Between the birth and the death came a crazy-quilt of only-in-Mexico experiences that resonated with my memories Daniel Pérez González was a beautiful baby. His parents Flor and Jorge thought so; my wife Arlene and I agreed. Few are able to share our certainty, though, because we were among the very few to see him […]
Continue ReadingIf expats want to be accepted into the broader society, then they must act the part and treat custom and societal standards with the respect they deserve. It’s not enough to throw money at causes and do charitable work. When one attends a cocktail party in the US one dresses appropriately. It’s the same for […]
Continue ReadingDon Isaac recounts awaking at 4 a.m. then walking from his village of Matatlán, with his mule, to Oaxac. He arrived some 14 or 15 hours later… just to buy a large cántaro, the traditional clay vessel then used for making and transporting mezcal. Often he would stop en route, at Santa María el Tule, for a […]
Continue ReadingThe options are innumerable. It’s simply a matter of doing a bit of homework – asking, and then committing yourself to a vacation dedicated in large part to your children. Oaxaca has traditionally been known as an adult travel destination, steeped in ruins, colonial churches, museums and a tradition for fine art and handicrafts. But […]
Continue ReadingImmersed in the history of art and literature, weaved into the superstitions of the collective consciousness, and illumined by the silver screens of cinema, the Wild Man paradoxically basks in the light of celebrity while haunting a preserve of shadows. The “wild man” (and woman) has appeared in numerous forms throughout the centuries of art, […]
Continue ReadingHistorians disagree on who is responsible for starting the custom of honoring our fathers on a special day. Some claim it was Sonora Louise Smart Dodd who convinced the city leaders of Spokane, Washington to proclaim the third Sunday in June 1909 as Father’s Day. Others state that it had its origin in West Virginia. […]
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The only thing that is definitely known about Subcomandante Marcos, the ski-masked mystery man who leads the Zapatista rebels in the jungles of Chiapas, is that he is an intellectual. Conflicting sources who assure us that they know the true identity of the man behind the mask have variously identified him as a disillusioned government […]
Continue ReadingI can’t say I was thrilled with the idea at first, but I was never against it either. My daughter spent her junior year at Harvard studying in Spain. She came home with new-found worldliness, self-confidence, fluency in Spanish, and the love of her life. Carlos, a young Mexican man studying law in Spain, was […]
Continue ReadingWho would have thought that buying a house in Mexico would be such a scandal? Maybe it should have occurred to me beforehand that I would encounter some very unusual problems while trying to acquire property here, but I think I still had faith in the goodness of people and the future of Mexico at […]
Continue ReadingI’ve been very quiet for the past few months; I apologize for the silence. I’m finally back, and I have BIIIIIIIIG news. No, it’s not a divorce, or a birth, or a career change that brought me a six-figure salary (too bad). But it’s certainly life-changing, and I feel a bit like a traitor…. It […]
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