The walk from the Hotel Mesón de Jobito where I’m staying to the Convento de San Francisco is only 15 minutes away but it’s a distance that spans centuries. The route takes me from the hotel built in the 1700s as a residence and then later used as an inn with donkeys, mules, and horses […]
Continue ReadingThis stew, a product of Mexico’s cattle ranches, originally utilized just about any part of the cow that was available, including the udders. It is a simple, tasty one-pot meal that reflects the lifestyle of the hard-working vaqueros, who often had to prepare their meals over a campfire. Ingredients 3 1/2 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1″ […]
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Though most of the town is lovely, it’s the historic section, dating back to when the town was founded in 1536 and centered around the Rafael Paez Garden, that creates a feel of wandering back into time. Rectangles of queso fresco, cheese made that morning from the milk of cows grazing on the ranches that surround Jerez, […]
Continue ReadingAs its name implies, this dish is traditionally served at weddings. The addition of chocolate makes it reminiscent of mole poblano, but the depth of flavor is achieved with far fewer ingredients. One reason for this is the use of whole spices, lightly toasted and ground, rather than powdered spices, which lose flavor quickly. Ingredients: 3 ancho […]
Continue ReadingThe word “zacatecano” used to describe a dish quite often indicates that it contains the combination of poblano chiles and cream. Ingredients: 12 corn tortillas vegetable oil as necessary 4 large poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded 1 cup Mexican crema, creme fraiche or heavy cream 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or farmer cheese 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped ½ […]
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“Zacatecas is the town everyone wants to go back to,” a friend said to me when I mentioned that we were going there. If not quite true, at least I know what she meant. Zacatecas was the first town we stayed in the first time we came to Mexico, back in those days when we […]
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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Several small towns in northern Mexico offer a welcome respite and interesting overnight stop for tourists bored by the long and monotonous stretches of desert driving on their way south. One such destination is Sombrerete, mid-way between the cities of Durango and Zacatecas. According to some, there was so much silver in this area that […]
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Vanessa thought it would be the perfect vacation: a full week on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera, as the travel agent had called the Yucatan coast. The agent had suggested the small city of Campeche, stressing that it was a place not yet discovered by hordes of Americans, a pristine paradise a few hours south of Merida. […]
Continue ReadingTwo sites within an hour’s drive south of Zacatecas make it well worthwhile to linger at least an extra day when visiting this splendid colonial treasure, described in a previous Mexico Connect article. ( Zacatecas) The two sites in question are La Quemada (The Burnt) and Jerez (Sherry). La Quemada grew into the largest pre-Columbian settlement […]
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