Mexico's Best Zocalo?

The Zocalo (or zócalo, a town plaza) is a central (and crucial) feature of every town and city in Mexico. It is literally where it's happening - the focal point for both organized and casual social activity. Most Mexicans take great pride in their zocalo, and it is often the best kept area of town. Warm evenings will find vendors of every sort, clusters of young adults flirting and strutting, venerated Dons and Donas holding court at their exclusive benches, small children racing around

Every town's zacalo is characterized by its own distinctive meeting area - and of course, large cities will have numerous plazas, many of which might have a unique architectural aspect or singularly beautiful garden (jardin). The focal point might be a bandstand (as in Oaxaca) or a fountain (like Puebla), it might be in the layout of the paths crisscrossing the square, perhaps interspersed with trees, or it might be a vast open space dominated by the imposing edifices that surround the perimeter (as in Mexico City's main plaza, the Plaza de la Constitucion).

So where in Mexico exist the best zocalos? As is most of the cases beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and arguments can be made for numerous stellar candidates among the hundreds that might be put forth. Perhaps the most famous is Mexico City's, because of it's immense size, it's location (on the spot where Cortes met Montezuma for the first time).

Arguably the most beautiful is Patzcuaro's Plaza Vasco de Quiroga - a Mexican colonial classic, surrounded by period buildings and filled with trees. Often, it's just a small mountain town's humble offering, set against the fog enshrouded backdrop of the surrounding Sierra Madre Mountains, such as the little puebla of San Sebastian de Oeste, in the mountains of Jalisco east of Puerto Vallarta. Founded in 1605, San Sebastian was once mining centers of Mexico, the gold and silver giving this one time provincial capital a population of nearly 40,000 people it's now virtually deserted with only 600 or so people living there now, but with the opening of the highway between PV and the lovely inland valley town of Mascota (whose plaza is pictured at the top, and is also enjoying a tourism boost from the highway - it is gaining some notice as an eco-tourism destination) San Sebastian de Oeste is now back on the map as a tourist destination.

Another interesting zocalo can be found in the mountain town Tapalpa. While it's not particularly intimate area, it has an interesting, multi-level layout, an imposing church, is surrounded by interesting stores and restaurants and quaint calles that provide delightful walking opportunities for the small town exploration that make destinations such as Tapalpa so rewarding.

Evenings can provide the most satisfying people watching, culture absorbing zocalo experience - especially during festivals (which can last for a week for the town's patron saint). Carnival attractions, numerous band competitions, nightly (and even early morning) fireworks are all part of the mix, such as this lively scene from the Lake Chapala town ofAjijic attests.

A Useful Resource for Travel in Mexcio

I recently came across another site of interest to anyone wishing to explore Mexico. Mexico Vacation Travel has frequent posts about various travel destinations in Mexico, most recently about Monterrey - evidently Monterrey is considered one of the safer Mexican cities and has attracted many high-tech industries. I had no idea it had over three and half million residents! Additionally, you'll find some interesting pages dedicated to more often topics such lagoons, ruins, diving, colonial cities, and budget travel.

This site also has a bevy of interesting travel links for Mexico that are worth checking out...and speaking of links and resources, Explore Retire Mexico has recently added a Links and Resources about Mexico page.

Learning Spanish

Recently I resumed taking an evening class in Spanish at our local JC, the College of Marin. Previous classes, while in the community education system, used a serious college textbook (Como se Dice - very expensive @ over $150) and had an emphasis on learning grammar.

What a pleasant surprise this semester to find an instructor that took the course description to heart and actually was teaching conversational Spanish. No textbook - 90% speaking with handouts for homework exercise that form the basis of the next week's conversation. Two months into the class I'm already comfortable enough to converse in Spanish with little or no stammering. I making intelligent conversation. Asking questions. My recent trip to Cabo, while very resort oriented and not conducive to connecting much with an authentic Mexican experience, still afforded me many opportunities interact and speak Spanish. It sure opens doors to a friendly interchange - every Mexican I spoke with seemed to appreciate my efforts to converse.

So I owe a bit of thanks to my instructor, Patricio Tapia, and I'm now motivated enough to take an additional private classes from him through his "Spanish in Marin" program in San Rafael, CA.

Esperanza - A Perfect 10 Resort

Far be it for me to claim to be a connoisseur (or even a frequent visitor) of high-end resorts, but I have had the pleasure of staying in many 5-star hotels and resorts in the past 20 years (an awesome perk when your wife works as a consultant to such hotels as Four Seasons, Ritz-Cartlton, and the like). So for whatever that's worth, I feel confident in declaring Los Cabos' Esperanza Resort a perfect 10.

As they say in the real estate biz, it's all about location, location, and location - Esperanza occupies some of the choicest real estate in Baja California Sur's Corridor, the 20 mile stretch of divided highway between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas (ergo Los Cabos). Set above the ocean, with stunning views of the rocks and arches at land's and occupying some 40 plus acres, Esperanza is divided into two distinct but visually integrated areas: the hotel proper with 56 rooms to the east and 60 fractionally owned one to four bedroom residences grouped in 12 buildings around three sublime swimming pools that climb in succession up the gentle slope from the cliff side playa.

Perhaps it's the hotel's incredibly well situated infinity pool, offering the lounging guest a tranquilizing and mesmerizing view over the edge of a sometimes seething azul and white surf that makes Esperanza so special.

It also could be the absolutely perfect architecture and landscaping - really nothing is out of place or over the top - it's tasteful and attractive.

