Piña colada time at Isla de Ixtapa © 2020 Jane Simon Ammeson

Pangas and piña coladas: a laid-back lunch on Isla de Ixtapa, Guerrero

Greg knows the old way—or so he says—but all I can see is an empty stretch of sand and water where the southern tip of Playa Quieta ends at a rocky outcropping of rocks jutting out into the Bahia de Palmar. When I lived here, he explains, this is where we caught the pangas going […]

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The Bijou, docked at Punto Morelos, Quintana Roo © Roger Cunningham, 200o

Ask an old gringo about Mexico economy, Guerrero recovery, anchovy gelato and Yescka

It appears much of the world is very interested in Mexico. A surprising number of Mexconnect readers asked the old gringo about the economy, reforms, boats, Guerrero recovery, Michaocan dangers — and hospitality. Some questions are far out. One asked about anchovy gelato. Another asked about Yescka. That got my undivided attention. Question: I was reading […]

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Vicente Guerrero: A study in triumph and tragedy (1782–1831)

Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was the second president of Mexico and the first to come from las clases populares (the “popular” classes), which in Spanish is a euphemism for an individual of peasant or working class background. This circumstance of birth is important because it would have a decisive effect on both Guerrero’s life and death. Born […]

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The Amuzgo people of Mexico's Costa Chica

Mexico’s Black heritage: the Costa Chica of Guerrero and Oaxaca

The Costa Chica (“Short Coast” in Spanish) is one of two regions in Mexico with significant Black communities, the other being the state of Veracruz on the Gulf coast. The Costa Chica is a 200-mile-long coastal region beginning just southeast of Acapulco, Guerrero, and ending near the town of Puerto Angel, Oaxaca. The shaded area […]

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Cacahuamilpa Caverns, Guerrero – Grutas de Cacahuamilpa

The Cacahuamilpa Caverns (Grutas de Cacahuamilpa) in the state of Guerrero have attracted curious visitors for several centuries and were the first major cave system in Mexico to be opened up for regular tourism. In the early days of tourism, the Cacahuamilpa Caverns near Taxco (Guerrero) were a popular place to visit. The English traveler […]

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Zihuatanejo © 2023 Jane Simon Ammeson

Relax for the day in picture-perfect Zihuatanejo

We take the coastal road south as it winds through the tree-covered Sierra Madre del Sur mountains and past vistas of the blue waters of the Pacific far below, traveling to Zihuatanejo, pronounced Zi-Wat-En-Ay-O, as anyone who has ever heard the song of the same name knows. Often called Zihua for short, the name comes […]

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