The beach

Rincon de Guayabitos revisited: the major sights nearby

“An earlier article on the easy-going beachside town of Guayabitos focused on the services the town offers and on activities within easy walking distance. Most people staying more than a few days begin to get itchy feet and wonder if there is anywhere worth visiting a little further afield. This article suggests some possible side-trips […]

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Where a lake dies, a desert is born. Photo by Tony Burton ©2002

Lake Chapala: Part 4 – 2002 follow-up to saving Mexico’s largest lake

This article is Part 4 of Tony Burton’s series: “Can Mexico’s Largest Lake be Saved?” . Part 1: May, 1997 – Can Mexico’s Largest Lake be Saved? Part 2: March, 2000 – The State of The Lake. Part 3: March, 2001 – The Future of Lake Chapala–Suggestions For Discussion Part 5: April 2003 – A review of “The Lerma-Lake Chapala […]

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White Pelicans on Lake Chapala; photo: John Mitchell, Earth Images Foundation

El Lago de Chapala: se podra salvar el mayor lago de Mexico?

Chapala, el mayor lago natural de México está muriendo. En este tiempo el lago juega un papel vital en un gigantesco ecosistema, la cuenca hidrológica del río Lerma – lago Chapala, que incluye a más de 8 millones de personas, 3,500 de industrias diversas, 750,000 hectáreas de tierras de riego y 14 ciudades con poblaciones […]

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Arteplumaria – the Mexican art of feather painting

Did you know that one of the highest, most elegant and sumptuous arts of pre-Conquest Mexico was arteplumaria, the art of feather painting? Used to decorate headdresses, standards, staffs, lances, fans, bracelets, and sandals, arteplumaria was also employed to cover every one of the pre-Cortez ceremonial shields ever recovered or recorded. This rare type of ornamentation was […]

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Mouth of the spring at Las Huertas. © Julia Taylor, 2007

Adventurous Mexico – exploring volcanoes, hiking, sailing, kayaking and more

Climbing Mexico’s volcanoes Pico de Orizaba (Citlateptl) 5700m 18,700ft Popocatepl 5452m 17,887ft Iztaccihuatl 5286m 17,342ft A Mexican Mountaineering Expedition On Pico de Orizaba, Mexico’s highest volcano (Citlaltepetl in Veracruz) – with PHOTO GALLERY Exploring caves in Mexico: the speleologist’s new frontier El Pozo de la Pestilencia, La Cueva de la Villa Luz, Naica caves and […]

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White Pelicans on Lake Chapala; photo: John Mitchell, Earth Images Foundation

Did you know? Mexico’s largest bird is the American White Pelican

Two distinct kinds of pelican thrive in Mexico. Excluding exotic species held captive in zoos, the American White Pelican is North America’s largest flying bird. It grows to about 1.58 meters (5 feet 2 inches) in length, weighing up to 11 kilos (25 pounds), with a wingspan of up to 2.74 meters (9 feet). Its […]

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These Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings on Todos Santos beach is ready to go to the water and find a new home in their natural habitat. © Mariah Baumgartle, 2012

Rescuing and releasing sea turtle hatchlings in Todos Santos, Mexico

The sun is setting off the coast of Todos Santos, Baja California Sur and, even though we are in the tropics, we are bundled up in heavy, hooded sweatshirts and jeans to protect us from the damp, chilly evening air. Rough waves from the Pacific Ocean crash against the beach on this side of the […]

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Orozco's goal is to raise 6000 tarantulas per year. By flooding the black market with legal tarantulas, he hopes to wipe out the illegal trade. © John Pint, 2011

Saving Mexico’s tarantulas: Rodrigo Orozco’s ingenious plan

Rodrigo Orozco shares his Guadalajara, Mexico, home with thousands of tarantulas and tens of thousands of crickets. He’s a man with a mission. “I want to end the illegal trade in Mexican tarantulas,” he says. “My goal is to produce 6000 tarantulas per year and eventually flood the black market so that tarantula poaching will […]

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Guide to the Birds of the Primavera Forest

The Primavera Forest is a protected area of oak and pine trees covering over 36,000 hectares, located due west of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city. In 2010, the administrators of the forest published Aves del Bosque La Primavera-Guía Ilustrada (Illustrated Guide to the Birds of the Primavera Forest) by Oscar Reyna Bustos. Nature photographer Jesús Moreno described […]

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