But it really can be defined by the exceptional service one receives as a guest there, although this probably is an expectation that you have if you know that Esperanza is an Auberge run resort. No matter beautiful a place is, if the staff is surly (Kona, HI anyone?) it will surly spoil the experience.

The Delightful Mountain Town of Tapalpa

Old brick arcades line the sidewalk of Tapalpa, a small alpine town in the sierra of west central Mexico. Surrounded by pine forests, lakes and streams, Tapalpa beguiles the traveler with its peaceful landscape, quiet pace of life and tradition of colorful arts and crafts.

Nestled in the hills atop a plateau, Tapalpa is a town of some 16,000 inhabitants sitting high at 1950 meters (6350 feet). A gorgeous two and a half hour drive, 81 mile (130 kilometer), southwest from Guadalajara. When Guadalajara heats up in the late spring, the tapatío (as Guadalajarans are known colloquially) flock to the fresh water and air of this beautiful and restful village. The pueblo’s name is derived from náhuatl word, 'Tlapalpan', which translates as “Land of Colors” and is know locally as by the same appellation in Spanish, Lugar de Tierra de Color. The ascent up the twisty road to the sierra de Tapalpa from the San Marcos valley is quite dramatic; a glance back at the impressive view is best left for the return trip, as this road requires all the driving attention you can muster.

Once there, park where you can, and take to the streets, as Tapalpa is for walking. Stroll along the quiet cobblestone calles, poke your head into numerous small tiendas offering local crafts, take in one of the impressive churches (such as the Templo San Antonio at the right), sample the delightful wares, the wide variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables and tempting aromas of the luscious dishes being served up by the vendors off the jardin principal, that surround the main zacalo (plaza)

We had a fabulous lunch in a delightful courtyard at a nearby restaurant called Girasol (sunflower) that features one of the mouthwatering local specialties, tamales de acelgas, stuffed with swiss chard.

Surrounding Tapalpa are other attractions that will engage the adventurous hiker. In a small village known as 'La Barranca De Refugio’, about six miles (ten kilometers) from the plaza you’ll find an impressive waterfall called El Salto de Nogal that plunges 341 feet (105 meters). Nearby the are the crumbling ruins of the 'Taberna' or saloon, where a mezcal named "Barranda' was produced until the late 1940s. Local guides are available in nearby La Barranca that can assist you in visiting the waterfall.

Four and half miles (seven kilometers-the first being the worst, rut wise) northwest of the town from town is the Valley of the Enigmas, where you’ll find the enormous Piedrotes, an unusual outcropping of volcanic rock. Also nearby are the ruins of the Tula ironworks, destroyed in the revolution of 1917. Numerous hiking trails crisscross the local hills and circle the small lakes located nearby.

Tapalpa is definitely worth a full day trip, more like two or three if you really want to savor this Mexican masterpiece of colonial charm and endurance

Mexican Volanco Popocatepetl Erupting

Earthweek reports that Popocatepetl, Mexico's 2nd tallest volcano @ 17,634 ft. (5426 meters), has erupted, spewing ash across neighboring villages. Popo is one of Mexico's most active volcanoes, last erupting in 1994 and having done so 15 previous times since the Spanish conquest in the 1519. It's located 45 miles (70 km) southeast of Mexico City, and 30 miles (45 km) southwest of Puebla.

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All of central Mexico teems with Volcanic activity, and I had an opportunity to view the effects on a recently trip to Michoacán, where I visited the village of San Juan Parangaricutiro, almost completely buried by the young Volcán de Parícutin that rose out of a Tarascan farmer's cornfield in 1943. It was eerie to hike across the craggy lava field to visit all that remains of the village, the church spires rising out of the once molten rock.
As I researched for more information about Popocatepetl I punched Mexico Volcano into Yahoo!. Not surprisingly, ads appeared on the right hand column, and how well remembered your thoughtful gift of a Mexican Volcano will be - just like VD, a "Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving".

This underscores the pitfall of blind keyword insertion (not that the search engines mind:$$$) It seems we have more and more inexperienced marketeers (mouseketeers, perhaps?) that have no grasp of using negative (exclude) keywords to forestall gaffes such as these. Even the National Geographic Ad, which did lead to an article on volcanoes, did not deliver on most of the ad's promise: the article provided a few facts and one photo, but no volcano "news, wallpapers, videos and safety tips" were to be found.

Driving in Mexico - Siempre Mas Rapido

Getting behind the wheel in Mexico is definitely an adventure, and while not for the feint of heart, is really one of the better ways to really explore and discover rural Mexico.
That said, driving isn't essential to see the real Mexico, as this is a country with the largest (and one of the most efficient) bus systems in the world, and a bus will get you to the remotest parts of Chiapas or Baja - but it can take a while.

The cost of driving in Mexico can actually be relatively cheap - gas prices are not subject to onerous taxation (there is only one supplier, the government owned Pemex) and the price is currently about $2.35 a gallon, car rentals can be relatively cheap (recently I rented a Dodge Attitude @ the airport in Guadalajara for $85 a week) and if you avoid the autopista (toll roads) the highways are free, albeit two-lane, clogged with trucks and pot-holed. The biggest headache is driving through any sort of town or semi-populated area and encountering the ubiquitous "topes" or speed bumps. If you're lucky they're marked with a sign, but usually there is no warning, except maybe the car in front bouncing in the air. These things are lethal, break an axle, certifiable road hazards. Occaisonally, there is a warning sign saying "reductor de velicidad" so for gringos tourists who may be all eyes on the sights it's essential to learn to watch for them. Another warning sign is the collection of roadside vendors that cluster about them, hoping that the slowdown will give you an opportunity to consider their wares.