Mexico makes it easy for foreigners to own property. Inland, they can hold a direct title to their Mexico real estate. In the prohibited zones — including prized beach areas — expats can own real estate through a bank trust. Will you live in Mexico full time or spend only part of the year South […]
Continue ReadingGas is an important element in homes here in Mexico — propane gas. We use it to cook our food, heat our water, occasionally to heat our homes and dry our clothes. Now remember that this is not natural gas, but a mixture of propane and butane gas, which is a petroleum byproduct that burns […]
Continue ReadingIn addition to the picturesque roads that wind through the countryside, Mexico has many modern highways and toll highways that quickly take you to your destination./ Tourists can obtain car permits at the border and also beforehand by applying at consulates on online. Driving in Mexico is a wonderful way to see the country. Let […]
Continue Reading
Note: This article is an edited extract from chapter 6 of Geo-Mexico: the geography and dynamics of modern Mexico, by Richard Rhoda and Tony Burton (Sombrero Books, 2010). Though parts of northern Mexico are arid, the country as a whole receives an average of 760 mm of precipitation a year (slightly over 30 in). This is a considerable […]
Continue Reading“Don’t go near the water,” mothers caution their children, “You might drown.” Good advice, but it has another meaning in Mexico and Texas. Moms living near the Rio Grande are protecting their children from a different threat than accidentally falling in; they’re talking about being sucked in. They’re talking “La Llorona.” Many versions of the […]
Continue ReadingWe all have a “Plan” that distributes the property we own when we pass away. The difference is that some of us are familiar with our plan, others are not. Those with foresight have drafted estate planning documents, including a Will, that customize the plan to meet our needs and wishes. Those who have not […]
Continue Reading
The Aztecs called it tianquiztli, Nahuatl for the marketplace”. Modern Mexicans refer to it as the tianguis, mercado sobre ruedas (“market on wheels” – a term used mostly in Mexico City), baratillo, and many other local connotations. Homeowners use another kind of language to describe the vendors who have set up shop in the street, blocking public access by […]
Continue ReadingWhat about the water and food? Can I expect to have Moctezuma’s Revenge? Qué me pueden decir acerca del agua y la comida en general en México? Puedo enfermarme? Can I drink the water? Puedo tomar agua? Can I eat the food? Puedo comer sin preocupación? Is it true that shellfish and hot weather don’t […]
Continue Reading
From the book “CASA MEXICANA” ©1989 Tim Street-Porter, published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. Reproduced by special permission of the publisher and author. The haciendas were the landed estates of Mexico, some with territories as big as Belgium. For visitors to Mexico, they conjure up surreal images of ruined palaces; still possessing a faded […]
Continue Reading
Saturdays there always seem to be three brides at the charming little church across the street from the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara. There is a bride with her groom at the altar, a just married couple outside, accepting congratulations from friends and family, and a bride nervously waiting in the car for her wedding. While […]
Continue Reading