Cultivating curiosity and wellbeing in Mexico
A personal view of Mexico, its joys, its beauties, its contradictions, and its follies.
Six Months in Mexico is a book written by Nellie Bly (pen name of Elizabeth Jane Cochrane Seaman, 1864-1922) and published in 1888. Nellie Bly worked as a columnist at the Pittsburgh Dispatch in the late 1800s, focusing on women’s rights, education, and conditions in the workplace. When pressured by her Continue Reading →
I am no birdwatcher and do not recognize many bird songs, but every spring, Zihuatanejo seems to explode with the tremendous chatter of cheerful birds that sing, warble, trill, chirp, squawk, and yes, twitter, their ways through the days and sometimes nights. The early morning varieties are notable, perhaps even Continue Reading →
The typical dishes of the state of Guerrero, Mexico, center unsurprisingly around the regional agricultural staples: corn, beans, tomatoes, squash, and chiles. Indigenous animals that were used for food before the arrival of the Europeans, some of which are still common in the local cuisine today, include wild turkeys, armadillos, Continue Reading →
The College of Mexico (El Colegio de México) publishes a condensed history of Mexico (in Spanish) that gives a rapid-fire overview of the history of this key Latin American country from the times of the early Mesoamerican civilizations (c. 2500 BC) through to the modern years after the Mexican Revolution. Continue Reading →
If you haven’t already participated in the activities of Zihuatanejo’s Eco-Vegan Cooperative (Cooperativa Eco-Vegana), now might be the time to jump in and find out what a vegan lifestyle and plant-based eating are all about. The Cooperativa Eco-Vegana had its beginnings about a year ago in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, when a Continue Reading →
The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has announced its most important discoveries for 2013, amongst which figure the discovery of the tail of a hadrosaur in the state of Coahuila and the prehispanic settlement of Chactún in the southern state of Campeche on the Yucatan Peninsula. The Continue Reading →
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is Mexico’s beloved patron saint and patroness of the Americas. She is also affectionately known as the Empress of Latin America and is particularly regarded as a protectress of unborn children. According to the Catholic church, shortly after the Continue Reading →
Things were hopping today at Zihuatanejo’s Saturday organic and natural products market on Playa Principal at Plaza del Artista in downtown Zihua on Mexico’s Pacific coast. Juanito Zihua and Banda Cuatro-Cuarenta were playing, and many who stopped by the beachfront market took advantage to dance off the excess energy after Continue Reading →
I don’t know how well cute describes an archaeological site, but that’s the closest term I can find for the neat and compact ruins that are found just outside the town of Tingambato between Uruapan and Patzcuaro, Michoacan. Besides the archaeological site of Xihuacan (also called La Soledad de Maciel Continue Reading →
Cats, boas, a vegan fair, and dinner… What an unusual day! First, an early morning phonecall informed me that my cat, who resided at our office instead of our house, had almost–almost–been devoured by a boa constrictor. She was saved in the nick of time by a vigilant and fast-moving Continue Reading →
(S5663AM6AQX4) On a side street in the heart of the historical center of Mexico City, close to Parque Alameda and Bellas Artes (the Palace of Fine Arts), is a small, unassuming restaurant called simply Restaurante Vegetariano. It is open only for lunch and caters to the personnel of nearby offices Continue Reading →
Fuerte de San Diego, Acapulco The Fort of San Diego, a pentagonal-shaped stronghold commanding a fabulous view of Acapulco bay, is located very near what is now Acapulco’s core downtown area, Originally constructed between 1615 and 1617, the fort was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1776. Reconstruction began in Continue Reading →
Flor de jamaica is the Mexican name for the flowers, or actually the calyces, of the variety of hibiscus known as the roselle, or Hibiscus sabdariffa, which is commonly grown in the tropical climes of the Americas. Recently, I came across fresh hibiscus flowers at our local Zihuatanejo market. They Continue Reading →
The cuisine of the Costa Grande de Guerrero in Mexico, which extends from Acapulco all the way to the Michoacan border, centers unsurprisingly around the bounty from the sea. All the regular fare such as shrimp, oysters, lobster, whole and filleted red snapper and dorado (mahi-mahi) can be found in Continue Reading →
Over the course of the last several months, Zihuatanejo’s downtown center has been undergoing a very noticeable face-lift. We began seeing sidewalks converted into covered passageways with attractive columns supporting red-tiled overhangs, providing pedestrians both sun-shade during the winter season and rain shelter during the rainy season. Continue Reading →
A morning stroll along the Madera walkway that runs from the bridge over the flood control canal next to the Archaeological Museum on Playa Principal all the way to Playa Madera in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. Continue Reading →