To not be approached by a child selling little packs of Chiclets gum while in the jardin is unheard of.  But where did this gum come from and how is it so popular? The Chiclets name is derived from the Spanish word “chicle“, derived from the …

You have to be a baby brother to know how painful it is to write ‘they were right’ about an older sibling.  I’ve spent a lifetime making fun of each one of them to compensate for being the youngest and weakest for far too long. …

Enjoy learning how locals, past and present, experienced love and romance with your sweeties! Learn about the: Priest that fathered both the nation and several children Hollywood movie star’s obsession with his mother Last minute cancellation of a wedding to be a bride of Christ …

When I moved to the Deep South not only did I enjoy the Low County breezes complete with peach-sized mosquitoes, but I was amazed how everyone had a personal relationship with Jesus. For the indigenous of San Miguel, as well as anyone who went to …

From a distance, the gray, volcanic rock pyramids and their stone walls held together by the sticky juice in nopales look rather good for being 1,500 years old. Located in Cañada de La Virgen (The Valley of the Virgin), an area 30 miles outside the …

San Miguel has had many names from San Miguel de los Chichimecas (for the indigenous that were living here) to the present San Miguel de Allende (for the Revolutionary hometown hero, Ignacio Allende).  Due to their constant presence both in homes and on the streets, …

As a foreigner raised on the “meddling kids” of Scooby Do and The Goonies, I understand intrinsically that underground tunnels lead to treasures, adventures and the creepy caretaker impersonating a monster!  Now I’m lucky enough to live in a city literally littered with them and the reality of tunnels …

When I was a child sharing a room with my affable but dim-witted brother, Tom, my mother placed a tiny holy water font on the wall so we would bless ourselves when we entered or left our bedroom.  The sign of the cross upon exiting brings favors …

Aztecs used the poinsettia (what they called Cuetlaxochitl)  to produce reddish purple dye and as medicine to reduce fevers.  Their origins were from a tribe called Chontales that didn’t want to pay taxes to Montezuma causing Montezuma to wage a bloody battle against them near today’s Taxco.  Following the fight, the road …

Recently I was invited to tour Comonfort’s churches by the state’s Director of Tourism interested in forming a state-wide tourism effort of the indigenous influence on our churches.  Having had my students from nearby Escobedo perform in Comonfort I’ve seen the churches but not through this man’s eyes so …