Category: Current Affairs

World Cultural Tourism Fair (Feria Mundial de Turismo Cultural) in Morelia, Michoacán

The World Cultural Tourism Fair logo, all lit up for the fair's opening night at Morelia's Teatro Ocampo.

For the second year in a row, Morelia, Michoacán was chosen as the site of the Feria Mundial de Turismo Cultural: the World Cultural Tourism Fair. Hot on the heels of Mexico City's FITA (International Tourism Fair of the Americas) at the end of September, Morelia captured a world-wide crowd of numerous exhibiting countries–including Indonesia, Slovakia, and Japan–plus twenty Mexican states, and several corporate exhibitors, all designed to attract tourism and travel both to Mexico and to their own venues.

Mexican federal tourism secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo with Mexico Cooks!, photographed at the Feria Mundical de Turismo Cultural opening night cocktail party. The party, held in the central patio of Morelia's beautiful mid-17th century Palacio Clavijero, included music, folkloric dancing, drinks, food, as well as great opportunities to make new acquaintances and hug old friends.

The delightful president of CONACULTA (Mexico's Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes–the national arts council), Dra. Consuelo Sáizar, spoke to inaugurate the FMTC, along with national tourism secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo, Michoacán's Governor Leonel Godoy, Michoacán and local Morelia tourism directors, and other state and national dignitaries.

The objective of the annual world cultural tourism fair is to offer a platform for global tourism industry operators, including travel agents, state and national tourism representatives from various international countries and Mexican states, and to ensure growth in this arm of the tourist industry. National Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo assured the attendees that the event would enrich and strengthen the goals of the Mexican national tourism agreement, particularly in its sixth strategic pillar.

Michoacán state tourism secretary Lic. Thelma Aquique (right, in yellow) takes time out from the fair's intense schedule of events to talk with an attendee. Photo courtesy Estado de Michoacán.

During the three-day cultural tourism event, visitors, buyers, and exhibitors alike were treated to the best that Michoacán and Mexico have to offer. From the ceremonial cutting of the opening ribbon to exhibitions of Michoacán's folkloric dancing, regional foods, and the artisan work from several Mexican states, the booths filling Morelia's Casa de la Cultura (State Cultural Center) were packed with foreign and national buyers seeking ways to promote tourism.

Wood carvings from master sculptor Jesús Ursino Ramos Cota of Sinaloa. Tomatoes and corn are the two major agricultural products of Sr. Ramos's home state.

A gigantic hot air balloon made of paper. In Mexico, these are called globos de Cantoya. Their name comes from Sr. Joaquín de la Cantoya y Rico who lived in Guanajuato in the past century and allegedly began making these balloons. They are made of hundreds or even thousands of individual sheets of papel de china (tissue paper) and are expanded by a flame-generated hot air device carried in a small basket inside the balloon. This globo de Cantoya, two stories high, bears the logo of the 2011 Feria Mundial de Turismo Cultural. Click to enlarge the photo and see the connections of the tissue paper sheets.

To the delight of the crowd, the giant paper balloon sailed off successfully into Morelia's night sky.

This wooden indigenous Huichol sculpture of a deer, a bit more than two feet long from head to tail, is completely covered first with beeswax and then with thousands of individually hand-placed tiny beads. This particular sculpture originated in and was brought to the fair by representatives of the state government of Nayarit. Click to enlarge any photo for a better view.

Mexico's southernmost state, Chiapas, was represented at the Casa de la Cultura tourism booths by this lovely young woman in her ropa típica chiapaneca (typical dress of Chiapas). Entirely hand-sewn and hand-embroidered, the dress is worn in a folkloric ballet or for other folkloric events.

Banamex, one of Mexico's prominent banks, is a strong supporter of traditional arts and crafts and their makers throughout the country by way of its program Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C.. The Banamex stand featured clay work from Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán, as well as the extraordinary book Grandes Maestros del Arte Popular Mexicano (Great Masters of Mexican Popular Arts), which Banamex publishes.

This excellent brass band, dressed all in purple, played a public concert in the Plaza del Carmen, just behind the Casa de la Cultura, seat of the FMTC. While they played, their concert was also projected on the big screen behind them. The concert was part of the cultural program of the FMTC.

Morelia's cathedral. The city, named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991. Its 16th century pink cantera (stone) buildings, its European air, its exquisite regional gastronomy, and its hundreds of tourist attractions make it the ideal setting for the Feria Mundial de Turismo Cultural.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

5 de November de 2011
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in the Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán Cemetery

Graves decorated for Noche de los Muertos (Night of the Dead) in the Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán panteón (cemetery). These recent graves lie within easy sight of the yácatas (Purhépecha pyramids, mid-center in the photograph) just across the road. The yácatas, dating to as early as 900 A.D., were formerly both a priestly burial site and the site of ancient Purhépecha religious ceremonies.

Rituals for the traditional Noche y Día de los Muertos (Night and Day of the Dead) take place all over Mexico on the night of November 1 and the day of November 2. One of the best-known celebrations of this enormously important spiritual holiday takes place in the town of Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán. A visit to the town cemetery gives just a small idea of the beauty of the events. During this very Mexican, very special festival, the dead–at least in spirit–pay a visit to their loved ones here on earth. In an article in 2005, The New York Times quoted Mexico Cooks! as saying, "It's about mutual nostalgia: the living remember the dead, and the dead remember the taste of home."

