Category Archives: San Miguel de Allende

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Water Does More Than Just Hydrate; It Heals

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By Kary Vannice

Long before anyone measured cortisol in a lab, people were wading into rivers, lakes and streams to let go of what they were carrying. When we think of the health benefits of water, we usually think only of drinking it to stay hydrated. But water does more for us than simply keep us alive. For thousands of years, people have turned to water for more than just survival. They have sought it out for comfort, healing, renewal, purification, and perspective.

In Judaism, the mikvah is a ritual bath used not for hygiene but for spiritual cleansing and transformation. In Islam, wudu prepares the body and mind for prayer through ritual washing. In Hinduism, bathing in the Ganges is believed to purify the soul and release old burdens. Christian baptism symbolizes death and rebirth, the letting go of one identity and the emergence of another.

And here in Mexico, water has played a similarly powerful role.

The Maya viewed cenotes as sacred portals to Xibalba, the underworld, places where communication between worlds was possible. The temazcal, used by the Maya, Aztecs, and Toltecs, combined water, steam, heat, and ritual to support purification and renewal. Throughout Mexico, thermal springs became places where people gathered for both physical healing and spiritual restoration.

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Each of these practices emerged independently, in cultures separated by oceans and centuries, often with no contact at all. And yet they kept landing on the same instinct: that water engages human emotion. It changes us and it heals us.

The religious historian Mircea Eliade spent much of his career studying these patterns, and he noted something simple but profound, that across an enormous range of spiritual traditions, water consistently shows up as the element that dissolves, washes away, purifies, and renews.

Only recently has science begun building a vocabulary for what these traditions always knew to be true. Researchers have identified a measurable shift that happens in the nervous system when someone is near water. They experience lowered stress hormones, a calmer body, a different quality of attention.

Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols coined the term Blue Mind to describe this mildly meditative state. He described water as something that quiets all the surrounding noise and distraction and reconnects us to our own thoughts.

Researchers studying so-called “blue spaces” have reached similar conclusions. These environments, which include oceans, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and coastlines, are increasingly associated with improved mental wellbeing.

Environmental psychologist Mathew White of the University of Exeter has found that people who spend time near water often report greater happiness and lower levels of psychological distress. Some studies even suggest that people who live near coastlines experience higher overall wellbeing than those who live farther inland.

It seems modern-day science is “discovering” what our ancestors knew all along. But water’s influence doesn’t stop with the mind.

Research suggests that ocean swimming can reduce stress, lower anxiety, improve mood, stimulate circulation, and support overall health. Seawater contains minerals that benefit the skin, while ocean air carries microscopic sea particles that contribute to respiratory health and a greater sense of wellbeing.

Thermal waters also offer many health benefits. Long valued by cultures around the world, mineral-rich hot springs can relax muscles, improve circulation, reduce joint stiffness, and ease chronic pain. And people who soak in thermal waters often describe not just physical relief, but also mental restoration and renewal.

Even the sound of water appears to have beneficial effects on us. The rhythmic crash of waves, the gentle fall of rain, the steady movement of a river. These sounds calm the nervous system and promote deeper sleep.

Since ancient times, water has been used as medicine physically, emotionally, and spiritually. What’s telling is not that just a few cultures discovered this, but that nearly every culture has.

The Maya sought wisdom and connection through sacred cenotes. Romans built elaborate bathhouses devoted to healing. Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas used water and steam for purification and transformation. Today, that instinct has simply found a new vocabulary. Doctors in the UK are now writing “Bluescriptions”, as part of a growing program that uses nature to treat anxiety, stress, and other mental health struggles.

Because water is all around us, anyone can write their own Bluescription. Just consider which form of water would offer the most support, drinking it, bathing in it, swimming in it, listening to it, watching it, walking near it, or even just picturing it in your imagination. Each of these has demonstrated real benefits for better health. The idea is surprisingly simple: water doesn’t have to be extraordinary to be healing. It simply has to be present.

Kary Vannice is a writer and energetic healer who explores the intersections of culture, consciousness, and daily life in Mexico.

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San Miguel de Allende

Mexico’s Bottled Thirst How Mexico Became Dependent on Bottled Water

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By Estefanía Camacho

“And just for a second, while picturing her loved ones back home in New York, she forgot where she was and opened her mouth.”
There is a scene in Sex and the City: The Movie in which one of the characters, Charlotte, avoids drinking tap water or eating certain foods in Mexico at all costs because of the stereotype that every foreigner who visits the country, inevitably gets sick. It is a thing, and it’s colloquially called Montezuma’s revenge, although it is usually mild and short-lived.

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What these fears often overlook is that simply leaving your routine and the familiar circle of your own microbiome can make your body more sensitive. New foods, different bacteria, changes in climate, stress, travel itself: all of these can affect digestion.
On the other hand, the idea that a few drops of shower water will immediately send someone running to the bathroom is wildly exaggerated. It is true that people in Mexico generally do not drink tap water, not because of a stereotype, but because water coming through municipal systems is often not considered safe for consumption in much of the country, there are some exceptions but there are as well information gaps.

You would likely have to drink an actual glass of untreated tap water to experience discomfort and, again, it would rarely be serious.
Most Mexicans who have family roots in rural areas or the countryside have at least one older relative who talks about drinking directly from a stream coming down the mountain, from a well, a nearby river, a reservoir, or even melted snow in higher elevations. For many families, this was not some distant past. In some places, it still isn’t.

