Columns

It has been an extraordinary week for my cherished amigos Tony and Gwen Burton, visiting lakeside from their home in Canada for the first time in quite a few years. They have been welcomed here with open arms and warm hearts by long-time friends and strangers alike, experiencing multiple triumphs and one major heartbreak during their stay.

As Día de Muertos approaches, I reflect on how the holiday’s customs have evolved from generation to generation. Until a few decades ago, there were no public festivals to commemorate the occasion—no Altar de Muertos exhibitions, contest or Catrina figurines lining the streets. No painted faces, costume parades, or song and dance festivities.

It’s been about two years since the day my gas-guzzling SUV broke down as I pulled into my driveway and I decided it was high time to throw in the towel. 

After winding down from the local Independencia de México hullabaloo, it’s a perfect time for expat residents to dedicate some time and effort to brushing up on Spanish-language skills. Whether you are at a beginning, intermediate, or advanced level, learning to communicate better in the native tongue is a sign of respect and appreciation for the people who have so generously opened their arms and hearts to a vast number of strangers from abroad.

Most foreigners at lakeside probably know that Mexico celebrates Independence Day on September 16, the date in 1810 when the national struggle against Spanish rule began. Some may not be aware that the Guerra de Independencia dragged on until 1821, when freedom from the Gachupines was finally achieved.

I had the free time and inclination to attend two out of the eight “Understanding Mexico” conferences presented between August 4 and 14 under the auspices of the Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Being there turned out to be a good judgment call, as I left each of the three-hour sessions fully satisfied with new insights on contemporary Mexico and clamoring for even more understanding of my adopted home.