Latest UpdatesCountries Why Join?IL MagazineFree Daily E-LetterVideoOur ExpertsTestimonialsFAQsTopics her work has appeared in numerous travel and expat publications Why I Traded the Pacific Coast for a Quieter Life in San Antonio TlayacapanStroll along the tranquil streets of San Antonio Tlayacapan, nestled by Lake Chapala’s serene beauty.|©Janet BlaserUpdated Nov 26, 2024By Janet Blaser It was 2006 when I moved to Mexico, fulfilling a lifelong dream of living in a tropical climate. I chose Mazatlán which I had fallen in love with while on vacation and although I resigned from my full-time job I had also planned to use some of my savings while starting my own business: a monthly English magazine to serve the burgeoning foreign community I had observed there Learn more about Mexico and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter Simply enter your email address below and we’ll send you a free special report – Mexico: The Perfect Close-to-Home Retirement Haven and changes that people all over the world were experiencing paid my rent and bills a few months in advance and loaded my cats and a couple of suitcases into my car Worried about the capability of the local hospitals and any potential need for care as a foreigner during a pandemic with one of my grown kids—a vacation of sorts Little did I know it would be a year to the day before I returned to my beloved Mazatlán It was a harrowing time to be in the United States 2021 was a dichotomy of wonderful family time juxtaposed with the harsh reality of what the U.S had become since I left almost 20 years earlier “Open carry” and guns in public terrified me; the political anger and harsh divisions felt abrasive That year confirmed for me that America was no longer my home and my cats and I made the long drive from Portland Good friends offered me their vacation home to stay in while I looked for a place to rent Mazatlán had been able to capitalize on the pandemic promoting the laid-back beachfront town all over Mexico as a great place to let kids do their online classes and ride it out The town I left had grown and was now bursting at the seams with development and all the issues that come with too much growth The iconic malecón fronting the ocean was now lined with 20- and 30-story condos and hotels—or construction sites heralding more to come Mazatlán’s beautiful sunsets now had a backdrop of giant cranes and bumper-to-bumper traffic Suddenly, the Lake Chapala area—about six hours south and inland—popped into my head as an option. I started mentally checking off things that mattered to me. I knew I would miss the ocean; that was the hardest thing. But a quieter, more peaceful lifestyle in a smaller town without the 24/7 party vibe of Mazatlán felt like what I needed. After almost 20 years of living in Mexico I had a few friends there already—folks I met in Mazatlán who had moved there for the milder climate and small-town lifestyle. But they discovered other things as well: great medical care; proximity to the sprawling metropolitan city of Guadalajara (with its international airport and shopping and restaurants galore); and the natural beauty of Mexico’s second-largest lake and surrounding mountains Intrigued, I arranged a visit, opting for the bus instead of driving and staying at an Airbnb near some friends in San Antonio Tlayacapan, a small pueblo of about 7,000 people halfway between the bigger, more popular, and well-known towns of Chapala and Ajijic though: Chapala’s population is around 57,000 and Ajijic’s about 22,000 (much smaller than Mazatlán which is one of the draws for retired expats It has the most assisted living and senior care facilities of any expat community in the country some of which can bill Medicare and private U.S It seemed to be the best of both worlds: a small-town feel but with easy access to the “big city” amenities I wanted The entertainment scene is rich and vibrant is a charming Mexican town with cobblestone streets and a multitude of shops featuring artisan crafts from all over the country Lakeside has a good mix of locals and expats and maybe because there isn’t an overwhelming presence of foreign tourists it feels less frenetic and more “authentically Mexican,” accepting of everyone Chic espresso shops are next to family-owned fruterías; street stands offer traditional tortas and tacos while elegant boutique hotels hold Sunday brunches and serve Eggs Benedict In the center of Ajijic is the Lake Chapala Society a nonprofit community center started 70 years ago and dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all the area’s residents I was pretty sure this was where I wanted to live and the cute little yellow house I found to rent was the deciding factor and signed a one-year lease that started in three weeks I made a plan: I would sell my furniture and appliances and start anew my best friend wanted to move into my apartment—and buy everything It was a win-win for everyone and made the move much easier I looked carefully at what my new expenses would be Utilities are about the same as in Mazatlán although electricity costs are a bit lower because there’s not the