Category: Travel
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Western Mexico, A Traveler’s Treasury: Notes from the Road from the 16th Century On
Once called Coatlan after the earthenware vessels that were coiled like a serpent and used for storing pulque, a white wine made from the Mexcal tree and used as an offering to a stone idol, Cuiseon was a small village on The Nine Rivers which flowed into Lake Chapala. This and other food traditions, according…
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Mexico Kaleidoscope: Myths, Mysteries and Mystique
Oenophiles might be surprised to learn that the oldest winery anywhere in the Americas is Casa Madero, formally established as long ago as 1597, located in Parras de la Fuente, a small town in the northern state of Coahuila. “In 1549 the Spanish priests and soldiers who explored this region discovered native vines growing wild…
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Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury
A travel guide for the intellectually curious, Tony Burton’s Western Mexico: A Traveler’s Treasury provides an insider’s entry to this extraordinary region of Mexico. The book, published by Sombrero Press and now in its fourth edition is less about logistics and instead focuses on the myriad of reasons–historical, ecological, cultural, and/or scenic–that make each place…
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Three Charming Villages on the shores of Lake Chapala
Born in the United Kingdom, Tony Burton, a Cambridge University-educated geographer with a teaching certificate from University of London, first traveled to Mexico after spending three years as a VSO [Voluntary Service Overseas] volunteer teaching geography, and writing a local geography text, on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. From there his travels took him…
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Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance
Buy on Amazon “The Green Book was more than just a road trip guide but a way of survival. Hall hopes that its history will live on.” The road, a symbol of freedom, was fraught with dangers for Black travelers in the time when Jim Crow laws still existed. Not much is known about Victor Hugo…
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Tapas: Classic Small Dishes from Spain
Tapas—delicious tidbits served on tiny dishes that originally served as lids for glasses of wine or sherry—are meant to be just two mouthfuls and were until recently free for those ordering spirits. All that has changed with the increasing popularity of tapas, writes Elisabeth Luard, an award-winning food writer who spent 15 years living in…
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Destination Heartland: A Guide to Discovering the Midwest’s Remarkable Past
“I wanted to dispel the myth that the Midwest is boring,” Cynthia Clampitt tells me when I ask about the inspiration for writing Destination Heartland: A Guide to Discovering the Midwest’s Remarkable Past (University of Illinois Press), her book about the many fascinating places to visit in the stretch of our country from the…
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If Walls Could Talk: Lake Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants
Now one of the most popular retirement area for Americans and Canadians, the Lake Chapala Region, nestled in a valley almost a mile high in Mexico’s Volcanic Axis, has long been a draw for ex-pats and vacationers, lured by its almost perfect climate and beauty. In his book If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings…
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Haunted Lighthouses: Scary Tales of the Great Lakes
Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state and about 40 of those are rumored to be haunted by the spirits of former keepers, mariners and others with ties to these historic beacons. Inside the pages of Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses, long-time researcher, writer and promoter of all things Michigan, Dianna Stampfler, shares stories of…
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