Category: Tourist Accomodations

Espíritu de Michoacán en Ajijic: Festival de Pueblos Unidos (Festival of People United)

Ajijic, Jalisco is not your typical Mexican pueblito (small town). Although the town has existed for almost 500 years, early in the 20th century it began to be a destination for foreigners. Today, a good-size community of people from many places lives there. The majority are retired English-speakers from the USA and Canada, although some foreign residents come from as many as 60 different countries. Click on any photo to enlarge it for a better view. Photo courtesy Skyscrapercity.

Looking south on Calle Morelos in Ajijic. The arched ironwork sign reads Puerta del Lago, Corazón de Ajijic (Gateway to the Lake, Heart of Ajijic). Photo courtesy Panoramio.

Photographer Jesús Alejandre (and his friend el torito (the bull, danced by famed Michoacán mask maker Felipe Horta, right), with one of Jesús's large photos, on the town plaza in Ajijic, Jalisco. Photos by Mexico Cooks! unless otherwise noted.

In mid-2013, a group of Mexicans and foreigners devoted to Michoacán met in Morelia to create the Espíritu de Michoacán (Spirit of Michoacán) foundation. The mission of the foundation is the promotion and preservation of Michoacán's arts and artesanías (crafts). The impulse to form the foundation grew out of our deep concern over the lack of tourism–both national and international–in Michoacán, which has severely limited the sales of the state's fine artesanías. Because previously tourist-driven sales have fallen drastically during the last eight years, many artisans have been forced to cease or limit their production and have sought employment in other endeavors.

Floreros (vases) from Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán. The people of the state of Michoacán, especially those who live in the regions around Lake Pátzcuaro and the Meseta Purépecha, have been skilled artisans for hundreds of years. Current conditions in Michoacán have substantially reduced the ability of the artisan population to earn a living.

Shortly after the creation of the foundation, Mexico Cooks! contacted photographer Xill Fessenden of Ajijic, who organizes an annual festival of Michoacán artisans in her adopted town. These artisans journey to Ajijic for the exhibition and sale of their wares, and the Espíritu de Michoacán foundation wanted to be part of their celebration. Ten years ago, photographer Jesús Alejandre began his photo project, titled Espíritu de Michoacán, and hoped to take his large-format photo exhibition to Ajijic in conjunction with Ms Fessenden's 2013 festival.

The photographs are designed to be exhibited outside, as public art. At night, the photos' illumination makes the pictures glow as if they were lit from inside the scenes. Photo courtesy Espíritu de Michoacán.

The photographs have been exhibited in 20 cities and towns in the state of Michoacán. Just prior to the Ajijic exhibition, the city of Morelia invited photographer Alejandre to mount 22 of the enormous photographs in the Plaza de Armas (the principal plaza) in that city. The photos measure 2.5 meters by 2.10 meters and are designed to be exhibited in outdoor, public spaces. This photograph, taken in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, in 2013, is the final photo in Jesus Alejandre's 10-year project. Photo courtesy Espíritu de Michoacán.

The excitement about this exhibit and sale was contagious. Mexico Cooks! snapped Marion de Koning, a visitor from San Diego, California, as she got close to el torito (the bull). Felipe Horta, mask maker from Tócuaro, carved and painted the mask he is wearing.

The torito spreads his cape before dancing. The typical Purépecha dance called El Torito (The Little Bull) is common throughout the Zona Lacustre (lake region) and the Meseta Purépecha (Purépecha tablelands).

Teofila Servín Barriga, an extraordinary Purépecha embroidery artist from Sanabria, Michoacán, dances El Torito for the opening ceremonies of the 2013 Festival de Pueblos Unidos in Ajijic.

Rose Calderone of La Casona Rosa, Morelia, founder and guiding light behind El Espíritu de Michoacán, narrates a video about the photographs and the mission of the foundation; the festival showed the video, created by Andrea Gudiño Sosa, on the Ajijic plaza during the festival's opening night celebrations.

The exhibition and sale in Ajijic was an enormous success for the artisans and for the Espíritu de Michoacán Foundation. This festival offered a platform for the photos to be shown for the first time outside Michoacán; the exhibit travels next to Guadalajara, Jalisco, followed by a showing in León and San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato and another in Mexico City. In the future, we hope to present Jesus Alejandre's paean to the artisans of Michoacán in various cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Photo courtesy Espíritu de Michoacán.

If you or someone you know would be interested in hosting this intensely beautiful photo exhibition, please contact Mexico Cooks! to begin making the arrangements. You are welcome to view more of the photographs at the website for Espíritu de Michoacan.

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18 de January de 2014
La Teca–Isthmus of Tehuantepec Cooking in Oaxaca: Cocina Istmeña Oaxaqueña

Good friend and chef Rodolfo Castellanos with his adorable daughter
Elisa. Chef Rodolfo owns Restaurante Origen in Oaxaca. He and his wife, Lisette, asked me to join them for comida (the main meal of the day) at Oaxaca's Restaurant La Teca, where chef Rodolfo ordered an incredible meal for us.

While in Oaxaca with a writers' group, I took a little
time away from that group to visit another group: several culinary-world
friends who live and work in this southern Mexico city. I played
hooky to eat on Friday with Pilar Cabrera at her wonderful restaurant La Olla,
and on Saturday with chef Rodolfo Castellanos and his family at La
Teca, a restaurant specializing in cooking from the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec.

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the skinniest part of mainland Mexico,
lying between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to the
opening of the Panama Canal, it was the most important route for goods
working their slow way across the relatively flat lands between the two
bodies of water. Partly in Oaxaca, partly in Chiapas, partly in Tabasco
and partly in Veracruz, the territory has its own legends, its own
history, and its own cuisines.

You
may not be aware that you are already familiar with the native dress of
the Tehuanas, as the women of the isthmus are known. Above, a Frida
Kahlo 1948 self portrait, dressed as a Tehuana. Image courtesy of: http://www.earlywomenmasters.net

Just off the beaten tourist track in Oaxaca, Restaurant La Teca serves
outstanding food from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The welcoming owner
and cook, Señora Deyanira Aquino, will make sure that you eat your fill
of her marvelous regional cuisine.