The Four Reasons That Built Mexico’s Bottled Water Industry
Cities followed a different story.
After the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, the idea spread that the city’s pipes could no longer safely carry drinking water. In many ways, this was true. Decades of neglected infrastructure collapsed alongside buildings, and parts of the system remained damaged for years. Yet the reconstruction of reliable drinking water systems never fully arrived.

Mexico’s National Water Commission (Conagua) describes the earthquake as an accelerator of the bottled water industry:
“After the earthquake there was no water in many people’s homes. There were people in the streets. There was no water pressure. The biggest problem at the time was that there was no drinking water. In some homes there was a bad smell — the smell of contamination. The pipes had broken and the water was contaminated, so people couldn’t drink water from the tap.”

The earthquake became the first of four major factors cited by researchers that created the conditions for the bottled water boom. Today, Mexico is one of the world’s largest consumers of bottled water, reaching approximately 286 liters per person each year.
The remaining factors came later. The cholera epidemic between 1991 and 1999 further cemented public distrust in municipal water supplies. Economic crises during the same period made infrastructure investments more difficult, while aggressive marketing by bottled water companies transformed bottled water from an emergency solution into an everyday necessity.

Before this shift, many Mexican households routinely drank tap water, boiled it, or treated it with chlorine before consumption. Now, Conagua shares statistics on how many contaminants are present in the surface water, by analyzing in 2022 1,723 sites, of which 42.5% were classified in green and 39% in red. Hence the perception that drinking tap water may not be safe, since habitants have no way of making this analysis in their homes.
However, according to the National Survey of Government Quality and Impact, only 20.9% of households nationwide consider the water delivered to their homes through the public network to be drinkable as of 2023. The situation varies by state, ranging from 49.1% in Tlaxcala to 1.9% in Tabasco, according to the 2025 investigation The impact of bottled water on household expenditures in Mexico: is it a public policy problem? published in the Official Journal of the World Water Council.

Politics and Private Enterprise: A Partnership Without Consequences
I remember that sometime after the early 2000s, Bonafont became one of the loudest promoters of the idea that everyone should drink two litres of water a day to stay healthy, while this was not yet a truly spread and well-known idea in Mexican households. Conveniently, the company sold bottles in exactly the sizes needed to make sure you met that goal.
Once bottled water and refillable jugs became normalized in Mexican households, also as a part of a certain high-level kind of life, it was only a matter of time before soft drink companies entered the business. Coca-Cola, whose presence in Mexican family life is almost impossible to overstate, expanded aggressively into the water market.

Mexico loves Coca-Cola so much that one of its former executives, Vicente Fox Quesada, became president of the country in 2000. But the other side of the story is often left untold: Coca-Cola may love Mexico back, but it arguably needs Mexico even more.
Revenues for Coca-Cola FEMSA, the company’s Mexican subsidiary, tripled during Fox’s administration. Between 2002 and 2003 alone, FEMSA reported extraordinary growth, doubling revenues from approximately $2 billion to $4 billion, while its bottled water business expanded dramatically.

Nor was Coca-Cola alone. Bonafont, owned by Danone and once a relatively unknown brand, became the country’s leading bottled water company.

In Mexico there is a saying: a nadie se le niega un vaso de agua — no one should ever be denied a glass of water. The phrase works both ways: we offer it, and we ask for it. Yet institutionally, drinking a glass of water from the public system often feels almost forbidden.
Bottled water also represents a significant expense for many families. Lower-income households generally spend a larger proportion of their income on water, including both piped supplies and bottled alternatives.

And, as always, inequality runs through the entire system.
It is estimated that households without daily access to piped water spend a total of 503 million USD on bottled water. These households consume bottled water out of necessity. Households with daily access to piped water spend up to 902 million USD on bottled water, which they consume for pleasure or due to mistrust of the quality of piped water.

Researchers at the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM Azcapotzalco) argue that water insecurity becomes even more unequal when examined by income levels. “When designing public policies regarding household water consumption,” they write, “it is imperative to consider not only accessibility and frequency of use, but also affordability.”

The Sinkhole That Exposed Water Stress in Puebla
The prioritization of private interests over public needs, together with decades of resource extraction and limited oversight, became visible in the town of Santa María Zacatepec, Puebla.

In 2021, residents occupied a Bonafont bottling plant in protest, arguing that the company had been extracting groundwater for more than two decades while local wells gradually dried up.
That same year, a massive sinkhole nearly 50 feet wide suddenly opened nearby. Although the exact causes remain debated, many residents connected the event to the long-term extraction of groundwater. Coincidentally or not, only weeks after the occupation forced the plant to suspend operations, local residents reported that water levels in wells and streams had begun to recover. Investigations also uncovered irregularities involving municipal permits and concessions that Bonafont claimed to possess.
The peaceful occupation, which included cultural events, artistic activities, and community gatherings, was eventually dismantled by the National Guard and state police. Bonafont later resumed operations.

“The More Polluted the Water, the More People Will Buy”
I cannot help but think of The Lorax, where a businessman becomes wealthy by selling encapsulated air after destroying the environment around him.
The comparison may seem exaggerated, yet there is something strangely familiar about it. In some regions, bottling companies extract groundwater from local aquifers, sell it back to nearby communities at a markup, and position themselves as the solution to a problem that increasingly appears impossible to solve without them. What would people drink otherwise?