The packed-earth paths among the graves at the cemetery in Tzintzuntzan wind through old trees and dappled sunshine.

This little car, decorated with cempasúchil (marigold) flowers, fruits, and pan de muertos (bread of the dead) in the shape of human figures, is the cemetery ofrenda (altar, or offering) for a baby born in October 2005 and dead the same November. Tiny white baby shoes are on the car's hood, along with a baby bottle. Click on any photo to enlarge it.

The faithful Purhépecha believe that the angelitos, the dead children, are the first of the departed who come to re-visit their loved ones each year during the day of November 1, arriving at noon. Their parents take an ofrenda (offering) of fruit, candies, and wooden toys to the children's graves and invite the little ones to come and eat. Late in the night, the godfather of a dead child goes to the cemetery with a boveda (arch) made of cempasúchil (marigolds). At home, the parents have already prepared beautiful altars to honor the memory and spirits of their children.

Cempasúchiles, gladiolas, and candles adorn this grave. The cross is made of red veladoras (candles in holders) in a framework of blue and white.

Each year, late in the night of November 1, the spirits of deceased adults make their way back to this earthly plane to visit their relatives. The living relatives, bearing food, bright golden flowers, strong drink, and other favorites of the dead, file into Purhépecha cemeteries to commune with those who have gone before. The assembled lay out blankets, unfold chairs, bring out plastic cups, cartons of beer, a bottle of tequila, and assorted food for their own consumption as they settle in for the long, cold night of vigil.

A band or two or three often wander the cemetery, hired for a song or two or three to entertain the living and the dead.

Copal incense burns, its mystic scent calling the souls of the dead home. Candles, hundreds and hundreds of candles, flicker on and around the graves, showing the way home to the wandering spirits. Food–especially corn tamales and churipo, a beef soup for festivals–and other personal gifts for the 'visitors' show the spirits that they are still valued members of their community. Special Purhépecha-style pan de muertos (bread of the dead) in the form of human bodies represents the relationship between the living and the dead. Seasonal fruits, including bananas, oranges, and limas, are hung on the ofrendas de cempasúchil to represent the relationship between nature and human beings.

This elaborate bóveda de cempasúchil (marigold arch) hung with an old family photograph and topped by a feather dove (the symbol of the Holy Spirit) decorates a family grave. Under the photograph, an angel stands vigil.

During the Día y Noche de Muertos fiesta, a loved one's grave becomes a place to pray, party, and reminisce. Candles, a glass of water to quench the deceased person's thirst, a bottle of his or her favorite liquor, and favorite foods such as mole or tamales, pan de muertos, calabaza en tacha, and seasonal fresh fruits are always placed on the grave. Baskets of favorite foods, prepared especially for the spirits of deceased family members, are covered with beautiful hand-embroidered cloths. The spirits partake of the food's essence; the living gather at the grave to partake of the material food.

Marigolds are used as symbols for their yellow color, which resembles the gold that was used as decoration for the ancient grand festivals. The flowers were used to adorn the visitor in the form of crowns or necklaces. Today, the belief is that the ofrendas de cempasúchil (marigold arches) aid the visiting spirits to identify their homes. Cempasúchil petals are also strewn over the bare earth mounds of the graves.

These modern coronas (wreaths) are made of ribbons and plastic, much more durable than fresh flowers. The brilliant colors eventually fade over the course of a year, but the wreaths will stay up till next October.

Cempasúchiles, pata de león (lion's paw, as cockscomb is known in this part of Michoacán), freshly cut gladiola, nube (baby's breath) and just-in-season flor de las ánimas (flowers of the souls–wild orchids) from the mountains are the flowers most commonly used on Tzintzuntzan's graves.

My favorite ofrenda of 2009: a terrific full-size bicycle made of cempasúchiles, decorated with various fruits–including a pineapple on the seat! The flowers at the base of the grave marker are flores de las ánimas (wild orchids). This elaborate style of figural ofrenda is very unusual.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

29 de October de 2011
Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas: Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Street vendors hawk la bandera nacional (the Mexican flag) in dozens of forms for several weeks during August and right up to September 16, Mexico's Independence Day.

September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico. Mexico's struggle for freedom from Spanish colonization began sometime between midnight and dawn on September 16, 1810, when Father Miguel Hidalgo gave the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores) from the parish bell tower in the town known today as Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. Mexico celebrates its Fiestas Patrias (Patriotic Holidays) on September 16 with parades of school children and military batallions, politicians proclaiming speeches, and general festivity.

Hundreds of books have been written about Mexico's break from Spain, millions of words have been dedicated to exploring the lives of the daring men and women who knew, a bit more than 200 years ago, that the time had come for freedom. You can read some of the history on the Internet. Another excellent source for Mexican history is The Life and Times of Mexico, by Earl Shorris. You'll find that book available on the left-hand side of this page.