The cooking of the Isthmus is traditionally corn-based and
idiosyncratic. Most ingredients are indigenous to its hot lowlands (for
example, armadillo and iguana) and its proximity to the sea: fresh and
dried shrimp, fresh fish, and other creatures from the ocean depths.

At La Teca we shared a platter of garnachas, a traditional entrada or botana (appetizer or snack) based on a fried disk of corn dough and topped with a mixture of meat, vegetables, and salsa.

Tamalitos de cambray from Tehuantepec, savory-sweet tamales made of chicken, raisins, olives, almonds, and capers.

These are molotes de plátano macho (small, sweetly ripe plantain croquettes) topped with crema de mesa (table cream) and queso fresco (fresh cheese). The three of us shared an order of four molotes.
We kept dividing the last one into smaller and smaller pieces so that
one of us did not hog the whole thing–although each of us would have!

Next course at La Teca: a taco filled with a small chile pasilla oaxaqueño relleno
(a regional dried chile, reconstituted, stuffed, and fried). It
doesn't look like anything special, does it? If you could just enjoy
the fragrance, I assure you that you would want to lick your monitor.

Tamales de elote (fresh corn tamales) followed, served with crema de mesa. These reminded me very much of Michoacán uchepos, another kind of fresh corn tamales.

Another traditional dish from the Isthmus, estofado de bodas
(wedding stew). It's a delicious long-cooked combination of beef,
fruits, chiles, and other spices, typically served at weddings.

Purée de papa, estilo Istmeño (potatoes, coarsely mashed and then baked, Isthmus style).

Asado de puerco con mole (pork roasted with mole, from Tehuantepec).

The owner and chief cook at La Teca is Sra. Deyanira Aquino, born and raised in the Isthmus. Women of the region are called 'tecas'–from Tehuantepec–hence the name of the restaurant.

You are probably well aware of the mythical seven moles
of Oaxaca, and although the state is best known for those, there are
many other less-well-known but equally wonderful dishes available to
visitors. By all means go see Sra. Aquino at La Teca; you will be as
thrilled by everything you eat as we were. This is not fancy, high-end
designer-plated food. Your palate will be delighted by traditional
Tehuantepec home-style cooking. And oh my god, you might exclaim, did the three of you really eat all that? We most assuredly did, every bite, and so will you.

Restaurant La Teca
Calle Violetas #200-A
Colonia Reforma
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
01.951.515.0563 (from within Mexico)

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31 de August de 2013
Regional Food and Drink in Oaxaca: Buen Provecho! (Good Appetite!) 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.

A couple of years ago, Mexico Cooks! was invited to Oaxaca as 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 major 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.

My good friend 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-food-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 (spicy sausage)–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 a special 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.

Next week: a delightful restaurant for home-style regional Oaxacan cuisine.

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

24 de August de 2013
Palm Sunday Artisans’ Fair, Uruapan, Michoacán :: Tianguis Artesanal Domingo de Ramos

Originally published on May 9, 2009, this article takes us to the annual all-Michoacán Tianguis Artesanal Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday Artisans' Fair) in Uruapan, Michoacán. The 2013 fair opens today (March 23) and runs until April 6.

Waving papel picado (cut paper) dance sticks and elegantly
dressed in red velvet aprons trimmed with lace , these Purhépecha women
danced their way through the opening day parade at the annual
statewide Feria de Artesanías.

Mexico Cooks! has attended the Feria de Artesanía de Domingo de Ramos
(Palm Sunday Artisans' Fair) in Uruapan, Michoacán, every year for
nearly 15 years. The two-week-long fair is always the same and yet
never boring, a remarkable combination. This largest artisans' fair in
Mexico draws more than 1200 vendors and contestants for the
best-of-the-best from all over the state of Michoacán. It attracts
international tourism: we've heard languages from all over the globe as
we walk the vendors' aisles.

Purhépecha women's festive ropa típica (native dress) includes a knife-pleated skirt, a hand-embroidered guanengo (blouse), a cross-stitch apron, and the long, rectangular blue, black, and white striped rebozo (shawl) that is typical to the region.

This woman marched while carrying an enormous huarache
(shoe made of woven leather strips) representing the goods that her
region of the state produces. She's also carrying a bag of souvenir key
chains that she tossed to individuals in the crowd. Look closely and
you'll see the tiny huarache key chains that decorate her sombrero de paja (straw hat).

Clarinets, trumpets, trombones, and a pink tuba–what a great band!

Artisans hawk thousands of traditional low-fired clay pots and pitchers. These are from Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán.

Michoacán is famous world-wide for its traditional arts and crafts.
For hundreds of years, artisans in this state have produced highly
decorated articles made from locally found materials: clay, wood,
lacquer, textiles, copper, reedwork, and paper maché, among others.

Ollas para frijoles (clay pots for cooking beans) from Capula, Michoacán.

Molinillos (little mills) are used for whipping chocolate caliente (hot chocolate) to a thick froth.
For more about Michoacán-style, hand-made Mexican chocolate, look here: chocolate Joaquinita.

These blue jarras y platones (pitchers and platters) with their finely painted, intricate white designs come from one family workshop in Capula. Mexico Cooks! does not…DOES NOT…have room in the house for more pottery. Well, maybe just one more piece! These glorious jarras were all but impossible to resist.

Clay sculptures from Ocumicho, Michoacán, are full of whimsy and bright colors. Among all of these guaris (Purhépecha word for women), did you notice Our Lady of Guadalupe, in the upper right corner?

Hand-embroidered traditional cotton guanengos (blouses) are so important and finely made that they have their own concurso (competition) at the Feria de Artesanía (Artisans' Fair).

2014 will be the 55th anniversary of the Artisans' Fair in Uruapan. Come see it with us!

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

23 de March de 2013
Touring with Mexico Cooks! in 2012…and Beyond! Oh, The Places You’ll Go…

A November market tour on a chilly morning in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán: from left, Charlotte Ekland, Donna Barnett, and Mexico Cooks!. Marvey Chapman, the other member of this tour group, took the picture. I'm holding two Michoacán-grown chirimoyas (Annona cherimola), known in English as custard apples.

