Limestone carving, 63 X 43 cm, sculptor unknown. © Alvin Starkman, 2024

Why is Mezcal so important to the future of Oaxaca?

Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. Last year I participated in a panel discussion in Oaxaca about a new book entitled La E del Mezcal: Exportación, by Dra. Blanca Esther Salvador Martínez. While the other panelists essentially praised the author for writing such an important book and explained how it thoroughly covered all the bases regarding the […]

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A Mexican local bus

I swear the laws concerning size are suspended when Driving in Mexico

Mexican driving continues to astonish me even after cruising the country for over fifty years. Like most newcomers, I used to be amazed by driving differences ranging from speed to taking stop signs with a wink. Most of those alternative driving methods have not just grown on me, but I’ve adopted them and even prefer […]

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So, you know Spanish and Mexican culture concerning languages? A bit of advice

Unless you are one hundred percent fluent in Spanish, expect the Mexicans around you to know more English than you do Spanish. Bob, a friend, retired to Mexico and opened a small maintenance business. He didn’t need to know the simple or common Spanish words for chair, table, or car for his investment. He instead […]

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Students at UIEM, San Felipe del Progreso, Mexico State - Estudiantes en la UIEM, San Felipe del Progreso, el Estado de México. © 2021 James Musselman

Higher Education for Indigenous Communities in Mexico

More than 8 million people in Mexico, about 6% of the total population, speak one or more of the country’s 68 original (indigenous) languages. [1] Najo’obiñ’eje, Welcome, bienvenidos, in Mazahua. Pjiekak’joo, “We speak”, the name of the critically endangered Tlahuica language. Despite an official proclamation following the Mexican Revolution of the elimination of racial prejudice […]

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Tourists sit atop the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan to contemplate the majestic Pyramid of the Sun. This archeological zone is located outside Mexico City. © Rick Meyer, 2001

How does a Temporary Resident get a work permit for online work?

Thilini Wijesinhe  The temporary residency visa does not include work rights unless applied for based on potential work plans in Mexico. However, some temporary residents without work rights decide to work, which requires them to apply for permission to work separately. Usually, the permission to work known as “Permiso Para Trabajar” is obtained based on […]

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