Mexicans are lining up on the south side of the Rio Grande and North Americans are lining up on the north side, each group of citizens looking for something from the other. For the North Americans, it’s a keep-out mindset and, for the Mexicans, it’s a let-us-in mindset. If you ask me, they are all […]
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In a magazine interview, I was asked who had the most beautiful face of all time. I unhesitatingly answered, “Dolores Del Rio.” Not Garbo, Dietrich, or Elizabeth Taylor can compare with Dolores Del Rio. Though only five foot three inches in height, Dolores del Rio appeared to be tall on cinema screens all over the […]
Continue ReadingWriting a newspaper column about the greatness of another country can earn the writer a good deal of mail running the gamut from “Do you know a good dentist in Morelia?” to “My wife and I would like to know where we should start looking to live in Mexico.” I don’t know a Morelian dentist […]
Continue ReadingTwenty-eight thousand years ago B.C., Mexico was discovered by hunters looking for a recipe for Sopa Azteca. A resourceful lot, they created corn by combining two types of grasses. These seekers of good eats eventually morphed into the splendor of the Olmec civilization. In 2300 B.C., the Olmecs invented pottery to put the corn in, making […]
Continue ReadingMoving to Mexico was the easy decision; bringing my dogs with me was harder. First, how would I get them there? I didn’t trust airplanes transporting animals. I thought they might lose my two big dogs who would surely end up in St. Louis or Jersey City or Mule Shoe. The train was out, too, […]
Continue ReadingThere was a time in history when Mexico was accused by a U.S. NAFTA-opposed politician of making “giant sucking sounds.” Well, folks, the giant noises coming from Mexico today are not giant sucking sounds, they are giant rumbling sounds, and they’re coming from the Mexican Army convoy driving north to help the U.S. in its […]
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During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the American people, desperately in need of relief from fears about the future, turned for escape to movie stars Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for champagne and chiffon, horseracing icon, Seabiscuit, for inspiration and heart, and heavyweight boxer, Joe Louis, for action and grace. Similarly, Americans in 2006, […]
Continue ReadingMario Mareno Reyes was the sixth son of 15 children, who became a world-wide cinema super star, was married to the same woman for more than 30 years, and made enormous financial contributions to the Mexican poor. You may not think you know of him, but you do. He was known as Cantinflas. There are […]
Continue ReadingIf you are a very lucky person, somebody in your family marries into a Mexican family and you end up with an abundance of diversified riches in your life. Your home rings with laughter in at least two languages, your walls shout happy in vibrant colors, and your comfort zone is extended by thousands of […]
Continue ReadingJust when you think you know everything about the golden age of movies, along comes still more information to snap you back to reality. You may not have ever heard of him yourself, but one of the most famous people in the history of Mexican cinema was Emilio Fernández Romo, fondly nicknamed “El Indio.” It’s […]
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