I hate to do this, but I have to begin this article with a disclaimer. While this piece will focus on what can still be seen of ancient Tenochtitlan and the Aztec Empire from modern Mexico City, one must keep in mind that while the empire was destroyed as a political entity by Hernan Cortes…
When they were married in 1929, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera seemed like opposites. He was 43, tall, and overweight. She was 22, slim, and already dealing with many of the health issues that would plague her entire life. He was a huge artistic success, famous both in and out of Mexico, wealthy and looking…
When those who would become the Aztecs discovered this city in the 1200s, it was already ancient. And it was already mostly empty, having been abandoned for reasons unknown more than 400 years prior. But at its zenith, Teotihuacan was perhaps the most influential civilization in Meso-America, its culture spreading as far as the mighty…
A walk along the Malecon, the oceanside promenade that traverses Puerto Vallarta’s Zona Romantica and Centro districts, can only be described as pleasant. Even in October, with temperatures and humidity both high, the sound of seabirds and the afternoon breeze offset the often uncomfortable heat. And when they don’t, any number of bars offer a…
When my trip to Mexico was planned, and Puerto Vallarta included on the itinerary, this is the experience I knew for sure I wanted to have. In fact, if I did nothing else but relax on the beach for a week and get to participate in a baby turtle release, it would be a week…
I like most places I’ve been. I have positive experiences most everywhere, and try to find reasons to enjoy myself. But it is not hyperbole to state that this island, shared by Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin, exceeded any expectations I may have had coming in, and after merely a week, it can be counted on…
Today I was supposed to take a ferry from here to the nearby island of Anguilla. Anguilla, a British overseas territory about 20 minutes by boat from Marigot on the French side of Saint-Martin, is known for having some of the best, most pristine beaches in the Caribbean. But with the forecast calling for on…
A couple years back, A and I were talking to her godparents. They have a couple timeshares in Mexico, and said their children (A’s “other” siblings) weren’t interested in going anymore. We jumped in that we would be delighted to adventure to Mexico with them one of these years, and now we are doing so!…
The rain is just starting to fall as Clara Reyes and I begin meeting, so we duck into a covered cabana at Seaview Beach Hotel in Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side of Sint Maarten. Sitting on white couches, we smile at each other, two strangers sizing each other up. Clara is the Director…
In his 1954 novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding describes what happens when the worst of human nature comes to a tiny island paradise. Rather than work together, a group of people devolves into little better than animals, descending into a savagery that undoes any attempts at civility. And so it could have been…