The Meseta Purepecha
This guide takes you through the highways and backroads of Michoacán, where time seems to have stopped amid the jewels of colonial architecture and life in the Meseta Purépecha. Michoacán is history, culture, tradition, customs, fairs, fiestas, dances, music, arts and crafts, cuisine, architecture, archaeology, and diverse natural beauty. The Meseta Purépecha is the best example of what makes up Michoacán, and that's why Michoacán is the soul of Mexico.
read moreA tourist's guide to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas part 3
By now, I’m assuming you are finally here, settled into your hotel, refreshed and unpacked. Let’s begin our tour right away, because it will actually take more than three days to see and enjoy ever...
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A tourist's guide to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas part 2
Now that you've decided to visit Tuxtla Gutierrex, let me give you some information about the climate here and what type of clothing you will need to pack for your visit.
The city of T...
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A tourist's guide to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas part 1
Sometimes, due to business commitments or transportation snags, we find ourselves in a not-planned-for place. Tuxtla Gutierrez is thought of by many as such place. Indeed, most travelers in Mexico go â...
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The rise and almost fall of the hot dog in Mexico
In 1943 a couple of young American entrepreneurs attending a bullfight in Mexico and observing the crowd that filled the stadium, hit on the idea that they could become millionaires by introducing the ...
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A peon ponders the equality of life
For the second year in a row it was a time of drought in Mexico. At the time of year when the life-giving rains should have been falling each day, they had come and gone, dropping just enough moisture ...
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Indigenous Mexico: an overview
The Republic of Mexico is a very large country, boasting a total area of almost 1,978,000 square kilometers (760,000 square miles) and a population of 103,400,165 (July 2002 estimate). With its central...
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Walking the walk, talking the talk - Mexican-moon-mother? La Llorona
Sooner or later, everyone in Mexico encounters La Llorona, The Woman Who Wails. It is known that stories about La Llorona dated back to the time of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico. Some sa...
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Walking the walk, talking the talk - Fiesta de Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta
Felipe Avila handed me his burning candle, converting me from spectator to pilgrim in the Fiesta de Guadalupe!
My arrival in Puerto Vallarta coincided with the beginning of the weeklong Fiesta de Guad...
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Walking the walk, talking the talk - a taste for dichos
O.K. I admit it! I love 'dichos' (sayings or proverbs). Not, 'nachos' or 'ponchos', but dichos! Yes, those little nuggets of folk wisdom distilled down through generations of wise ...
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Walking the walk, talking the talk - San Patricio/Melaque revisited
Five years ago, I visited the Mexican sea-side resort of San Patricio (Melaque), Jalisco. I arrived with my family and small trailer to join an amiable colony of recreation vehicle campers at the free ...
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Mexican espectaculos, or rodeo-type shows, a mini-series. the introduction.
Series Index
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 l...
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Colima: City of the Palms
Palm trees reach towards the sky above the plaza. Water gushes from a swan-shaped fountain. Flowers bloom profusely. A banner above the bandstand declares February a month of 'Love and Friendship' in C...
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Communicating across cultures
ICEBERGS
CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE
HIGH- AND LOW-CONTEXT CULTURES
WHAT HAPPENED?
A VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAK...
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Stitching a story
HAD I CLOSED MY EYES and only listened I would have known most of the characters that passed by my balcony in a daily parade. Early each morning the swish, swish of straw hitting pavement told me Maria...
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A Zapotec funeral, Oaxaca, Mexico
"Would you like to carry the casket?"
I blinked vacantly, thinking perhaps the 104-degree heat was melting my brain-or maybe my shaky Spanish was failing me (that seemed more likely). "¿Como?" I...
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Identity narratives by American and Canadian retirees in Mexico
Overview (by Tony Burton):
Banks lived in the area for a couple of months (October and November) in 2002, and had a follow-up visit the next year. He recorded 26 in-depth interviews (1.5 ...
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Mexico's immigrant communities ... on the web
Last month's column about migration generated quite a few emails. As a follow-up, it seemed appropriate to examine the depths of Mexico's racial, cultural and religious diversity by focusing on migrant...
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Tiempo Libre
Highly recommended for travelers and residents alike, Mexico City's weekly entertainment magazine Tiempo Libre (or translated into English as "Free Time") has a polished and reader-friendly website ( ...
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TV Mexico part 2
Earlier in Part 1 we reviewed the major Mexican television networks' presence on the 'Net. This month we pay a visit to cable programmers and ask the simple question - what's on? Surprisingly, most ...
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TV Mexico
For those watching television in Mexico, finding out what's on the tube can be a challenge. Daily newspapers never include 24-hour programming schedules, and many provide only the schedules for the net...
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Living in Timucuy, Yucatan: birth, death and some in-between
The Setting
Curanderismo
The Inhabitants
The Physical and Psychological
Compadrazco
The Beginning
Love Is In the Air
"I Do"
The End of the Game
Works Cited
...
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The Mennonites: a Dutch heritage in Mexico
The diversity of the Mexican population never ceases to amaze me. Whether being in Mexico City, Mazatlan, Oaxaca or Palenque I always admire the beautiful Mexican faces ranging from light to mocha to c...
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The lost tribe
Although, Georg had never designed a city crest before, being a European he was used to a certain amount of pomp and ceremony. How hard could this be?
read moreIt's about (Mexican) time!
Mexican time is not American time. To Americans, Mexican time is usually thought of as tomorrow, but Mañana does not mean tomorrow, as everyone seems to think, no, it just means not right now. ...
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