Travel Mexico

Mexico is a wonderful country full of magic and history. Every year thousands of Americans and other foreigners travel to this country in search of all the good things this country can give to the tourist ; beautiful beaches, charming towns, a rich cultural life, etc. However Mexico has demonstrated that it’s not only a vacation destiny but also, as many people in America and Canada already know, the country has showed all of them that they can live the good life retiring to Mexico where they will find a land that can give them more than just a trip, but also a great life experience that will last for years.

Travel Mexico

Mexico: Party Time

Mexico is the land of fiestas. What this word means exactly is celebration but also to indicate a party or holiday. Mexicans will have a party or celebration for any or no reason at all.

I asked my wife, who had just finished a feature article on Mexican fiestas, exactly how many fiestas Mexico has. Her response: "Only God knows."

When I tried looking into this, I found she was right. There are so many fiestas that I found it difficult to get any accurate list of all of them.

Here's the deal: Although there is an official list of national fiestas, each little town, and even the neighborhoods in those little towns, have traditional fiestas that they celebrate. Sometimes they make up new ones as they go along! You never know and you cannot possible keep track of all of them. It is dizzying to say the least.

Try going to www.google.com and type in "Mexican fiestas" and then get ready for your eyes to bug out of your head. I got 67,800 hits for this search term. Yahoo will give you 134,000 hits. How do they do it? How do they find the time to celebrate them all and just who keeps track of all of them—apparently, someone does!

For an example, here is what is on San Miguel de Allende's calendar of fiestas:

January – Six holidays

February – Five holidays with one of them lasting 3 days.

March – Seven holidays

April – Nine holidays with two of them lasting 5 to 6 days.

May – Eleven holidays!

June – Nine holidays with one of them lasting 2 days.

July – Five holidays with two of them lasting 5 to 7 days.

August – A slow month with only two but one lasts 15 days!

September – Eight holidays

October – Six holidays

November – Four holidays

December – Four holidays with the Posada lasting 7 days

The mother of all fiestas occurs in our town of Guanajuato during October. It is the Festival Internacional Cervantino. This is an international celebration of the arts (some locals call it the celebration of the booze!) which lasts a whopping three (count them!) weeks! Can you imagine partying for an entire 21 days?

What I want to know is how does anyone find the time to do anything else but attend these fiestas?

What makes my head spin is that this isn't all the fiestas. Each little town and even barrio (neighborhood) can and does have its own unique fiestas which it also celebrates with all the trimmings. You can walk through a particular neighborhood and see people setting up colorful flags and banners, tables for loads of food, and hauling in whatever they will need for the night's festivities. Once you hear the fireworks going off then you know the party has begun.

The Spanish government, sometime in the 18th century, alleged that San Miguel de Allende was having "too many" fiestas. Now, what they meant by that is anyone's guess and how it was suppose to be affecting the city badly I simply do not know. Nevertheless, in usual Mexican fashion (the Spaniards should have seen this as a sign of things to come), a protest was organized and lodged, and the Spaniards repealed the allegation. The point is that Mexicans love their fiestas and no one had better mess with them!

One of the most mysterious fiestas of which most gringos know little is The Day of the Dead. This is celebrated November 1 & 2 and is not a morbid remembrance but rather a festive celebration. It is pre-Spanish and has roots all the way back to the Aztecs.

I've been to some of these fiestas and all I can say, in agreement with the words of George Carlin, American comedian,

"One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor."

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Bower

Maya Spa’s new chocolate therapies guarantee zero calorie total indulgement

(PRLEAP.COM) MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TULUM, Mayan Riviera (Jan. 10, 2006) – Maya Spa, EcoTulum’s holistic healing center, has brought a zero calorie way to indulge in the sinful seduction of chocolate with new therapies featuring the cacao bean. “Chocolate’s aphrodisiac properties have given it a sexy reputation but the cacao bean has been used for centuries by ancient cultures for its healing properties,” says Maya Spa manager Lucrecia Bloomquist. “Now we’re able to our line of traditional Mayan therapies with some truly decadent options that lifts the spirits and gives people a feeling of total indulgence without the guilt.” Maya Spa’s cacao bean exfoliation and cacao butter massage bring new meaning to the term “chocolate therapy” by tapping into the natural relaxing, hydrating, anti-stress and antioxidant powers of cacao, beans from the Theobroma tree which grow in the southern jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. Cacao beans contain phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamins, and trigger the production of endorphins – the mood enhancing hormone – which in turn stimulate the production of serotonin, the neurotransmitter associated with happiness and feelings of positive well-being. The ancient Maya believed cacao (kah-kow in the indigenous language) to be a gift from the serpent god, Quetzacoatl. Shamen would offer it to the gods in religious ceremonies, and believed it has strong powers that bridge heaven and earth, and allow lucid dreaming to other dimensions. Maya Spa is already known for its extensive holistic spa menu featuring innovative therapies that address total body, mind and spirit wellness, and mesh traditional Mayan healing methods with modern Western spa services. Several screened in therapy rooms in the jungle, along with beachside tented spa spaces and private in room service provide the ideal backdrop for Maya Spa to tap into the authentic sacred Mayan spirit which defines Tulum, located just one hour south of resort playground Cancun. Treatments unique to Maya Spa include Mayan clay massages, healing massages, energy cleansings, crystal therapy, floatation chamber, and the ancient temezcal sweat lodge purification rite. Other new therapies to debut at Maya Spa’s sandy holistic escape include: medicinal clay massage which utilizes a full-body collage of several colorful regional clays from various parts of Mexico that have distinct healing and curative properties; and henna hair treatment which restores life and luster to damaged hair, as well as improving circulation, dandruff, growth and hair roots by way of natural plant extracts used in many ancient cultures. Read about Maya Spa’s full range of services and therapies online: http://www.maya-spa.com/.

