With more than 30,000 native flowering plants to choose from, who would have thought that the humble dahlia would become Mexico’s national flower? The earliest known description of the dahlia (known to the Aztecs as acocoxóchitl) comes from the Franciscan friar, Bernardino de Sahagún, who arrived in New Spain in 1529. The Aztec name is believed […]
Continue ReadingMoving to Mexico isn’t a matter of simply relocating to another country with your belongings. No indeedy. Of the many experiences you will have south of the border, the most emphatic will be Cultural Shock. Here are nine suggested steps toward complete recovery from this unavoidable condition: Having lived either full- or part-time in Mexico […]
Continue Reading“Be careful what you wish for,” they say, “you might get it.” That may be true most of the time, but not this time. My son has given me what I wished for — he just married a Mexican girl! Keiko was born and raised in Mexico City to Japanese and Mexican parents. She was […]
Continue ReadingNot that the commercialization of Christmas has totally taken over Mexico, but it seems that Santa and Rudolph might be slowly gaining over the Holy Family and the Three Kings. Once upon a time, there were precious few images of Santa Claus in Mexico, and Gene Autry’s rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer” was […]
Continue ReadingWhen expatriates leave their homes in Mexico to visit their places of birth, they sometimes playfully refer to their original country as ” Gringolandia.” Where, I wondered, did the word “gringo“ come from anyway? Why, for example, are we not called “Yankees” by the Mexicans, as we are in other countries? One of the main differences appears to […]
Continue ReadingA pair of old friends from New York dropped in to see me for a couple of days. First thing I have to tell you is that we hadn’t seen each other in over twenty years. Second thing is that they thought my having lived in Mexico for four years while still maintaining a home […]
Continue ReadingAt the turn of the 20th century, a scandal erupted in Mexico City. It was called “The Famous 41,” and occurred on November 17, 1901. Police raided a private party on La Paz Street and arrested 41 men, half of whom were dressed as women. Talk about frilly frocks on burly frames, I’ve seen wounds […]
Continue ReadingMexicans are lining up on the south side of the Rio Grande and North Americans are lining up on the north side, each group of citizens looking for something from the other. For the North Americans, it’s a keep-out mindset and, for the Mexicans, it’s a let-us-in mindset. If you ask me, they are all […]
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In a magazine interview, I was asked who had the most beautiful face of all time. I unhesitatingly answered, “Dolores Del Rio.” Not Garbo, Dietrich, or Elizabeth Taylor can compare with Dolores Del Rio. Though only five foot three inches in height, Dolores del Rio appeared to be tall on cinema screens all over the […]
Continue ReadingThere was a time in history when Mexico was accused by a U.S. NAFTA-opposed politician of making “giant sucking sounds.” Well, folks, the giant noises coming from Mexico today are not giant sucking sounds, they are giant rumbling sounds, and they’re coming from the Mexican Army convoy driving north to help the U.S. in its […]
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