Coyote doesn’t offer a word to guide us through this mysterious and arduous process. He leaves us to our own world, to our private vision quest. The sweltering heat of the lodge is suffocating. Sweat drips from my body and mixes with the earth I sit on, creating mud. The amber necklace I’m wearing begins […]
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Originally from Boulder, Colorado, I have lived in Xalapa, Veracruz, for the last 27 years. Xalapa (hah-LAH-pah) is truly the place of my dreams. Nestled in lush coffee growing hills, with a micro climate averaging 68° F (20° C) year-round, it’s the capital of the Gulf of Mexico state of Veracruz. Xalapa comes from the […]
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“There is a sensitive filament in our beings, which responds to Mexican music…. To the sight of a horse well ridden, to the spectacle of a bull skillfully lassoed…. All of us, absolutely all of us, share the national feeling for horsemanship.” José Alvarez del Villar Bill, my husband, answered the phone and handed it […]
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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 like lace? With these questions I return again and again to Mexico. Invited to sit “down at the table,” I’m gradually getting to know the people […]
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For the Soteno brethren of Metepec in the State of Mexico, creating the sculptures known as árboles de la vida (trees of life) is more than an art form – it is a family tradition. It all began in the 1930s, when Modesta Fernández – wife of Darío Soteno – began making clay sculptures. According to her […]
Continue ReadingEn México, hace mucho calor durante el mes de abril, y mientras muchas personas deciden pasar este tiempo en la playa, muchos otros prefieren explorar las hermosas ciudades coloniales. Una que cuenta con arquitectura impresionante es Aguascalientes, que tiene sus orígenes en la colonización de los españoles. La ciudad tiene 400 años de ser fundada […]
Continue ReadingHace muchos años, en una de mis primeras visitas a los Estados Unidos, tuve la oportunidad de asistir a una fiesta más o menos formal, organizada en honor de alguna de las personalidades de la pequeña ciudad del Medio Oeste en la que me encontraba. Recuerdo que recibí invitación impresa y toda la cosa, y […]
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Those who enter La Casa de la Cultura de Tulum during the month of March will find themselves face-to-face with the vibrant and complex culture of the Huichol people. The exhibit presents a rare opportunity for those residing in or visiting the southeastern city of Tulum to learn about Huichol culture, as it is seldom […]
Continue ReadingEfren Gonzalez was born and raised in Ajijic, a student of the Santos Degollado Secondary School, at the top of Encarnacion Rosas. Never did the artist dream he would be the painter commissioned to adorn the huge wall facing the main entrance. The town of Chapala agreed to pay 1500 pesos, hardly the cost of […]
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This month’s cover is a digital photo of papier-mâché chili peppers taken in Ajijic. These strings of papier-mâché items are known as ristras and are just one of several Mexican paper, art forms. Typically, ristras are fruit, vegetables, garlic, birds and other animals. Paper crafts have a long history in this country. Everywhere you look there are paper articles […]
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