As we strive to live up the incredibly high standards he set for this website, we remember all the good times we shared in the old days—from hand coding thousands of articles and images to animated discussions about design, layout and organization of content.

David was always looking forward, full of ideas that were way ahead of their time. His wise and guiding hand ensured that MexConnect became the world’s leading and most respected English-language online magazine about Mexico. In his honor, we will do whatever is needed to ensure that it remains so.

• MexConnect – The next twenty years (includes the story of the founding of MexConnect)
• In memoriam: David McLaughlin, founder and CEO of MexConnect
• Our Day of the Dead Tribute to David McLaughlin, this site’s founder

See all articles by David

The post April 17th: David McLaughlin Day appeared first on MexConnect.

Back in 2005, David published his own, very personal, and very interesting take on Day of the Dead:

• Day of the Dead – A Celebration

Sadly, David knew all about loss from his own tragic experiences in life: he lost a teenage son, killed in an accident, and two women he truly loved to debilitating illnesses. But David refused to let anything diminish his enthusiasm for life or quench his thirst for knowledge. He was an amazingly talented man in so many ways and a good friend to all. David, we miss you.

• In memoriam: David McLaughlin, founder and CEO of MexConnect.

Our resource page with links to dozens of articles related to Day of the Dead:

• Mexico’s Day of the Dead – resource page

The post Our Day of the Dead Tribute to David McLaughlin, this site’s founder appeared first on MexConnect.

Dear Rolly,

You have been a bright light for many thousands of people over the years and on February 25^th,  2015, your light dimmed on this plane and began to shine brightly in the next.

For myself, I am sad.

I am sad that even though we talked on the telephone sometimes and exchanged emails and I felt I knew you, I never had the privilege of meeting you.

I am sad that when you left this world, we all lost your heart-fullness, your willingness to share, your intelligence and humour and your deep love and knowledge of Mexico, her people and her lore.

I am sad that the Mexconnect Forums will no longer have your gentle hand on the wheel, assisting, guiding, gently admonishing and ensuring that the Forums were an informative and safe place to interact. You were truly the voice of MexConnect and brought an integrity and well-reasoned personality to the forums that fostered a community that you were proud of. Despite the occasional “out there” presence, you managed the energy of the posters in a gentle and informative way that has been and will continue to be exemplary for all of us.

We knew you through your generosity of spirit in helping so many people with their questions and confusions.

We knew you through your wonderful blog on various aspects of Mexico that interested you – especially food. (https://rollybrook.com/my_blog.htm)

We knew you through the incredibly informative web site that you lovingly and gracefully and with full integrity published for the education and entertainment of all. And yes, Mexconnect will continue to keep your site hosted on the Mexconnect servers – as promised. (https://rollybrook.com/)

We knew you for the people who became ex-pats now living in Mexico – well prepared thanks to you.

We knew you through your devotion to and sheer pleasure at being with your students most of whom became successful graduates and then professionals in their sphere of interest. (https://rollybrook.com/english_students.htm)

We knew you through your wonderful 2009 book that you co-authored with Carol Schmidt and Norma Hair which gave you such pleasure to publish and us such quality information about “Moving To Mexico”.

Rolly, dear friend, your light may have passed from this realm, true. However all the love, respect and gratitude flowing to you from all of us will surely make your new light blinding in its intensity and purity.

We loved you Rolly and we still do.

The people of Mexconnect;

David McLaughlin, Tony Burton, Carol Wheeler and all the Moderators

Published or Updated on: February 26, 2015 by David McLaughlin © 2015

The post Rolly Brook 1931 – 2015 appeared first on MexConnect.

Rituals and traditions can provide a sense of place and timelessness. They offer us the opportunity of feeling connected to what has gone before and what will continue through the corridors of time. It seems to me that of the three countries in North America, Mexico has developed a culture that has some of the richest and most meaningful rituals. One in particular I have adopted as it gives me much that I did not have when I lived in Canada.

As happens to all of us, I have reached that age where death of loved ones and friends is a too often occurrence. Many of these deaths happened while I was living in Canada, and yes, the rituals of burial and memorial services were powerful in helping me work through the process of grieving their deaths and my losses. But after that was over, and the usual “time for grieving” had passed, there was nothing in my society that actively supported my continuing relationship to and feelings about these loved people who were no longer alive. Certainly they were gone, but my memory of them, of their lives, and of my life with them continued. The cultural expectation was that I dealt with all of this on my own, privately. So I did, but I never really felt that my process of doing so was finished.

