The art and attitudes of the two great Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco could not be more different. Rivera was a classicist, Orozco an expressionist. Rivera was optimistic, Orozco was a pessimist. Rivera was an indigenista who idealized the Indian segment of Mexican society and glorified pre-hispanic culture. Orozco was a hispanista who admired the Spanish […]
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Much of what makes camping in Mexico intriguing and even mysterious also makes it challenging: It’s easy to disappear from the mapped highways and become emerged in the Chihuahuan Desert or the Sierra Madre Occidental, but a smooth and safe trip can be anywhere from difficult to impossible without careful planning and preparation. Even so, […]
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In January 2010, I wrote in these pages about our visit to Xalapa, Veracruz, a city off the Gringo radar screen, and how it compared to Ajijic, a pueblo very much on it. This time, Patricia and I decided to sample a city on the Pacific coast — Manzanillo. It is a city certainly on […]
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All around town, people are carrying babies. It takes me a moment to realize, (mostly because they are swaddled in blankets) that they are not real babies but dolls. Then it takes me another moment and a scolding from my new mother-in-law to realize that they are not dolls either. They are Niños Jesus — […]
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Decorated evergreen trees, garlands of greens and ivy, yule logs, shiny glass balls, seasonal music, twinkling lights, special family meals, shimmering stars, brilliantly red poinsettias, silvery ribbons, mounds of presents, and Santa Claus are the vibrant heralds of the Christmas season in the United States and Canada. Few North Americans recognize that the roots of […]
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Many cities worldwide have famous downtown squares, or plazas. Notable examples include London’s Trafalgar Square, Moscow’s Red Square and Beijing’s Tienanmen Square, among many others. Such a plaza is an essential part of a city’s history and identity. Consequently, it is a major draw for tourists. Mexico City’s principal plaza, called the Zócalo, fills such […]
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The eclipse has special meaning for the Huichol, because it represents the eclipse of July 11 1991 at 10:21 A.M. Pacific Coast time. This is the sixth sun according to the ancient Meso-American Calendars of the Maya. When Cortez arrived it was the begining of the fifth sun. As we all know, Cortez changed their […]
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The spectacular images in these photo galleries show the Huichol people at home (taken by Robert Otey) and of Robert Otey’s collection of beaded jaguar heads and other artwork.
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The Lake Chapala region (numerous villages stretching from Jocotepec on the northwest corner of the lake to Ajijic and Chapala further east) continues to grow in popularity among American and Canadian retirees looking for winter warmth and plenty of activities. The area has many attractions and comforts, and yet, not everyone can live happily here […]
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Lake Chapala, Mexico’s largest natural lake, is dying. The lake right now plays a vital role in a gigantic ecosystem, the River Lerma-Lake Chapala drainage basin, which includes more than 8 million people, 3,500 diverse industries, 750,000 hectares of irrigated farmland and 14 cities with populations in excess of 100,000. At the western extremity of […]
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