ABOUT ECOTULUM RESORTS & SPA
Zahra (www.zahra.com.mx/) offers 22 remodeled rooms and cabañas nestled between two private beaches in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. Electricity is provided from sunset until 11 pm. Azulik (www.azulik.com/), a 15-villa retreat next door carries rustic luxury to the max with lounge beds and hand carved wooden soaking tubs. Cabañas Copal (www.cabanascopal.com/) features 47 candle lit cabañas hidden in the jungle with total wellness, and a clothing-optional dress code. Maya Spa (www.maya-spa.com/) offers holistic spa services and traditional Maya therapies to all properties. Amilik (www.amilik.com/) in Patagonia’s lake region is EcoTulum’s first South American wellness center and luxury eco-spa.

For more details, please contact:
Mexican Pacific Marketing
press@mexicanpacific.com
Tel: (949) 340-2602 (US)
011 +52 (314) 335-3207 (Mexico )

Who Was “El Pipila”, Famous Mexican Independence Hero?

The territory embracing what is now known as México was once one of the richest and most important colonies of Spain’s Kingdom. Under the name of the “New Spain” it was the main source of gold and silver for the Kingdom during the 400 years of Spaniard domination of this territory, contributing highly to the emergence of Spain as the great power of its time.

But things were not going very well for the locals in the colony, many of whom were treated as slaves, mainly the Indian and African population; and many others as “second class” and even “third class” citizens of an empire that at the beginning of the XIX century was a decadent shadow of its past greatness.

The new ideas of the French Illustration and the American Revolution had influenced a number of intellectuals and progressive personalities of the colony making them think about gaining independence from Spain and implement a number of reforms that would make the territory a new country under many of the values proclaimed by the Illustration.

Among the people thinking seriously about gaining Independence from Spain, gains great notoriety the figure of Miguel Hidalgo, a non-traditional catholic priest that had been living in the town of “Dolores” in what is now the Mexican state of Guanajuato. He had contributed to the betterment of the native population, making him very popular, by teaching them a number of crafts and to some, even how to write and read. Many of these crafts have survived until our current days; for example, the world famous “Talavera” ceramic pieces that you can find in what is now known as the town of “Dolores Hidalgo”. Besides his popularity he was also the lider of the local conspiration against Spain’s rule.

It was the year 1810 when the conspiration again Spain was finally mature enough to be implemented. It was in the month of September when, accelerated by the sudden discovery of the conspiration by “Realist authorities”, the struggle for Independence was initiated. It was the night of September 15 when Hidalgo and others decided to go ahead and gather the people of Dolores to constitute the first army that would march against Spaniard positions.

The long column of peasants and the few trained officials constituting the “Insurgent Army” marched during a number of days through the region gathering more people and resources. Once they felt strong enough they aimed to the biggest Spaniard post in the zone. The world famous mining town of Guanajuato.

And it’s during this episode that the figure of “El Pipila” comes to scene during the first battle of the Independence struggle. Insurgents had put an old grain storage building under siege. All Spaniards had gone into this big building and were using it as a fortress to resist the “Insurgent Army” until some reinforcements could come from the capital or some other post.
Insurgents were desperate. The building seemed to be inexpugnable and they were losing many men trying to approach one of the two doors or climbing the walls. Besides, “Realist” reinforcements could be approaching and they were stuck at that position. Hidalgo and other officials had come to the conclusion that only by destroying one of the doors they could hope for a victory. But who would do it? Who would dare to approach the door, dodging bullets and put it on fire?…It seemed there was no one willing to take such a high risk to his life. Until “El Pipila” appeared from among the peasants. He approached Hidalgo and told him he was willing to go ahead and burn the door. He had been thinking how to approach the door and he had come to the conclusion he would use a piece of thick stone laced to his back as protection against bullets and then crawl to the door.