same need for air conditioning The biggest change in my expenses has been spending more on food That temperate climate means more things grow much easier than in the heat and humidity along the coast and raspberries year-round at unbelievable prices A more affluent expat community and proximity to Guadalajara’s big stores and import companies mean access to “gourmet” products like burrata As Mazatlán became more geared toward regional tourists but sometimes I want to make authentic lasagna or an Indian meal It’s so nice to be able to find the ingredients I want and spend an afternoon cooking something new and different Another positive thing about living here is the Guadalajara airport One of my goals this year is to spend more time with my kids and grandkids in the U.S. and it offers service from a plethora of airlines with affordable international flights—much more so than Mazatlán Although it hasn’t been long since I moved to San Antonio Tlayacapan I love sitting in my garden and having coffee in the mornings with only birdsong in the background but it’s a short drive to the charming towns of Ajijic or Chapala to meet with friends or go to one of the weekly outdoor markets and Guadalajara isn’t that far away if I need a “city fix.” A pygmy owl in the tree next to my house starts his oddly frog-like song I revel in the close of another peaceful day I’ve learned that the possibilities are endless I came here almost 20 years ago without knowing the language The policy implications of this election will impact your retirement funds you can live comfortably on a budget from $2,000-$3,800 a month (all-in—housing and extras included) El Tecolote Azucena and I had the good fortune to visit a good friend Maciel lived in the city of San Francisco for quite a few years he became a well-known and respected member of the artistic community — he was director of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) in those first and was also founder of MCCLA’s Graphics Department a world-famous artistic organization that just celebrated its first 46 years of continuous creativity.  Maciel became Director of the San Francisco Neighborhood Arts Program You can’t get more Barrio-centered than that Maciel and his beautiful and indefatigable wife live in a Magical Town (Pueblo Mágico) named Tlayacapan about three hours from Mexico City and about a one-hour drive from Cuernavaca Surrounded by the amazingly beautiful hills of Tlayacapan Alfonso Maciel has rekindled his love for painting It is very clear that the natural beauty surrounding him has greatly helped his work.  I asked Maciel what had he taken to Mexico from his very busy years in the SF Bay Area “What I brought here from my long years in San Francisco is a profound appreciation for the concept of public art which was my experience at MCC,” Maciel said.  she generously allows me to concentrate on my painting.” Maciel is clearly proud and thankful for the support he gets from his wife he told me about another important way in which Mony helps him with a couple of beers or a little bottle of wine … and she proceeds to read me some book out loud It is something that I wouldn’t even dare to ask … but since she does it of her own free will … I thank her from the bottom of my heart!” he continues: “All this positive reinforcement and the beauty of Tlayacapan helps me in the grandiose project of this I doubt that I’ll be able to accomplish something more important than this current project I call it The “Paliacate” is a handkerchief or scarf or bandana either of a red or yellow color … so very Mexican … worn over the head or around the neck omnipresent on the style of Mexican clothing and traditionally worn by workers or rebels!” I want to make clear this brief column will not do justice to the intricacy of Maciel’s current project It deserves (and will receive) a more detailed narrative most likely when the project is finished and ready to be shared with the public Maciel continues: “The “Paliacate” is an artistic It involves my initial painting of 34 colorful images with acrylic paint on large canvases The images that I will paint will cover the outside edges of the paintings In my research of the origin and extent of the use of the “Paliacates,” I realized that this popular piece of clothing might actually originate far from our Mexican shores Maciel’s research of the “Paliacates” have prompted him to combine images and ideas that stem from Islamic Sufism mixed with poems written by the Tlatoani (poet and ruler) Nezahualcóyotl “To make the connections with the Persian origins of our Mexican “Paliacates,” Nezahualcoyotl will be represented [by] reciting poetry in Farsi characters will be represented reciting poetry with the symbolic volutes of pre-Columbian “Flor y Canto” thus expressing the universality of Art and Philosophical thought” The paintings being created by Alfonso Maciel and his 33 guest painters what can be considered “a culminating project” Alfonso Maciel’s enthusiasm is ageless and contagious Alfonso Maciel and his “Paliacte Project” are a great example of someone that we should learn from A person who is very much “alive and active”.As a small homage to the enthusiasm felt in my encounter with this “Paliacate Project” I bought 3 colorful “Paliacates” in a Veracruz mercado Constant extortion of public transportation operators has now triggered the formation of self-defense forces in at least nine Morelos municipalities Residents of Totolapan, Tlalnepantla, Tlayacapan and Atlatlahucan formed self-defense forces last month to combat rising levels of extortion and other crimes allegedly committed by a gang known as La Maña Milenio said today that civilian security groups are now operating as well in the municipalities of Tetela del Volcán Zacualpan and Yautepec and that residents of Temoac Jonacatepec and Axochiapan have attended meetings at which they expressed their willingness to participate in community-based security operations In Tlayacapan and Tlalnepantla — both located in the north of the state — armed and masked civilians have set up checkpoints where they decide who can and can’t enter their municipalities Community guards in other municipalities have employed similar strategies although some are armed only with radios rather than weapons and work with authorities rather than outside the law who intervene in the case of someone suspicious [being detected],” said Jair Villanueva told Milenio that local authorities have decided to financially assist self-defense members who collaborate with official security forces so that their rudimentary blockades made out of sandbags can be replaced with formal security checkpoints equipped with cameras She said she was aware of the reports of extortion against local transportation operators but added that authorities couldn’t act because no official criminal complaints have been filed a municipality in the northeast of the state that borders both México state and Puebla local residents swung into action after twice being forced to collect 300,000 pesos (US $16,100) to pay off criminals threatening public transportation drivers and licensees residents also held a mass protest on the highway to Cuautla and for a while detained two municipal officials They also declared they would no longer make extortion payments to criminals a driver from Hueyapan was attacked by gangsters who warned him that the extortion payments would be permanent but residents continue to be defiant in their refusal to succumb to threats a Hueyapan resident and wife of the Tetela del Volcán municipal assistant said if they continue to make the payments extortion would become more widespread affecting not just transportation operators but also shopkeepers and farmers located to the south of Cuautla where residents claim organized crime has a stronghold a self-defense group has also sprung up to combat rising levels of extortion We’ve already put the first barricade in place in the neighborhood of Benito Juárez,” a masked self-defense leader known as El Comandante said in a video posted online “We’re going to continue neighborhood by neighborhood Autodefensas will go to every street [if that’s what’s needed] to bring confidence and security [to the people] We’re going to install loudspeakers and alarms so that if an asshole comes along and wants to charge extortion payments the alarms will go off and we’re already organized,” he continued If it’s a question of going to war with the government Source: Milenio (sp) ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC The Morelos State Government reported floods in Tlayacapan Four people lost their lives and 1 person is still missing Similarly 11 homes were reported damaged in Jonacatepec Authorities have established shelters for the victims in affected areas Civil Protection and teams from the military are assisting with rescue and clean-up operations Morelos Governor Cuauhtémoc Blanco visited affected areas on 03 September He expressed his condolences and distributed relief supplies to some of the flood victims He also warned that rivers and streams remained high and requested residents living in vulnerable areas to identify evacuation routes Mexico’s meteorological agency Servicio Meteorológico Nacional reported 109.1 mm of rain in 24 hours to 01 September in Tlacotepec The following day 105 mm of rain fell in El Peñón while Casasano recorded 140 mm of rain in 24 hours to 03 September Earlier in the week flash floods affected areas in the municipality of Tlalnepantla in Mexico State Six people were rescued after being swept away by flood water on 30 August One person was reported missing in the floods Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList Pandora Dewan is a Senior Science Reporter at Newsweek based in London Pandora joined Newsweek in 2022 and previously worked as the Head of Content for the climate change education start-up ClimateScience and as a Freelance writer for content creators such as Dr She is a graduate in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford You can get in touch with Pandora by emailing p.dewan@newsweek.com or on Twitter @dewanpandora either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Days of heavy rain in central Mexico have revealed the skeletal remains