But the best-kept secret in Mexico is the Independence Day party. No, the big deal is not on September 16th. Held every year on the night of September 15, the Gran Noche Mexicana (the Great Mexican Night), the real celebration of the revolutionary events in 1810, is a combination of New Year's Eve, your birthday, and your country's independence festivities. Wouldn't you really rather hear about the party?

Jalisco town kiosko (bandstand) decorated for the Fiestas Patrias.

For years I've attended the September 15 celebrations in a variety of towns and cities. In Mexico City, the country's president leads hundreds of thousands of citizens in late-night celebrations in the zócalo, the enormous square surrounded by government buildings and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Every Mexican town big enough to have a mayor holds a reenactment of the Grito de Dolores, Hidalgo's cry for independence. The town square is decorated with flags, bunting, and ribbons. Cohetes (sky rockets) flare and bang. Sometime around eleven o'clock at night, the folks, assembled in the town plaza since nine or so, are restless for the celebration to begin. The mayor's secretary peeks out from the doorway of the government offices, the folkloric dancers file off the stage in the plaza, the band tunes up for the Himno Nacional (the national anthem), the crowd waves its flags and hushes its jostling. The mayor steps out onto the balcony of the government building or onto the stage built just outside the building's front door to sing the emotional verses.

Dressed in his finest and backed up by a military or police guard, the mayor clears his throat and loudly begins an Independence Day proclamation. He pulls a heavy rope to ring the Independence bell, then he waves a huge Mexican flag. Back and forth, back and forth! In every Mexican town, the proclamation ends with Hidalgo's 201-year-old exhortations: "Long live religion! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe! Long live the Americas and death to the corrupt government!"

Father Hidalgo's 1810 banner. He carried this banner as his standard as a leader in the fight for Mexico's independence from Spain.

The mayor and the crowd shout as one voice: "Viva México! Qué viva! Qué viva!" The mayor grins and waves as the fireworks begin, bursting huge green, white, and red chrysanthemums over the heads of the attendees.

Later there will be dancing and more music, pozole, tostadas, mezcal, tequila and beer, and, in larger towns and cities, all-night revelry in the plaza, in private homes, and in hotels, restaurants, and events halls.

About five years ago my friend Lupita Jiménez invited me to a Gran Noche Mexicana where she was performing. The event was scheduled to start at 9.30, but custom dictates late arrival. By ten o'clock I was on my way. At the salón de eventos (events hall) the parking lot was already full, but a man was parking cars on the street just a block away. As I left my car, he said, "Could you pay me now for watching your car? It's 20 pesos. I'll be leaving a little early, probably before the event is over."

"How long will you be here?" I asked, a bit anxious about leaving the car alone on this night of prodigious revelry.

Lupita Jiménez in performance at a Gran Noche Mexicana in Guadalajara.

"Till six." My jaw dropped and I handed him the 20 pesos. Six in the morning! Surely we wouldn't party quite so long as that!

The sad truth is that I didn't. I couldn't. My stamina flagged at about 3:00 AM, after dinner had been served at 10.30, a city politician had proclaimed the Grito, the Himno Nacional had been sung, and fireworks (I swear to you) had been set off on the indoor stage of the salón de eventos (events hall). Then the show started, a brief recapitulation in dance of Mexican history starting with concheros (loincloth-clad Aztec dancers) whirling around a belching volcano, and ending with the glorious jarabe tapatía–the Guadalajara regional dance that English-speakers know as the Mexican hat dance.

After innumerable trios, duets, and solo singers, the show paused for intermission at close to two in the morning. Several of my table-mates slipped away, but I thought I could make it to the end. The first half of the Gran Noche Mexicana had been invigorating and exciting and I loved it. During intermission, a wonderful Mexican comedian poked fun at politics, functionaries, and Mexican life in general. We were all roaring with laughter. When the comic left the stage, I realized that I was exhausted and needed to go home to bed. Just as the performers stepped onto the stage to begin the next round of song, I sneaked away.

When I called Lupita the next afternoon to congratulate her on the success of the event, she asked if I'd stayed for the last few costume changes. "Mija, I had to go home early. I lasted till three, but then I just couldn't stay awake. I'm so sorry I missed the end."

Lupita laughed. "I'm glad you lasted that long, but next time you have to stay for the whole night! You missed the best part!"

The Zócalo (main city plaza) in Mexico City, dressed up for the Fiestas Patrias.

Viva México! Qué viva!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

17 de September de 2011
Going to the Chapel of Love–Getting Married In Mexico City!
Preparation for Mexico Cooks!' wedding in Mexico on July 22, 2011, was complicated, time-consuming, paperwork-heavy and worth every single second of the work involved.

On December 21, 2009, Mexico City became the first Latin American jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage. This historic law went into effect on March 4, 2010. On August 10, 2010, the legislature announced that although same-sex couples could only get married in Mexico City, same-sex marriages are valid throughout Mexico's 31 states. Although we were still living in Morelia, Michoacán, Judy, my beloved long-time partner, and I started making plans for a Mexico City wedding ceremony. Once we decided–for other reasons entirely–to move to Mexico City, our wedding plans accelerated.