But perhaps the more important question is not directed at the companies themselves. Where were the political actors who allowed private companies to gain access to public resources instead of prioritizing infrastructure, investment, and public policies capable of guaranteeing access to safe drinking water?
After all, access to water is not simply a market opportunity. It is a human right, one that is also recognized in the Mexican Constitution.

Estefanía Camacho is a freelance Mexican journalist working across media and digital magazines. She is a specialist in gender, SMEs, economics, and business.

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San Miguel de Allende

Patronato Pro Niños: More Than 55 Years of Caring for San Miguel’s Children

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By Sunnie Collins and Mark Shaff—

For more than 55 years, Patronato Pro Niños has been helping ensure that children from economically disadvantaged families in San Miguel de Allende and the surrounding rural communities have access to the healthcare they need to grow, learn, and thrive.
What began in 1970 as a community effort to provide blankets and clothing to families in need has evolved into one of the region’s most respected charitable organizations. Today, Patronato Pro Niños provides free, high-quality medical, dental, psychological, and social services to thousands of children and adolescents each year.
The organization’s founders, including community visionary Stirling Dickinson, recognized that healthy children are the foundation of a healthy community. Over the decades, Patronato Pro Niños has continually adapted its services to meet the changing needs of local families, expanding from basic assistance to comprehensive healthcare programs that reach children who might otherwise go without care.

One of the hallmarks of Patronato Pro Niños is its commitment to serving children where they live. Through a fleet of mobile medical and dental units, healthcare professionals travel throughout rural communities, bringing services directly to schools and villages that often have limited access to healthcare. In 2024 alone, Patronato Pro Niños provided more than 13,000 consultations and traveled nearly 14,000 kilometers to deliver care. The organization continues to expand its reach as demand for services grows throughout the region.

Patronato Pro Niños focuses on four core service areas: medical care, dental care, psychological services, and social work. These services are complemented by educational programs that help children and families understand the importance of good nutrition, dental hygiene, preventive healthcare, and emotional well-being.

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In recent years, the organization has seen a growing need for mental health support, particularly among children and adolescents in rural communities. Teachers, school administrators, and community leaders have increasingly identified psychological care as one of the most urgent needs facing local youth. In response, Patronato Pro Niños has expanded its psychological services and is working to further increase access to care through additional mobile outreach and staffing.

The organization also continues to explore innovative ways to address unmet healthcare needs. One exciting new initiative is the introduction of the USee Vision Kit program, a pilot project designed to provide vision screening and affordable eyeglasses to children in the field. Good vision plays a critical role in educational success, and the program has the potential to help hundreds of children who may never have received a vision exam. None of this work would be possible without the generous support of donors, volunteers, sponsors, and community partners.

One of Patronato Pro Niños’ most successful fundraising initiatives is the Heart to Heart Charity Bazaar. For decades, volunteers and supporters have helped transform donated goods into support that directly benefits the organization’s healthcare programs. The Bazaar has become a beloved community institution, creating opportunities for residents and visitors alike to contribute to the well-being of local children.

Another unique fundraising effort is the Historical Walking Tour of San Miguel de Allende. Led by knowledgeable guides, these tours offer participants a fascinating look at the city’s rich history while generating funds to support Patronato Pro Niños. Public and private tours are available throughout the year, allowing both visitors and residents to learn more about San Miguel while supporting a worthy cause.

The organization’s annual Gala has also become one of San Miguel’s premier charitable events. Bringing together supporters from across the community, the Gala combines entertainment, fellowship, and philanthropy while raising critical funds for the organization’s programs. Recent Galas have been extraordinarily successful, and the organization continually strives to raise the bar each year in both quality and impact.

Throughout the year, Patronato Pro Niños also hosts concerts, special events, and community activities that raise awareness and generate additional support for its mission. These events not only provide financial resources but also strengthen the sense of community that has been central to the organization’s success for more than five decades.

Patronato Pro Niños is recognized in Mexico as a Donataria Autorizada, allowing it to issue Mexican tax-deductible facturas for qualifying donations. Supporters in the United States may contribute through Pro Niños USA, a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides U.S. tax-deductible receipts. Canadian donors can also make tax-deductible contributions through Amistad Canada, which supports charitable organizations working throughout Mexico, including Patronato Pro Niños.

As San Miguel de Allende continues to grow and evolve, Patronato Pro Niños remains committed to its mission of helping every child access the healthcare they need to build a healthier future. More than 55 years after its founding, the organization continues to demonstrate what can happen when a community comes together to care for its children.

Learn More About Patronato Pro Niños

Providing free medical, dental, psychological, and social services to children in San Miguel de Allende and surrounding rural communities for more than 55 years.

Websites
Patronato Pro Niños
http://www.patronatoproninos.org
Historical Walking Tour
http://www.historicalwalkingtour.org

Heart to Heart Charity Bazaar
http://www.heart2heartcharity.org
U.S. Tax-Deductible Donations
http://www.proninosusa.org
Canadian Tax-Deductible Donations
http://www.amistadcanada.org

Ways to Support
• Donate
• Volunteer
• Join a Historical Walking Tour
• Shop, donate, or volunteer with Heart to Heart
• Attend the Annual Gala and other fundraising events

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Books to Watch For

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By Carole Reedy—

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver
(publication date October 6, 2026)

The most anticipated fall read, without a doubt, is Barbara Kingsolver’s Partita.

