The ancient city of Palenque (pa-lenn-KAY) is like no place on earth. Clutching the foothills of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, where the sultry tropical air gently reverberates sounds of the jungle like a slow-beating ceremonial drum, Palenque’s elegant structures have allured visitors from across the ages. One such figure was Count Jean-Frédérick Waldeck, an […]
Healthcare in Mexico
Quality, low cost healthcare is one of the perks to living in Mexico. A doctor visit is generally in the range of $200.00 – $400.00 pesos. The cost is so low, many people just pay out of pocket or apply for the national health insurance through IMSS to cover these routine visits. To cover catastrophic […]
Adios, Amigos! (The Road to Bali)
by Justin Henderson, ex-pat writer and surfer-extraordinaire When I moved here a few years ago with my family, the first friends we made came from two subcultures of the Sayulita community: Costa Verde International School (“CVIS”) parents, and surfers. There were a few characters who bridged the gap between those two worlds, as I did. […]
Coba Ruins
Overgrown with tropical forest, the Coba ruins (pronounced coh-ba), the once great city that for a time, dominated ancient Mayan society in northern Yucatan is almost forgotten. Aside from a gentle stream of explorers flowing through each year the ancient city is one of the few visited ruins that has been left relatively untouched. Some, expecting a […]
Visit Campeche
Breaking the tide of the Gulf of Mexico, Campeche (Com pay CHAY) is one of the oldest colonial cities in Yucatán Peninsula, founded in 1540. In golden years, it thrived as the major port; trading timber, dyewood, silver and gold. An elegant city soon emerged behind the harbour, patterned with baroque style townhouses and ornamental […]
Izamal
Known as the “Yellow City,” Izamal may be the oldest colonial settlement in Yucatán state, located only 45 minutes from the capital, Mérida. It was founded in early 16th century, atop the pre-existing Mayan city of Izamal. As was the strategy of Spanish conquest, temples and buildings were destroyed, and a colonial township constructed from […]
Crime: USA vs Mexico
The following are opinions, arguments, and anecdotes from on-line American ex-pats in Mexico about the latest USSD Travel Warning for Mexico. From Gary and Donna’s Pictorial Driving Guide to San Carlos, Mexico (http://www.mexicodrivingtips.com/) Look closely at the data for the northwestern part of Mexico which had 42 Americans killed from all causes (there were at least […]
Sian Ka’an Biosphere
In peaceful slumber, on the eastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, is the Sian Ka’an (see-an CAAN) Biosphere Reserve. Over 500,000 hectares of tropical forest, wetlands and coastal dunes, its remarkable biodiversity includes jaguar, howler monkey, and even the American flamingo. Its eastern region expands across the Caribbean Sea, where it shelters a section of […]
Surfing in Sayulita, The Old Man in the Sea
by Justin Henderson, ex-pat writer and surfer-extraordinaire In 2010, my first year in Sayulita, I made friends with a couple of other Costa Verde International School parents, and ended up surfing with them a lot. We surfed almost every day, it seemed, as the fall/winter/spring season of 2009-2010 offered up week after week of solid […]
Uxmal
Almost 80 km south of Mérida, the present-day capital of the Yucatán state, is the ruin of Uxmal (OOSH mal), an influential Mayan metropolis of the late classic period (AD 600 to 900). In its heyday, Uxmal’s influence spread across northern Yucatán and included subjugating the neighboring settlements of Labná and Sayil. Today, it is […]