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Our 5th Annual Waterfall Hike & Corn Fiesta at Raul's place: Part 1-...
The Upper Falls of Yerba Buena Gorge drop nearly vertically down to a pool at the bottom. The pool lies in the cul-de-sac of a remote canyon with sheer sandstone walls hundreds of feet high. As my...
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Part 2 of our Waterfall HIke and Corn Fiesta: The Upper Falls to Raul's Place
The Upper Falls of Barranca Yerba Buena plunges more than a hundred feet into the gorge. This photo was taken through the thick foliage on the return trail along the east face of the cliffs that line...
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A visit to Hacienda El Plan de Corona, Part 1
The casa grande (big house) of Hacienda El Plan de Corona. The property is named after the Corona family, who have owned it for at least 5 generations. El Plan de Corona is located outside Acatlán de...
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A visit to Hacienda El Plan de Corona, Part 2: The 2nd story, the capilla, &...
View of the hacienda's casa grande, including the window of the 2nd story master bedroom. Most of the hacienda is built on one level, but the hacendado's bedroom is on the 2nd floor, along with an...
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San Blas Part 1: A sleepy litte fishing town with endless stretches of nearly...
An empty hammock waits for someone to loll away a balmy afternoon at Playa Mantanchen. The playas (beaches) around San Blas were almost empty when we visited, even though it was the January high...
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San Blas Part 2: Aticama Beach
An ultralight cruises along just above Playa Aticama as the sun drops toward the horizon. To the right you see the end of one of the palm-roofed palapas that line the beach for miles. Carole and I...
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San Blas Part 3: The creatures of the mangrove lagoons
A Great Blue Heron poses for a photo during a boat tour of San Blas' lagoon. Its calm, graceful beauty was nicely set against the green jungle of the mangrove swamp. The Great Blue Heron is the largest...
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San Blas Part 4: A visit to the island village of Mexcaltitán de Uribe
Mexcaltitán de Uribe is a pueblo on a small island that is completely surrounded by a lagoon. Click here for a Google Map showing the route from San Blas to Mexcaltitán. Carole and I put Mexcaltitán...
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San Blas Part 5: The people, wildlife, and hospitality of Mexcaltitan
A woman poles her canoe in the ancient way as white pelicans drift serenely past. Mexcaltitán is suffused with a tranquil, timeless quality. While some canoes are now motorized, many are still...
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Want to get high on Tequila? Try it this way...
The massive bulk of Volcan de Tequila is purpled by the late afternoon light. The first two times I climbed the peak of this volcano, I failed to bring my camera. On this sparkling, clear, winter day I...
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Getting high on Tequila (Part 2)
A massive stone dome rises in the caldera of Volcan Tequila. This is a lava plug, the remains of the lava which congealed in the tube of the volcano. The surrounding material eventually eroded away,...
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Aguascalientes Part 1: Centro Historico and its Plaza de la Patria
This fountain is one of several at Plaza de la Patria in Aguacalientes'Centro Historico. The air is cool and moist around the dripping fountain near the Exedra Column. This makes it a perfect spot to...
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Aguascalientes Part 2: The Cathedral and the Government Palace
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Plaza de la Patria, Aguascalientes.  The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is a very attractive example of Mexico's 18th Century religious architecture....
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Aguascalientes Part 3: The stunning murals of the Palacio Gobierno
Mural portraying Quetzalcoatl, the famous pre-hispanic Plumed Serpent. Quetzalcoatl was one of the most important gods of ancient Mesoamerica. Symbols depicting him go back as far as the Olmecs of 900...
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Aguascalientes Part 4: The Railroad Museum
An early 20th Century steam engine is displayed at Aguascaliente's Railroad Museum. The engine's nickname was "La Burrita" (the Little Burro). One of the many pleasant surprises during our short stay...
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Aguascalientes Part 5: Templo San Antonio, an architectural jewel
Templo San Antonio is almost jewel-like in appearance. Begun by the Franciscans, the church later came under the control of the Augustinian Order. I considered combining this set of photos with those...
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Aguascalientes Part 6a: The unique National Museum of Death
Beautifully wrought Aztec Eagle Warrior, depicted as a skeleton in the Museum of Death. Although created by a modern artist, ancient Eagle Warriors would have appreciated the image. The House of...
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Aguascalientes Part 6b: Laughing at death in Museo de la Muerte
Monsters on parade. How'd you like to answer a knock on your door and find these characters, arm-in-arm and reeking of tequila, asking you "where's the party?" I had to chuckle when I came across this...
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Aguascalientes Part 6c: José Guadalupe Posada's satirical 19th Century...
A classic catrina of the 19th Century. The term catrina is the feminine version of the Spanish word catrin, which means dandy, dude, or toff. The catrina shown above was one of the earliest creations...
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Aguascalientes Part 7: San Marcos' statue garden and lovely Templo
Statue of a flower girl in Jardin de San Marcos. This charming, life-sized, bronze sculpture greets visitors who enter the lovely Garden of San Marcos from the east end. You can find the Jardin by...
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