Kingsolver’s previous novel, Demon Copperhead, entertained and educated readers with its smooth narrative of a remote and forgotten part of the US where the pharmaceutical industry introduced addictive drugs. (To understand the facts of this tragedy, read Patrick Radden Keefe’s The Empire Of Pain.) Kingsolver received accolades around the world for her depiction of a modern-day David Copperfield.

This new novel is the story of a farm girl and her unfulfilled musical talent, class barriers, and love. At the heart of the story, however, is the importance of art and beauty.

Kingsolver herself had the talent to pursue the piano as a career, but when faced with the practicality of a life in music changed her college major to biology. She also had aspirations as a writer and studied journalism. As a child she read Tolstoy and played Bach on the piano.

Noted author Ann Patchett, whose new novel Whistler has just arrived, accompanied by rave reviews, on bookshelves, says of Kingsolver’s latest “She means to save us by telling us stories…She comes closer than anyone else I know.”

Country People by Daniel Mason
(publication date July 7, 2026)

Mason’s North Woods, published in 2024, was, for me, a mesmerizing read covering centuries of the inhabitants of a yellow house in a remote part of Massachusetts.

His latest story takes us on a family voyage to Vermont from California.

It’s described by the publisher as a “joyous, absurd, gorgeously-drawn exploration of marriage, family, friendship, storytelling and how people find connection in an increasingly fragmented world.”

We know Mason as a consummate storyteller that can deliver a story in a masterfully fluent manner.

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Ply by Hernan Diaz
(publication date September 29, 2026)

How we loved Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Trust, the story of a “successful” man and his wife told in three parts, the last part putting in perspective the first two in a most shocking way.

Though his previous novels dealt with the past, this one takes us to the distant future and questions the role of technology in our lives. It is a Dickensian-style family drama in addition to being a scientific thriller.

The novel takes place in a US city where the protagonist, an orphan, steals energy to feed the city’s vibrant music scene. This high-risk life shifts when he becomes involved in a scientific project that could change reality itself.

The Dying Light by Anne Cleeves
(publication date October 8)

Few of us will forget the isolation of the pandemic of 2020 for the gift of time that allowed us hours more to read. During the following three years many of us discovered various book series and authors that entertained and allowed us to get through those difficult days.

One such author was Anne Cleeves. Cleeves is a prolific writer, but the most striking aspect of her writing is the characterizations she creates. These people become part of the reader’s life. It may sound corny, but during the pandemic I talked by phone to friends in the US about characters in the novels as though we were discussing our own friends.

Cleeves’ Shetland series became so popular that it was made into a television series. The lure of an unknown part of the world added mystery to the mysteries! Tourists started putting the Shetland Islands on their travel bucket lists.

Cleeves recently introduced the Matthew Venn series (also called the Two Rivers series), which takes place in Devon England, where detective Venn lives with his husband. Again, the magic of these books lies in their characters rather than the plots.

Cleeves knows and understands her characters so well that she seems to describe them from memory rather than imagination.

Agrippa by Robert Harris
(publication date August 27, 2026)

Harris has always been recognized for his ability to combine personal drama and political machinations. His Conclave gripped book lovers as well as movie fans.

In Agrippa we return to the Roman Empire, where there is plenty of drama for writers. After the death of Julius Caesar, the 17-year-old Octavius becomes heir to the throne. His closest friend is Agrippa. For 20 years they rule the empire together.

Agrippa stirs up the past in his memoirs, which he is writing at age 50. Power and friendship: can they coexist? That is the question and theme.

Robert Harris’ books are very readable and offer glimpses into the political yet personal aspects of the histories he writes. I have become a recent fan of this prestigious writer of histories. His Pompeii hooked me as a new fan and follower.

The French Illusion by John Grisham
(publication date September 29, 2026)

Faithful readers to the genre have been reading John Grisham’s legal thrillers since 1991 when The Firm became an overnight sensation, spending 47 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list. I remember vividly when it hit the shelves, touted as different and sketching new material and characters for a novel. Law school admissions may have risen at this time.

Grisham’s latest veers a little off the legal thriller genre, being more an international suspense novel. It’s clear Grisham enjoys reading the spy stories of John Le Carre, Ken Follett, and Robert Ludlum. This is his first attempt in following the “craftsmanship of some of these international suspense novelists.”

This new plot starts with the kidnapping of a newlywed couple in the French countryside, which rapidly turns into an international espionage plot.

The Disappearers by Marlon James
(publication date September 1, 2026)

It would be difficult to forget James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings, which brought James the recognition he deserved when his novel won the Man Booker Prize in 2015. This new story continues in the genre. Again taking place in Jamaica, it begins with eight gay men in Jamaica during the 1980s.

These eight men, actors, are unfamiliar to each other but share the experience of being gay, including the hatred and bigotry they endure. How they handle it varies among them: some try to forget, others embrace their rage, and still others simply vanish.

James’ novels are enormous in every aspect.

Switzy by Emma Cline
(publication date October 9, 2026)

What is a life? What remains when your goals and accomplishments have been realized? These appear to be the unanswerable questions Cline explores in this story of an aging man.