One of the great pleasures of 2012 was the number of tours Mexico Cooks! gave to lots of excited tourists. Small, specialized tours are a joy to organize: the participants generally have common interests, a thirst for knowledge, and a hunger for–well, for Mexico Cooks!' tour specialty: food and its preparation. Touring a food destination (a street market in Michoacán, an enclosed market in Guadalajara, a crawl through some Mexico City street stands, or a series of upscale restaurants) is about far more than a brief look at a fruit, a vegetable, or a basket of freshly made tortillas.

A Pátzcuaro street vendor holds out a partially unwrapped tamal de trigo (wheat tamal). It's sweetened with piloncillo (Mexican raw sugar) and a few plump raisins, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed. Taste? It's all but identical to a bran muffin, and every tour participant enjoyed a pinch of it.

A tour planned to your specifications can lead you to places you didn't know you wanted to go, but that you would not have missed for the world. Here, Donna talks with the man who makes these enormous adobe bricks. He let her try to pick up the laden wheelbarrow. She could barely get its legs off the ground! He laughed, raised the handles, and whizzed away with his load.

Twice in 2012 small groups wanted to tour traditional bakeries in Mexico City. The photo shows one tiny corner of the enormous Pastelería La Ideal in the Centro Histórico. Just looking at the photo brings the sweet fragrances back to mind.

Ramon and Annabelle Canova wanted an introduction to how ordinary people live and shop in Guadalajara. We spent a highly entertaining morning at the Tianguis del Sol, a three-times-a-week outdoor market in Zapopan, a suburb of Guadalajara. Our first stop was for breakfast, then we shopped for unusual produce, fresh spices, and other goodies that the Canovas don't often see in their home town. Annabelle said she felt right at home because so much of the style and flavor of this market was similar to what she experienced in the markets near her home town in the Phillipines.

We went to the original location of Guadalajara's Karne Garibaldi for comida (main meal of the day). The restaurant does one thing–carne en su jugo (meat in its juice)–and does it exceptionally well. The food is plentiful, delicious, and affordable. The place is always packed, and usually has a line to get in!

Ramon wanted to try tejuino, a regional specialty in the Guadalajara area. Mixed when you order it, the refreshing, lightly fermented drink is thickened with masa de maíz (corn dough) and served with a pinch of salt and a small scoop of lemon ice.

Pillars of nopal cactus paddles, taller than a man, at Mercado de la Merced, Mexico City. La Merced is the largest retail market in Mexico, if not in all of Latin America. It's the ultimate market experience and just a partial tour takes the best part of a morning. Comfortable walking shoes are a necessity–let's go!

A more intimate, up-close-and-personal Mexico City market tour takes us through the Mercado San Juan. The San Juan is renowned for its gourmet selection of meats, fish and shellfish, cheeses, and wild mushrooms–among a million other things you might not expect to find.

Pepitorias are a sweet specialty of Mexico's capital city. Crunchy and colorful obleas (wafers) enclose sticky syrup and squash seeds. Mexico Cooks!' tour groups usually try these at the Bazar Sábado in San Ángel.

Lovely and fascinating people and events are around almost any Mexican corner. The annual Festival Internacional de Música de Morelia opens every year with several blocks of carpets made of flowers. Residents of Patamban, Michoacán work all night to create the carpets for the festival. This piano is made entirely of plant material. Enlarge any picture for a closer view.

Entire flowers, fuzzy pods, and flower petals are used to create the carpets' ephemeral beauty and design; these carpets last two days at most.

In November 2012, one of Mexico Cooks!' tours was dazzled by a special Morelia concert given by Tania Libertad. With Tania is Rosalba Morales Bartolo from San Jerónimo, Michoacán, who presented the artist with various handcrafted items from the state.

No matter where we start our tour and no matter what we plan together for your itinerary, a Mexico Cooks! tour always includes a terrific surprise or two, special memories to take home, and the thirst for more of Mexico. Marvey Chapman had a wonderful time! By all means come and enjoy a tour!

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23 de February de 2013
Las Apariencias Engañan :: Appearances Deceive (Frida Kahlo’s Recently Discovered Belongings)

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, age three or four, and friend. Photo by her father, Guillermo Kahlo.

Which is the Frida Kahlo who most touches your imagination? The innocent toddler in her beribboned shoes?

The iconic self-portrait dressed as a Tehuana (woman from Oaxaca's Isthmus of Tehuantepec)?

The pain-wracked, alcoholic, drug-addicted, unadorned, exhausted Frida? This photo was taken on July 2, 1954, at her last public appearance. She (in her wheelchair), Diego Rivera, and a group of friends and colleagues marched in Mexico City to protest the involvement of the United States Central Intelligence Agency in the overthrow of Guatemala's president. Frida Kahlo died on July 13, 1954.

There was a time, and not too long ago, when I thought I understood the moments that these photos purport to reveal. Photos and self-portraits are a record of life, just as black-and-white as the first and last of these three. Except–perhaps not. Perhaps, as the on-going exhibit at Casa Museo Frida Kahlo is titled, las apariencias engañan. Appearances deceive. What we see is tricky. Appearances are as fluid as blood in the veins, as liquor down the throat, as dye seeking fabric, as paint on a palette. And as Anais Nin is alleged to have said, "We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are."

The original drawing used for the exhibit poster is part of Frida Kahlo's diary.

When Frida Kahlo died, Diego Rivera insisted that the places in her home where the majority of her personal effects were stored (two bathrooms, some trunks and closets) be sealed for the following 50 years. In 2004, under the close supervision of museum directors, workers knocked down bathroom walls and pried open long-locked doors. They found literally thousands of items belonging to the couple, including more than 300 of Frida Kahlo's dresses, some of her jewelry, some hair ornaments, shoes, and orthopedic appliances.

A few of the Oaxaca-style skirts and huipiles (blouses) from Frida Kahlo's closets and trunks, currently showing in Room 2 of the exhibit space. If you are familiar with her paintings, you may recognize one or two.

Detail of encaje (lace) and other fabrics from the skirts shown second and third from the right in the above photo.

Las Apariencias Engañan opened in late November 2012. According to museum personnel, the exhibit will be on display for approximately one year, during which time the mannequins' clothing will be changed every three to four months. Not only will these changes give the public an opportunity to see more of the 300 dresses found when the walls were knocked down, but long-stored delicate fabrics will not be subjected to the stress of their own weight as they are displayed.