In spite of this sort of decor being extremely naco (Spanish slang for declassé), we couldn't resist hanging this huge satin-and-lace-covered heart incribed 'Nuestra Boda' (Our Wedding) in the interior hallway, just in front of our building's elevator. It was the first thing our guests saw as they arrived on our floor. Photo by Mexico Cooks!.

Mexico has long been a wedding destination for heterosexual couples. Now, of course, the same rules and regulations for getting married apply to same-sex couples, and it's expected that Mexico City will rapidly become a wedding destination for any couple who wants to tie the knot.

Suppose you and your intended live in the United States, though–what exactly is entailed in getting married in Mexico? Just remember that in Mexico City it doesn't matter if you are Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve, the rules are precisely the same.
- You are not required to be a resident of Mexico, but you are required to be in the country for at least three full business days before you apply for a marriage license. Those business days cannot include a Saturday, a Sunday, or any of Mexico's legal holidays.
- For USA residents only: at least several weeks before you travel to Mexico, each of you needs to apply for an apostilled copy of your original birth certificate. The Secretary of State's office in the state where you were born will handle the apostille for you. And what, you might ask, is an apostille? It's a legal guarantee per the Hague Convention that the original document was issued in that state. Canadians are exempt from the apostille process.
- If either of you has been married and divorced, you are also required to provide an apostilled copy of your marriage license AND your divorce decree. If you've been married/divorced more than once, the documents for each marriage must be apostilled by the Secretary of State's offices where the marriages and divorces occurred.
- All of your apostilled documents must be translated into Spanish in Mexico by a formally certified Mexican translation service called a perito (expert). In other words, even if you are fluent in Spanish, you are not allowed to do this step yourself. Be sure to allow enough time to have this done.
Very special guests: our friends (left) Judith Vázquez Arreola and (right) LolKin Castañeda. Married on March 11, 2010, they were among the first same-sex couples wed in Mexico City. Long-time feminist activists, Judith and LolKin were responsible in large part for the passage of the law legalizing same-sex marriage in the Distrito Federal. We are honored to be their friends and to have enjoyed their company at our wedding. Photo courtesy Jesús Chaírez.

In addition to the information and items listed above, you will also need:
- Your original passports plus several copies of them.
- You need the copies of your tourist cards that you'll be given on the airplane coming to Mexico. The fee for your tourist card is included in your airplane ticket. If you are driving down, you must stop at the border to get a tourist card. There is a small fee for these, around $30.00 USD each.
- You will probably be required to have blood tests and possibly a chest X-ray prior to your wedding.
- Once you are in Mexico, you will apply for a marriage license at the Registro Civil (civil registry office) responsible for the location where you will be married. If you are a same-sex couple, be sure that the registry office supplies you with the form marked 'el y el' (he and he) or 'ella y ella' (she and she). If you are heterosexual, you'll need the one marked 'el y ella' (he and she).
- If neither you nor your intended is Mexican, you will be required to have four witnesses to the ceremony, two for each of you. Your witnesses must be over age 18 and must present their passports (originals and copies) and their tourist cards three days before the ceremony.
- For legal reasons, weddings must be performed in Spanish.
- Your civil wedding in Mexico is legal in both the United States and Canada, as well as in many other countries.
- Civil weddings are the only legal weddings in Mexico. Church or synagogue weddings are always lovely and are meant to be God's blessing on the newlyweds, but they are not legal ceremonies.
- Many couples marry legally in their home countries and have a spiritual ceremony–performed by anyone of their choice–at a special Mexican destination. Beaches are very popular for this sort of ceremony. Beach resort operators are accustomed to making arrangements for these weddings.
The two brides with Sr. Louis Perrilliat Blum, the Registro Civil judge who came to our home to perform our wedding. Photo courtesy Tony Chinn Anaya.

Our situation was different in that we are long-time residents of Mexico and were not visiting from another country. Our situation was complicated by the fact that Mexico Cooks! is a Mexican citizen, while her bride is not. If either of you is a Mexican citizen and the other is not, more paperwork and more permissions are required. Get ready for a long haul–but know that it can be done, because we did it and you can, too.

The feeling as we exchanged rings and realized that we were truly married…it's hard to describe, but you can see the looks on our faces. Amazing does not begin to tell the story. Photo courtesy Tony Chinn Anaya.

I have been a life-long activist, either for or against any number of what I have considered to be worthy causes: civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and more. For many years, it was my stance that although I did not choose to marry my partner, I believed that any gay couple who wanted to marry should have that choice. When Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage, I changed my mind. I came to believe that since we now could marry, we should marry: as a sign in the world of our love and a sign that our relationship is equal to any other couple's.

What a thrill to know that my adopted country agrees with me.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
13 de August de 2011
Regional Food and Drink in Oaxaca: A Comer! (Let’s Eat!) with Mexico Cooks!

In Oaxaca, the state's fine regional drink–mezcal, la bebida de los dioses (the drink of the gods)–is almost as common as water. Whether enjoyed from a shot glass or sipped from a traditional jícara (a small dried half-gourd), the smoky taste of mezcal combines perfectly with sal de gusano (worm salt, pictured above in the clay bowl) and fresh orange slices.

