Columns

The home of Jorge Martínez – the founder of the University of Guadalajara Art School – is right in the heart of downtown, but the moment we stepped inside, we left the noise of the city behind and found ourselves in an amazing wonderland where every wall and corner was filled with marvels, with no end of artistic treasures, all collected or created by the artist himself.

Most of us probably know that the Spanish word agua means water. But when someone shouts out “Aguas!,” they are telling you to “watch out,” warning you of some pending danger or inconvenience.

My wife, Susy Ibarra, has been a Spanish teacher for most of her life.

While hiking through the woods one day, I came upon a person crouching in the middle of the trail, examining some small brown mushrooms which had sprouted in the droppings left by a passing cow.

Chiggers, popularly called güinas in Jalisco, are nearly invisible larvae of Trombiculid mites, whose bites result in exceedingly itchy red welts. I last wrote about them in 2011 and it’s time for an update.

Ahualulco is a small town located 55 kilometers west of Guadalajara. Never heard of it, you say?