Both the name and the coat-of-arms of San Luis Potosi recall the tremendous importance of mining to Mexico’s economy. Called Potosí in emulation of the mines of that name high in the Bolivian Andes, the city’s coat-of-arms, awarded in 1656, has its patron saint standing atop a hill in which are three mine shafts. Left […]
Continue ReadingI’ve often been asked, “Where’s the center of Mexico?”, and I’ve always deliberately fudged my reply, but is there a simple answer to this question? Well, perhaps not surprisingly, there isn’t! Several locations lay claim to being the center, but it’s all a question of definition. Does center mean “the point where the minimum distance […]
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The Cuexcomate volcano, in a suburb of the city of Puebla, is generally considered to be the world’s smallest volcano. Weighing in at an estimated 40 metric tons, it stands just 13 meters (43 feet) tall, with a reach (diameter) of 23 meters (75 feet). The name Cuexcomate derives from the Nahuatl Cuexcomac which means […]
Continue ReadingLiterary-minded travel writers describing Puerto Vallarta as an “island of tourist delights” probably don’t realize that their words are closer to the truth than they might imagine. At present, Puerto Vallarta has plenty of tourist facilities but is certainly not an island. The Pacific Ocean may swish against Vallarta’s beaches on one side, but there […]
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Think of warm sunshine and beautiful beaches. People who explore Mexico more deeply learn about colonial cities, handicrafts, and history. Mexico also has an incredible range of geography, from desert to tropical jungle and, yes, snow-covered mountains. The third highest mountain in North America is a few hours from the airport in Mexico City. Climbers […]
Continue Reading(Este artículo apareció por primera vez en Ron Mader’s Eco Travels (www.planeta.com) Un desierto cuya inmensidad bordea montañas con aspecto de cráteres, donde abundan aereolitos esparcidos en sus alrededores, asi como el recuerdo de un cohete espacial que cayó en su árido territorio, hacen de la misteriosa Zona del Silencio, en el norte del país […]
Continue ReadingIn the second half of the 18th century both the Russians and the British began to penetrate into the Alaskan peninsula, an area considered a Spanish possession as Spain was credited with “discovering” the American continent. Spain soon sent orders to “New Spain”, Mexico, to go and reassert its possession of this part of the […]
Continue ReadingBy common consent, the history of blacks in Mexico is a long one. The first black slave to set foot in Mexico is thought to have been Juan Cortés. He accompanied the conquistadors in 1519. It has been claimed that some natives thought he must be a god, since they had never seen a black […]
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The tehuano endlessly blows where North America stops. The tehuano, the unforgiving forever wind of the Isthmus of Tehauntepec, ceaselessly scours a path through the wide gap where the continent of North America ends and Central America starts. We entered this maelstrom upon leaving Highway 200 and departing the State of Oaxaca on one of our journeys to […]
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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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