The Guadalajara Reporter
Guadalajara's Largest English Newspaper
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.
There’s nothing quite like a food fair to get even reluctant cooks excited about experimenting with new or unusual ingredients. That’s what happened to me after a family excursion to Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos last weekend for the town’s international quince festival.
Gentrification—the process of renovating urban areas that leads to the displacement of the original population by newcomers with greater purchasing power—sparked a rowdy protest last week in Mexico City.
