A friend asked me, “Is it sane to build a pottery studio in Mexico?” I could hardly answer. I didn’t even know if was sane to move to Mexico. I see myself as a sensible and self-reliant farm girl, but after moving to Mexico, even I question that picture of myself. Five years ago I […]
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A native of Guadalajara, artist Enrique Velazquez has made his home in Ajijic since 1989, painting and selling from his Arte Estudio on 16 de Septiembre, (a block east of Morelos), which he shares with his wife, Belva, also an artist. Together they are raising three children, two boys and a girl, while capturing Mexican […]
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Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury, 4th edition By Tony Burton Sombrero Books, 2013 Available from Amazon Books: Paperback For anyone who lives or travels in western Mexico, Tony Burton’s Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury is a “must have.” I own a well travelled copy of the third edition (2001) but I was delighted to see a fourth edition […]
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Day of the Dead in Mexican folk art © Mary Jane Gagnier Mendoza 2003 For foreigners, the traditions and celebrations in Mexican homes and cemeteries during the Day of the Dead seem strange, if not incomprehensible. There is mourning and rejoicing; sadness and silliness – woven together into one emotional fabric. To me, it’s like […]
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Embree was born in Princeton, Indiana, October 1, 1874, the son of lawyer David Franklin Embree, member of a prominent pioneer family, and Mary Fleming Embree. He was educated in Princeton public schools and entered Wabash College in the fall of 1892. After three years he left college without graduating to devote himself to writing, […]
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“Por favor (please) and gracias (thank you) are the most important words you’ll use in Mexico.” If I could own only one guide about getting to know Mexico, it would be The People’s Guide to Mexico, by Steve Rogers, Lorena Havens and Carl Franz. Oakland Tribune agrees with me: “It’s the best guide to visiting and living in Mexico that has […]
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The Days of the Dead, celebrated throughout Mexico, coincide with the Christian All Souls and All Saints days, November 1 and 2nd. People who have died in the past year are remembered, their pictures placed on family altars and special food and drink are offered for the souls of the departed. Last year (1995) I […]
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A few months ago I received an email request from a small town in Texas. The writer Ray and his fiance wanted my guidance in celebrating the Day of the Dead. My answer was – celebrate it in your own way. After all, the customs for the Days of the Dead: November 1 – Dia de […]
Continue ReadingAt ten in the morning the day was already hot enough to dry the tears on my face as I walked into San Juan Cosala to attend little Santiago’s funeral. His teacher and his six-year-old school friends filed slowly into the churchyard, many of the girls in white dresses, and all of the children looking […]
Continue ReadingBitter are the fruits they eat in Michoacán, black oval fruits the size of an olive, borne in the summer on the capelin tree. Bitter is the story told to me in a mountain pueblo in the northeast corner of the state. Juan Manuel told his story of machismo and the fate of his horse as we […]
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