Sometime during my first month in Guanajuato, the idea floated into my head of writing an article about the sonic landscape of the city. This of course includes a great deal of music, since it resounds in every corner. But surrounding the music is a larger sonic landscape, comprising a range of sounds, some magical, […]
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The recent demise of one of my dearest friends has made me reflect on how my experiences in Mexico have not only enriched my life, but also taught me to better cope with death. I am deeply grateful to my Mexican friends for having given me a model for accepting human mortality and facing loss […]
Continue ReadingChicho gently took my hands in his, leaned in close and locked in on my eyes with a soul-penetrating gaze. “¡Qué bonitos ojos tienes, güerita!” he whispered huskily. Geez, I wondered to myself, can this be happening? Is this dark-eyed hunk really interested in me? Stringy, mousy-haired me? Hopelessly flabby-thighed me? No speak-o Spanish-o me? “¿Cuándo vamos […]
Continue ReadingMost mothers in Mexico look forward to May 10 as a day to take it easy and be pampered by family. For Esperanza Perez, proprietress of Ajijic’s most popular flower shop, the date means not only business as usual, but extra work and longer hours. With a loyal clientele that includes many of the town’s […]
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Horse lovers (and anyone else looking for a dose of authentic Mexico) will find September is the perfect month to take in the best of the country’s national equestrian sport — la charrería. It’s especially true for those who find themselves in the general vicinity of Guadalajara. As September gets under way, the city’s 12th annual […]
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Motorists traveling recently along the Guadalajara-Chapala highway may have been puzzled by what looks like the structural foundations of a mighty cathedral rising up near the roadway between the airport and the Cajititlan turn-off. The towering tangle of iron girders is in fact the framework for what will soon turn into a temple for Mexico’s […]
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What is at the heart of festivals in Mexico? Mexican festivals have something special that those of us non-Mexicans just have to experience to understand. Santa Maria Ahuacatilan, Morelos is the place to experience church centered community celebration. This little town just north of Cuernavaca is maintaining its festival traditions into the 21st century. For […]
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Part 1 – The Land Was in His Heart Zapata’s Death After leaving Museo Casa de Zapata your next stop in the Zapata Route is in Chinameca where he was shot. It’s quiet at the ex-hacienda Chinameca and it’s easy to feel the sadness of knowing that Zapata died there. There are three things of interest in […]
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Dreaming of that storybook wedding on a scenic cliff above crashing ocean waves, blessed by a Mexican sunset while mariachis croon? Or amid bougainvillea’d stone arches in a colonial setting? Few places on earth offer up as many of those Kodak moments as Mexico, and that’s why Mexico has become one of the most popular […]
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Guadalajara is the second largest city in Mexico. The metropolitan area includes Tlaquepaque, Tonala, and Zapopan, with a total population of about 4 million people. It is located about 200 miles east of Puerto Vallarta, and 300 miles west of Mexico City. Guadalajara seems prosperous, orderly, and clean, compared to most Mexican cities. My wife […]
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