The Tehuana headdress from the self portrait shown above. Click on any photograph to enlarge it for a better view.

The restoration period has lasted nearly eight years. Despite the conditions under which Frida's clothing and other belongings were stored for 50 years, what we see is a marvel of both natural preservation and expert resurrection. The mounting of the exhibit, supervised by curator Circe Henestrosa and mounted by prominent British architect and designer Doctor Judith Clark, stuns with its mix of the lovely, the grotesque, and the matter-of-fact.

You may well be familiar with some of Frida's famous hand-painted plaster of Paris corsets, decorated with her fabled fantastical flowers, animals, and even the Communist hammer and sickle. They are beautiful. About five years ago, the museum's exhibit of the artist's night bedroom included both her death mask, wrapped in a rebozo, and a plaster of Paris corset.

These three corsets suspended (by white ribbons meant to evoke bandages) from white-tile walls that are symbolic of the bathrooms where the items were found, are not beautiful to any eye. They are what they are: early 20th century medical appliances meant to bind, to support, and inevitably to inflict pain on the wearer.

A pair of Frida's black suede shoes. Srta. Maricarmen Rodríguez López, my personal guide to the exhibit, said, "People ask why Dr. Clark insisted that we mount these shoes showing the back rather than the pretty front with bows on the toes. Look closer. The right shoe has an elevated heel to compensate for the shortness of Frida's right leg." Srta. Rodríguez also mentioned that the entire exhibit is designed to emphasize the disabilities that Frida suffered from the time she was a child of six, when she had polio which left her right leg thinner and shorter than the left.

Frida's calf-high, crimson leather lace-up boot–the left boot, with its wedge heel, decorated with panels of Chinese embroidery and a bell on a ribbon (…rings on her fingers, bells on her toes…).

The right boot and prosthesis, quite literally the other side of the story. Compare the wedge heel on this boot with the wedge on the other. Due to gangrene, doctors were forced to amputate Frida's long-injured right leg in 1953.

The metal supports for this and other items in the exhibit symbolize the iron handrail that pierced her abdomen and uterus in the 1925 trolley-car accident in which she suffered other serious injuries: a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis,
eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot,
and a dislocated shoulder.

Arguably the most famous page from Frida's diary: Pies para qué los quiero si tengo alas pa'volar. (Feet, what do I need them for, if I have wings to fly.) Dated 1953 and painted just prior to the amputation of her right foot.

From Frida's trunks, a hair ornament. The tiara includes aluminum and textile flowers and green linen leaves.

Another hair ornament, in the form of a butterfly.

Gold chokers and other necklaces.

Who will see my brokenness, when the glory of my wardrobe hides my pain? In the exhibit, even the limbs of the mannequins resemble prostheses.

A full cabinet of Frida's long-stored belongings: clothing, jewelry, shoes, even a pair of golden cat's-eye sunglasses came from the closets and trunks.

Las Apariencias Engañan is intended to be a revolving, year-long exhibit. Sponsored in large part by Vogue Magazine, as well as BMW, The Anglo Mexican Foundation, British Airways, The BBVA Bancomer Foundation, the Japan Foundation, Lasalle College of the Arts, Montblanc, the University of the Arts London, and Valentino Parfums, the exhibit also includes a roomful of newly created items of haute couture based very loosely on Frida's wardrobe. This dress and jacket are by GQ's 2012 Designer of the Year Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy. Still more designer dresses are by Costume National and Jason Wu, among the other couture houses involved in the show.

From Frida's diary: arrows point to all of the parts of her body where she had surgeries. A tear falls from her right eye. I asked Srta. Rodríguez, "But she never had surgery on her head…?" "No, la flecha esa simboliza el daño psicológico…" ('No, that arrow represents the psychological damage.') Although the drawing shows only a few arrows, Frida actually had 22 or more surgeries.

Frida Kahlo chose her very Mexican wardrobe with extreme care. Each item was
designed to flatter this part, cover that part, hide the other part.
Under her embroidered and boldly colorful square-cut huipiles
(in this instance, Oaxaca-style blouses), terrible leather-and-metal
corsets were barely noticable to others. A maimed foot, a withered leg, a missing
leg? Let the boots take center stage, let the lace-bordered skirts be a
frothy smoke screen. Don't attend to my limp, look at the wreath of flowers in
my hair. Pay no attention to this wheelchair, raise your eyes to my multiple
gold necklaces, the bracelets on my arms, the rings on my fingers.

The exhibit reveals in a way that a photo, an article online, or a
biography cannot show how and why Frida Kahlo invented the appearance of festive
health for herself. The psychology that moved her to create this way
of life and this wardrobe, the fractures (both physical and mental) that shaped her need
for window dressing: all is apparent in the exhibit, and we see both the color and the shadow, the harsh reality and the fugue of fashion. Frida stands naked before us, a human being rather than a souvenir. ___________________________________________________

With profound thanks to Hilda Trujillo Soto (Directora Casa Museo Frida Kahlo), Patricia Cordero (Coordinadora de Difusión y Contenidos Digitales, Casa Museo Frida Kahlo), and Maricarmen Rodríguez López (Redes Sociales y Difusión, Casa Museo Frida Kahlo) for their time and effort in arranging a private guided tour of Las Aparencias Engañan for Mexico Cooks!.

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

19 de January de 2013
Cooking Classes at Taller Zirita in Morelia, Michoacán: Traditional Cuisine of Michoacán
Many people–Mexico Cooks! included–believe that maestra Benedicta Alejo Várgas is the finest traditional cook in the state of Michoacán. Here, maestra Benedicta explains some of the finer points of Morelia's Mercado San Juan to a Zirita taller (workshop) cooking class. For Zirita workshops, maestra Benedicta wears typical Purépecha dress: elegant knife-pleated skirt, hand-embroidered lace apron, and a beautiful lacy blouse. She has her rebozo (long rectangular shawl) folded on her head to keep her hands free and as protection from the sun.

A few colorful, traditional pots and ingredients in Taller Zirita's outdoor kitchen. The ingredients include (from left) round, juicy Mexican limones (Key limes), dark green chiles serranos, bright red jitomates (Roma tomatoes), and just-picked green-and-gold flor de calabaza (squash blossoms).