of a woman's body The skeleton was found by residents in the state of Morelos, who notified officials it was determined to be around 1,000 years old according to archaeologists at the National Institute of Anthropology and History The burial was discovered in the lower section of the El Tlatoani Archaeological Zone in Tlayacapan The site has been maintained as a research and conservation project for the last 12 years The woman was found lying on her right hand side with her skull facing north and her upper and lower extremities flexed as if she had been wrapped up in some kind of cloth Fragmented ceramic objects were also found around her grave including bowls and a small human-like figurine According to archaeologist Raúl Francisco González Quezada this suggests that the woman was most likely a member of Toltec society a pre-Columbian civilization that pre-dated the Aztecs The Toltecs were revered for their fine craftsmanship and renowned as fierce warriors. Their urban center was based in the ancient city of Tollan, near the modern town of Tula, about 50 miles north of Mexico City. The city was destroyed in the mid-12th century by the Aztecs, but the Toltecs' legacy lives on in their sculptures and architecture The archaeologists also deduced that the grave was most likely a domestic burial—that is This is because the site of the burial was once a domestic terrace that would have been lined with houses Such burials were commonplace at the time and previous studies have uncovered numerous skeletons from around the same period buried in the same way the researchers found more ceramic objects including several tripod bowls with elongated stems which they believe may have dated back to between 500 and 150 B.C these are the oldest artifacts ever found in the region Researchers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History will perform further analysis on the skeleton to learn more about the woman Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all Jalisco is the place that gave the world tequila It also launched the Mexico-for-overseas-living movement in the 1940s and is home to the iconic Lake Chapala and gated real estate communities have hosted foreign-born residents for decades while drawing throngs of Mexican and international visitors The folks living here — a culturally diverse bunch from over 30 countries — will immediately point to the comfortable year-round weather at 5,000 feet and serenity enhanced by Mexico’s largest natural lake.  Visitors will also be delighted by the region’s forested mountains and the big city attractions of nearby Guadalajara The region is also a fascinating laboratory of multiculturalism — home to thousands of foreign-born year-round residents who fall into one of two groups: the baby boomer “do-gooders” who stay active volunteering interfacing as best they can with their Mexican neighbors and frequenting spaces like the Lake Chapala Society’s downtown Ajijic “campus.”  Another group lives here primarily for the excellent weather (homes here do not generally need A/C nor heating) and affordability although challenged by the peso’s appreciation and inflation.  Some call it an American “colony” or joke that it’s Mexico’s “Island of Misfit Toys,” but it still has the world’s best weather with an international intermingling across the town of Chapala and the villages of Ajijic (now a Pueblo Magico) the epicenter of multiculturalism is Ajijic Founded in 1531 and wedged between steep mountains and the lake its kilometer-long lakeside malecon is a delight at all hours The town’s main square is dominated by a gazebo adorned with lake-inspired cement motifs Murals are a legacy tied to a 1950s Children’s Art Program (still in operation) launched by the late American author Neill James She arrived in 1943 and stayed for 50 years opening the first town’s Spanish library and sponsoring philanthropic programs such as silkworm looms that employed village women.  Calle Colón connects the plaza with the lakefront and is lined with art galleries displaying works by Mexican and foreign artists Surprisingly few museums or colonial-era structures are here reflecting the village’s historic isolation (the first roads connected the village to the outside world in the early 1950s) and fishing village heritage Some limited gentrifications have appeared in response to the hordes of weekend visitors from Guadalajara and foreign residents no sprawling resorts or large hotels exist here Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville is attempting a foothold for “55 and greater” residents at a 200-unit condo development west of Ajijic Visitors stay in Airbnb rentals or small inns sprinkled along central Ajijic’s crumbling cobblestoned streets.  