It is quite an original story, probing the depths of human consciousness, “revealing what a man is left with when the accomplishments and compromises that have defined him, and the illusions he’s relied on, vanish.”

The book follows its main character, David, with his thoughts and memories, as he flies to Zurich with stops in Paris, England, etc. The unusualness of the premise is alluring, especially when tackled by a writer as deft as Cline, who we remember for her novel The Girls, which was based on the Charles Manson entourage of the 70s.

The Newer World by Sebastian Barry
(publication date September 8, 2026)

My book club in Mexico City, whose members represent a number of nationalities, enthusiastically embraces any book written by the Irish writer Sebastian Barry. His novels appeal to not only the Irish and Brits, but also to Americans and Mexicans.

Barry is a consummate storyteller. His newest takes place in the 19th century, starting in rural Tennessee where the main character, a Confederate soldier and wanted man, heads for Nashville but finds himself on a detour to Victorian England. It’s a story of how we survive and at what cost along the way.

Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel
(publication date September 15, 2026)

This timely novel by the noteworthy author of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility should gain widespread attention in the literary world this fall.

Starting out in Los Angeles 2031 with the collapse of the US, the story continues not only from a splintered America but also expanding to include Paris and Greece and a colony on the moon.

Story is the lifeblood of a novel, and this year appears to be packed with novels that are faithful to this premise.

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Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Mexico Water Trivia

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By Marcia Chaiken and Jan Chaiken—

Water, water everywhere and many types to enjoy. Here are some facts and personal hints about bodies of water in Mexico.

Lakes

There are 95 freshwater natural lakes in Mexico recognized by the federal government, compared to about 29,000 in the United States. Canada contains more natural lakes than the rest of the world combined.

Lake Chapala in Jalisco is the largest lake in Mexico, but its size shrinks and expands depending on seasonal rainfall. Noted for its temperate year-round climate, it has become a home for many expats from north of the border.

Lake Avandaro in the Valle de Bravo is the go-to weekend retreat for many Chilangos from Mexico City and other Mexicanos. Ringed by mountains with pine forests, it provides opportunities for water sports and hiking.

Lake Patzcuaro is on the itinerary of many bus tours of Mexico. It is surrounded by colonial villages producing beautiful crafts and is home to Isla de Janitzio with souvenir shops lining the path to the top of the island. Visit early in the morning before hordes of tourists hit.

Gulfs

Gulf of Mexico: The name first appeared on a map drawn by a Spanish cartographer in 1544. The body of water was referred to by that name in the writings of explorers earlier than that and was based on the name of the indigenous Mexica (aka Aztecs). Although the shoreline is in both Mexico and the US, Mexico has the longest portion.

Gulf of California: This gulf separates the Baja Peninsula from mainland Mexico. The name California was given in the 16th century and reportedly came from a popular novel published in 1510. It is also known as the Sea of Cortez. A ferry from La Paz in Baja California to Mazatlán across the Gulf started running in 1970. The ferry is not recommended for those subject to seasickness.

Gulf of Tehuantepec: Meaning jaguar hill, this gulf is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Tehuantepec isthmus (just called “The Isthmus” in Huatulco). The gulf is infamous among sailors because of its perpetual fierce difficult-to-navigate winds – also called Tehuantepecs. Even driving across the Isthmus in these winds can be a challenge.

The Mexico coastline and lagoons

The coastline is more or less 5,800 miles (9,330 kilometers) long. Most of the west and south coast borders the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California. The rest borders the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Over 100 coastal lagoons, separated from the open ocean or sea by reefs, islets or sandbars, can be found in states all along the coast. Among the most famous are the brightly colored Laguna de Bacalar in Quintana Roo, the huge refuge for migratory birds Laguna Madre in Tamaulipas, and Las Coloradas – interconnected pink lagoons in the Yucatan. Our personal favorites are the lagoons and Mayan canals that make up the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatan. Floating supine down one of the largest canals while staring up at brightly colored birds and remains of Mayan villages is an unforgettable experience.

Rivers

Mexico has about 250 named rivers, compared to about 8,500 in Canada and 250,000 in the United States.

The longest river at about 1,900 miles is the Rio Bravo del Norte (aka the Rio Grande) that forms much of the northern border with the U.S.

The Usumacinta River, named after the howler monkey, is slightly less than 700 miles long and forms part of the border between Mexico and Guatemala. A noisy night spent on the river bank makes clear how it got its name. A mysterious trip down the river in the dawn fog is highly recommended.

You may have your own favorite lake, lagoon, or river – there are so many in Mexico to explore.

Drs. Marcia and Jan Chaiken have been married for 62 years and have published many justice system research reports together.

Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Mexico’s ‘Little Cornwall’: Cradle of Mexican Football

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By Sharron Schwartz—

Nine minutes into the opening game of the World Cup 2026, Julián Quiñones scores the first goal of the tournament to give Mexico, one of the three host nations, the lead against South Africa.

The iconic Azteca Stadium in Mexico City erupts in joy, and I shoot from my seat in a bar at Gatwick Airport, arms aloft, punching the air with a loud cheer. I am undaunted by the bemused looks of onlookers, for I have skin in this game.

I am Cornish and for over two centuries, my people have played a significant role in Mexico’s silver mining industry. In 1824, the first Cornish mineworkers arrived at Real del Monte, a small town in the picturesque Sierra Madre Oriental in the State of Hidalgo. They were employees of the British-capitalised Real del Monte Mining Company and one of those men was a distant cousin to me.

