The Insider's Guide to the Best of Mexico
By Carmen Amato
1/5
()
About this ebook
The Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexico is a unique collection of insider stories that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s your passport to a country full of color, culture, and contrasts.
Forty-two writers, artists, educators, travelers, business owners and others share their experiences inside today’s Mexico. Most of those who contributed stories are expatriates who have found opportunity and inspiration in Mexico. From hidden beaches to one-of-a-kind art to historic gems, The Insider’s Guide to the Best of Mexico offers both recommendations and revelations.
These stories are neither formal guidebook, social commentary, nor a substitute for unbiased news. They are an effort to share a landscape and lifestyle that have found a place in the hearts of so many.
Whether you are contemplating your next vacation, retirement, work-related move to Mexico, or are simply an armchair traveler, we hope you enjoy these insider stories.
Contributors: Carmen Amato, Ellie Balderrama, Tony Burton, Ellie Cusack, Anne Damon. Joel R. Dennstedt, Kathryn Ferguson, Aileen Friedman, D. Grant Fitter, Kelly Hayes-Raitt , Karen Z. Hendin, Michael Hogan, David & Veronica James, Susan Penelope James, Jim Johnston, William B. Kaliher, Cynthia Katz, Jeanine Kitchel, Michael Landfair, Lindy Laing, Lawrie Lock, Lynda L. Lock, Mely Martinez, Dean & Shari Miller, Mikel Miller, Katie O’Grady, Guillermo Paxton, Kim Peto, Jennifer Silva Redmond, Robert Richter, Susannah Rigg, Fabiola Rodriguez, Dianne Hofner Saphiere, John Scherber, Kristine Scherber, Jinx Schwartz, David Steelman, Sara Sutter, Leigh Ann Thelmadatter, Joseph Toone, Sam Warren, and Kerry Watson.
Carmen Amato
Carmen Amato turns lessons from a 30-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency into crime fiction loaded with danger and deception. The Detective Emilia Cruz series pits the first female police detective in Acapulco against Mexico's drug cartels, corruption, and social inequality. Dubbed “A thrilling series” by National Public Radio, the series was awarded the Poison Cup Award for Outstanding Series from CrimeMasters of America in both 2019 and 2020 and has been optioned for television. Her Galliano Club historical thriller series was inspired by the stories told by her grandfather who was a deputy sheriff during Prohibition. Originally from upstate New York, Carmen was educated there as well as in Virginia and Paris, France, while experiences in Mexico and Central America ignited her writing career. She is a recipient of both the National Intelligence Award and the Career Intelligence Medal. Every other Sunday, Carmen’s Mystery Ahead newsletter unlocks her top secrets with exclusive announcements, sneak peeks at her next book and reviews of must-read mysteries. https://carmenamato.net/mystery-ahead https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carmen-amato https://www.amazon.com/author/carmenamato https://facebook.com/authorcarmenamato/
Read more from Carmen Amato
Road to the Galliano Club Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLa Clavadista Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Insider's Guide to the Best of Mexico
Related ebooks
Frommer's Belize Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLivin' In Mexico: What It Really Costs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Learning to Love the Peso; How to Move to Mexico and Why Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat the Travel Guides Won't Tell You Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Patagonia Travel Guide 2022-2023 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAllano's Travels in Mexico and Guatemala Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Rough Guide to Ecuador & the Galapagos (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rough Guide to Mexico (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Peru, Bolivia & Ecuador Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTodos Santos and Baja Bcs Mexico: A Travel Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCosta Rica - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Best of South America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mini Rough Guide to Antigua & Barbuda (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Costa Rica No One Talks About Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Buenos Aires: with Side Trips to Iguaz� Falls, Gaucho Country & Uruguay Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Move to Mexico Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Frommer's EasyGuide to Colombia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoving to Mexico: Relocation as a Rite of Passage Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5MEXICO Dirt Cheap Travel Tips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCartagena Travel Guide: A Guidebook to Simplify Your Vacation to this Amazing Colombian City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsight Guides Panama (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Mexico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's In Focus Panama Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHonduras Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Essential Peru: with Machu Picchu & the Inca Trail Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCosta Rica's Caribbean Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBelize Bruce's Footsteps to Belize Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Definitive Guide to Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca: Expat Fever Quick Reads, #2 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cancun & Yucatan Peninsula Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Essays & Travelogues For You
A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vagabonding on a Budget: The New Art of World Travel and True Freedom: Live on Your Own Terms Without Being Rich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsForest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Innocents Abroad Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Look for Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neither here nor there: Travels in Europe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miami Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Songlines Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Philosophy of Walking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Notes from a Small Island Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet An Innocent Abroad: Life-Changing Trips from 35 Great Writers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Places Not to See Before You Die Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One World: A global anthology of short stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet How to Be A Travel Writer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFucked at Birth: Recalibrating the American Dream for the 2020s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best American Travel Writing 2016 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Socrates Express: In Search of Life Lessons from Dead Philosophers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Around the World in Seventy-Two Days Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Deep South Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Green Hills of Africa: The Hemingway Library Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best American Travel Writing 2018 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Own Magic: A Reappearing Act Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Reviews for The Insider's Guide to the Best of Mexico
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
The Insider's Guide to the Best of Mexico - Carmen Amato
Foreword
On any given day, the news about Mexico is full of contrast. We can choose to learn about drug cartels or Cancún’s best vacation deal. Corruption or culture.
