A collection of esoterica about Mexico that does not fit elsewhere and just may include the answer to the meaning of life. The Tragic Love Story of Alma Reed & Felipe Carrillo In Amber – A Tale of Mexican Discovery. Taking the “Waters” in México. A Tranquil Life at Casa Buena Vista. A Higher Vision of Mexico […]
Continue Reading(This is the first of a three-part series about Mexico’s tragic Cristero Rebellion, when forces of secular and religious fanaticism were locked in a no-quarter battle for the country’s soul.) 1: Toward the abyss The 1920s -1930s struggle between Church and State in Mexico ultimately goes back to five articles of the 1917 Constitution. Article 3 […]
Continue ReadingMiguel Hidalgo y Costilla had the unique distinction of being a father in three senses of the word: a priestly father in the Roman Catholic Church, a biological father who produced illegitimate children in defiance of his clerical vows, and the father of his country. Though Guadalupe Victoria was, like Washington, his country’s first president, […]
Continue Reading
Flowers and flower arranging have played an important role in Mexico from ancient times to the present. The symbolic meaning of flowers is prominent throughout ancient Mesoamerican thought and practice. Flowers could represent anything from beauty and creation to death and destruction. Tlacaelel, a councilor to Moctezuma I (1440-1469), initiated a mystical warrior vision of […]
Continue Reading
I’ll break your jaw! (Chalco) In the umbilicus (Xico) Place of the squashed serpent (Coapatongo) [1] Mexico’s place names or toponyms provide a rich and fun source for linguistic analysis. Indigenous peoples spoke languages that had no formal alphabet. They developed complex symbols (hieroglyphs) for place names that used combinations of up to three different […]
Continue ReadingIt is a tribute to the sincerity and strength of the faith of the Mexican people, that Catholicism, is still the dominant religion in this land south of the Rio Grande. Time after time, the Catholic Church has narrowly escaped destruction and survived only because of popular support that defied the law of the land. […]
Continue Reading
The most recent census count in Mexico reveals that a multitude of languages are used by Mexican nationals throughout the country. It is true that the percentage of Mexicans who are speaking indigenous languages is steadily declining, but a great many people have held on to their mother tongues, sometimes taking it with them to […]
Continue ReadingOctober 7th is considered the birthday of Talpa’s La Chaparrita, The Little Short One, aka Our Lady of the Rosary. History tells us that Santiago de Talpa was founded in 1599 with Virgin Mary and the apostle James as the patron saints. A humble church was established where the parroquia (parrish) chapel now stands and a tiny image of […]
Continue Reading
Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest natural lake, is dying. The lake right now plays a vital role in a gigantic ecosystem, the River Lerma-Lake Chapala drainage basin, which includes more than 8 million people, 3,500 diverse industries, 750,000 hectares of irrigated farmland and 14 cities with populations in excess of 100,000. At the western extremity of […]
Continue Reading
If Lake Chapala could speak for itself, Mark Twain’s famous comment might come to mind: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Since torrential rains began battering much of central Mexico in mid-August, the nation’s largest lake has undergone a truly astonishing transformation. Tourists boats that were forced to dock over a kilometer away […]
Continue Reading