So here you are in Huatulco, and it’s hot and sunny, and it’s hard to pick out the poinsettias from the bugambilias and flamboyants. Only a few Christmas carols are making it through the mariachi Muzak at the supermarket. But . . . you’re shortly due back in the land of holiday celebrations. Is it […]
Most people arrive in Huatulco by air and some by bus or car. A select few choose a slower, less direct approach, walking “El Camino Copalita” (The Copalita Trail). Long hiking trails have gained popularity around the world and two in particular have been the subject of bestselling books. The one in our region […]
By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken When we first started to explore the major archeological sites of Mexico such as Uxmal, Tulum, Chichen Itza and Palenque, each visit was an adventurous trip to an out-of-the-way destination. Few people were willing to chance the rough roads and limited places to stay. So the ruins were pretty […]
Huatulco has the distinction of being home to the only archeological site open to the public on the entire Pacific coast of Mexico. Although it is impossible to determine who originally developed this 3000-year-old-complex, we know that over the centuries it became home to many different people, including Mixtecs and Zapotecs. For some reason […]
1. Monte Alban Monte Alban was once the ancient capital of the Zapotec people. Overlooking the Valley of Oaxaca, Monte Alban is one of the top archeological sites in Mexico. There are spectacular views over the valley! 2. National Museum of Anthropology The Museo Nacional de Antropología is both the largest and most visited […]
Word has it that the folks who fish the waters off Puerto Ángel really know how to find fish—tuna, red snapper, bonito, saltfish, and shark, along with lobsters, octopus, and conch. The fishermen go offshore, out to open ocean, over a shallow area with a well developed, multi-layered coral reef. Hmm. How did a […]
A lot of people who have bought property in Huatulco simply came on vacation and fell in love with the place… and for good reason. My husband and I actually scoured the Pacific Coast for several months in search of the perfect tropical location. Like Goldilocks, we hadn’t found the one that was “just right”, […]
Perhaps the story of distillation and mezcal in Mexico begins with the arrival of the Spanish during The Conquest in the first quarter of the 1500s. Or with Filipino seamen in the Manila galleon trade who reached the country’s western shores that same century. Or with Olmec or other indigenous cultures some 2,500 years […]
I didn’t see a firefly until I was 31 years old. Of course, like any child who had seen them in the movies or depicted in animation, I was captivated by the idea. A bug that lights up! Magic! And, even at 31, my childlike wonder was ignited when I peered into a dense […]
The city of Oaxaca is rich in museums designed with architectural brilliance, craft shops featuring the best that state artisans have to offer, colorful marketplaces, colonial churches, arguably the finest cuisine in all Mexico, and world renowned archaeological sites only minutes away. Yet some travelers only want to visit for a couple of days within […]
