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Mascota Part 4: Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores
Dramatic clouds loom over Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. The Parroquia stands in a broad atrium, surrounded by a wall and several ornate gates. A parroquia (parish church) is the main...
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Mascota Part 5: The Amazing Museum of Stones
Rocks of various sizes, shapes, and colors completely cover a traditional sombrero. One of the most unusual places to visit in Mascota is Museo de Piedra El Pedregal (Museum of Stones). The museum is...
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Mascota Part 6: The serene but mysterious ruins of Templo Preciosa Sangre de...
Slanting morning sunshine leaves parts of the ruins in deep shadow. Templo de la Preciosa Sangre de Cristo (Temple of the Precious Blood of Christ), stands in a small park in the middle of Mascota....
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San Sebastian del Oeste Part 1: A colonial mining pueblo deep in the Coast Range
A lacy metal kiosco stands in the middle of Plaza Publica. The plaza dates back to 1774, but the kiosco (bandstand) and the surrounding gardens were added during an early 20th century remodeling. With...
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San Sebastian del Oeste Part 2: Hacienda Jalisco provides a peek into of...
View of the casa grande. Hacienda Jalisco is a well-preserved example of San Sebastian del Oeste's old haciendas which processed silver and gold throughout the area. My friends and I visited this...
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San Sebastain del Oeste Part 3: Templo San Sebastian Martir
The entrance of Templo San Sebastian Martir. This is the parroquia (parish church) of San Sebastian del Oeste. The church stands just behind El Portal Morelos which forms the north side of Plaza...
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San Sebastian del Oeste Part 4: Cafetelera La Quinta Mari
Entrance to Cafetelera La Quinta Mari. The cafetelera (country house) has been owned by the same family for five generations. They grow and process artesanal coffee of the highest quality. After we...
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San Sebastian del Oeste Part 5: The Museum of Doña Conchita Encarnación
One of several display rooms in Museo Doña Conchita Encarnación. This is San Sebastian del Oeste's only museum, but it is packed with fascinating objects, documents, and photos from the days when the...
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Dia de los Muertos, a tradition both solemn and hilarious
Skulls and white candles are traditional elements of Dia de los Muertos. Each November 2, Mexico celebrates its unique Day of the Dead fiesta. Although the day falls just after Halloween, it has no...
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San Sebastian del Oeste Part 6 of 6: The fascinating historical artifacts of...
A cow's skull decorates a well near the entrance of the hotel. We visited Hotel Hacienda Matel during our day-trip to San Sebastian del Oeste. While there are a number haciendas in the area dating to...
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Talpa de Allende Part 1: City of Pilgrims
Statue commemorating the pilgrims who travel to Talpa each year. Some make the pilgrimage on their knees to demonstrate their devotion. Many undertake the journey to ask Nuestra Señora del Rosario...
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Talpa de Allende Part 2: Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario and the...
Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario stands in Talpa's main plaza. The Basilica is the end point of two annual pilgrimages which start from the town of Ameca, 117.3 km (73.4 mi) away. The pilgrimage...
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Talpa de Allende Part 3 of 3: Museum of Our Lady of the Rosary
Statue of Nuestra Señora del Rosario. This sumptuously dressed statue is one of several displayed in the museum dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, located just behind her Basilica. However, this is...
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The Slot Canyons of La Cañada Part 1 of 2
Torrents of water created the feature that hikers call The Chute. The power of water to carve through solid rock is quite impressive. The photo above shows only a couple of quiet pools remaining from...
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La Cañada Slot Canyons Part 2 of 2: the Middle Canyon, the 2nd Slot, and the...
Hikers pick their way through jumbled boulders along the base of the Second Slot. This is the most dramatic slot canyon on the route, with soaring walls on either side. Part 1 of this two-part series...
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Calakmul Part 1: A spectacular ancient city, deep in the Petén jungle.
Structure II is Calakmul's largest pyramid. It stands at the south end of the city's Gran Plaza. In the upper left of the photo, Structure I can be seen peeping out of the jungle. These two pyramids...
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Calakmul Part 2: Structure II's palace, elite residences, and temple
View of the lower part of the north facade of Structure II. At what appears to be the very top, you can see the remains of three doorways that were the entrances of a palace. What are not visible from...
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Calakmul Part 3: The Royal Tombs within the great pyramid called Structure II
The tomb of Yuknoom Yich'aak K'aak' (Claw of Fire). He was one of the three great kings of the Kaan (Snake) Dynasty, who ruled Calakmul during the 7th and first half of the 8th centuries AD. The...
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Calakmul Part 4: Structures VII and VIII and the north end of the Gran Plaza.
Structure VII stands at the north end of the Gran Plaza. This south-facing pyramid looks down the length of the Plaza toward Structure II, the much larger pyramid at the other end. At the bottom of...
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Calakmul Part 5: The Gran Plaza's astronomical observatory and the stelae of...
Statue of a Maya shaman. This Late Classical figure was found in a burial at Jaina Island on Yucatan's Caribbean coast. Shamans were priests who had a very high status and performed a variety of...
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