The Cornish did not just bring their innovative high-pressure steam engine technology and mining know-how, which helped to revive the flooded mines of Real del Monte, but also their culture.

This included their Methodist faith, Cornwall’s signature dish – the pasty – and sports, including cricket and football.

All of these left an indelible imprint on the mining settlements of the Comarca Minera de Hidalgo, also known as Mexico’s ‘Little Cornwall’.

Along with the humble pasty, adapted to suit the Mexican palate and now a dish as famous throughout Hidalgo as barbacoa, the Mexican people embraced football. Mexico is the first nation to host the World Cup three times.

With the spotlight firmly on Mexico’s footballing pedigree, attention has turned to the history of the sport in the country, with several places claiming to be the cradle of Mexican football.

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Prior to the late 1880s, the game was not mentioned in the Mexican press. In 1887, the employees of the General Offices of the Central (a railway) in Mexico City, were reportedly trying to set up a football club.

In November 1891, a match was played at San Cristóbal between ‘Pearson’s Wanderers’ (of the British construction firm S. Pearson & Sons) and the ‘San Cristobal Swifts’. The Swifts were defeated 1-0. The game was still relatively unknown in Mexico at this point:

“Many of the Swifts had never played at football before, and consequently were at a disadvantage, but they played remarkably well considering that the Wanderers had just returned from a trip to Europe where they had practiced for some months.” Daily Anglo American, 3 November 1891.

In September 1892, The Two Republics newspaper reported that a football match was being arranged in Mexico City for the inauguration of the Mexican Athletic Club’s ground on the Paseo, “the first game between two organised clubs ever played in the vicinity”.

British schools in Mexico City undoubtedly played the game at this period, but it did not take off due to lack of competition.
However, competitive football was being played in Mexico’s Little Cornwall several years before the abovementioned games.

It is only by chance that a report of one of those matches, the earliest documented in Mexico, found its way into El Minero de Pachuca in May 1889.

A football match between men from El Rosario Mine in Pachuca (managed by Cornishman, Richard Rule) and those from La Joya Mine in neighbouring Real del Monte, was abandoned.

The game, played on the sport’s field of the Railway Racetrack in Pachuca, descended into a free fight when the referee awarded a penalty to El Rosario, which was winning 7-4.

The players from La Joya disagreed with his decision and attacked their opponents, causing serious injuries to two players. Fourteen people appeared in court for involvement in the brawl.

In the mid-1860s, one quarter of all British subjects in Mexico were resident in Hidalgo’s mining settlements. This critical mass of people and the ‘friendly rivalry’ between Cornishmen in Real del Monte and Pachuca, echoing the fierce sporting rivalries in Cornish towns such as Camborne and Redruth, undoubtedly led to the success of football in Hidalgo.

Pachuca had established a football club by late 1892, as an anonymous letter in Mexican newspaper, The Two Republics, revealed. The Pachuca Football Club had lately degenerated to a great extent and was being reorganised. This was due to a schism between the players at Pachuca and the “mountain men” (the Realmontese):

“This must be attributed to the lack of energy of certain members of the above-named body. We may in particular refer to certain so-called football players who live in the mountains and who are so egotistical as to imagine that without their mighty efforts the club would not but expire.”

Besides the deep rivalry between the two mining settlements which made competitive football attractive, was the fact that organised sport already existed in the form of cricket.

In August 1888, Cornish newspaper, the Cornishman, reported that the Pachuca Cricket Club was over 20 years old. Mining entrepreneur, Frank Rule, Pachuca’s most famous Cornish resident, had served with the club for 21 years. Crucially, the Pachuca cricket team played against established teams in Real del Monte and Velasco.

Pachuca’s first football squad was built from its cricket team and included William Retallack, Sydney Ludlow, Charles Grenfell, John Mayne Rule, W.C. Rule, and some enthusiastic recent arrivals from Cornwall.

By the early 1890s, football was growing in popularity throughout Mexico’s British enclaves. Clubs had been formed in Mexico City, Orizaba (State of Veracruz) and Puebla. In 1894, Mexican newspaper El Nacional explained that football was a team game played with a rubber bladder covered in leather.

In 1895, a meeting was held at Hacienda La Luz in Pachuca to agree on the amalgamation of the Pachuca Cricket Club, the Velasco Cricket Club and the Pachuca Football Club, to create a stronger competitive entity: the Pachuca Athletic Club.

A large field belonging to Hacienda La Luz was given over for a sports field. The officers and committee were all Methodist Cornishmen, so no games were to be played on Sundays. The team chose as its strip, the historic dark and light blues of Oxford and Cambridge, with blue shorts.

In February 1902, a hotly contested international between Scotland and England was played on the Reforma Club’s grounds in Mexico City, watched over by the British Consul, which England won 3-2. The game between the two ‘auld foes’ was not without controversy, with Scotland claiming the referee had made an error that awarded the game to England!

This galvanised interest throughout the expat communities and later that year, several Scottish footballers involved in establishing the Orizaba Club, suggested setting up an Association League. In 1902 the Liga Mexicana de Football Amateur Association was formed among the English-speaking community.

The teams of the new league were the Reforma Athletic Club, the Mexico Cricket Club, The British Social Club (all three based in Mexico City), the Pachuca Athletic Club and the Orizaba Athletic Club.

