The yearly “Fiestas de Santiago” was going full tilt. And I truly mean tilt, because at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, I noticed quite a few local residents in a very happy mood due to the consumption of copious quantities of alcohol, another tradition. This party is held for a week every July in the […]
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Part 1 – Colima, City of the Palms La Hacienda de Nogueras is an elegantly restored hacienda hidden in the countryside of Colima. Six miles north of Colima City, it links the region’s rich pre-Hispanic past with colonial and modern history. To get there, you head towards the small town of Comala. You may drive […]
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Manzanillo. Most people can’t pronounce it, have no idea where it is, don’t know what the city has to offer, and can’t figure out how to get there. Manzanillo (pronounced mahn-san- nee-yoh), is the largest shipping port on the western coast of Mexico, located 165 miles south of Puerto Vallarta, or roughly midway between Matzatlan and […]
Continue ReadingWhile in Mexico I have learned many things, some of them nice and some of them not so nice. Most of what I have “learned” just makes me chuckle, like the time my mother-in-law told me I would get anemia if I didn’t eat an egg for breakfast. My contribution this month is a stream-of-consciousness […]
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The attitude towards death evidenced in the quintessentially Mexican holiday of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) might be puzzling for some. It isn’t difficult for foreigners to interpret dancing skeletons, candy skulls and general drunken revelry as disrespect for the dead and grief at human loss. Nothing could be further from the truth. […]
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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 ReadingPara bailar la bamba Para bailar la bamba Se necesita Una poca de gracia Una poca de gracia Y otra cosita Can you hear Ritchie Valens belting that one out? One of Rock and Roll’s most copied songs (from garage bands, movies, and college marching bands, to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir). La Bamba is an […]
Continue ReadingMexican music has its roots in the Indian flute, huehuetl (drum) and conch shell. The Spaniards brought their musicians with them as the Indian music proved inadequate for bullfights. Bullfighting and bullfight music originates in Pharanoic Egypt and was introduced into Spain by the Moors. Mexico’s first bullfight took place in Mexico City in 1526 (to honor […]
Continue ReadingOne of the great romantic stories of Mexico concerns Felipe Carrillo Puerto, a Governor of Yucatan, and Alma Reed, an American newspaper columnist in San Francisco. Back in the early 1920’s, Alma Reed wrote a column under the byline “Mrs. Goodfellow” that was devoted to answering questions for people who sought legal advice but could […]
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Guadalajara is the capital of Jalisco and the “Pearl of the West.” Founded in 1542, Mexico’s second largest city is a bustling metropolis with a colonial heart and a provincial soul. Guadalajara is a center of learning with six universities, two culinary institutes, a renowned philharmonic orchestra and a thriving art scene. Mexico hotels in […]
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