Category Archives: April 2016
Editor’s Letter
“Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?” That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future.”
― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
I was born on an island in the middle of a great raging river that once upon a time flowed majestically out to the Atlantic Ocean. The island was so large that it was easy to forget it was bordered by water. We didn’t spend Sundays sitting on its banks having picnics and swimming or depend on it for food. We crossed over the river on large concrete bridges, safely ensconced in our cars, barely acknowledging the dark murky waters below. Continue reading Editor’s Letter
LA BIBLIOTECA DEL MAR A Library and Community Center by the Sea
By Geri Anderson
Bumping along the narrow country road twelve kilometers from the all-inclusive beach resorts of Bahias de Hualtuco, you wouldn’t expect to end up in one of the most idyllic places in the state of Oaxaca. A few cows graze in roadside pastures, and you’ll pass a banana plantation and acres of tended trees in a reforestation project. A grove of palms will be harvested for palapas and another patch of palms, heavy with coconuts, provide coco milk and sweet coco meat. Here and there splashes of graffiti brighten rocky cliffs. Continue reading LA BIBLIOTECA DEL MAR A Library and Community Center by the Sea
Hello Westjet!
By Cindy Belyk
On December 12, 2015, Westjet introduced direct service from Calgary, Alberta (YYC) to Huatulco, Mexico (HUX). This announcement was thrilling for a lot of us Western Canadians. Finally an easy connection from small towns in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan to Westjet’s hub in Calgary. From Calgary, a six hour flight on a non-charter airline. Continue reading Hello Westjet!
Mexico City’s Best Kept Secret: The “Other” Diego Rivera Murals
By Carole Reedy
They really aren’t a secret, per se, as they appear in just about any guide book’s top-ten list. But even though they’re located in mero Centro Histórico in the building of the Secretaría de Educatión (República de Argentina 28) just a block from the Templo Mayor, this series of Rivera murals is often missed by visitors and native citizens alike. Even by foreigners who have lived in the megalopolis more than 40 years! Continue reading Mexico City’s Best Kept Secret: The “Other” Diego Rivera Murals
Recap of The Blues
By Brooke Gazer
This year’s “Blues on the Beach” concerts set new attendance records with 610 attendees in January and 630 the following month. In January, the energy level set by Enrico Crivellaro and Brian Templeton was a hard act to follow. However, with Jack DeKeyzer, Cheryl Lescom, Jerome Godboo and Chuckee Zehr all sharing the same stage, the bar was raised yet another notch. I can’t wait until 2017 to see how they plan to top this. Continue reading Recap of The Blues
A Primer on Pulque: Harvesting Aguamiel
By Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
We arrive in the fields about 5:30 pm, near the foothills of the Sierra Madre del Sur, trying to catch the final glimmer of light before dusk sets in. I’ve invited a group of Oaxacan friends to accompany me and my native Zapoteco amigos Juana, Andrés and two of their children, into the countryside to witness the harvesting of aguamiel from the majestic Agave americana. The plant is commonly known as pulquero, because it’s the main species used to make pulque in Santiago Matatlán. And that’s the motive for the trek; even Oaxacans rarely if ever have had an opportunity to learn about pulque production first hand, out amongst the towering rows of maguey (agave). Continue reading A Primer on Pulque: Harvesting Aguamiel
Mayan Mysteries and the Usumacinta River
By Deborah Van Hoewyk
Oh, those mysterious Maya! Google “mystery” and Maya” and in less than half a second, you get more than 12 million hits. There are lots of little mysteries, being solved every day by archaeologists and anthropologists working in the Mayan ruins spread across what is now Chiapas, the Yucatán, Belize, Guatemala, and the western borders of Honduras and El Salvador. To the Maya, we owe the wonders of Chichén Itzá (Yucatán), Palenque (Chiapas), Tikal (Guatemala), Caracol (Belize), Copán (Honduras), and hundreds more places where ancient stones rise out of hillocks in the tropical jungle. Continue reading Mayan Mysteries and the Usumacinta River
Bottoms Up in Marina Chahué
By Jan Chaiken and Marcia Chaiken
Can you imagine that at one time Rio Chahué flowed vigorously and majestically down from the mountains north of Crucecita to Chahué Beach and from there to the Pacific Ocean? Although now there is a bridge labelled “Rio Chahue” on the highway from the airport to Salina Cruz, at this season of the year the bridge crosses over a dry river bed. South of the highway, and all the way through town, the river bed is now a mundane concrete channel, dividing roads such as Tamiagua and Guelaguetza into two one-way corridors on either side of the concrete watercourse. The channelled Rio Chahué passes by the Marina Park Plaza Condo Hotel and then flows under a handsome bridge where it reaches its ignominious end at a dam. Continue reading Bottoms Up in Marina Chahué
Rattlesnakes and Scorpions
By Kary Vannice
The rivers of Mexico offer a tremendous amount of variety for aquatic enjoyment. You can partake of whitewater rafting, fishing, swimming, mangrove exploration; there’s an almost endless list of ways to experience their watery depths. Continue reading Rattlesnakes and Scorpions
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