Days of Obligation: An Argument with my Mexican Father by Richard Rodriguez
Richard Rodriguez is the son of Mexican parents but was born in California. He sounds as though he understands Spanish but admits he doesn't speak it fluently. I definitely found Rodriguez to be a very provocative writer.
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A Chance to See Egypt by Sandra Scofield
My spies tell me that author Scofield used to live in Ajijic and that Lago de Luz, the setting for her novel, is in fact Ajijic. If so, here’s her description of the village: "Lago de Luz, on the altiplano far from the sea, where it is neither hot nor cold, boasts no buildings higher than two stories, and no slick discos. It is rather a sleepy place, swollen on weekends when musicians and vendors make the plaza festive for the tourists in from the nearby city. Resident Americans and Canadians make their own social life in their suburban enclaves and trailer parks, their apartments and houses, halls and meeting rooms. The Lakeside Society is the hub of activity, the place where everyone crosses, but there are many diversions: Elk Clubs, Rotarians, Veterans Clubs, Red Cross and all the interest groups, for cards and dominoes and self-improvement. "
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A mother and teenage son travel the Yucatan
In March 1998, when Andrew was 15 years old, we took our Mayan trip together. I decided to take him for that month, because his small school in Anchorage, Alaska, was going to the Galapagos Islands, an...
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Baseball In Guanajuato
Judy pounds on my bedroom door, waking me from a very sound sleep. After all, it's only 7 a.m.
"Yeah." I say.
"There's a scorpion in the bathroom."
Silence.
"Jim!"
"So kill it."
"Killing scorpion...
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Juanote
Known affectionately as "Juanote" (Big John) to the inhabitants of Xalapa, Juan Herrera Vasquez ( 1924-1989) was a unique personality who was a humble cargador (mover), just as his father was, y...
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The bullfight and Cantinflas
A bullfight? I flinched at the thought. Earlier during the week, I'd jumped at my young friend's invitations to enjoy all events at La Fiesta de Virgen de Guadalupe. But now, visions of bloody bulls prompted my swift reply, "No! Gracias."
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Church spires guide us through Guadalajara
We were snapping wedding photos in the atrium of the church - that's the big square in front of old Mexican churches where the Indians gathered to hear Mass - when the "next" bride and her wedding part...
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Is Cancun plastic?
(Photographs by Faera Siegel ©2000)
When I tell my media friends that I am writing a book called "The Real Mexico", they invariably act a bit dumbfounded and frequently ask how I can possibly know an...
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Return To Tzintzuntzan
I was bored. That’s not easy in Mexico, but all Mary and I had been doing for the past month was setting up our household, so I had started to agitate for a road trip. We had taken one small trip to ...
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Receiving end of a Mexican rodeo:Recibimiento a las fiestas taurinas
Introduction to the Series
Part I Part 3 Part 4
Young people paraded through the village plaza, singing and dancing. In large letters against a white background their banne...
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Mexico's Cemex story
There are stranger places to see
the latest in complexity theory in action,
but delivering cement in Mexico
is a pretty good start.
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Here's how the cement business w...
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Charreada in Guadalajara
Introduction to the Series
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4
In rural Canada, I live close to the land and to a farming lifestyle that was once traditional. Therefore, when I’m in Mexico th...
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There's a Word for It in Mexico
Here's a nifty idea for a book for both Spanish language students and for people interested in Mexico. Author De Mente has found an effective way to reach both groups with a volume that takes a studious and careful look at 130 key words in Spanish and has written a couple of pages on each one. In the process, the reader is treated to a variety of knowledgeable tours through Mexican history and sociology and customs that would be hard to find elsewhere.
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Comments on book reviews of Travel Advisory
Although no writer likes to feel that he or she has been read carelessly, or misread entirely, it's a dubious proposition for any of us to respond to any negative criticism that our books have received...
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Mexico City Memories
There is absolutely no place in this world or any other quite like Mexico City. I don't quite understand why so many people avoid it. One of these days, whenever I can get together enough money or land...
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Holding on to the dream in Cancun
First published in The London Observer/Guardian Foreign News Service Jan. 17, 2000
Anita Brown (my beautiful bride these twenty-two years) met a lady from Littleton, Colorado, on the way to downtown C...
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On becoming a statistic: A story of two children in a Oaxaca hospital
(Originally published in somewhat different form in The Mexico City News, November, 1982)
Eli was sick a lot in Oaxaca. The air of the city of Oaxaca in those days was fecalized. Many people there sti...
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Cancun today: An interview with Jules Siegel
Cancun may very well be plastic, but I assure you that this is the real Mexico, the Mexico of today and the future, clicking and popping and exploding with positive energy, not the dusty old Dos Amigos version with silly sombreros and adobe houses.
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Traveling alone in Mexico: An interview with Ellen Mcdonough
As much as I enjoy traveling with others, there are many perks to traveling alone that make the trip a much more profound experience.
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Drinking Tequila In Tequila
One day Mary and I decided to go to the nearby town of Tequila where, of course, they make tequila. There’s a train you can take from Guadalajara to Tequila on Saturdays. Lots of tourists do this. Iâ...
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Essential plants in the Mexican household: Limon, papaya and sabila
Copyright © 2000 by Maria Elena. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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There are three plants that are an essential part of the Mexican household, limon [lime, not lemon], papaya, and the trus...
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A tourist's guide to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas: Three days of sightseeing
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 wee malarkey about Melaque, a beach town on the Mexican Pacific
San Patricio/Melaque, on the Pacific Coast of Jalisco draws its name from Saint Patrick. Legend goes that Saint Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland and drove out all the snakes to boot. Locals say ...
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Mexico Travelers' Tales
This is one of the really superior anthologies of articles and stories about Mexico. It's made up of some 48 items about the country taken from a wide variety of sources. And they're almost all interesting. The topics cover the gamut of attractions and delights from a dissertation on mariachis to Carlos Fuentes' essay on Mexico City's main square.
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A tourist's guide to Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas: What, how and where?
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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