Life in Mexico, an account by Frances Calderon de la Barca

In 1843, a collection of letters was published under the name of Life in Mexico as a sort of travelogue relating the impressions and observations gleaned and recorded by Madame Frances Calderon de la Barca during her sojourns in Mexico as the wife of Spanish diplomat. It is of special Continue Reading →

Morelia, Michoacan: Historic Center

Morelia is the capital of the state of Michoacan, Mexico. It is Michoacan’s largest city and features an abundance of beautiful colonial architecture. It is the birthplace of José María Morelos y Pavón (1765), a hero of the Mexican independence movement. The city, which was called Valladolid from 1545 to 1828, Continue Reading →

5 Exploratory Weekend-or-More Zihuatanejo Side Trips

Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, Mexico Not only can you enjoy stretches of fabulous Pacific Ocean beaches while vacationing in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, but if you’re staying for a couple of weeks or more, you can take advantage of some quick side trips into the interior of Mexico for a change of scene during your Continue Reading →

Chiapas Mexico Nature Sites

Many of the wetlands and jungles of Mexico’s state of Chiapas are designated protected areas for a great variety of flora and fauna native to Mexico and Central America. These regions, rife with archaeological treasures and impressive natural landscapes and resources, offer unparalleled opportunities for responsible adventure and eco-touristic activities. Continue Reading →

Waterfalls and Cascades

Waterfalls of the Huasteca Potosina The Huasteca, part of which lies along the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental and runs down to the Gulf Coast along the basin of the Rio Panuco (Panuco River) in Mexico, is incredibly rich in water resources, and the landscape and vegetation testify Continue Reading →

Taninul Hotel: A Treat for Body and Soul

We discovered Taninul Hotel and spa in the Huasteca Potosina through the recommendations of family and friends who’d visited this special, lush, and splendid area of Mexico in search of adventure and the Englishman’s castle–the enchanted gardens of Edward James at Las Pozas, Xilitla. The hotel was built in a Continue Reading →

Surrealism in Xilitla, Mexico

Las Pozas, Xilitla: The Enchanted Gardens of Edward James At a place known as Las Pozas, only a few kilometers outside of the town of Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, in the heart of Mexico’s La Huasteca region, Englishman Edward James conceptualized and built an astounding showcase of surrealistic structures in Continue Reading →

World Heritage Sites in Mexico

 The UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Mexico Of all the countries in the Americas, Mexico can boast of having within its boundaries the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites, counting both its cultural and natural sites. Mexico, as of May 25, 2014, has had thirty-two sites inscribed into the World Continue Reading →

The Huasteca, Mexico’s Jewel

Reading and summarizing the 1824 journal of travels made by a detachment of men sent by the Real del Monte Mining Company from the gulf coast of Mexico into the highlands, I was reminded of the beauties of the countryside in one of Mexico’s unspoiled regions, the Huasteca. The mining Continue Reading →

Part II: New York to Real del Monte, Mexico

This is a continuation of a previous post about a journey from New York to the Mexican mining town of Real del Monte (Mineral del Monte) undertaken by a detachment sent by the Real del Monte Mining Company in 1824. The men had landed in Tampico and had come through Continue Reading →

Part I: New York to Real del Monte, Mexico

How a mining company expedition in the early 1820s spawned and fueled Mexico’s passion for the sport of football soccer. A synopsis and excerpts from III. Journal descriptive of the Route from New York to Real del Monte by way of Tampico by one of the first detachment sent by the Real Continue Reading →

El Chepe Day Two

Waking with the dawn and watching the sun invade the horizon from a perch on a clifftop at the highest point of the Chihuahua Pacific railroad (El Chepe) in the Copper Canyons of Mexico was an unforgettable experience. The night before (see the previous post), we had watched the sun Continue Reading →