What’s struck me recently about Mexico — apart from the usual beauty of its beaches, mysticism of its colonial cities, delectability of its culinary arts, and friendliness of its people — is how different the reality is from the perception. In the United States, we’ve grown inured to hearing that you just can’t travel to […]
Continue ReadingMexico, the United Mexican States (in spanish Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is a federal republic situated in North America. It is bounded on the north by the United States; on the east by the U.S., the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea; on the south by Belize and Guatemala; and on the west by the Pacific […]
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The US celebrates National Tequila Day on July 24. Present in the popular margarita, tequila can stand alone as a fine liquor. The popular traditional drink boasts an appellation or denomination of origin. Distilled from the nectar of the Weber blue agave, tequila dates from the 16th century. It may have originated in the Mexican […]
Continue ReadingOFFICIAL NAME: United Mexican States CAPITAL AND LARGEST CITY: Mexico City AREA: 1,978,000 sq Km ( 760,000 sq mi) MAJOR CITIES: Mexico City (25 mil), Guadalajara (8.5 mil) and Monterrey (5 mil) POPULATION (1995): Estimated 95 million POPULATION DENSITY: 75.2 persons per sq km DISTRIBUTION: 69% Urban, 31% rural ANNUAL GROWTH (1995): 3% ETHNICITY: 60% […]
Continue ReadingThis month we’ll continue to take a look at the cooking of the immigrants who contributed to the modern Mexican culinary repertoire. Unlike other groups discussed previously — including the Mennonites of Chihuahua, the Italians of Chipilo and the Lebanese of Puebla — this group undoubtedly did not come willingly. Their arrival was a product […]
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In the current edition of Guinness, the Mexican responsible for most records is Sergio Rodriguez Villarreal from the northern state of Nuevo León. He specializes in creating giant Christmas figures and holds five records at the moment for the “biggest” ornaments which are (respectively) an angel, silver bauble, bell, candle and wreath. Rodriguez first designs […]
Continue Reading“It’s this heat… this heat… that scorches every cell of my body that kills me about this place,” the Texan says while sipping his drink. “I’m going to be a linguistic genius with that phrase ‘Hace mucho calor’ [It’s very hot] before I leave Carmen.” Located on the Gulf of Mexico off the Yucatan peninsula, lies the […]
Continue ReadingThe fog of hallucination that occasionally seems to envelop Mexico hovers over San Blas most of the time. The amiable residents talk of their future as the next Puerto Vallarta while they wave towels to keep off the abundant mosquitoes, and inquire if you don’t find their town tranquilo while you yawn, stupefied from a night clamorous with the […]
Continue ReadingOne of the most interesting aspects of writing about Mexican food is its history, which spans at least five centuries and reflects the cultural and social influences of both the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican people and those who came later from other continents. While researching Mexican cuisine is rewarding, once in a while the reader comes upon […]
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Cogan’s Reviews A Mexico book by Carlos Fuentes Here’s Fuentes at it again, publishing short stories and novellas under a single title and trying to interlink them into a cohesive whole as he tried to do in The Crystal Frontier. The connection here is the orange tree, the symbol of Spain. “Could any image verify […]
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