About six weeks ago, Mexico Cooks! was a guest of Mexico Today, a new Mexican government initiative designed to promote all the best of Mexico to the world. Twenty-four diverse writers–all with a passion for Mexico–met in Oaxaca to bond and to learn about the new program we would soon be representing to our readers. As you might imagine, Mexico Cooks! thought what's cooking in Oaxaca was one of the highlights of the trip.

We experienced our first Oaxaca cena (late-evening supper) at Pitiona, the new and highly touted restaurant owned by young Chef José Manuel Baños Rodríguez. Along with several other courses, he served our group this estofado de carne de res con mole (braised beef tongue with mole). The three pale-green globes are olive liquid that burst in the mouth to release the pure essence of green olive. The beef? Delicious, tender tongue. Some of our group could barely believe that beef tongue, of all things, could be so wonderful.

Another member of the Mexico Today writer/community managers' team, my new pal Lisa Coleman, went with me the next day for a relatively light comida (the main meal of Mexico's day) at Pilar Cabrera's marvelous restaurant, La Olla. Our first course was a plate of four of these tostadas callejeras (street-style tostadas). Not one smidgen of anything–not tomato, not guacamole, not lettuce, not the crispy corn tostada and certainly not the delicious Oaxaca-style chorizo –remained on the plate after we finished the course.

Chef Alejandro Ruiz closely supervised the preparation of a beautiful and amazingly delicious Saturday-night cena for the Mexico Today group. A candle-lit mezcal and jamaica (infusion of hibiscus flower) martini started our elegant meal at Restaurante Casa Oaxaca.

Chef Alejandro explains one of the fine points of the dinner preparation.

The Casa Oaxaca cebiche (marinated raw fish) appetizer, served with mango cubes, onion, cilantro, and an espejo (literally mirror, but in this case, a pool) of marinade that included jugos de limón y maracuyá (key lime and passionfruit juices). This socko flavor combination was the hit of the night for me.

One table of the several tables of the Mexico Today group of contributors and community managers, ready for dinner at Casa Oaxaca.

Next week, a very special not-about-food edition of Mexico Cooks!–don't miss it. In just a few weeks, Mexico Cooks! will invite you for one last meal in Oaxaca and another quick peek at the Mercado Benito Juárez.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

6 de August de 2011
Dream Pairing: Mexico Cooks! Meets Mexico Today

There was plenty of serious content at our daily conferences, but there was also dancing in the streets of Oaxaca during the Mexico Today kickoff weekend.

On June 23, Mexico Cooks! and a team of 23 other writers went to Oaxaca, invited (in the strictest Mexican sense)* by the Mexican government-funded public relations initiative called Mexico Today. The 24 of us spent several magical days in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, attending informational conferences and having a party–or two, or three!

All things Oaxaca, from hand-carved and intricately painted alebrijes to Zapotec rug weavers, filled every weekend minute that was not spent getting to know the ins and outs of the Mexico Today program or getting to know one another. As happens at the best of this sort of event, we bonded strongly. The program gave each of us, idiosyncratic to the core, enough room to sniff around one another, feel one another out, and truly get it that all 24 of us writers were already in love–if not with one another, then certainly with Mexico.

Fireworks! There's nothing quite as much fun as an old-fashioned Mexican display of fireworks. This particular variety is called a castillo (castle). In addition to shooting out plumes of fire, it also spins and whirls on succeedingly higher levels.

Mexico Today is a time-limited, strategic Mexican government project designed to showcase what we already know to be wonderful here in Mexico and to highlight the rest of the best that Mexico has to offer. The writers involved focus on that. The team includes people who write on topics that range from hard-data economics to–well, to Mexico Cooks!' tales about off-the-beaten-track Mexico culinary adventures. So, you might ask, what's the point?

The weaver's skilled hands belong to Fidel Cruz Lazo, of Casa Cruz in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. He and his wife, Sra. María Luisa Mendoza Ruiz, make hand-spun and hand-woven wool rugs. All of the wool for the rugs is hand-carded, hand-spun, and dyed using pure, hand-ground vegetable dyes.

The point is this: unless you've been living out of international news range for the last four years, you know that since late 2006, Mexico has been struggling through some very difficult times. Because of true insecurity in several of Mexico's states, international media rumor mills have created ever more sensational reports of what's wrong with this country. Mexico Today wants to make certain that there is a continuing stream of online information publicizing the good and beautiful things about Mexico to help balance the scales. The group wants to ensure that when this spate of trouble is over, everyone outside Mexico remembers why this country is such a marvelous place to invest in business, to plan a vacation, and to love.

Sra. Mendoza had just used her metate (grinding stone)to grind a half-handful of cochineal, a black insect about the size of a black peppercorn, into this red powder. She swept up the powdered cochineal with the escobilla (little broom) and then dissolved just a bit of the dye in the glass of water to demonstrate the color.

An alabaster pot, one of the hundreds of treasures rescued at the temples at Monte Albán and preserved in Oaxaca's Museo Santo Domingo.