This past May, Mexico Cooks! was honored to be part of the opening at Taller Zirita, Cynthia Martínez's incredibly beautiful cooking school in Morelia, Michoacán. At that time, we were pleased to show you photos of the exquisite environment of a Zirita cooking class. I'm excited to report that I have now been part of two Zirita culinary workshops, both offered with maestra Benedicta at the helm.

The delightful and talented Carolina Salazar Valle is part of the culinary teaching team at Zirita. In front of her on the counter, you see the printed recipes given to each attendee, as well ingredients for a few of the dishes that are her part of the day's workshop.

Our list of recipes for each of the days I participated at Zirita included this menu:
- chiles rellenos de uchepos (Poblano chiles stuffed with sweet corn tamales)
- corundas (traditional dried corn tamales with swiss chard and carrots)
- chorizo de Huetamo con salsa de mango (Huetamo-style spicy sausage with mango sauce)
- col de árbol dos maneras (wild cabbage prepared two ways)
- mole de queso de Benedicta (Benedicta's cheese mole)
- paquesos (sweets for dessert made of ground wheat and piloncillo [Mexican brown sugar cones])
Our workshop group, divided in two parts, prepared all of these traditional Michoacán delicacies and then enjoyed platefuls of everything we had prepared as our marvelous comida (main meal of the day).

Maestra Benedicta showed our group how to knead the masa (corn dough) we used to prepare corundas. The masa is kneaded with grated, aged Cotija cheese, salt, shredded fresh acelgas (Swiss chard), and finely diced fresh carrots. She said, "Watch and listen. The masa will speak to you when it's ready to use." She was right: when she had kneaded the masa enough, it began to squeak as it pulled away from the bottom of the batea (wooden bowl). We carefully cleaned both sides of long corn leaves (right side of photo), used to wrap the corundas. Maestra Benedicta told us that there were two different sides to a corn plant's leaf: one side is smooth, the other is fuzzy. The balls of masa that are transformed by steam into corundas are placed on the smooth side.

Maestra Benedicta wraps a ball of masa into the corn leaf. Each corunda can have three, five, or seven picos (points) which are formed by the way the corn leaf is wrapped. It's rare to see a corunda with seven picos, but maestra Benedicta has the necessary wrapping skill.

The corundas are stacked in their clay pot to steam. The lid will be a clay bowl that fits snugly into the pot opening. Maestra Benedicta does not use a vaporera (steam pot). Instead, she places a bundle of very small pine branches at the bottom of this clay pot, then a cushioning layer of the leftover ribs ripped lengthwise from the center of each of the corn leaves, then the water for steaming, then the corundas. Nothing goes to waste in her kitchen: everything has a use.

Fluffy, hot-out-of-the-pot and freshly unwrapped corundas con acelgas y zanahorias, served with a molcajete-made sauce. The molcajete is a three-legged volcanic stone mortar which is used with its own volcanic stone tejolote (pestle).

While the corundas steamed in their clay pot, Carolina taught us to make chorizo de Huetamo con salsa de mango. We ate this dish spooned onto crisp corn tostadas for a simple, spicy, and delicious appetizer.

One group of students prepared col de árbol two different ways, cooked (in this photo the potful has just been put on the fire) and as a raw salad with vinegar and crumbled cheese. Both preparations were magnificent.

Elvira, one of maestra Benedicta's daughters, minds the cooking fire; her own daughter Imelda is at her side. Many traditional Purépecha cooks continue to cook outdoors over a fragrant wood fire. Special long stones form the parangua (sacred cooking area); smaller stones form the fogón (support for the pot).

A Purépecha girl is never too young to learn ancient techniques: maestra Benedicta's two-year-old granddaughter Imelda has her own miniature metate y mano (grinding stone and rolling pin made of volcanic rock) and is learning to grind corn for masa by watching and imitating her grandmother and her mother. Maestra Benedicta learned these same techniques from her grandmother. The Purépecha kitchen has always been taught by oral tradition, recipes and techniques passing from grandmother to daughters and from a mother to her own daughters.

Our class on September 27, 2012, was made up of 17 professional journalists from all over the world. They were visiting Morelia for the 2012 Feria Internacional de Turismo Cultural.

Professor Masaya Arakawa was visiting from Takarazuka City, Hyogo, Japan, to learn more about Michoacán cuisine. He joined our class on September 13, 2012.

A chile relleno con uchepo–a roasted and peeled chile poblano, stuffed with diced leftover and toasted uchepos (sweet corn tamales) mixed with toasted almonds, raisins, and crema de mesa (Mexican table cream). To drink? Mezcal, artisan-made in Michoacán!

Maestra Benedicta's award-winning mole de queso, ready to serve. This mole is made with Cotija cheese and has a sharp, pleasant taste.

Paquesos for dessert: marble-size balls made of ground toasted wheat berries, piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar cones), canela (Mexican cinnamon), and a little water. We made the balls and then rolled them in a little reserved ground wheat.

Maestra Benedicta toasts chile negro on the comal (in this case, a large clay griddle).

Saveur Magazine's Issue 149 is devoted entirely to Mexico's enormous array of food and drink. On page 80 of that issue, the editors write about Zirita Culinary Experiences: "Restaurateur Cynthia Martínez has created a shrine to the cuisine of small-town Michoacán. In outdoor kitchens over woodburning stoves, visitors learn to grind corn on a metate, press tortillas, and cook them on a comal, guided by practiced home cooks." One of a mere handful of Saveur-recommended cooking schools in Mexico, Zirita will give you a taste of everything you love about Mexico's cooking: its heart, its soul, and its deep, ancient flavors. Reserve your spot now for an upcoming class. There's nothing remotely like it anywhere else!

Zirita Culinary Experiences
Morelia, Michoacán
http://www.zirita.com.mx (website and classes offered in Spanish and English)

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27 de October de 2012
Zirita: Exciting Cooking School Experience of the Taste of Michoacán

Zirita, in a rural paradise mere minutes from Morelia's busy Centro Histórico (historic center), is a center of traditional culinary teaching and experiences. Photo courtesy Guillermo Martínez Acebo.