As many do when they first move to Mexico, I experienced the Day of the Dead as a fascinating Mexican ritual. Wasn’t it wonderful how families in Mexico got together at this time of year? The practices that went with the event were curious and appeared to be fun – sugar skulls with your name on it; chocolate coffins, those skeleton puppets, the papier mache in so many colours and designs. Visiting the pantheons in the afternoon and evening and seeing all this festivity seemed so colourful and quaint – cleaning the grave sites, preparing the food and drink and laying out the personal items and decorations. Yet there was something there for them, for the participants, which I didn’t have and somehow missed.

The next year, I decided to incorporate the rituals associated with the Day of the Dead into my life and home. I discovered that for me, the time leading up to November 1 became a very personal celebration of the life and relationship I had to each person that I was including on the altar I was preparing. As I went through the process of getting photographs out, searching in the tianguis for the right candy skulls and coffins, preparing their favorite foods and drink, I discovered in myself a deep satisfaction and connection with each person and my memory of them.

I began to really understand what the Day of the Dead was all about. It wasn’t the rituals themselves that became meaningful, but rather the connection with each person that the ritual produced. I was not just mourning; I was celebrating who they were in my life and honouring their memory in ways that I had not felt were “OK” before. It is a practice that I look forward to each and every year.

Each November Issue, MexConnect includes an article or two about some aspect of the Day of the Dead in Mexico. This year we have chosen to honour two of our authors who died over the last two years and to celebrate their contributions to MexConnect. Shep Lenchek and Jim Tuck were two of the original supporters of and contributors to MexConnect. They were passionate in their love of Mexico and it shows in their writings. Each of them saw Mexico from a unique vantage point and their insights will always be available to us.

I could share these two strong personalities with you by writing an epitaph or biography; however I could never recreate them for you in a way that was meaningful beyond a description. What they each gave MexConnect and to me was a sense of energy and love for Mexico that was unique and gifted. The best I can do is prepare you for reading their articles and when you do, you will develop your own relationship with each man. I promise you, they will become part of your own pantheon of people who have given you insights into understanding this wonderful country and her people

Jim Tuck approached his Mexico with a particular love of history that was strongly coloured by his political and social beliefs. His articles on the various periods of Mexico’s development and the significant individuals who played a part in creating those times provides a perspective that is quite different from the traditional presentation of History. His writings were helpful to me in that he related Mexico’s story to events and people in the rest of the world in a way that allowed me to develop a more universal perspective of my adopted country. Reading Jim’s words will tell you more about who he was than I ever could.

Shep Lenchek’s love of Mexico came from a different place than Jim Tuck’s. For Shep, Mexico was its peoples and their stories. Shep loved to take a question about Mexico and then research until he found the passion that motivated the people involved in the story. From Shep I learned to look more deeply into the people and what contributed to their place in Mexico. Shep’s words reveal his passion for life.

So, dear Jim and dear Shep, thank you for being in my life and for making my passion for Mexico so much more deep and rich.

• Discover so much more on the: Day of the Dead Resource page.

The post Day of the Dead – A Celebration appeared first on MexConnect.

General Items

Myths

“What works here ought to work in Mexico.” Not so. You cannot transplant Canadian or US techniques, methods and management styles without adapting them and expect them to work successfully.

“What is new and modern is the most effective.” What is new and effective in one environment, will not automatically work in a different culture and working environment. The same principle holds true between companies with different cultures as much as between countries with different cultures.

“Our management methods are good and the Mexican techniques are bad.” There are many excellent and successful Mexican companies who are distinctly Mexican in their management and techniques. Every culture produces its own dynamics and demands. To operate in a culture or management system, requires patience and understanding of that system. To many outsiders, the Canadian and US management systems seem rude, demeaning, impersonal, uncaring and sacrificial of its people. It all depends upon what one is used to.

“The Mexican is lazy, nothing gets done.” Wrong. The Mexican is in fact, very industrious. When it is time to work, they work. When it is time to play, they don’t work. Their sense of immediacy is not the same as we adhere to in Canada and the US. Things will get done. Just not necessarily on your time schedule!