Falling in love with Mexico is so easy. If you've been following Mexico Cooks!' wanderings of the last four-plus-years through the kitchens and cultures of this incredible country, you already know that I've been head over heels for more than 30 years. The deal is, unexpected things sometimes happen in any loving relationship. One partner might develop health challenges, one might lose a job: nonetheless, love for one another keeps both partners remembering the miracle of love each one is for the other in spite of temporary dark clouds.

Maguey cactus garden under a tabachín (delonix regia) tree in the atrium of Oaxaca's 16th century church and former Dominican monastery known as Santo Domingo.

Right now, my beloved Mexico needs rehabilitation. Would I desert her in her time of need? Not a chance! The important thing for me is to focus on my profound love for this country and continue to talk about her beauty, her warmth, her humor, her intelligence and creativity. The problems mi México is experiencing are temporary, the glory is eternal. Mexico Today understands that and wants you to see it through the eyes of Mexico Cooks! and through the eyes of every other writer who is part of the program. We want you to fall in love–for the first time or all over again–with the little piece of heaven that is Mexico.

Spring break in a Mexican beach town? Not a chance: it's a city of Oaxaca calenda (street party)! Kelly McLaughlin, a Mexico Today blogger from Cancún, gets hoisted up for a rocking ride on a torito, a little festival bull made of bamboo and, in this case, deer skin.

*Full disclosure: In Mexico, to be invited means that the person or organization that invites you pays the way. Mexico Today is compensating me for anything I write that's actually for use in the Mexico Today program. It's the start of a new relationship, the kind of dream pairing that we all hope for in our relationships: Mexico Today loves Mexico Cooks! just the way it is, which means the program chose Mexico Cooks! because it already presents its readers with the wonder and joy that this glorious country offers to the world. They simply want me to keep telling you what I see as the fabulous reality of my country. They don't want Mexico Cooks! to change a single word for them. That's easy–and they want you to spread the word, too. You can start now by adding Mexico Today to your circle of friends on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @mexicocooks or @MexicoToday.

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23 de July de 2011
Mexico City Places to Go, People to See, Things to Eat and Drink…

Chocolate a la española (Spanish-style hot chocolate), Café El Popular, 5 de Mayo #40, Centro Histórico.

San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua), José Guadalupe Posada. Collection Carlos Monsiváis, Museo del Estanquillo, Isabel la Católica #26, Centro Histórico.

Pepitorias for sale at San Ángel's delightful Bazar Sábado.

Just a shell of its former self, a shadow of its former glory. Remains of private home, Colonia Roma.

A bolero is not always a song. Shoeshine stand, Centró Histórico, DF.

MetroBus stop, Glorieta Insurgentes. Another kind of shadow.

MetroBus, Glorieta Insurgentes.

Gradas al Atardecer (Stairway at Dusk), Escuela de Gastronomía Mexicana, Col. Roma.

Cocktail hour sunglasses from the 1960s, modeled by the vendor. La Lagunilla.

18th Century barroque Templo de la Profesa, Isabel la Católica esq. Francisco Madero, Centro Histórico. From the rooftop, Museo del Estanquillo.

Champurrado (atole, a thick, hot corn-based drink, in this instance made with chocolate), Restaurante Flor de Lis, Col. Condesa.

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4 de June de 2011
De Paseo por Avenida Amsterdam: Out Walking on Avenida Amsterdam, La Condesa, DF

A couple of weeks ago, we went walking around our neighborhood, out for a late afternoon stroll on Avenida Amsterdam. It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Sígame…follow this footprint, left for posterity in the cement sidewalk, and let's see what we see.

Azul añil (pronounced ah-ZOOL ah-NYEEL and often called Frida blue) wall with inset tiles and green window bars.

Art Deco era detailing above a window.

French doors and balconies.

Edificio Colonial (Colonial Building) detail with potted plants.

Portion of cast iron window protection.

African iris blossom, Plaza Iztaccihuatl.

Late afternoon light and shadow, Art Deco-era building.

Smoking a hookah is muy de la moda–very much in style.

It's mango season and vendors' carts are out on all our corners. Ten pesos (about 80 cents US) buys the whole mango, cut into the shape of a flower and served estilo mexicano (Mexican style)–liberally spritzed with key lime juice, sprinkled with salt and spiced with powdered chile.

Restaurant wheel-around planter box, a barricade against gawkers peering in from the sidewalk to see what's on your plate. Yes, the plants are real.

Window protection: old wrought iron and copper with white curtain.

Flower seller's stand with sunflower.

Fabulous paint job, beautiful Art Deco-era building.

The Love Ambulance. In case of emergency, CALL! On the ambulance door, it reads, "Emergencies of Love".

We'll go out walking another day, capturing another of La Condesa's marvelous streets. You come too!

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21 de May de 2011
Mexico Cooks! in Mexico City, Our New Base of Operation

Our apartment building in Mexico City's leafy, bohemian colonia Hipódromo La Condesa. This newly gentrified old neighborhood is full of hip restaurants, trees, parks, and stylish people walking stylish dogs. Mexico Cooks! fits right in–well, at least our two stylish little dogs fit right in!