there are hiking trails crisscrossing the lake-facing mountains and morning kayakers plying the lake’s shallow waters from the Ajijic waterfront A protected ciclopista affords accessible biking east to west connecting the cities of Chapala and Jocotepec (a distance of 30 kilometers) over flat terrain (regular and electric bike rentals are found in Ajijic) Thermal water balnearios are a short drive west of Ajijic in the village of San Juan Cosala Thirty minutes from the Guadalajara Airport Jalisco’s scenic lakeside village in the sun welcomes foreigners to come Yucatán Magazine has the inside scoop on living here. Sign up to get our top headlines delivered to your inbox every week public murals in public don’t always get the respect they deserve To see a mural and its artist disrespected in a cultural capital such as Merida is shocking enough That it’s happened in a state-run art school is even more striking Yucatán Magazine‘s “Celebrations” issue launch party raised 100,000 pesos (almost $US6,000) after a generous and anonymous couple matched the event’s proceeds with their own donation a nonprofit that provides spay and neuter services throughout Yucatán “The donations and pure joy and enthusiasm around this event reflect the commitment… Yucatan — A Mexican tourist and his family faced down waiters refusing to budge from a restaurant’s beachfront palapa “Show me the piece of paper where it says I can’t be on the beach,” the unnamed tourist said in a confrontation captured on video ” The beach is free and it’s for… MEXICO CITY – President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum vowed to address unfinished aspects of the Tren Maya and the Interoceanic Train projects following a meeting with Morena governors from the south and southeast of Mexico She committed to an investment of 83 billion pesos to complete both initiatives within the next two years Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has called for Austria to repatriate the artifact known as “el Penacho de Moctezuma.” Yucatan health authorities said on Sunday as they announced 159 new coronavirus cases Over 1,000 new infections have been detected in the past seven days an exceptionally large increase for a single day Advertise With Us east of the city of Cuernavaca in the Tepozteco mountains the greatest health burdens include cardiovascular disease and scorpion stings But scorpion stings, at least, are “under control,” says Meaghan Sydlowski, a participant in the School of Public Health’s new Mexico field practicum in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Cuernavaca It’s cardiovascular disease that poses more of a challenge for this town picturesque municipality where Clint Eastwood’s Two Mules for Sister Sarah and the video for The Killers’ “When You Were Young” were both filmed The challenge in addressing cardiovascular disease is the community’s skewed perception of its own health members of the community would think cancer and diabetes were the biggest problems,” Sydlowski says “If you proposed an intervention related to being more heart healthy The practicum, led by Veronika Wirtz The INSP students “had worked on this assessment for months before we arrived,” Sydlowski says “so we spent our prior months trying to get up to speed with them so we could jump right in when we got there.” Sydlowski and the other SPH student in Cuernavaca spent eight weeks living in a pair of spare rooms in the home of two INSP masters students and conducted all of their work in Spanish In Tlayacapan—an hour’s drive from the city—they collected health data and interviewed community members identifying health disparities and priorities They also worked with the town’s health professionals who taught them a valuable lesson in population health: Sometimes you have to meet the population halfway ‘We’re not going to implement a program that we don’t think is going to be well-received and is going to fail,’” Sydlowski recalls “’We’re going to do something that we think will be accepted by the community something that we can make progress with.’” In addition to the community health assessment Sydlowski and Hundley joined INSP researchers on a quality improvement project evaluating the development of Mexico’s clinical practice guidelines for methodological rigor and transparency The INSP researchers will present the findings to national public health policy makers to demonstrate the need for better quality guidelines working with INSP students was invaluable for the exposure to a diverse range of experiences and areas of knowledge It opened up the door for me to learn a lot from my team members.” Sydlowski says she originally came to SPH for the Philippines program but ultimately opted to participate in the new Mexico program because of post-graduation plans to work in Latin America considering I didn’t even know this program was going to exist!” Sydlowski says —Michelle Samuels Applications for next summer’s practicum will be accepted from December 1, 2015, until January 22, 2016. Get the latest from Boston University School of Public Health Learn more about the world of CNBC Make It © 2025 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBC Universal This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Sergio Sánchez Santamaría: El Nahual Coyote Tenextepango (The Coyote Nahual Tenextepango), 2016, linocut; courtesy New Mexico History Museum Sergio Sánchez Santamaría: El Nahual Jojutla (The Nahual Jojutla), 2016, linocut; courtesy New Mexico History Museum Sergio Sánchez