“The Earth is sick and dying. The lands of the Huichol Indians, hidden high in the remote Sierra Madre mountains of northwestern Mexico, are dying. The forests are shrinking, water is becoming scarce, and the animals are disappearing. “The Huichol Wise man, the Grand Shaman, knows why.” “When the world ends, it will be like […]
Continue ReadingAn earlier column described several Guinness records and their connection to Mexico and Mexicans. This month’s column examines four more very different Guinness records which do not involve quite as much physical activity. In movie images, Mexico is almost invariably associated with cacti and it should, therefore, come as no surprise to find that the […]
Continue ReadingLast month I compared the phases of cross-cultural love to being inside the head of John Malkovich. Forget Being John Malkovich – Being Amy Kirkcaldy This month, only 50 days away from my wedding, my perspective has changed; I don´t think being John Malkovich is crazy enough to describe what I am feeling right now! […]
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The Mexican flag has been changed many, many times over the last 100 years or so: especially around the time of the war for independence. In the years surrounding that period, it was changed and adjusted by most factions in politics at the time. The long list of Mexican flags starts with the Standards of […]
Continue ReadingSemana Santa in Morelia means a vacation at home for me. For one thing, I don’t want to become a statistic by hitting the open road, and for another, I don’t like crowds. But most importantly, I bask in those times when the help are gone and it’s just me and my Doberboys. By Thursday, […]
Continue ReadingPosted by Chez on Marzo 28, 2000 On TV we saw a “Pinyada” I have no idea of the spelling. It was a stuffed shape (rather large) filled with sweets that you hang up and hit till it breaks and the sweets fall out. I have heard this is Mexican? My 6-year-old son thinks it […]
Continue ReadingThe mariachi is believed to have originated in Jalisco, in the area of Cocula and Tecolitlan. So it is fitting that the capital of Jalisco celebrate this quintessential musical tradition, and the annual International Mariachi Festival — begun in 1994 — brings together groups from all over the world. Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, the event includes concerts, […]
Continue ReadingMexico’s pioneering “telesecundaria” or “television secondary school” system began back in 1968. It now provides junior high school classes in remote areas, serving about one million students in grades 7 to 9, 17% of the total nationwide enrolment in these grades. Many of the telesecundaria lessons are now available on the Internet, and before long, […]
Continue ReadingFather Alonso Ponce and Friar Antonio de Ciudad Real were probably Mexico’s first ever tourists. Father Alonso Ponce de León arrived in Veracruz in September 1584 and spent the next five years traveling to every corner of New Spain as Visitor of the Franciscan Provinces. In this time, he visited all 166 Franciscan monasteries in […]
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