Coahuila crest

Coahuila

The state of Coahuila is part of the Northern Mexico Region, along with the states of Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas. Coahuila is Mexico’s third largest state in land area and known for its mining and industrial activities. The largest city in the state, and the state capital, is Saltillo. […]

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Nuevo Leon crest

Nuevo Leon

The state of Nuevo León is part of the Northern Mexico Region, along with the states of Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas. The state is an industrial powerhouse, centered on Monterrey, Mexico’s third-largest city. The state has an unusual, elongated shape: it is very much longer north-south than west-east. The state […]

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Durango crest

Durango

The state of Durango is part of the Northern Mexico Region, along with the states of Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas. The state capital is the city of Durango. Set in basin and range country (think Western movies), the state of Durango was a center for the Mexican movie […]

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Aguascalientes chicken with fruit sauce goes beautifully with a Mexican chardonnay © Karen Hursh Graber, 2012

Mexican wines: Perfect pairings with holiday dishes

Many years ago, our intrepid little band of gypsies became hopelessly lost on a trip through what was then relatively undeveloped Baja California. Too dark to be on the road, and too late to find accommodations, the situation called for some ingenuity, and we got permission from a farmer to park our van alongside his […]

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Calendar of Mexican food festivals

Possibly no other country in the world has as many festivals, fairs and feast days as Mexico. National holidays, religious holidays and people’s santos (saints’ days) are all celebrated with gusto, as are the observances of the patron saints of virtually every city, town and pueblito. The santoral, or calendar of saints’ days, is so crowded with names […]

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The cuisines of Northern Mexico: La cocina norteña

Living in southern Mexico and making frequent trips to visit family and friends north of the border, we have taken many different routes to the frontera. From Tamaulipas, which connects the tropical south to the northern plains, to Sonora, where the vistas range from colonial towns to picture-perfect cowboy country, we have enjoyed all of our travels […]

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Fish from Mexico's ocean coasts © Daniel Wheeler, 2009

Culinary guide to Mexican fish and shellfish: Las delicias del mar I

Although Mexicans relish seafood all year long, the months of March and April top the rest in consumption of fish and shellfish. Besides the fact that most species are available in late winter and early spring, the Lenten and Holy Week meatless meal traditions contribute enormously to this seasonal swell in the popularity of las delicias […]

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Zacatecas crest

Zacatecas

The state of Zacatecas is part of the Northern Mexico Region, along with the states of Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, and San Luis Potosí. The state has an area of 75,200 square kilometers and a population of 1.7 million (2017). The state capital is the beautiful colonial city of Zacatecas, noted for its […]

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Chihuahua crest

Chihuahua

The state of Chihuahua is part of the Northern Mexico Region, along with the states of Aguascalientes, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, and Zacatecas. Chihuahua is the largest state in Mexico in land area: 247,087 square kilometers  (95,401 square miles). The state capital is the city of Chihuahua (2020 population: 1.1 million). Ciudad […]

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