Negotiating or “Getting to Yes?”

For the Mexican, it is always pleasure before business. Developing a personal relationship is extremely important before jumping right in to the reason for the meeting. You will find the atmosphere easy-going and relaxed. If the meeting is at the office of your Mexican associate, he will be a gracious host. The person comes before status and rank. Dignity and preservation of the appearance of integrity is vital. Pulling rank or using caustic or critical comments about or to a person in the room is guaranteed to put a chill on proceedings.

Getting to yes often involves a number of smaller agreements. However, when your Mexican associate isn’t in agreement, he will avoid saying “no” thus avoiding the risk of displeasure and disagreement. Rather, he will say “maybe” or any other equivocating phrase.

Get agreements in writing. An agreement made out of politeness will later be reversed. “Dar largas” or “beating around the bush” is a way of deferring a “yes” that is not committed to. Learn to distinguish between a real yes and a polite yes.

Business Entertaining and Meals

In Mexico, because personal relationships are so important, many business transactions occur during meals. The best times are breakfast (desayuno), or lunch (comida – the main meal of the day, usually between 2:00 and 4:00 pm). Breakfast is the preferred event, often in an medium to expensive place. The purpose is to get to know each other in a more intimate and informal setting, as well as exchange information and do business.

The person inviting, or the person selling usually pays the bill. It is not split.

On occasion you may be invited to your Mexican associate’s home for “cena“, the evening meal. This meal will be eaten between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm. Business is not discussed here. Your host is showing his respect and interest in you by inviting you to his home. Do not insult him and his family by bringing business in the door with you. Business is only concluded between friends. This is his way of helping along the business you have between you.

Time, Punctuality and office hours

Time in Mexico is a relative thing. The present drives out the future. After all what is time but to be enjoyed now. After all, the future may bring unpleasant things!

Thus, although punctuality is respected it is by no means revered as in Canada and the US. Being 30 minutes late to a social event is considered normal. Earlier and you will inconvenience the host. Be on time for appointments, but be prepared to wait. No matter how late you actually get together, be genuinely happy to see your associate and begin with a social discussion.

The normal office day runs from 9:00 am to 5:00 or 7:00 pm, with lunch being taken between 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. Some offices close during the lunch period. Large companies usually stay open. Stores open from as early as 7:30 am to 9:00 am with 8:00 am being the norm. The larger stores will stay open during the lunch period. The smaller stores will often close during this time.

Dress Codes

For business, suits are appropriate. Shorts should not be worn, even for a informal social gathering. They are for tourists only. Casual pants or dress jeans and an open shirt are acceptable for informal meetings.

For women in a business meeting, a light suit and skirt; or good blouse and skirt or good pants are suggested. Revealing clothing is not appropriate.

Social Behaviours

Learn some Spanish! Besides making life easier, the Mexican appreciates your attempting to learn their language. Do not be afraid of making mistakes. Your Mexican associate will help you to learn and will respect your courage in trying.

In greetings, men will always shake hands, even if it has only been an hour since you were apart. If you are a woman, men will hesitate to let you initiate a hand shake. Women will touch each other on the shoulder or arm rather than shake hands. If they know each other well, they may kiss each other on the cheek. Being an affectionate people, don’t be surprised if you are the recipient of a hug on the subsequent meeting.

Conversational space (the distance between people) is much closer in Mexico than in Canada or the US. If you feel like your space is being invaded, don’t back away. Your movement away will be considered discursive or negative.

• See also General Cultural Comparisons.
• See also Management Cultural Comparisons
• See also Suggested Readings for books that are worth your while.

The post Comparing Management Differences – Cultural Myths appeared first on MexConnect.

David was genuinely one of a kind: intelligent, compassionate, generous, witty, friendly and thoughtful.

He dug deep into his retirement funds to start MexConnect, convinced that there was a need to offer reliable information to anyone interested in living in, working in, or visiting Mexico (even from their armchairs). He established an office in Ajijic, taught himself html, and hand-coded thousands of pages and photostrips.