Our extremely stylish Papillon, Olive, is flirting with you. Desi, the male, is equally stylish but shy.

If you've been reading Mexico Cooks! for any length of time, you know how deeply in love Mexico Cooks! has always been with the state of Michoacán and all its wonders. From my very first visit in 1982, Michoacán has been home to my soul. That love has not changed.

Nevertheless, about eight months ago, my partner and I reluctantly began talking about moving elsewhere. The current problems in Michoacán are serious, as are the problems we experienced in Morelia. Mexico Cooks! has always been primarily about the joyous beauty of Michoacán; that physical beauty hasn't changed, but life there has been deeply affected by what we all hope are the temporary difficulties of living in a city and state where narcotraficantes (drug traffickers) cause big and frequent trouble.

I have been loathe to write about these problems and have believed that surely their end is near, but our personal life in Morelia–and my professional life as Mexico Cooks!–continued to be gravely impacted by the ongoing situation there. Recurrent and very real narcoviolencia all over Michoacán made it all but impossible to take visiting tour groups out into the hinterlands to visit small-town fairs and festivals. Mexico Cooks! would never put you at risk, nor would I choose to be at risk myself. In addition, traffic problems and constant road blockages made it increasingly difficult to travel even the short distance from our Morelia home to Morelia's historic center.

Ultimately, we decided to move to Mexico City. Before, during, and since the move I have repeated, "In more than 30 years in Mexico, it never would have occurred to me that life is more secure in Mexico City than it is in the provinces. But life in Mexico has changed, and my knowledge about security has also changed."

Our new home when we first saw it in January 2011. The gray paths are heavy paper, put down as temporary protection for the newly varnished 60-year-old hardwood floors. This long room measures about 40 feet from the front door to the French doors leading to the balcony.

We spent part of December and part of January apartment-hunting in the big city–its current population estimate is something above twenty million. After searching in several neighborhoods, we narrowed our choice to La Condesa, where several of our friends already live.

In mid-January, we found what we were looking for: a large, quiet apartment in a building with an elevator, within walking distance to public transportation and at a rent we could afford. After having seen any number of apartments that were definitely not 'the one', it was love at first sight when we opened the door to this one. In mid-February, we moved. The moving company estimated that they packed and transported seven tons of our household goods, and when moving-in day arrived, the building's elevator was not working. All seven tons of furniture and moving boxes came up the stairs on the backs of the moving crew. Ay ay ay!

The same room, post-move, looking toward the French doors.

Another view, this time looking toward our front door.

The Mexico Cooks! kitchen. Long and skinny with a door on either end, the kitchen is convenient for both cooking and serving meals. The apartment measures very nearly 1900 square feet.

The Mexico Cooks! office, where I write the articles and process the photos. All of the rooms have marvelous floor-to-ceiling windows for lots of light and air. One of the fringe benefits of moving to this part of the city is ease of getting around: we parked our car in the building's garage and have not moved it since mid-February. We walk everywhere, take the Mexico City metro or the MetroBus if we're going a longer distance, and will only use the car for trips outside the city–that is, if we don't take one of Mexico's superb long-distance buses.

We're lucky to have twice-weekly tianguis (street markets) within three blocks of our apartment. Every Tuesday and Friday, we stroll over to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, eggs and many staples. The neighborhood supermarket is handy (and also within easy walking distance) for needs the tianguis can't meet.

Street food is everywhere around us. This stand, Tortas y sincronizadas Los Cuñados (the brothers-in-law) is on a corner less than half a block from our building. The owner opens every day except Sunday, from about 9:00 AM until early evening. The first few weeks we were here, we bought sincronizadas (think flour tortillas stuffed with ham, egg, cheese, and chiles, then grilled till the cheese oozes out the sides) or tortas (sandwiches made on a soft telera roll) for breakfast nearly every morning.

Leaving Michoacán has been very difficult for me. Don't get me wrong: I love our beautiful apartment, I love our neighborhood, and I love Mexico City. I think it's the most exciting city in this part of the world. There may come a time when my soul moves here to join my physical self, but just for now a huge part of my heart is still in residence in the mountains of Michoacán.

Art Deco era building, Avenida Amsterdam, La Condesa.

Mexico Cooks! is taking a new direction starting this week; I think you'll enjoy the places we go and the things we bring you. Stay tuned every Saturday morning: we'll be right here. Let us know what you think as you explore this incredibly vibrant, totally electric, cosmopolitan and crazy city with us.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

30 de April de 2011
Una Muestra de Gastronomía in Michoacán: A Food Fair in Michoacán

The Purhépecha woman in the foreground pats out tortillas while her companion sorts through a plate of golden, freshly cut flor de calabaza (squash blossoms).

The first two mornings of the huge annual artisans' crafts fair in Michoacán begin with a food fair: una muestra de gastronomía. Fifteen or so outdoor kitchens, set up around a charming plaza just a block from the crafts booths, offer cooking demonstrations and inexpensive meals of representative Purhépecha dishes. The food, rustic and rarely seen outside a Purhépecha home kitchen, is, in a word, heavenly. The Mexico Cooks! group trooped into the food fair just in time for Saturday breakfast. They could have known who we were by the way our mouths were watering with anticipation.

