Cultural change in a Mexican village: the case of Ajijic on Lake Chapala

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Mar 152023
 
Cultural change in a Mexican village: the case of Ajijic on Lake Chapala

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 […]

Is the south shore of Lake Chapala in Jalisco or in Michoacán?

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Aug 242022
 
Is the south shore of Lake Chapala in Jalisco or in Michoacán?

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? […]

Mar 152022
 
Will the tourist resort of Cancún survive climate change?

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 […]

The impacts of the US border wall with Mexico

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Jan 162021
 
The impacts of the US border wall with Mexico

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 […]

Nov 262020
 

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 […]

Many of the key ingredients of American Thanksgiving come from Mexico!

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Nov 242020
 
Many of the key ingredients of American Thanksgiving come from Mexico!

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 transformation of Chapala from fishing village to international tourist destination

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Sep 032020
 
The transformation of Chapala from fishing village to international tourist destination

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 […]

Review of “Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty”

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Oct 292019
 
Review of “Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty”

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 […]

Mexico mis-map #1: Mazatlán Tourist Brochure

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Sep 092019
 
Mexico mis-map #1: Mazatlán Tourist Brochure

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 […]

Aug 232019
 

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 […]

BBC’s Fiona Bruce has no clue where Mexico is and enters Geo-Mexico’s “Hall of Shame”

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Apr 232019
 

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 […]

Mexico’s Day of the Dead: nine of the best places to visit

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Oct 162018
 
Mexico's Day of the Dead: nine of the best places to visit

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

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Oct 122018
 

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 […]

Incoming administration has decentralization plans

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Oct 022018
 

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 […]

Mexico celebrates 208 years of independence

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Sep 142018
 
Mexico celebrates 208 years of independence

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 […]

Geo-Mexico wishes you a Happy Cinco de Mayo (5 May)!

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May 032018
 
Geo-Mexico wishes you a Happy Cinco de Mayo (5 May)!

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 […]

New museum in Yucatán will explain Chicxulub Crater and demise of the dinosaurs

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Feb 132018
 

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.

Dec 242017
 
¡Feliz Navidad! - Happy Christmas!

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 […]

Mexico City subsidence and the metro system

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Dec 202017
 

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!

Dec 092017
 
Cable cars in Mexico

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 grow Christmas trees that can be replanted

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Nov 162017
 
Mexican farmers grow Christmas trees that can be replanted

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: […]

Tourism index page

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May 232017
 

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) […]

Spectacular landscapes in Mexico

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May 112017
 

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 […]

Apr 152017
 

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 […]

Easter celebrations in Mexico

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Apr 102017
 
Easter celebrations in Mexico

Mexicans celebrate Easter in considerable style with processions and re-enactments of religious events. The MexConnect Easter Index page has a varied collection of articles and photo galleries relating to the Easter period in Mexico. Easter celebrations have been held for centuries in many of Mexico’s towns and cities, though the details may have changed over […]