The people of San José de Tateposco still tell of the day their patron saint wandered through the village. Some said they saw him in the fields, others glimpsed him barefoot among the mezquites, his robe shining green in the sun. “Suddenly, he disappeared and went back to his temple,” recalled Alejandra Preciado during a recent community gathering. Such stories, handed down for generations, are now finding their way into print.

“Muy mal!” proclaimed a smiling Guadalajara waiter when asked about the raging accusations against shoemaker Adidas and its huarache-style design of a new sports shoe, dubbed the Oaxaca Slip-On. 

Cathey Merrill’s stunning book, “Colección de Recuerdos,” is not only a remarkable tribute to Mexican artisans but also a heartfelt love story about a devoted Texan couple who shared incredible experiences as passionate collectors of folk art.

“If you think fentanyl overdoses are a problem, if you think migration across the border is a problem…you should care about stopping the crime gun pipeline to Mexico.” says Jonathan Lowy. “Because all those problems are driven by the supply of U.S. guns to the cartels.”

When Shammah Anu showed up at Saint Mark’s Anglican Church in Guadalajara in the summer of 2018, nobody, including her, guessed that she would eventually become a pivotal leader in the small church, founded in 1967. Nor that everyone would feel so sad when she announced in summer 2025 that work was taking her permanently to the Toronto area. 

By all accounts, Santo Santiago ranks among Mexico’s most popular patron saints. A total of 526 towns and cities across the country bear his name.