The frame for Michoacán's traditional cuisine, in one of its most genuine forms, with the warmth of a wood fire and the application of hereditary techniques passed down through generations, are the essence of Zirita. Its creator, owner of Morelia's Restaurante San Miguelito and culinary promoter Cynthia Martínez, prefers to call it 'a workshop of gastronomic experiences'.

The old saying "…the mountain goes to Mohammed…" is especially true in terms of the opening of Zirita. The great merit of Zirita is its nearness to Morelia, Michoacán's capital. In the last several years, various regions of the state of Michoacán have become known for its ancestral culinary values. The subtleties, secrets, flavors and perfumes of some of the most reknowned sanctuaries of Michoacán's cuisines–for example, in the case of Angahuan, where Purhépecha women have continued and spread the great expression of food in their communities–will be present in these remarkable cooking classes. Zirita brings the regional cuisines of the most remote pueblitos (small towns) of Michoacán into readily accessible Morelia.

Michoacán's oro verde (green gold): the ubiquitous Hass avocado, which over the last 30 years has become one of the state's most lucrative crops as well as a prominent fixture in its cuisines.

Located close to Morelia's urban center and very nearly part of the city itself, Zirita is a space apart from the hustle and bustle of Morelia. The workshop location allows the visitor to experience the delights of country life, the sounds of nature, as well as the joys of flowers, fruits, and herbs as a daily recurring theme. Zirita is a small complex which has as its center a large troje (typical Purhépecha house). The troje, in turn, has, above all else, the kitchen as its heart: the place where supplies are stored, where preliminary food preparation is done. This is a traditional Purhépecha outdoor kitchen, supplied with all of the utensils used in any Purhépecha community's cooking techniques.

At Zirita, your hands-on experience will be preparing traditional foods typical of the pueblitos (small towns) of Michoacán as well as Mexican dishes common in other parts of the country. Photo courtesy Guillermo Martínez Acebo.

During a workshop experience, traditional cooks and visitors can prepare great delicacies from old family recetarios (collections of recipes). Those regional delights include atápakuas, corundas, uchepos, churipos, moles, adobos, and a thousand other culinary creations from the state of Michoacán. Needless to say, visitors learn to prepare tortillas from corn ground on the metate, patted out by hand, and cooked on a comal (clay griddle) placed over a fogón (cooking fire) contained by paranguas: the three stones which sustain the food world of the Purhépechas. The paranguas are a symbol of the cosmos, of family and community values, and of the relationship and harmony of humankind with nature and with the gods.

Chiles pasillas drying in the sun. When green, we know this long, fleshy chile as chilaca. Sun-dried in its mature (red) state, it is called chile pasilla. Typically part of the Michoacán chile repetoire, it is grown around north-central Queréndaro, Michoacán.

El Rincón de las Solteronas (the Old Maid's Corner), Restaurante San Miguelito. Photo courtesy Alejandro Canela.

Art and fine crafts are distinctive characteristics displayed at Restaurante San Miguelito, celebrated home of Saint Anthony standing on his head. The items displayed in the room, site of the hopes of so many women from Mexico and the world, are also a distinctive element of Zirita. In addition, Zirita has a great variety of herbs which complement the inventory of nuances, delicate touches, and details which nourish its cooking fires.

The wonderful Maestra Benedicta Alejo, fine regional cook and cornerstone of the Zirita experience, grinds green herbs and chile seeds on her metate. She is preparing tzirita, the typical Purhépecha dish that gives the cooking school its name.

Outdoor kitchen at Zirita, with its traditional fogón, comal, and all of the utensils common to the Purhépecha kitchen. Photo courtesy Guillermo Martínez Acebo.

Conceived as a cooking school, Zirita (which means 'seed' in the Purhépecha language) offers several different experiences to anyone who is interested in knowing the essence of Michoacán's culinary traditions. Those traditions, nourished by legends and family tips, by old sayings and anecdotes, by the wisdom of traditional cooks, is presented almost as if the women were in their own homes. However, in this case it is a shared home, completely outfitted as a faithful replica of the different processes of cooking. Broken down into specific themes, ranging from how to make a tortilla to the preparation of the most complex dish of mole de boda (wedding mole), Zirita offers an opportunity to learn these culinary traditions from their most worthy and authentic bearers. In addition, the visitor learns to use the tools and classical artifacts of the Mexican kitchen, right down to the teachers' secrets for their maintainance and use–including how to cure or 'educate' a metate.

The metate and metapil (three-legged volcanic stone grinding board and its roller). This kitchen tool has been used since well before the Spanish arrival in the New World.

Cynthia Martínez said, "This has been a very intense effort, from the construction of the site to the fitting-out of the different areas. To begin with, traditional cuisine is an authentic showcase of the riches of our people with the added factor that in addition to its beauty, everything in the cuisine has a use.

Zirita cooking class taught by Maestra Benedicta Alejo. Photo courtesy Rubén Hernández.

"Nevertheless, the intellectual and emotional richness, and the sum of so many lives are concentrated in this place with the presence of women like Benedicta Alejo, one of the most enthusiastic transmitters of our culinary inheritance. By way of the courses, local, national, and international visitors can live the excitement of making their own tortillas, of grinding chiles, of treasuring our wild herbs as part of one of life's rituals. The huge difference is doing these things in completely traditional terms, living the chat and the get-togethers which start in our markets. Much of the wisdom that our women possess makes them standard-bearers and the ones who will continue to impart the knowledge of food which is one of our great national treasures, as a culture and as a country."

Original article written by Rubén Hernández and published in Spanish at Crónicas del Sabor, translated by Mexico Cooks!.

Zirita
Zirita Culinary Experiences
Circuito de los Manzanos 250
Colonia Arcos de la Cascada
San José del Cerrito
Morelia, Michoacán
Tel. 011.52.443.275.4536 (from the United States)
All of the Zirita experiences are available in either Spanish or English.

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12 de May de 2012
Azul Histórico: Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita in Mexico City’s Downtown!
Stroll into the magical patio that is Azul Histórico. As you come through the welcoming entrance, the bar and its seating area are on your left, just behind the big blue letters that spell out the restaurant's name.

