Elsewhere in this blog I've talked about historic preservation as a means of taking the temperature of a culture. A healthy culture chooses to preserve both its good and bad: we celebrate the good and learn from the bad. The bad is often scary and it might be...
I ended up with the yellow hard hat but what I really needed were safety goggles. My eyes watered from the cinders in the air. Heat rose from the black porous rocks that lined the uphill path and within minutes my jeans were damp with sweat. The smells of sulphur,...
Advertising in Managua, Nicaragua, can be hit-or-miss so I wasn't quite sure what I'd find when I walked into Alter Eco, which bills itself as an alianza hecho a mano. This "alliance" is actually a cluster of artist shops and studios near the big art and antiques...
Managua, Nicaragua, is full of surprises including the beautiful art and antique store, Mama Delfina's. Housed in a large white Spanish colonial building with an open courtyard and beautiful old brickwork, the place is a treasure trove of handmade holiday gifts and...
December is a big month for Mary, the mother of Jesus. On 8 December Catholics celebrate the Immaculate Conception, the day She became pregnant with the son of God without benefit of sex. On 12 December there is the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe to commemorate...
This is the year my Christmas won't be Made in China. Instead of the usual commercial shiny things we all know and love, I'm aiming for a simpler reminder of what the holiday is all about. Decorations, cards, and gifts will reflect skill, art, and natural materials...
Dedicated news junkies like myself can generally identify trends. But this week the news about Mexico has some of everything—the good, the bad, the hopeful and the bleak. If I was an infographic specialist and did a scatter plot diagram of Mexican news stories, the...
Maria Santos Gorrostieta Salazar, 36, who for nearly 4 years had served as the mayor of Tiquicheo, Michoacan, Mexico until early 2012, was found murdered last Friday. Her body was discovered in a remote area of the state and bore signs of torture.An earlier attack on...
These Mexican words of wisdom were found in Guy A. Zona's book EYES THAT SEE DO NOT GROW OLD, a collection of proverbs from Mexico, Central and South America. He who does not venture has no luck.He who follows his own advice must take the consequences.The clown is...
Mexico’s Day of the Dead traditions will figure prominently in SUN GOD, the third Emilia Cruz mystery novel. The holiday focuses on gatherings to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. People go to cemeteries to be with the souls of the...
The little church in Mexico City was decorated for Christmas with 100 red poinsettias. Every pew was filled, many with sleepy but excited children, for a special Christmas Eve midnight mass. Father Richard was leading us in the Prayer of the Faithful when a man...
Just to whet your imagination here's a snippet of CLIFF DIVER, the first Emilia Cruz novel . . . The diver stretched to his full extension then pushed off. His back arched and his arms stretched wide and he looked like a crucifix as he sailed over the rocks. His arms...
Love to find that perfect travel memory? Love authentic handcrafts? Head for Mexico City's markets. Markets inspired much of the atmostphere I wrote into THE HIDDEN LIGHT OF MEXICO CITY, the romantic thriller and modern Cinderella story. The sights, sounds, and...
Who do I write for? This was a simple question posed to me a couple of months before The Hidden Light of Mexico City was released and it was simple to answer. Me. Well, not just a readership of one! But when I started writing, it was for myself and all my girlfriends...
Reading about Mexico now is a mix of highs and lows. Fiction can't substitute for facts but it can lead us to become interested enough in an issue to find out what is really going on. That is the impact I hope The Hidden Light of Mexico City can have. The press...