But it is the insider who knows the real story of Mexico.
This is a collection of those essential insider stories. Writers, artists, educators, travelers, business owners and others shared their experiences inside today’s Mexico. Most of those who contributed stories are expatriates living in Mexico who have found there both opportunity and inspiration.
These stories are neither formal guidebook, social commentary, nor a substitute for unbiased news. They are an effort to share a landscape and culture that have found a place in the hearts of so many.
The dynamic and influential Mexico Writers group on Facebook was the springboard for this project. As a mystery author with many books set in Mexico, I often work with other writers to brainstorm stories and develop projects. This has been far and away my favorite, thanks to the enthusiasm and professionalism of fellow Mexico Writers.
Whether you are contemplating your next vacation, retirement, work-related move to Mexico, or are simply an armchair traveler, we hope you enjoy these insider stories.
Hasta la proxima,
Carmen Amato
carmenamato.net
In loving memory
––––––––
Kathryn Ferguson
and
Robert Mad Dog
Schwartz
Table of Contents
Foreword
Art
Beaches
Events
Experiences
Food
History
Literature
Special Places
Contributors
Art
The Otomí Embroidery of Hidalgo
AnneDamon_Otomi2Photo courtesy Zinnia Folk Arts
The colorful embroidery work of Mexico's Otomí women has become a popular textile around the world. The cheerful combination of animals (birds, rabbits, deer, dogs, insects) with swirling flowers, is frequently seen in many American design magazines and can be used for bedspreads, tablecloths, headboard covers, wall hangings, lampshades and other creative craft projects. These large textiles, known as Tenangos
because of the region they come from in Hidalgo (Tenango de Doria), come in many different colors and a few standard sizes. The textile is not available as a bolt of fabric (as many people request) but in a few standard sizes.
Usually Otomi embroideries are done on an off-white 100% cotton muslin background; occasionally on black or gray cotton. The lore is that they are a more recent development in the traditional arts of Mexico and some say they are based on some cave paintings in Hidalgo state. That's been hard to verify.
Many of the small towns within the Tenango region are home to women's collectives who make and sell these beautiful works of art. Each 6' by 6' piece is one-of-a-kind and takes approximately three months to complete.
The designs are drawn in water-soluble pencil or marker on muslin and then hand-embroidered. Women often work together on a piece using their embroidery hoops and sitting and chatting.
The Otomí live in various regions of Mexico–Hidalgo, Puebla, Oaxaca, Mexico–and their textiles can be found throughout the country due to a very good distribution system. If you purchase an Otomí piece on a vacation to the coasts of Mexico be careful about the quality, for it can vary widely depending on the skill of the artisan.
Anne Damon, Owner of Zinnia Folk Arts, www.ZinniaFolkArts.com
Art in Ajijic
art-in-ajijic-muralPhoto courtesy Tony Burton
I first visited the small village of Ajijic on Lake Chapala in 1980, looking for art. Ajijic had gained the reputation of being the artistic center of the Chapala Riviera. Over the years the village had attracted many foreign artists, including such famous names as Sylvia Fein and Charles Pollock (brother of Jackson). More recently, art education programs, now managed by the Lake Chapala Society, have helped stimulate a formidable pool of local talent.
Ajijic does have its studios and galleries, but much of the art on view today is public. Colorful murals and artwork provide interesting diversions on any stroll around the village. A large tree stump on the plaza has been given an extraordinary new lease of life by local sculptor Estela Hidalgo. The centerpiece of the Ajijic Cultural Center is a vivid mural by Jesús López Vega telling the story of the lake's mythological fish-princess Teo-michicihualli. More than a dozen other murals grace this lively artistic village, where the art scene today is even more vibrant and creative than ever before.
Tony Burton, author of Western Mexico, A Traveler's Treasury, and Lake Chapala Through The Ages: an anthology of travelers' tales, http://sombrerobooks.com
Emilio Sosa Medina: Scary and Beautiful
Photo courtesy Lynda Lock
Tucked into a small space near the corner of Hidalgo and López Mateos on Isla Mujeres sits an unassuming little store, Artesanías Glenssy. The walls are hung with brilliantly colored, very scary creatures.
The artist’s name is Emilio Sosa Medina, and he was born in Yobain Yucatan in 1955. A political activist since he was a teenager, Emilio left his home town in 1974 to move to Isla Mujeres where he still lives and works.
In 1986 Emilio took lessons at the local Casa de la Cultura to learn paper maché techniques and he was intrigued by the possibilities. Using up to 40 kilos (87 pounds) of newsprint for some of his larger sculptures Emilio creates supernatural beings from Mayan mythology, plus his own fantastic monsters.
Crafting each intricate piece is a slow process. Layer upon layer of newsprint are carefully formed over a wire frame and left for several days to dry naturally in the warm Caribbean climate. Several coats of vivid acrylics, followed by a final glaze of clear polymer resin, give the paper maché vibrancy and character.
Even though Mexican mask folk art has been in existence for thousands of years, Emilio brings new life to the art form. His one-of-a-kind pieces enhance interior spaces in homes on Isla Mujeres, and around the world. His legacy of scary and beautiful sculptures will live on beyond his time.
Lynda