Numerous academic studies have looked at different aspects of the long-established Ajijic retirement community at Lake Chapala. The earliest studies, in the 1970s, looked almost exclusively at the characteristics of the incoming migrants. Mexican sociologist Francisco Talavera Salgado in Lago Chapala, turismo residencial y campesinado, focused exclusively on the varied impacts of foreign residents on […]
According to Google Maps, the entire southern shore of Lake Chapala belongs to Jalisco, not Michoacán . . . – Según Google, toda la orilla sur del lago Chapala pertenece a Jalisco, no a Michoacán . . . Google might want to alert Mexico’s mapping and statistics agency, INEGI, to that ‘fact.’ Google knows best? […]
The answer appears to be a resounding “No!” This article in the Guardian explains why: Sun sets on Mexico’s paradise beaches as climate crisis hits home And what’s true for Cancún is likely to be true for almost all the beaches in Quintana Roo along Mexico’s Caribbean coast. Related posts: Can Mexico’s Environmental Agency protect […]
Christmas festivities in Mexico are not just a one-day wonder but extend over several weeks, and are already well underway! Nativity scenes such as this one are popular with all ages: Unlike in many other countries, the custom of gift-giving at this time of year was not tied to Christmas Day but to Three Kings […]
This Guardian article – ‘My neighbourhood is being destroyed to pacify his supporters’: the race to complete Trump’s wall – highlights the problems created (not solved) by US efforts to build a wall along its southern border. Geo-Mexico is reader-supported. Purchases made via links on our site may, at no cost to you, earn us […]
We have frequently published international comparisons showing how Mexico fares in comparison with other Latin American countries and major world economies for a wide variety of indicators. Reliable comparisons for comparing countries on their Covid-19 response have been hard to come by, but here is a link to one compiled by Bloomberg News: Where is […]
Happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers! Try the following links to learn more about Mexico’s contributions to Thanksgiving. For starters, what about the idea that Thanksgiving originated in Mexico, not in the USA! That idea may be slightly controversial, but most celebrations of Thanksgiving certainly have some close ties to Mexico since they are […]
The town of Chapala, on the shores of Lake Chapala—Mexico’s largest natural lake—played an important role in the history of tourism in North America and has become one of the world’s premier retirement destinations. Yet, the details of how and why this transformation occurred have never been adequately reconstructed… until now! Geo-Mexico is reader-supported. Purchases […]
This early postcard (cerca 1905) shows smoke billowing from Colima Volcano. The postcard was published by a curio store – La Joyita – based in downtown Mexico City at 1ra de San Francisco #13-14. Described by The Mexican Herald in 1898 as one “of the most interesting stores for visitors to be found in the […]
In honor of the award of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty, we republish this post from five years ago in which we highlighted the significance of the pioneering work of Banerjee and Duflo: Every so often a book […]
Graphic designers often taken liberties with maps. Nowhere is this more apparent than in this otherwise beautiful tourism brochure promoting the Pacific Coast resort of Mazatlán, collected recently in British Colombia, Canada. Here is the map in question: Mexico’s relief, as shown on this map, is highly distorted. Accepting that the graphical designer was only […]
A recent edition of the New Scientist has an interesting article about dinosaurs and the rapid shifts in our knowledge of these ancient beasts based on recent fossil discoveries. If the New Scientist is to be believed, these discoveries have not only revolutionized our views of dinosaurs, they have also rearranged the Earth’s geography. The […]
The BBC has done it again! Not content with its previous entry in Geo-Mexico’s “Hall of Shame” for its TV documentary “Racing Green”, it now qualifies for a second entry for an episode of “Fake or Fortune.” Fiona Bruce – yes, the Oxford-educated journalist and newsreader and current host of Antiques Roadshow and other noteworthy […]
Celebrations for Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) or, more correctly Night of the Dead (Noche de Muertos), date back to pre-Hispanic times. Indigenous Mexican peoples held many strong beliefs connected with death; for example that the dead needed the same things as the living, hence their bodies should be buried with their […]