And that’s how he did it. With the heavy piece of stone on his back and a torch in his hand he slowly crawled under enemy fire until he finally reached the door and with his last forces set fire to the door made of wood allowing the Insurgent Army to enter the building and claiming the first victory of the struggle for independence of the country that is now known as Mexico.

Very few things are known of what happened to ‘El Pipila” after this historic episode.

Guanajuato Mexico, Land Of History.

The history of Mexico is full of vibrant episodes along its history; beginning with the first indigenous settlers arriving from the north of the continent, continuing with the Colonial period started by the arrival and occupation of the lands that are now part of Mexico by the Spaniard soldiers and missionaries. And stretching until our modern days with all its contradictions and beauties; but with its people always maintaining the peculiar identity that has identified them through the centuries.

Among the many Mexican cities that are vivid testimonies of periods of this history, there is one that has, along with history, a very particular charm and identity.

This city is called Guanajuato and is situated 400 km north of Mexico City, near the geographical center of the Republic. It has a pretty mild climate with a spring-like weather during most of the year.

Guanajuato is not a big city and its origins go back to the settling of the first Spaniard explorers in the XVI century, who found and exploded the huge richness of the hills that surround this peculiar town. This richness of silver and gold of its mines was of such importance to the Spanish Crown that the city was given the title of “Real de Minas” and its fame, along with its gold, traveled all over the world.

The strange topography of the city is one of the main sources of its peculiarities. All of the houses and buildings were built on the skirts of hills and together form a conglomerate that reminds you of a “cubist” painting by Picasso, with all those square houses in different levels, as in an artist canvas, and a maze of alleys barely separating each house from the other.

Guanajuato was not only witness of great richness but also was one of the starting spots of the Insurgent revolution leading to the independence of the country. The first major battle of this struggle for freedom against the Spanish Crown took place in this city, more specifically at the building known has the “Alhondiga de Granaditas”. This is a huge building that used to be a corn and wheat depot and that, considering the situation of the insurrection, was used by the Spaniards and their alleys has a refuge during the battle. At the end Insurgents conquered the “Alhondiga” thanks to the local hero known as “El Pipila”, who burned the main entrance door protecting himself from the bullets fired from above with a stone plate laced to his back.

This along with other vibrant episodes of Mexican history have made of Guanajuato an important historical place to visit by many people around the world, that now can enjoy the tourist vocation of the city with its many hotels and amenities.

Regional Cuisine Of Mexico

Just south of the United States and bordering the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, Mexico is quickly advancing both culturally and economically. The devaluation of the peso in 1994 threw the Mexican economy into a frenzy, lowering their per capita income to a mere quarter of that of the United States. Through repeated social and economic turmoil, the rich cultures of the original Yucatan civilizations has remained, though somewhat jaded after their emersion from under Spanish rule in the 19th century.

It isn't hard to research the rich history of Mexican cuisine. When the Spaniards first landed in Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City) they carefully chronicled every aspect of life there in Mexico, especially the food and cooking techniques of the natives. During their observations, they noticed that the Mexicans had a lot of corn-based foods. This was due to the fact that maize was Mexico's chief crop at the time. A lot of these notes have carefully been preserved in the name of history--not that that is necessary. The Mexican culture has continued to live on through food, if through nothing else at all.

Be warned: Mexican food is not for the faint of stomach. Consisting of such rich, heavy foods as tortillas, chili peppers, and beans, many bodies cannot take the richness and spiciness of Mexican cuisine.

Mexican food is one cuisine that will always have a taste and sabor (flavor) all its own. Present-day Mexican food is a mixture of original Mayan and Aztec cuisine combined with the influence of the culture of the Spanish conquistadores. While Tex-Mex and local "authentic" Mexican restaurants have become very skilled in mastering the style of Mexican cooking, there is no comparison between the Americanized "restaurant" version and the real thing. Mexican food is known for its wealth of spices and intense, deep flavoring.

Tortillas are the staple of Mexican cuisine. Tortillas are made by curing maize in lime water, kneading the mixture into a dough, and cooking the thin patties on a flat grill. The most common tortillas in the United States' version of Mexican food are made of corn, although this version of the corn tortilla is quite unlike the original, authentic version. Authentic corn tortillas are made by hand on a flat grill (called a comal). The corn is ground by hand, resulting in thick tasty tortillas that the grocery store versions pale in comparison to. Flour tortillas were implemented only after the Spaniards introduced wheat to the Mexican region.

