The past year was a rough one for many Mexicans.

Although Guadalajara can at times feel like unremitting stretches of traffic, construction and helter-skelter, seasoned urbanites know there are pockets of calm and delight to be found in this city.

Nomadic Canadians John and Lynn Gilbank met 36 years ago in Caracas, Venezuela and have been together ever since. Their passion for travel, adventure and motorcycles was the impetus for Riders of the Sierra Madre,

With the notable exception of J.K. Rowling, it is difficult to imagine any writer in the world drawing as large a crowd as George R.R. Martin, the author of “The Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy novels that inspired the critically acclaimed television series “Game of Thrones.”

When Jesús “Chuy” Acosta and his American wife Amy returned from Chicago to Acosta’s tiny hometown of Camichines in 2001, they brought with them their four young children and a strong desire to “give back” to this small Jalisco community, where Acosta was raised.

While living in Tacoma, Washington, Reverend Tim Schubert had the idea of starting a Center for Spiritual Living in Ajijic. Along with his wife Arlene, he wanted to create a community for people who didn’t feel comfortable in their traditional religions yet had a desire to affiliate and pursue spirituality in a context that was untraditional.