Ten new “Magic Towns” have been announced, bringing the total number nationwide to 121. The lates additions are: Melchor Múzquiz, Coahuila Nombre de Dios, Durango Comonfort, Guanajuato Zimapán, Hidalgo Tlaquepaque, Jalisco Compostela, Nayarit Amealco de Bonfil, Querétaro Aquismón, San Luis Potosí Bustamante, Nuevo León Guadalupe, Zacatecas See also: The continued devaluation of the Magic Town […]
Several previous administrations have tried to decentralize Mexico, encouraging businesses to set up in the “periphery” away from the “core” of Mexico City and central Mexico. The incoming administration has announced its intention to move several federal government Secretariats away from Mexico City. The plans are discussed in some detail in this interesting article by […]
Happy birthday, Mexico! On 16 September 2018, Mexico celebrates the 208th anniversary of its independence from Spain. Geo-Mexico is reader-supported. Purchases made via links on our site may, at no cost to you, earn us an affiliate commission. Learn more. When was Mexico’s War of Independence? The long struggle for independence began on 16 September […]
For anyone who continues to doubt the potentially disastrous impacts of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border on wildlife (let alone people), then perhaps these two articles will help you decide which side of the fence you want to be on: A Wall in the Wild: The Disastrous Impacts of Trump’s Border Wall on […]
The holiday of Cinco de Mayo (5 May) commemorates the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862. The battle (against the French) marks Mexico’s only major military success since its independence from Spain in 1821. Today, in a curious example of cultural adaptation, the resulting holiday is actually celebrated more widely in the USA […]
A new museum 40 kilometers northwest of the Yucatán state capital – Mérida – is expected to open later this year to explain the nearby Chicxulub Crater, created by an asteroid impact 65 million years ago, and believed to be responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs. New Museum’s theme is asteroid crater.
Excellent analysis of last year’s major earthquakes in Mexico: Were Mexico’s September Quakes Chance or a Chain Reaction?
Some parts of Mexico have been working on Christmas for most of the year… For example, the manufacturing of beautiful handmade Christmas tree decorations is the main industry today in the former gold and silver mining town of Tlalpujahua in the state of Michoacán. The production of Christmas ornaments in Tlapujahua has a great series […]
Katherine Kornei has just published an interesting account of the recent effects in Mexico City of ground subsidence on the city’s metro system: Sinking of Mexico City linked to metro accident, with more to come Amazing what is possible using satellite technology!
There are now at least nine cable cars (teleféricos) for tourism operating in Mexico : Durango City, Durango Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre), Chihuahua García Caves (Grutas de García), Nuevo León Zacatecas City, Zacatecas Hotel Montetaxco, Taxco, Guerrero Hotel Vida en el Lago, Tepecoacuilco, Guerrero Orizaba, Veracruz Puebla City, Puebla Torreón, Coahuila All these cable […]
Mexican farmers in Tlaxcala are now growing their own Christmas trees. Environmentally-conscious consumers can purchase them, decorate them, and then replant in their gardens! Times are changing! Enjoy ~ New Christmas Trees can be Replanted (Mexico News Daily) Previous Geo-Mexico posts related to Christmas: The production of Christmas trees in Mexico Christmas trees in Mexico: […]
There are press reports of red-hot rocks emerging last weekend at a location known as “Pueblo Viejo” in the municipality of Venustiano Carranza in the state of Michoacán, a short distance east of Lake Chapala. That location is not far from the famous mud volcanoes, “Los Negritos” at Villamar, described in chapter 6 of my […]
This Tourism index page lists the most relevant posts on Geo-Mexico related to tourism, including history of tourism in Mexico, types of tourism, major resorts, and current trends. It is updated periodically. Importance of tourism: Mexico welcomed a record 32.1 million tourists in 2015 (Mar 2016) The importance of tourism to Mexico’s economy (Mar 2010) […]
We rarely post straight links to other sites without detailed commentary but every rule has exceptions and this spectacular selection of 30 Google Earth images from The Atlantic more than deserves a close look: Human landscapes of Mexico Previous visually-stunning or visually-interesting posts on Geo-Mexico include: Mexican architect proposes city straddling Mexico-U.S. border Post and […]
Following on from his (self-defined) “success” in growing cacao in Mexico, American businessman Jim Walsh is now promoting his own brand of “mezcal” – Kimo Sabe – and is talking up a project to help 1,000 farmers in Zacatecas. – “The collaborative partnership will create over 100 new agave farms, as well as work with […]