Chiles are another staple in traditional Mexican cuisine, adding color and dimension to many traditional Mexican dishes. Bell peppers, tabasco peppers, and paprika peppers add the color and the flavor kick that Mexican food is so known for.

It is also important to take into consideration that Mexican cuisine varies in reference to the region it is coming from or being made in. Northern-style Mexican food normally consists of dishes with a lot of beef, while southern-style Mexican cuisine consists more of chicken and vegetables such as bell pepper, radishes, and broccoli, more than anything else. Veracruz is also another common style of Mexican food, coming from the coastal areas in Mexico. Veracruz cuisine, which was named after a state in Mexico and its largest city, consists of seafood such as fish and shrimp. More indigenous areas have even been known to incorporate spider monkey and iguana into their meals. Especially while in Mexico, "Mexican Food" does not always imply tacos and burritos.

Authentic Mexican cuisine is not to be confused with the Americanized Tex-Mex or New Mexican food (versions of Mexican food in Texas and New Mexico).

About the Author

Kirsten Hawkins is a food and nutrition expert specializing the Mexican, Chinese, and Italian food. Visit http://www.food-and-nutrition.com/ for more information on cooking delicious and healthy meals.

All About Cancun, A User-Driven Internet Forum, Tells Cancun's Good and Bad Points

(PRWEB) September 1, 2005 -- "We offer the good and bad about Cancun," says Tim R. Sissel, owner of CancunMX.com (http://www.cancunmx.com), Cancun's most popular user-driven web community, online since 1997. The site provides independent information about Cancun from people who have been there, enjoyed it, and keep going back. The users are active in forums, frequently updated special sections, trip stories, reviews, surveys and ratings, among other features.

Tim is from Muscatine, Iowa. He used to work at the University of Iowa College of Education, and lives in Iowa City. He visits Cancun at least two to three times a year, often with his brother and mother. He's also the owner of http://www.cancunandrivieramaya.com. Running the sites is a full-time job, but Tim's constant presence on the Vacationing Here Forum (http://www.cancunmx.com/vacation/config.cgi) ensures civil behavior without suppressing the often-amusing back and forth that makes CancunMX a true community.

"I remind people that I try to answer questions about the area first," he says, "then have fun." Some of the boards' regular contributors are well-known Cancun experts, such as Laura McFarlin (whose CancunMX handle is Laura Mapchick), co-publisher of the best-selling Cancun Can-Do Map.

In addition to providing a constantly renewed flow of information, opinion and recommendations, CancunMX assists people in tight spots such as personal emergencies, severe weather situations, airport and transportation blockages by getting good information out there. The forum has helped people get out of crooked timeshare contracts, connected folks trying to locate relatives and friends in Cancun, assisted in fights against bad charter airlines, and generally served as a communications center for all aspects of Cancun vacation life.

"I'm constantly amazed, and grateful, with my many 'Regulars' who are willing to give of their time and talent to help others with questions about the Cancun area," Tim observes. "During 9/11, we really came together to support those on the board who are from the New York city area and work in New York city," Tim recalls. "One of our subscribers could see the towers. Those of us who could watch TV and could be on the computer at the same time gave out information to those who couldn't. In the days after, we gave the best advice we could to those who were wondering whether they should continue with plans to go to Cancun or not. About a third or more cancelled, but Mom, Kent and I did go."

Looking forward to the coming vacation season, CancunMX.com has gone through a redesign. In addition to Public Cancun Tours, Private Tours are now available to: Chichen Itza (with options to Ik Kil and Ek Balam) http://www.cancunandrivieramaya.com/chichen-itza-private.htm ; Xcaret http://www.cancunandrivieramaya.com/xcaret_private.htm ; and Tulum & Xel Ha, or Xel Ha http://www.cancunandrivieramaya.com/Tulum-XelHa-private.htm *

Many new pages have been added this year, including Cancun Wedding Planner http://www.cancunmx.com/weddingrpt.htm and Mexican Recipes http://www.cancunmx.com/recipes.htm
and an updated Weather Page http://www.cancunmx.com/weather.shtml

Among the other new pages, you'll find:
Golf http://www.cancunmx.com/golf_report.htm
Auto http://www.cancunmx.com/driveinmexico.htm
Traveling with children http://www.cancunmx.com/travel_w_children.htm
Disabled children http://www.cancunmx.com/disablility_child.htm
Disabled adults http://www.cancunmx.com/disablility_adult.htm
Diarrhea http://www.cancunmx.com/travelers_diarrhea.htm
Just for kids http://www.cancunmx.com/just4kids.htm
Business travel http://www.cancunmx.com/businesstraveller.htm