Felipe Avila handed me his burning candle, converting me from spectator to pilgrim in the Fiesta de Guadalupe! My arrival in Puerto Vallarta coincided with the beginning of the weeklong Fiesta de Guadalupe, Reina (queen) de México. From December 6 until December 12th, Mexicans celebrate the miracle of her appearance in 1531. On a barren hill, a beautiful […]
Continue ReadingCorazoncita, or little heart, is a Mexican expression of affection, similar to ‘sweetheart’. This is a story of my first visit to Mexico, and how a sweet, little Mexican girl became mi corazoncita. The only deviation from reality is the use of a false name for her, necessary because of her current participation in Mexican politics. […]
Continue ReadingThe good government of Jocotepec, centralized at the west end of Lake Chapala in the great state of Jalisco, has given new meaning to the word “mañana.” Too early on a Monday morning in mid-December 2007, a giant yellow machine on four very large, black tires got the undivided attention of residents along Rivera del Lago. […]
Continue ReadingThe curving expanse of the Bahia de Navidad greets a rocky headland at the west-end of Melaque. The tranquil cove is sheltered from the open sea behind a tier of craggy sea stacks. Around the rocky headland nestles another small cove called Cuastecomate. Six years ago I visited this spot by driving the three miles […]
Continue ReadingSome days are better than others. Visa days are hardly ever good, filled as they are with anxiety and uncertainty. All this visa business seems so silly to me, and so costly, and so inconvenient. Why can’t I just live here in peace? It’s enough to drive a person to drink… Welcome to the ripoff […]
Continue ReadingFridays are Indian market days in the fountain-centered Plaza Gertrudis Bocanegra, one of three main squares in Pátzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico. Walkways around the fountain are lined with stalls of goods from various villages. On a return visit there last fall shortly before Day of the Dead celebrations the annual heightened activity spilled into the city’s […]
Continue ReadingEula died during the rainy season, when the earth is soft and moist and a grave is easy to dig. Esperanza said that the damp weather was hard on the ancianos, and indeed, in those months, many a house in town bore over its gate the black ribbon which in central Mexico signifies a death in the […]
Continue ReadingDavid Aguilar, chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, said the United States is experiencing a large increase in the number of illegal entries, according to the US State Department. New to MexConnect, Jorge Tirado shares his thoughts on borders as he looks at an aerial photograph of Guaymas, his hometown. At first glance, I saw a […]
Continue ReadingA simple vista vi un fragmento de tierra en alguna costa, frente a un océano. El vistazo se transformó en mirada. Me sumergí momentáneamente en la contemplación. Varias ideas surcaron mi mente, conforme iba descubriendo que ese pedazo de tierra tenía algo que ver conmigo. A la vez pensé: si cada quien tuviese la oportunidad […]
Continue ReadingThere are stranger places to see the latest in complexity theory in action, but delivering cement in Mexico is a pretty good start. Here’s how the cement business worked in Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara, only a couple of years ago: A builder telephoned in an order a day or so ahead, two days in advance […]
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