Santamaría: Autoretrato Tlayacapan (Self-portrait Tlayacapan), 2016, linocut; courtesy New Mexico History Museum The power, clarity, and style of the prints of Santamaría owe much to the technical mastery of the artists of the Taller de Gráfica Popular. The TGP, an influential print workshop formed in 1937, was most active from the 1930s to the early 1960s and was formed, in part, to address injustices and rights issues among the Mexican people. Santamaría first encountered the work of Méndez as a child. “I didn’t totally understand it, but it stuck with me,” he said. Santamaría attended the National School of Painting, Sculpture, and Printmaking, informally referred to as La Esmerelda, in Mexico City. He learned techniques directly from printmakers involved with the TGP including Alberto Beltrán, a major figure in Mexican art, and Adolfo Mexiac, a former student of Frida Kahlo’s and one of the TGP’s only surviving original members. Last year, Santamaría attended a residency program at Duke University, where he completed a mural as part of the university’s Mural Durham project. He’s also created murals at New Hampshire’s Colby-Sawyer College and has toured the country giving lectures and demonstrations about printmaking. His work is now in numerous exhibitions in Mexico, including a solo show on view at the art gallery of the National Palace in Mexico City. He stands at the head of a major revival. “There’s a boom of printmakers in Mexico now,” he said. Opening reception 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21; through Nov. 5 New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave., 505-476-5200 "A forty-five bullet has ended the life of a man who had lived by the gun, but all of the bullets of Mexico cannot undo all the work that he's done." — Phil Ochs, "Bullets of Mexico" Get the highlights from Santa Fe's weekly magazine of arts, entertainment and culture each Friday. Pasatiempo's most popular online content from the past seven days Circulation Office Hours - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Receive a list of headlines from the latest edition of The New Mexican in your inbox every morning. On Saturdays, get a preview of The New Mexican's big Sunday stories and review highlights from the week. 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An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. © Fido/Flickr Known as the birthplace of the Mexican pasty (Hispanicised to paste), Real del Monte also goes by the name Mineral del Monte. Unsurprisingly, and as you might have guessed by the pasty heritage and ‘twin’ status it shares with towns in Cornwall this pueblowas once famed for being a mining town pleasant central square and even the annual pastefestival that takes place in mid-October Sign up to our newsletter to save up to $800 on our unique trips See privacy policy drink and travel writer based out of Mexico but I also dabble in spewing my unsolicited opinions about teabags and pork pies Find more of my work at northernlauren.com See & Do Unique Indigenous Towns in Mexico See & Do Must-Visit Attractions in the Copper Canyon See & Do The Top 10 Things to See and Do in Tlaxcala See & Do A View of Mexico City Through the Xochimilco Canals See & Do How to Spend Christmas and New Years in Mexico City See & Do The 10 Best Things to See and Do in Pachuca Guides & Tips 14 Things You Should Never Say to a Mexican See & Do Mexico's Most Stunning Lakeside Towns and Villages See & Do 16 Must Visit Attractions in Guadelejara See & Do The Most Beautiful Plazas in Mexico City See & Do The Most Magical Sites to Visit in Mexico Guides & Tips A Guide To The Palacio De Bellas Artes US: +1 (678) 967 4965 | UK: +44 (0)1630 35000 tripssupport@theculturetrip.com © Copyright 2025 The Culture Trip Ltd $500 Rent and $40 Electric Bills: Trading California for Mazatlán, MexicoAfter an initial two-week vacation, Janet Blaser fell in love with the charm of Mazatlán.|©iStock/AntonioTanakaUpdated Jul 24, 2024By Janet Blaser It’s been almost 20 years since I moved to Mexico, driving alone from California with only a few months of preparation and planning. I didn’t know anyone else who’d done this, and I didn’t know anyone in Mazatlán Friends said I was either courageous or crazy but I knew this was an adventure I had to go on one that has changed my life immeasurably for the better I had been in Mazatlán on a two-week vacation and had fallen in love with the city The picturesque turn-of-the-century buildings and enchanting tree-lined plazas spoke to my heart Add the miles and miles of beautiful beaches Besides all of that, Mazatlán’s cultural landscape is unparalleled and known throughout Mexico for its sophistication and the world-class artists the city’s cultural organization brings to perform in a myriad of events from babies in strollers to grandmothers and everyone in between Its Carnaval has been held for more than 100 years and is the third biggest in the world and festivities; the oceanfront malecon plays host to a myriad of marathons and holidays like Day of the Dead and Christmas are all celebrated in iconic style The restored Angela Peralta