A little less than a year ago, Mexico City's culinary aficionados began to throng to chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's Azul/Condesa, which opened near the end of January 2011. His other two restaurants (both called Azul y Oro) at the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), were and continue to be a gastronomic Mecca in the far southern reaches of the Distrito Federal. Difficult to access by either public or private transportation, those of us who dined there felt that we had conquered both time and space to arrive. The opening of Azul/Condesa gave defeños (residents of the Distrito Federal) and tourists alike an easy option for enjoying the same exquisite dishes served at Azul y Oro–with Azul/Condesa's welcome addition of the opportunity for cocktails or a bottle of wine with a meal.

The former Palacio de los Condes de Miravalle, at Isabel la Católica #30 in Mexico City's Centro Histórico (historic downtown), has been a great gray presence on this street since 1697. Just left of the center of the photograph you see the tall wooden doors that open into Azul Histórico. Photo courtesy Skyscraper City.

Mexico Cooks! was really torn about whether to eat at Azul Histórico right after its January 25 opening or wait until any opening kinks were worked out. Culinary curiosity (not to mention appetite) won out, and we made a reservation for mid-afternoon comida (main meal of the day) on January 28.

Restaurante Azul Histórico, which quite comfortably seats 100, fills the central patio of the 17th century palace of the counts of Miravalle. Surrounded by first-floor balconies, the open-air restaurant is crowned by towering 100-year-old laurel trees. I asked manager Gonzalo Serrano Orozco how patrons would be protected during the Mexico City summer rainy season. He gestured at the sky. "We have an enormous cover to spread over the entire patio."

Table setting at Azul Histórico. The tables, specially made for the restaurant, are hand-branded with the names of streets in the Centro Histórico. The small blue enamelware pots of greenery give a touch of living nature to your table. The jícaras (dried and carved half-gourds) are for drinking mezcal.

Azul HIstórico opens early in the morning (eight o'clock) for business breakfasts, hungry tourists who have lodgings downtown, and anyone else who wants something marvelous to eat to start the day. Classic huevos motuleños (two fried eggs on tortillas, with black beans, ham, and peas, all bathed in a salsa picosa–spicy red sauce), anyone? Or perhaps you'd rather try chilaquiles rojos con arrachera–fried tortilla pieces cooked until just tender with delicious and grilled-just-right steak slices.

Gonzalo Serrano Orozco is the house manager at both Azul/Condesa and Azul Histórico. He's hugging the super-talented young chef María José Serrano Sada, in charge of the kitchen at Azul Histórico.

The menu at Azul Histórico is identical to the menu at Azul/Condesa. The two restaurants also offer full bar service, including house-special flavored margaritas and an excellent variety of regional mezcales and tequilas. But liquor is one thing, and the fabulous food offerings are another. Mexico Cooks! and wife started with a jícara of mezcal (me) and a shot of tequila (her), but we quickly graduated to the order of the day: what to eat.

On the table before the food: a tiny enamelware pot of live greenery, a basket of hot breads, a pot of salsa for the bread, my jícara of mezcal on its woven base, and a plate of traditional orange slices dusted with sal de gusano to accompany the drink.

Judy started her meal with a beautiful deep-green cream of cilantro soup, topped with a little hill of sliced almonds and a big swirl of crema de mesa–Mexican table cream. She needed a pinch of additional salt for the soup, but pronounced it delicious, with the just-right taste of cilantro. Her tequila and house-made sangrita chaser are visible at top left.

I ordered the ensalada de pera con queso Roquefort: the large salad includes crisp, fresh mixed greens, sliced Bosc and red Bartlett pears, large crumbles of delicious Roquefort cheese, and a scattering of roasted cashews. The dressing is oil and balsamic vinegar, with a touch of sweetness–just right for the salad. The dressing, over and above the decorative drizzle on the plate, is served in that little blue jug at the right of the photo. It's my favorite salad on the restaurant menu.

Judy ordered the filete de res con chichilo (filet mignon with a dark Oaxaca mole made with the ashes of chile seeds and ground, dried avocado leaves). In this presentation, it's served over sliced, steamed chayote and accompanied by pickled red onions and chochoyones (little Oaxacan dumplings made of corn dough). The beef needed better searing so it would cook to the required done-ness. After our meal, we talked with chef María José Serrano about the difficulties of teaching her sous chefs the technique of searing and oven-finishing beef; neither of those techniques is widely practiced in central Mexico, but she knows and is eager to give the correct instructions.

I ordered pechuga de pollo con mole negro (boneless chicken breast with Oaxacan black mole). The chicken breast was perfectly cooked: tender and juicy. It's unusual to be served a chicken breast cooked exactly right and this one was extraordinarily wonderful. Mole negro is my always my first choice among moles: it's not too sweet, with deeply complex flavors, and with the precise amount of spiciness to please my palate. Ricardo Muñoz's recipe is out of this world. The dish of chicken and mole comes topped with a single slice of fried sweet plátano macho (super-ripe plantain) and a sprig of cilantro. Perfect.

Service at the new restaurant was almost entirely glitch-free, even on only its third day serving customers. We needed to request napkins (they were deliberately kept off the table due to latent construction dust in the building) and salt, but every other wait staff detail was topnotch.

And the initial evaluation for Azul Histórico from Mexico Cooks!? Here's my checklist on a scale of one to ten, ten being best:
- Style and decor: 10
- Creative and appropriate use of historical space: 10
- Innovation in creative details: 10
- Prompt and appropriate attention from wait staff and other personnel: 10
- Food: 9 with a bullet
- Ease of access: 10 for public transportation access, 10 for tourist access, 10 for handicapped access
So should you wait a while to dine at Azul Histórico or should you get on over there now? My advice: make a reservation, go now AND later, and take me with you! You are going to love it.

Azul Histórico
Isabel la Católica #30
Between Calles Francisco Madero and 16 de septiembre
Centro Histórico
Across the street from the Casino Español
Two blocks from the Zócalo
Metro Isabel la Católica or Metro Allende
Hours: 8AM (for breakfast) until 11PM
Tels. 5510.1316 or 5521.3295
Azul Histórico

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4 de February de 2012
La Casona Rosa: #1 Ranked Small Hotel Accomodations in Morelia, Michoacán–and Mexico Cooks!’ Top Choice

Creative, generous, and kind, Rose Calderone–occasionally of Chicago, currently of Morelia–is the founding mother at La Casona Rosa, her unique small hotel located at Galeana #274, Centro Histórico, Morelia, Michoacán. If you're going to Morelia, it's the place to stay for comfort, conversation, art, and impeccable information about all that central Michoacán has to offer.