League football benefitted from the Porfiriato’s improved communication and transport links, particularly the railways, which made it easier to travel to opponents’ grounds for matches. English language newspaper, The Mexican Herald, published upcoming fixtures and devoted column inches to detailed reports of the various matches.

Pachuca’s first league game was played at the Velódromo Pachuca against the Reforma Athletic Club. The game began at 4.00pm and was well supported and hotly contested, watched by the Hidalgo state governor, Pedro L. Rodriguez, and all the principal families of the area.

The only drawback was the strong wind that interfered with kicking, which occurs each afternoon in Pachuca, La Bella Airosa!

“The scene on the ground was made picturesque by the presence of a large number of ladies in most beautiful costumes, many of them wearing the colours of the Pachuca club, dark and light blue.” Mexican Herald, 2 November 1902.
Both teams played “with dash”. The game ended in a tie: three goals apiece. Orizaba won the first league of 1902.

Pachuca AC won its first amateur title in the 1904–05 season and also won the Copa Tower twice (1907–08 and 1911–12).

Football was deemed modern, encompassed British cultural imperialism, and became fashionable in societies wishing to emulate the British sense of fair play. In 1908 the first Mexican, David Islas, became a Pachuca club member.

Alfred ‘Fred’ C. Crowle (1889-1979), the Pachuca-born son of Alf Crowle, a Cornish miner from St Blazey, was a key player during this era. He was eventually promoted to team coach and freely admitted Mexicans from all backgrounds to the team, blurring class and ethnic boundaries.

Under Crowle, Pachuca won two more amateur league titles (1917–18 and 1919–20). He later went on to found Club Necaxa before becoming the national coach in 1935, enjoying a 100 per-cent record during the year he was in charge.

The Mexican Revolution (1910-20) and WW1 affected the team, as players moved away. Pachuca-born Johnnie Vial, a cousin of mine, signed on as a gunner with the Royal Field Artillery. He died at the Somme. In the 1920s, the club folded.

The Pachuca club, ‘Los Tuzos’ (The Gophers, honouring the city’s mining legacy), was successfully revived in the 1960s and currently plays in Liga MX. Pachuca prides itself on being the spiritual home of Mexican football and boasts the interactive museum, Mundo Fútbol.

I will continue to follow ‘El Tri’ with gusto during this year’s World Cup. Next time you see La Ola (the Mexican Wave) ripple through a stadium, remember the role that Mexico’s ‘Little Cornwall’ played in popularising the beautiful game in this football-mad nation.

Born and bred in Redruth, Cornwall, Sharron Schwartz completed her PhD at the Institute of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter. She is the pre-eminent authority on Cornish migration to Latin America and is a Bard of Gorsedh Kernow.

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Huatulco, San Miguel de Allende

Editor’s Letter

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By Jane Bauer—

“Our true nationality is humankind.”
— H.G. Wells

We are in the midst of World Cup fever. What is more Mexican than El Tri? And yet, when we dig a little deeper, we discover that football itself is an import. The game arrived in Mexico with Cornish miners in the nineteenth century and was gradually adopted, adapted, and embraced until it became something undeniably Mexican.

At what point do the blurry lines of otherness disappear? I find myself thinking about this often. Maybe because I have spent so much of my life living somewhere other than where I was born. Over the years I have been called a tourist, a traveller, an immigrant, and occasionally the word that makes me cringe the most: expat. What is the difference, exactly?

An immigrant moves somewhere permanently. An expat plans to leave? A traveller keeps moving? A displaced person had no choice? The definitions seem straightforward until you start looking closely. Then they begin to fall apart. Is it intention that matters? Money? Privilege? Time? And what about the rest of us?

Aren’t we all being displaced constantly? We move across countries and continents, but also through relationships, careers, beliefs, identities, and stages of life. The person I was at twenty is not the person writing this today. Sometimes the biggest migrations happen without ever crossing a border.

Perhaps movement is not the exception. Perhaps it is the human condition. The World Cup offers a fascinating reminder of this. National teams are presented as symbols of identity and belonging, yet many of their players have roots stretching across multiple countries and continents. Some were born in one place and represent another. Some hold dual citizenship. Some choose to play for the country of their parents or grandparents rather than the one where they were born.

These teams reflect a deeply interconnected world shaped by migration, colonial history, family ties, opportunity, and choice. And yet we remain remarkably attached to the question of origin.

Where are you from? Sometimes even when someone answers, it is not enough. “No, where are you really from?” As if birthplace alone could explain a person.

In this age of rapid technological change, global travel, and lives that increasingly unfold across multiple places, I sometimes wonder why we continue to use the location where someone first slipped into the world as one of our primary measures of identity.

Who are you really? Perhaps that is the more interesting question. The World Cup reminds us that identity is rarely as simple as a flag, a passport, or a place on a map. We are all shaped by where we come from, but also by where we go, who we love, what we learn, and the communities we choose along the way.

The older I get, the less interested I become in where people are from and the more interested I become in who they are.

Have a great July!

San Miguel de Allende

Beyond the Surface

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By Darlene Olivia McElroy—

As a working artist, I have always created mixed-media paintings and assemblages. About 10 years ago, I decided to combine the two—and shazam! Dimensional collage became an integral part of my work. Dimensional objects bring that sweet magic of the unexpected to a collage or painting, allowing me to take the narrative further.