Theater is home to the symphony and dance schools and a world-renowned opera company and it hosts performances year-round that are affordable and beloved by both the local and expat communities I felt like a different person during that trip and it wasn’t just because I was on vacation undeniable “new me” that I wanted to continue to explore It had never crossed my mind to move out of the U.S.; in fact this trip to Mazatlán was only the third time I had ever traveled out of the country had all the requisite “pieces”—a job I liked I think sometimes you just have to make that leap into the unknown and trust your gut it was the feeling in my heart that gave me the courage to “just do it.” My biggest concern was what my three grown children would say and they were all 100% supportive of me following what had suddenly become my dream I have one regret: I wish I’d kept more things I was sentimentally attached to and our history have become more precious as we ceased to make as many new ones except for the few weeks a year when I visit them even thinking about becoming an expat was nowhere near as common as it is now and you can find heaps of information in every imaginable form about “going expat.” The why and where and how and who have all expanded tremendously mine seems like a vastly more simple and straightforward decision than what folks have to consider now the Mexican government made it really easy for foreigners to live in the country with less restrictive financial requirements and a much simpler application process My journalism background meant I needed to research and find enough information that I felt comfortable with such a big decision but I investigated and planned for a few months before returning for a trial run to see if I could live in Mazatlán as well as all the positive aspects of moving I took a month-long leave of absence from work and returned to Mazatlán to explore and do my due diligence practicing the Spanish I had started taking classes in I discovered that pretty much everything you hear about living in Mexico is true. The cost of living was tremendously lower than where I had been living in California less than half what I’d been used to paying (With the passage of time and the stronger peso but costs are still much more affordable in Mexico than in the U.S.A.) For example in Mazatlán I never paid more than about $500 a month for a spacious two-bedroom apartment a block from the beach My electric bill was never more than $40 a month and Wi-Fi and cell phone service hovered around $17 a month basic food costs—is going to be less than you’re used to paying but a few blocks away are brand-new condos with all the bells and whistles that rent for triple or quadruple that price It all depends on what you want and what you can afford Healthcare is another big concern for many people; doctors and medical care should be at the top of your list of things to investigate as you consider moving to Mexico you’ll find top-notch medical and dental care with modern hospitals and experienced specialists While it’s true that simple office visits can sometimes be shockingly inexpensive specialists and surgical procedures can be another story I’d say costs are reasonable: less than in the U.S. I think people worry too much about safety but I feel safer here than when I visit the U.S there’s crime—it’s a big country with millions of people—but the vast majority of those people are living their lives happily and safely I moved away from Mazatlán to San Antonio Tlayacapan but it’s only about a 15-minute drive or bus ride to the fun bustling towns of Ajijic in one direction and Chapala in the other fantastic international airport and kick-ass cultural scene My new home is an adorable two-bedroom house with a front yard and Mazatlán no longer filled them like it once did with too much traffic and too many tourists for my taste The coastline I once loved is now lined with 20-story condominiums and hotels and even the most remote beaches are crowded with visitors and vendors One of the good things about being retired is that you can move and life with much fewer problems than when you have a steady job I don’t have to stay in Mazatlán – there’s an entire country to explore but living in another culture changes your perspective and it’s hard to imagine ever living in the U.S (Although grandkids are a big pull!) There’s definitely been lots of stumbling—the language am more patient and open to that very Mexican concept of “manana.” I don’t stress about the small stuff and watch curiously those who do I increasingly feel like a “stranger in a strange land,” a fish out of water I don't see how else you can survive here without a healthy dose of humility each day in almost every exchange You learn to expect that you're going to make mistakes and the only way to learn and move forward is to do exactly that: Learn and move forward the clueless one struggling to use the correct pronoun in a simple sentence Everyone’s story is different: why they came it’s that everyone says how happy they are now And that’s something we’re all looking for Work on a long-opposed highway in Morelos