- Mexico’s first president Guadalupe Victoria (1824-1829) was in fact christened Jose Miguel Ramon Adaucto Fernandez y Felix. He assumed a new name in tribute to the nation’s triumph in the struggled for independence and to the dark-skinned Virgin whose image was emblazoned on the standards on insurgent troops. He was also the first bachelor to serve as the country’s head of state. He finally married in 1841 at age 55, leaving bride Maria Antonia Breton a widow less than two years later after suffering an epileptic seizure.

It’s time to have that great December debate once more: real or fake – Christmas trees, that is.

Guadalajara's new Consul General Susan Abeyta discusses her work and life in Mexico with the Reporter.

Octogenarian Jimmy Tomlinson (right) enjoys the respect of many in the tiny enclave of Aguilallas, just about a mile and a half north of Ixtlahuacan. “It’s so small that it doesn’t even have a church,” she says.  Moved by a lot of other things the community doesn’t have, Tomlinson has taken it upon herself to give these folks, mostly women and girls, a hand up. She moved into a large home in the barrio so that she could have more room to teach classes in what she calls “life skills.” The kitchen is big enough for eight cooks and at least two of the five bedrooms have been converted to a classroom and a studio. She also has four cows (soon to be five) to provide milk for her cooking classes and for local children. Tomlinson is familiar with Mexico. She and her deceased husband spent 40 years commuting between their Kentucky home and Lakeside. She worked as a registered nurse and midwife in various parts of the United States for half a century. Always on the go, she slowed down just long enough last week to talk to Jeanne Chaussee about her labor of love.

While the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) runs through this weekend and provides many English-language purchasing options, more and more folks are downloading digital versions of books. Over the past year or so, dozens of non-fictional books have been published exploring the diversity of Mexican society, culture, history and politics. From travel writing and food journalism to guides for expats settling south of the border, there is a wealth of new literature that would make an ideal stocking-filler this Christmas. All the books listed here are available in print or as e-books (from Amazon and other sites).  Some may be available (or ordered) from local bookstores, including the well-known Sandi Bookstore in Guadalajara (Av. Tepeyac 718, tel: 33-3121-0863).

A taste of a traditional Christmas is on tap through December 23 at a 196-year-old home built in Guadalajara by an Irish railroad scion.