and new discoveries are made all the time. For example, at the end of last year a tomb beneath Teotihuacá...
read more
Mexico, a Higher Vision: Excerpts from the Prologue by Carlos Fuentes
To see Mexico from the air is to look upon the face of creation. Our everyday, earthbound vision takes flight and is transformed into a vision of the elements. This book is a portrait of water and fire, of wind and earthquake, of the moon and the sun. For it is we - you and I - who see and touch and smell and taste and feel today, even as we witness the perpetual rebirth of the land here and now. We are the witnesses to creation, because of the mountains that watch us and in spite of their warning: "we will endure, you will not."
read more
Paquime: Casas Grandes, Chihuahua
Paquimé, sometimes called Casas Grandes, is probably the most important ruin in Northern Mexico. It was the center of trade and activity for a large area during it's peak. The period of maximum const...
read more
Central Valley of Oaxaca: Oaxaca city, Monte Alban
Clickable interactive map of Central Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico: Oaxaca city, Monte Alban
read more
Mexico, a Higher Vision: An Aerial Journey from Past to Present by Michael Calderwood
This is the first coffee-table book I ever reviewed and I have to say right off the bat that it's a winner. It is made up of some 200 photographs from all parts of Mexico - all of them taken from a high elevation, either an aircraft or mountaintop or, occasionally, a tall building. At first it sounds like a rather limited concept but in execution the "godlike" perspective works beautifully to highlight the uniqueness of this country. What this handsome volume delivers is a treasure trove of striking views of deserts, cities, villages, volcanoes, mountain ranges, desolate beaches, crowded beaches, jungles, individual buildings and other striking images. We look down on huge elaborate temple ruins in the midst of lush jungle or on abandoned haciendas in arid desert country, as well as on vast populated modern cities and luxury resorts.
read more
Rolfe Schell at the gates of Tulum
"The great landscapes all belong to a tomorrow we have already lived."
Fernando Pessoa, Livro do Desassossego
I collect old books. There's no more fun for me than to forage through secondh...
read more
Chihuahua: on the trail of Pancho Villa, Mormons, Mennonites, waterfalls and turkeys...
Click for interactive map
"Ay Chihuahua!"
Have you ever heard this time-honored phrase of amazement uttered by some dumbstruck or exasperated Mexican? Whatever its origins, it is p...
read more
A day in Oaxaca = Two thousand years: Monte Alban and the Zimatlan Valley.
(Part 1: The America's Oldest Urban Center)
Having reached Monte Alban and entered the site, on your right as you stand at the corner of the main plaza is the North Platform, the site of th...
read more
A day in Oaxaca = Two thousand years: The Americas' oldest urban centre.
The warm afternoon breeze wafts a gentle mist of dust across the floor of the Oaxaca valley and into Oaxaca city, softening the colonial patina of the richly carved, 300-year-old cathedral. The dust is...
read more
Guadalajara and the Iztepete archeological site
Very few visitors to Guadalajara and, indeed, only a minority of Tapatios (Guadalajara residents), realize that several ancient pyramids, built more than a thousand years ago, still stand in silent pri...
read more
The great pyramids of Teotihuacan, Mexico: Place of the gods
Teotihuacan is one of the major tourist attractions in Mexico City — a place that’s full of attractions. I urge you to go. It’s easy to get to. There are decent eating places out there and lots to see and do. There’s a museum and a cultural center and plenty of places to buy souvenirs. And if you’re feeling energetic, try the climb up to the top of either pyramid.
read more
The Oaxaca Valley: A week's adventures in a single day
Of all the thousands of possible day-trips from tourist centers in Mexico, perhaps none is as varied, educational, beautiful and just plain fun as that along the eastern part of the Valley of Oaxaca. O...
read more