is set to be completed in August President López Obrador said in his regular morning news conference on Wednesday The 34.2-kilometer modernization of the La Pera-Cuautla highway is set to ease congestion for residents of seven of the state’s municipalities which runs roughly 20 kilometers north of the state capital Cuernavaca to 45 kilometers east of the city is being widened from two lanes to four and is expected to benefit the municipalities of Cuernavaca as well as drivers from Puebla and Mexico City The project was planned by former president Felipe Calderón’s government and initiated in the administration of Enrique Peña Nieto It suffered several judicial setbacks due to opposition from activists and residents who accused engineers of passing through woodland and areas considered sacred President López Obrador supervised progress on the highway on Friday and we are going to deliver it … in August … It had not advanced for years,” he said on Monday The president insisted that the expansion was necessary “In one way or another a highway interrupts and interferes with a life of meditation and tranquility … It was necessary work because there is a lot of traffic taking care not to be destructive,” he said the work was more justifiable than a previous proposal The Transport Ministry reported in October that the work was 82.3% complete It said at the time that the investment was 4.4 billion pesos (US $215 million) It also detailed that the journey along the modernized stretch would take 30 minutes The project’s progress is more positive news for the president after the inauguration of the Felipe Ángeles International Airport (AIFA) on March 21 which is to connect the country’s southeastern states of Tabasco faces legal challenges and opposition from environmental activists With reports from Reforma and Proceso  It has been 25 years since 14 monasteries dating from the 16th century became a World Heritage Site in Morelos and Puebla an anniversary that is being celebrated this month by the secretaries of Culture in the two states along with the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) But the occasion is marred by the condition of the complexes two years after the massive 2017 earthquake devastated central Mexico The monasteries were inscribed onto UNESCO’s list on December 17 Eleven are located in the small state of Morelos Collectively they are known as the 16th-century monasteries on the slopes of the volcano Popocatepetl on what is called the Route of the Convents The monasteries employed an architectural model adopted by the evangelizing Franciscans Dominicans and Augustinians which would influence similar construction in colonial Mexico The religious institutions were essentially built as fortresses as the indigenous populations had not yet been completely subdued One important aspect of the monasteries is the atriums with their “open chapels,” open archways to allow for the saying of mass to the large number of indigenous who would gather in the open-air atrium The monasteries functioned nearly non-stop until the 19th and early 20th century until anti-clerical politics and laws closed cloisters down and expropriated them By the 21st century many had been converted into museums or other public spaces the quake heavily damaged or destroyed architectural elements such as bell towers The falling debris wrecked irreplaceable murals federal and state authorities announced efforts to study and restore all of the complexes along with many other historical sites damaged in the region authorities admitted the effort was proceeding slowly One reason was that reconstruction requires the use of historically accurate materials and techniques often the piecing together of fragments that had been all but crushed The goal for the reconstruction of the buildings is not only to recreate what was but to be sure that they can withstand future earthquakes The extent of the damage and the challenges reconstruction pose were presented in a three-part documentary by INAH and the Morelos State Radio and Television Institute for the anniversary The 14 monasteries are San Mateo Apóstol y Evangelista in Atlatlahucan Inmaculada Concepción in Zacualpan de Amilpas San Miguel Arcangel in Huejotzigo and La Asunción in Tochimilco Sources: La Jornada de Oriente (sp), El Universal (sp), Excélsior (sp) A 78-year-old Canadian expatriate was shot and killed in the Jalisco municipality of Chapala last Friday Local authorities confirmed the incident in a press release today Neighbors of the victim reported Friday that the man had been walking near the El Dorado subdivision in San Antonio Tlayacapan just before noon A witness who saw the shooting said on social media that the attacker fired at the man and shot him again in the head before fleeing the scene Authorities said nothing about the case until today when they reported the murder Canadian authorities said Saturday they were aware of the incident and were providing consular services to the family but would not comment further due to privacy laws The municipality of Chapala said security had been reinforced in the area of the shooting