At first, I was a hunter-gatherer of found objects—vintage millinery flowers, broken jewelry, and other curiosities. Over time, this process evolved into making my own molds and casting objects. My obsession with materials and dreamlike imagery, and the mindset of a mad artist-scientist have all contributed to capturing what I see as the healing spirit of humanity.

Trained and employed as a painter and illustrator, I have also spent years as a teacher, author, lecturer, and exhibition juror. After living in France, I returned to the United States and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I come from a long line of New Mexico artists and musicians, and both my soul and my work have been deeply shaped by the summers I spent on my family’s ranch there. In Santa Fe, the rich tapestry of Hispanic life filled my days and nights with color, texture, and story. My paternal grandfather, an artist on Santa Catalina Island, also played an important role in shaping my path, introducing me early on to art as both a lifestyle and a narrative language.

During this time, I leaned into my natural curiosity and the pure joy of exploring what paint can do. I have written five art technique books for North Light Books (now Penguin Random House), which have been translated into Spanish, French, Chinese, and other languages. These books explore a range of methods, including image transfers, surface techniques, alternative surfaces, and mixed-media clay. They are designed as resources for both working artists and teachers.

I continue to explore new materials, surfaces, and techniques, sharing what I learn online and through my monthly classes at Galeria San Francisco, located in the Fábrica La Aurora in San Miguel de Allende.

San Miguel first drew me into its creative orbit over 40 years ago. Being invited to show my work at Galeria San Francisco—and finding so many longtime Santa Fe friends living here—made the decision easy. I now live here full-time with my supportive husband, a crazy cat, and two slightly neurotic dogs.

My paintings are represented in galleries in the United States and Mexico and are held in corporate, civic, and educational institutions, as well as private collections around the world.

I invite you to visit Galeria San Francisco to see more of my work, or explore online at DarleneOliviaMcElroy.com

 

San Miguel de Allende

From Bordeaux to the Bajío: The French Roots of Querétaro Wine

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By Jane Bauer—

About an hour from San Miguel de Allende, the vineyards of Querétaro stretch across a high, dry plateau that doesn’t immediately read as wine country. There are no rolling green hills or centuries-old estates. Instead, the landscape is open, sun-exposed, and shaped by a very different set of conditions. And yet, this region has become one of the most important wine-producing areas in Mexico, with a foundation that traces directly back to France.

Much of Mexico’s modern wine industry is built on French grape varieties. In Querétaro, that means Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, among others. These grapes were introduced as winemakers looked to established European models—particularly French—for structure, consistency, and quality. Over time, they became standard across many regions in Mexico, including this one.

What’s interesting is how those grapes perform here. Querétaro sits at a higher altitude than many people expect, often above 1,800 meters. The days are warm and dry, with strong sun, but the nights cool down significantly. That shift in temperature slows the ripening process and helps preserve acidity in the grapes. It’s one of the key factors that gives wines from this region their balance.

The soils also play a role. In parts of Querétaro, they are mineral-rich and well-draining, which forces the vines to work a little harder. That stress can translate into more concentrated flavors in the fruit. It’s not an easy environment, but it’s one that can produce very precise results when managed well.

One of the defining features of Querétaro’s wine scene is its focus on sparkling wine. The region has become known for wines made using the traditional method—the same process used in Champagne, where a second fermentation takes place in the bottle. This method is labor-intensive and requires careful control, but it produces wines with fine bubbles and a clean, structured profile.

The climate in Querétaro supports this style. The preserved acidity in the grapes makes them particularly well-suited for sparkling production. Over the past couple of decades, several wineries have focused on refining this approach, and the region now has a reputation for it. It’s not an attempt to recreate Champagne, but it clearly draws from the same technical foundation.

That said, the wines here are not French in identity. The influence is there in the grapes and the methods, but the outcome reflects local conditions. The intensity of the sun, the dryness of the air, and the elevation all shape the final product. There’s also a different mindset at play. Many Mexican winemakers are less constrained by tradition, which allows for experimentation alongside more classical styles.
You’ll see that in the range of wines being produced. Alongside structured reds and sparkling wines, there are blends, rosés, and small-batch projects that don’t always follow a strict model. Some producers are working with international consultants; others are entirely self-taught. It’s a mix of approaches, and that variety is part of what defines the region right now.

For visitors, Querétaro is relatively easy to navigate. There are established wine routes with clusters of wineries, tasting rooms, and restaurants open to the public. The infrastructure is there, but it hasn’t tipped into overdevelopment. Many of the wineries are still small to mid-sized operations, and it’s common to find yourself speaking directly with the people involved in the production.

A typical visit might include a tasting, a walk through the vineyard, and a meal on-site. Some places are more polished than others, but the overall experience tends to feel accessible. You can visit multiple wineries in a day without it becoming overly structured or commercial.

For those based in San Miguel de Allende, the region feels close—both geographically and culturally. It fits into the same broader landscape of central Mexico, where outside influences have been absorbed and reinterpreted over time. Just as San Miguel reflects layers of history and migration, the wine in Querétaro reflects a similar process.

French grapes, introduced through a long history of exchange, are now rooted in Mexican soil. The techniques may come from elsewhere, but the results are shaped here. It’s not about replication. It’s about adaptation.

And that’s what makes Querétaro worth paying attention to.