It was 1996 and David was way ahead of his time: MexConnect was one of the earliest content-rich sites dedicated to a single country anywhere on the web. MexConnect’s excellent search engine predates Sr. Google! David introduced online forums before most people had even heard of such crazy places to exchange ideas. David presided over the entire MexConnect community with a sensitive and understanding hand and his love and passion for Mexico, and for MexConnect, never ebbed.

As publisher and editor, David worked closely with dozens of contributors (writers and photographers), encouraging them to find their voice, explore Mexico and express their diverse viewpoints.

David was an inspiration to me and to so many others. He was an amazing business partner, mentor, advisor, editor and surrogate older brother. OMG, we shared so many laughs over the years! His departure leaves a gaping hole that will never be filled.

David, my heart is heavy but I still have your Tilley hat and will return it next time we meet. ¡Hasta la vista, Don David de las Gracias!

David was a devoted and loving husband and father. On behalf of the entire MexConnect community, we send our sincerest condolences to his friends and family, especially to his daughter Melissa.

David McLaughlin (1946-2019). QEPD.

The post In memoriam: David McLaughlin, founder and CEO of MexConnect appeared first on MexConnect.

If you are new to MexConnect, we hope you enjoy the site and discover its incredible richness of information.

If you are a previous reader of the site, we hope you will take the time to discover how truly powerful the new design is as a means of discovering all your old favorites, as well as the new articles that will be continuously appearing. Any time there is change it can be confusing at first. Your habitual ways of using MexConnect may no longer apply, but all your old bookmarks should still work! We believe that you will grow to appreciate the new MexConnect even more than the old one!

Why have we redesigned MexConnect?

The answer is simple—the old design was no longer manageable.

When MexConnect first went on-line in 1996, we used then state-of-the-art methods to produce the site, hand coding and manually integrating all the materials. We were a VW Beetle racing on a track outpacing other VW Beetles. Over the ensuing thirteen years, we were still driving our VW while others were driving ever more complex and faster vehicles. Finally, our long-time and beloved VW began to fall behind. So, we designed and built a new vehicle from the ground up.

We hope you become even more attached to the new version. We have tried to retain the best of what we already had and then improve beyond that. We think we have succeeded.

The site is not yet perfect. Although there are things we are still working on, we had to release the new site sometime and that tme is now..

So what has changed?

• MexConnect is no longer hand coded. By using a dynamic database system it is much easier for us to produce, maintain and change the materials.
• The site is now free – all the materials are available.
• There is a completely new front [or home?] page which presents all the most recent articles and Columns in a much more user-friendly design.
• New articles will be added on a continuous basis rather than just once a month.
• There are 6 major Theme areas: Living, Travel, Arts & Culture, History, Cuisine and Business
• Theme home pages include articles and Columns relevant to each specific Theme alongside the newest materials for that Theme area.
• The search engine is magnificent and presents you with not only articles relevant to your search, but also photo galleries and recipes.
• All articles have tags which enable you to find other articles similar to the one you are currently reading. These Tags cover major areas of interest to our readers.
• Our Places tab offers a powerful way of exploring by location: by Region; by State, and by city or by unique site, whether natural, historical or archeological.
• The Cuisine Theme provides you with the ability to search by specific ingredient, type of dish, or even by Regional cuisine! In addition, many of the articles and recipes are available in Spanish.
• MexConnect has more than 6000 photographs and maps. Our new Photo Galleries present you with a very intuitive visual feast. Be sure to explore these Galleries! You will be amazed.
• In the very near future, you will be able to add comments to articles so that you can provide updated information or expand on the information provided. This function is available at the choice of the individual Author.

And, what hasn’t changed?

• The Forums stay the same, although the layout has changed the same functionality is still the same along with all the posts and PMs etc..
• The quality of materials will stay the same. We will continue to edit and moderate all materials presented. We take pride in the fact that MexConnect is one of the few sites that really pays attention to the quality of information and presentation
• Our dedication to providing quality, informative, useful and relevant information on all aspects of Mexico.

Together with Carol Wheeler, Tony Burton, the Forum Moderators and the development team of Loren Johnson, Sean Cribbs, Paul du Couday and Sott Randolph, I welcome you to the new version

Sincerely,

David McLaughlin

Publisher

The post Welcome to the new MexConnect! (2009 version) appeared first on MexConnect.