February 2020

“The only remedy for love is to love more.”

Henry David Thoreau

So it’s almost Valentine’s Day… again! Seems like there is always some holiday right around the corner which requires us to be reflective about our lives and pull our loved ones in close. 

Some days I can’t decide if I am a hopeless romantic or too independent- can I be both? I have had two successful marriages which ended but they left me with great memories, unbeatable lessons and a better understanding of myself.  Continue reading Editorial →

By Randy Jackson

Our 12-month calendar originated in Ancient Rome. However, the first Roman calendars had only 10 months. For over 500 years Romans considered the period of time between December and March to be the unnamed winter season. It wasn’t until Julius Caesar’s time that the months of January and February were added to the calendar. I can imagine those early Romans thinking, “Until its Martius, it’s still winter.”  A sentiment I understand completely. That January/February period is the boggy part of the calendar we just have to slog through (at least in the more northern part of the hemisphere). Once we are past these two months there is good reason to pause, reflect, and celebrate that winter is over. It’s high time we recognize and celebrate the end of February as the end of winter.  Continue reading End of February – End of Winter →

By Julie Etra

In the USA, where I am from, we are frequently asked: paper or plastic? And the groovy stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s only offer paper. Is paper any better? I suppose, since paper bags are biodegradable, but they still require a paper industry. That is a longer topic and conversation for another article.  Continue reading Plastic Bag Ban:  GO, MEXICO! →

By Brooke Gazer

The star-studded seaside ambience of Sea Soul Beach Club provided a perfect setting for an evening beach party, and January’s Blues on the Beach extravaganza was a huge success. Over seven hundred Huatulco visitors and residents reveled to the rhythms of some top blues artists on January 18, while they raised money for one of Huatulco’s most-needed nonprofits, Un Nuevo Amenacer (A New Dawn), which provides developmental care and support for disabled children..   Continue reading Blues on the Beach 2020 – Second Concert! →

By Kary Vannice

How is it that in a country notorious for its “machismo,” same-sex couples enjoy more rights, and have for a longer time, in Mexico than they do in the United States, a country labeled “the land of the free”?  Continue reading Same-Sex Marriage in Mexico →

By Carole Reedy

“Pleasure lies first in anticipation, later in memory,” Julian Barnes 

Like many of you, I never make a New Year’s resolution list. I do, however, create a book wish list, which turns into an ongoing year-long project. My criteria for the book list is based on five elements:  

•  my favorite writers
• recommendations from friends
• my travel destinations for the year
• book reviews (usually from The Guardian)
• unread books from the past 

Continue reading BOOKS! Creating Your 2020 Wish List →

By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken

Maximilian and Carlota, Mexico’s only on-site reigning royal couple, had lives so full of romance, drama and tragedy, that, by comparison, today’s English royalty seem commonplace.  Their rule in Mexico, begun in 1864, ended abruptly a little over three years later. But they left an unforgettable legacy that has inspired films and, most recently, an opera. Continue reading The Empress Carlota and Emperor Maximilian →

By Alvin Starkman M.A., J.D.

Over the past few years the City of Oaxaca, the state’s capital, and environs have welcomed several new opportunities for antique collectors to browse, find and buy.  It’s taken the form of a new crop of antique shops as well as makeshift roadside outlets.  Continue reading A Guide to Antiquing in Oaxaca →

By Brooke Gazer

In 1861 the French archeologist and ethnologist, Charles Etienne Brasseur, compared Juana Catalina Romero’s exotic beauty to that of the Egyptian goddess Isis, and Cleopatra, Egypt’s last independent ruler before the Romans took over.  It is easy, then, to imagine her seducing the young officer José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz. This Zapotec-mestizo woman certainly had a close relationship with one of Mexico’s most powerful men, but while some insist it was passionate, others are adamant that it was completely innocent. Continue reading The Enigma of Porfirio and Juana Cata →