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Mexico City Part 1: Aztec Origins
Eagle Warriors belonged to one of the two most important warrior cults. The Mexica, popularly known as Aztecs, were the most militaristic of the ancient pre-hispanic civilizations. This posting begins...
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Mexico City Part 2: The Aztec Capital of Tenochtitlán and its Templo Mayor
A giant stone snake writhes along the base of the Templo Mayor. When the Spanish arrived in 1519, the Mexica (Aztecs) were at the peak of their power and wealth. Their capital, Tenochtitlán, was larger...
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Mexico City Part 3: The Aztec House of Eagles, Tzompantli, and Red Altar
This magnificent stone eagle can be found in the Templo Mayor museum. Unearthed in 1985, the sculpture is large, about 1.22 m (4 ft) long and 1 m (3 ft) high at the beak. The piece is called a...
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Las Soldaderas: Women of the Mexican Revolution
Soldaderas march in a parade celebrating the Mexican Revolution. The colors of the skirts worn by these Mexican Army soldiers are those of the Mexican flag. They carry the Mauser rifles and wear the...
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Mexico City Part 4: Artisans of the Aztec Empire
Skulls inlaid with tuquoise mosaic were among the more macabre forms of Mexica art. The Mexica (Aztec) Empire was far-flung and could demand tribute from many different parts of Mesoamerica. The...
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Mexico City Part 5: Aztec Cosmology
This fellow is not a deity whom I would want to bump into in dark alley. The god represented above is the only one in this posting for whom I have no identification. I decided to include him because he...
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Mexico City Part 6: Aztec Cosmology (Continued)
Centeotl, the God of Maiz, brandishes a couple of corn cobs. He wears an elaborate head dress, large ear spools, and suspended from his neck is an elegant pectoral, characteristic of this god. Centeotl...
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Purépecha Fiesta at the Ajijic Plaza
A Purépecha woman dances gaily in the Ajijic Plaza. For several days before Christmas, a group of crafts people from the State of Michoacan set up booths in the Ajijic Plaza. They not only displayed...
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Flossie, the Hummingbird Lady
A Broadbilled Hummingbird examines the world from its perch in Flossie's yard. In a village filled with interesting characters, Flossie the Hummingbird Lady stands in a class by herself. Her formal...
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Our Annual Waterfall Hike and Corn Fiesta
Hikers approach one of the large falls within Barranca Yerba Buena. Every fall, for the past four years, a group of hikers from Lake Chapala's foreign community travels to a remote canyon south of the...
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Ihuatzio, Ancient City of the Tarascan Empire
One of Ihuatzio's twin pryamids broods silently as rugged mountains rise to the east. The two pyramids at Ihuatzio are among the major features of the site, which is located near the city of Patzcuaro...
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Zihuatanejo Part 1: Steep hills, rocky points, and crescent beaches
View of Zihuatanejo looking northeast. After our stop at Patzcuaro to see the ancient Tarascan ruins at Ihuatzio (see previous posting), we continued on through Michoacan to the Pacific Coast near...
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Zihuatanejo Part 2: Playa Madera
Bronze sculpture of a beautiful girl basking on a rock along Playa Madera. This is one of seven statues of indigenous women along Playa Madera and Playa Municipal. The bronze statues, each slightly...
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Zihuatanejo Part 3: Playa Municipal's statues, fishermen, and hilarious...
El Pescador is one of many statues along the malecon of Playa Municipal.El Pescador ("The Fisherman") acknowledges Zihuatanejo's hard-working fishing community. Fishing has been an important activity...
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Zihuatanejo Part 4: Barra Potosi, Ixtapa, & Playa Linda
The seemingly endless beach at Barra de Potosi was almost empty when we visited. Barra de Potosi is a tiny fishing village at the south end of a long, gently curving bay. The northern tip of the bay is...
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Zihuatanejo Part 5: The ancient city of Xihuacán
Bust of a woman in the Teotihuacan style, found at the ruins of Xihuacán. The ancient sculptor who crafted this bust perfectly captured a wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression of astonishment. As I will...
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Zihuatanejo Part 6: Ancient Xihuacán as a Ceremonial Center
Statue of Huehueteotl, the "Old, Old Fire God," was found at Xihuacán. Huehueteotlis shown in his typical posture: seated, with the hunched shoulders and face of an old man, and carrying a brazier...
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Zihuatanejo: Part 7: Daily life along the ancient Costa Grande
This beautiful bracelet of copper bells was crafted by the ancient people of the Costa Grande. Copper bells and other items of personal ornamentation were among the earliest uses of this metal....
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Getting high at Lake Chapala: Cerro Chupinaya
My hiking friends Peter (rt) and Alfredo (lt), on the way to the peak of Cerro Chupinaya. The mountains surrounding Lake Chapala are a hiker’s delight. This is particularly true of those that rise...
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Chiapas Part 1: San Cristóbal de las Casas and its Zocalo
San Cristóbal's 18th Century Catedral occupies one side of the city's Zocalo. The Zocalo, also known as Plaza Mayor or Plaza 31 de Marzo, is filled with activity from the early morning to late in the...
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