Overview (by Tony Burton): Dr. Stephen Banks lived in the area for a couple of months (October and November) in 2002, and had a follow-up visit the next year. He recorded 26 in-depth interviews (1.5 – 3 hours each), as well as 40 shorter “informant” interviews and over 100 “ethnographic” interviews. He attended numerous local functions […]
Continue ReadingA Balloon in Cactus Great rain clouds filled the sky over Lake Chapala as my friend, Tomas, turned the curve where you first spy Scorpion Island en route from the airport. “You’ve brought good weather,” he said, grinning, “The beginning of rainy season.” Perhaps the rain was actually to honor not me, but three others […]
Continue ReadingThe real Don Adams came to Mexico to die. It seemed like a good place for such a significant event. Convenient. He could drive down from Texas. Good weather if anybody wanted to walk in a funeral march. Free flowers all around. The way Don saw it, doctors and cancer had been trying to kill […]
Continue ReadingMazatlan has the virtues and vices of any tourist destination. But all the bad stuff – or good, depending on how you plan to spend the evening – is buffered by the decency and solidity of a working town. Unlike the hotel cities dreamed up by governments beholden to tourist dollars, Mazatlan, the second city […]
Continue ReadingCindy Paul Cindy Paul leads a high-profile, creative life. After 17 years in the advertising business, Cindy closed her agency in the States and moved to Ajijic, where she dedicates her time to exploring all the live arts. Cindy has now lived at the Chapala Lakeside for almost 30 years. Over the years, both the […]
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Mexicans love to wear masks, to dance and make music in a blazing display of fireworks, feasting and shooting off pistols. Appearances are deceptive; even the poorest pueblo collects money to celebrate the patron saint’s day, the Virgin of Guadalupe, Independence Day and whatever else calls for gaiety and loud noise. Religious and historical dances […]
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Within this section we highlight some of the best Mexico has to offer in the way of artisans, writers, painters, ceramicists, cultural examples, sculptors and more. If you like what you see, contact the artists and let them know you saw it on MexConnect. Arts of Mexico – The Series – By Rita Pomade Arts […]
Continue ReadingOn November 20, Mexico celebrates the anniversary of the 1910 Revolution. This is a first-hand story from the memories of a Columbus judge whose grandfather died in the first battle. The Mexican Revolution continues to reverberate after 100 years. On a crisp fall evening in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, lavender hues shimmer softly along the still-warm […]
Continue ReadingOn April 1st, I bought a new condo as a rental. That should have been a warning. Fool! If you’ve been reading my columns you know what I went through to gut out my own house and rebuild it, and you’ve read some of the problems of remodeling that I’m in the midst of. Buying […]
Continue ReadingThree friends and I headed out of Ajijic for a three-day getaway. Our ultimate destination was León, but we traveled the back roads and visited some delightful villages and cities. The area northeast of Guadalajara is called Los Altos de Jalisco, which encompasses a zone of expansive high plateau plains. The panoramic views of the […]
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