In 1943 a couple of young American entrepreneurs attending a bullfight in Mexico and observing the crowd that filled the stadium, hit on the idea that they could become millionaires by introducing the hot dog to bullfight fans in Mexico. They reasoned that if hot dogs were such a hit with baseball fans in America, […]
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A young Belgian botanist established a business exporting Mexican cacti to Europe back in the 1840s. Henri Guillaume Galeotti was born on September 10, 1814, in Paris. In early childhood, he moved, with his Milanese father, to Belgium, where he studied natural history at the Establissement Géographique de Brussels. This school had been founded in […]
Continue ReadingMexican Kitchen Last month’s column discussed buying and storing summer fruit, as well as the versatile fruit salsas which are perfect for outdoor dining. This month some ideas for using fruit as part of the main course are given. Here in Mexico, especially in the southern coastal regions, fruit is much more than a salad course […]
Continue ReadingCORO Mexicanos, al grito de guerra El acero aprestad y el bridon; y retiemble en sus centros la tierra Al sonoro rugir del cañon. Ciña ¡oh patria! tus sienes de oliva De la Paz el arcangel divino, Que en el cielo tu eterno destino Por el dedo de Dios se escribió. Mas si osaré un […]
Continue ReadingFather Alonso Ponce and Friar Antonio de Ciudad Real were probably Mexico’s first ever tourists. Father Alonso Ponce de León arrived in Veracruz in September 1584 and spent the next five years traveling to every corner of New Spain as Visitor of the Franciscan Provinces. In this time, he visited all 166 Franciscan monasteries in […]
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Mexico’s equivalent of the Domesday book was compiled in the sixteenth century. History shows that conquerors often have very little idea of what they have really acquired until it is firmly within their grasp. One of their first steps following victory is a comprehensive survey of everything of value, or potential value. For instance, in […]
Continue ReadingMexican cuisine has been one of the country’s most successful cultural exports over the past twenty years or so and most large towns in North America and Europe now boast at least one Mexican restaurant, even if the menu is not necessarily “authentic”. For those wanting to experiment, the basic ingredients for Mexican meals can […]
Continue ReadingFollowing a policy of keeping the boys and the girls seperated, Martita and Vidal seldom saw each other at school. It must have been some comfort just knowing that the other was close by. Marta’s dormitory was upstairs in a long building along the side of the complex. The bottom floor served as classrooms. There […]
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I know! You think I’m several sheets to the wind from too many shots of tequila already, even before you read this month’s Did You Know column. But—honestly—diamonds really can be made from tequila! Scientists have discovered that Mexico’s national drink, when subjected to considerable heat with the resulting vapor persuaded to hit just the […]
Continue ReadingThose who characterize liberals as wimps or ineffective bleeding hearts would think twice if they lived in the era of a fiery and committed jurist and reformer named Santos Degollado. Along with the politician-scientist Melchor Ocampo and the poet-journalist Guillermo Prieto, Degollado was one of the bright young men in the inner circle of Progressives […]
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