Whether you’re an intrepid on-the-road adventurer or a relaxed armchair traveler, Tony Burton’s “Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury” is an ideal companion to satisfy every curiosity about the unique attributes of the country’s occidental heartland.

Guadalajara’s municipal tourism department is offering a range of free, three-hour daily city tours spanning a variety of areas and interests during Holy and Easter weeks. The walking/bus tours run from approximately 9 a.m. to noon and from 3 to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, April 14-25.

A group of Jocotepec youngsters became so concerned about students dropping out of school—many of them before even reaching high school—they decided to do something about it.

Fishing along the Michoacan coast has never been boring, even during slow seasons. To start off, there are no marinas to comfortably park your boat and load the fuel. My boat stays on the beach, thanks to a community tractor that drags it in and out of the ocean.

“I’m just trying to help save this endangered culture one bracelet at a time,” says Susana Valadez, founder of the Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and owner of the superbly outfitted Galeria Tanana in the seaside village of Sayulita.

A modest sign above a doorway on a quiet residential street near the Expiatorio church in Guadalajara is all that hints of the activity inside.