Just so you know: I am proud to say that Rose Calderone is my friend. You know, then, that anything that Mexico Cooks! might say about her and her charming Morelia inn comes with a strongly positive bias. On the other hand, I can't think of a single person who has stayed at La Casona Rosa who came away as anything other than her friend and devoted client. Near the computer available for her guests' use is a small sign: "Enter as strangers – Leave as friends." In one clear sentence, Rose makes her philosophy as a host completely transparent.

Open the street door to La Casona Rosa and the long, lovely, flower-filled private patio stretches to welcome you.

Tripadvisor.com names La Casona Rosa the number one small hotel in Morelia and lists twenty-two reviews (and counting!) from completely satisfied customers. What they have to say speaks louder than any advertisement. One reviewer summed it up perfectly: "An Italian heart running a Mexican home: there's no better combination."

The guest dining room at La Casona. If you'd like to have a traditional and delicious Mexican meal cooked for you, just ask on-site manager María Armenta to prepare either breakfast or comida (Mexico's main meal of the day). The price is always fair and the food is out of this world.

The Colonial Suite–Mexico Cooks!' favorite home away from home. It won my heart with its en-suite bathroom and luxuriously comfortable bed, the cool breezes that pass through even on a warm spring day, its separate dining or conference room, and its Michoacán folk artisans' decor.

The Colonial Suite's en-suite bathroom. It's not huge, but it has all the things you need for your stay: a great shower, thick, thirsty towels, a hair dryer, and Michoacán-style homey charm. I took the towels down from the shelves so you could see for yourself just how wonderful they are!

The Colonial Suite's dining/conference table. Everything you see in the photograph–from the chairs to the candles and from the chest of drawers to the glorious clay pumpkins–is a product of one or another Michoacán artisan. Rose knows all the artisans and if you like, she'll make sure that you know them, too.

María Armenta, on-site manager at La Casona Rosa, with an equine friend. It's not a special Michoacán six-legged horse: the third set of hooves belongs to another horse, hidden behind the one in the photo. Photo courtesy La Casona Rosa.

Rose's staff at La Casona Rosa is as special as Rose herself is. Another Tripadvisor review (February 2011) reads: "Morelia is a peaceful, fascinating destination, and Casona Rosa is clean and convenient, and decorated in a charming Mexican manner. A well appointed kitchen is available for all residents. But the central delight of Casona Rosa is the attention offered by María Armenta, the manager. She is tireless in her concern to be helpful, and her advice on the local scene – where to shop, eat, sightsee, etc. – is excellent. She also has access to a wide variety of local services, including Jesús, the well informed, courteous and reliable taxi/limousine operator. Morelia is delightful, and with the help of people named María and Jesús, what can go wrong?"

If you're visiting Morelia as a family, the ground-floor Pátzcuaro Suite could be ideal. The suite sleeps four or even five, and La Casona also offers a crib if you're traveling with a baby or toddler.

Across the room in the Pátzcuaro Suite, this rustic table, bench, and chair are perfect for an end-of-the-day glass of wine–or a taste of Michoacán's artisan liquor, mezcal!

The second room in the Pátzcuaro Suite offers twin beds that can also be made up as one king-size bed. If you're traveling with children, this suite is equipped with games and other pasttimes for them.

The Rose Suite, where the reviewer quoted below stayed. This suite includes a small kitchen for guests' use, a private bathroom, and its own patio.

Another reviewer wrote at length on Tripadvisor: "We arrived in Morelia with backpacks and no accommodation booked. After walking the streets for a few hours…we found Casa Rosa. It is literally a little piece of heaven. Centrally located within easy walking distance of all the great sites,cathedral, museums, food options and drinking spots, this place is a total gem. María the host is a complete delight, graceful, friendly and welcoming, fluent in Spanish and English and a mine of information about Morelia. There are several sleeping options in this lovely renovated old house. The rooms are very spacious, beautifully decorated and with comfortable beds. There are rooms with one and two beds, an excellent kitchen, beautiful lounge and dining area, wonderful courtyard and a second formal dining room. We had two dinner parties with other guests in our 7 day stay! There is also a self-contained apartment at the back of the property with two bedrooms, mini rustic kitchen, bathroom and its own courtyard with sun and shade; this is where we stayed. Great for short and long stays. If you are in Morelia and you want charm, comfort, excellent location, very good value for money and wonderful hosts then Casa Rosa is the perfect choice."

In the fully equipped main kitchen–guests are free to use it–the corn on the Michoacán-made copper charger is real (and really that color) and so is the banana, but the red pepper is glass. Art mixes perfectly with nature at La Casona Rosa.

The ample bedroom of the Frida Suite. Rose is a huge fan of Frida Kahlo; you'll see her image at least once in most of La Casona's rooms. A reviewer on Tripadvisor said this: "The room that I am in–the Frida Suite–is quiet, bright, clean, and very comfortable. I've enjoyed making use of the kitchen for breakfast, and there always seems to be hot pot of coffee ready first thing in the morning."

The guests' living room. Just out of sight on the left is the stairway to the lovely guest bedrooms on La Casona's second floor. In addition to the already mentioned amenities at La Casona, guests have access to free long distance calls either within Mexico or to the United States. Just be sure you grab the right phone for the place you want to call–Rose or María will tell you which is which.

A posada–an inn–offers much more than shelter. The plaque at the side of the door reads, "Bienvenidos, mi casa es su casa." (Welcome, my house is your house). La Casona Rosa is truly a home away from home.

When you call for reservations, please make sure to tell them that Mexico Cooks! sent you. There's no kickback, of course, but I know that the fabulous Rose and her staff of magicians would be tickled to hear that I recommended them.

La Casona Rosa
Galeana #274
Morelia Centro Histórico
Michoacán, Mexico
To reserve, call from the USA: 1.773.696.5771
Within Mexico: 01.443.312.3127
To reserve online: onlinereservations@casadelarosa.info
https://www.facebook.com/lacasonarosa

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3 de December de 2011