Corn is the basis for the indigenous Mexican kitchen, and the tortilla is the lowest common denominator. On the table in front of this woman, you can see the metate (three-legged rectangular grinding stone) and the mano (similar to a rolling pin) resting on it, along with the prepared masa from which tortillas are made. Both the metate and the mano are hand-carved from volcanic rock.

To your left of the table is the clay comal (similar to a griddle) that in this instance rests loosely on top of a metal drum in which the wood cook fire is built. Prior to use, the comal is cured with cal (builders' lime). The cal serves two purposes: it gives the comal a non-stick surface and it adds nutrients to the masa as it toasts.

In the past, all of Mexico's women prepared dried corn for masa by soaking and simmering it in a solution of water and cal. The name of the prepared corn is nixtamal. Once it's processed, it's ready to be ground into masa for tortillas, tamales, and other corn-dough preparations. Some rural women still grind nixtamal-ized corn by hand using the metate and mano. Some take the prepared corn to their neighborhood tortillería (tortilla vendor's shop) for grinding, and some prepare their masa using commercial dried corn flour. In urban areas, the majority of Mexican families buy tortillas hot off the tortilla baker at the tortillería and carry them home, wrapped in a special hand-embroidered towel, just in time for a meal.

This woman prepares her stove, made of part of a metal drum with an opening cut away for firewood. She's spreading a paste made of wood ash and cal on and around the top of the the drum to hold the comal in place. The white streaks on the red clay comal are cal. The volcanic rock metate and mano are on the bench in the background. Her well-used clay cooking pot is visible to your left.

This joyous woman is patting out blue corn tortillas. The masa and mano are on the metate in front of her. She's toasting the tortillas and roasting tomatoes and chiles on her clay comal. The comal is set into a clay stove fired by wood. The haze that you see is woodsmoke.

The Purhépecha kitchen repertoire includes numerous atápakuas (literally, a type of thick, soup-like salsa served plentifully over prepared food). The Purhépecha word atápakua has meaning deeper than its simple definition. Its connotation is food that is picante (spicy), nutritious, and life-sustaining in a spiritual sense. Mexican culinary historians agree that the preparation of atápakuas dates from as long as 400 years before the Spanish Conquest, around 1100 AD, when the Purhépecha were strong rulers in the area of Mexico that is now Michoacán.

An atápakua can be made from the ingredients that are easily found in the region. The specialty of one tiny village of the Meseta Purhépecha is atápakua del talpanal (wasp larvae). Another town's specialty is xururi atápakua, the principal ingredient of which is cotton seeds. More commonly, indigenous cooks prepare their atápakuas of seasonal and readily available vegetables, wild herbs and greens, and a bit of meat, poultry, or fish.

We of Mexico Cooks! didn't eat wasp larvae or cotton seeds. We inhaled bowls of atápakua de flor de calabaza (thick, soupy salsa served over squash flowers, fresh corn kernels, and chunks of corundas de ceniza (unfilled tamales made with masa and wood ash).

In the closeup of the atápakua you can clearly see the corn kernels (closest to the bowl of the spoon), small pieces of calabacita (similar to zucchini), orange squash flowers, and a piece of white corunda. For flavor and color, chiles serrano and cilantro are blended into the cooking liquid. The thin, soupy salsa is then thickened by blending a small ball of masa into the hot liquid. This atápakua is deliciously spicy and tastes as fresh as the garden. I finished my portion and wanted another bowl.

Here are Susan, Steve, and Gayla, all part of the Mexico Cooks! breakfast crew. We had already gobbled our atápakua (witness the empty bowls) and had moved on to snarfing down the jahuácatas we're holding. Jahuácatas are similar to gorditas. Purhépecha women prepare the jahuácatas by folding freshly patted tortillas and refried beans into multiple thin layers, then toasting the finished product on the comal.

Churipo, shown above, is one of my favorite Purhépecha specialties. Churipo is a hearty soup, the delicious broth flavored by long cooking with beef, cabbage, calabacitas, xoconostle (the sour fruit of a specific nopal cactus), onion, chile, and other ingredients. Served with a squeeze of limón (Mexican lime), a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, tortillas hot off the comal and corundas de ceniza broken up in the bowl, it's a wonderful meal in one dish. If your palate will take the heat, eat some raw chiles serrano along with your bowl of churipo. Remember that the tip of any chile is less picante than the stem end, where most of the seeds are. Photo courtesy Steve Sando, www.ranchogordo.com

Late in the afternoon, after we'd investigated as many of the crafts booths as we could, we were all in need of something very light and fresh for our comida (middday meal). We ordered a fruit plate and a plate of guacamole with totopos (triangular fried tortilla chips) at a local restaurant.

For dessert we found limones, with the pulp scraped away, candied and stuffed with cocada (coconut candy). Half of one of these is plenty!

This was such a sweet finish to a fascinating day in Michoacán. If you'd like to travel to this event in 2012, be sure to email Mexico Cooks! in time to save your place for adventure.

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23 de April de 2011