Alex has worked in his family’s tortillaria in El Tuito since he was ten. He happily greets me whenever I bring folks by to see the whole process of making tortillas. The first stop is the back room, where 5-kilogram bags of dried kernels are stacked floor to ceiling as...

Dulce Maria Morales sits at our daily market, removing the spines from nopal cactus pads (prickly pear cactus) to prepare them for sale. She and her family have been part of this market for years. When I first came to Mexico, I asked her what to do with these lovely...

Who hasn’t had coconut in some form or another? Here in Mexico, it is part of the regular diet. During the 16th century, Pacific coconuts were introduced to Mexico from the Spanish East Indies via ships from the Philippines. Sometimes, the coconuts could be found lying on the beach, having endured the long ocean...

To truly enjoy a mango, you must eat it whole, with your hands, tearing the skin off with your teeth and sinking into the firm yellow flesh. When perfectly ripe, the juice will fill your mouth and run down your arms! The experience is truly delicious. It can transport...

If you love Mexican textiles, I invite you to visit Casa Oaxaca. You have to be a little adventuresome since their shop is located away from city central in the Emiliano Zapata barrio on the slowly changing Calle Aquiles Serdan. As you enter this modern showroom, where art and home...

The stories about El Tuito's local 'moonshine' existed for ages, including its shadowy history of being illegally produced in remote back woods areas and sold in unlabeled plastic soda bottles to those who knew where to find it.  All that is slowly changing as production is now legal and local distillers are...

The honey bee is so small it hardly seems necessary. However, without the pollination work of these little creatures, our food supply would be in danger. Earlier this year, I visited MJ and Gabriella, who run their small organic honey business on their family farm just outside Puerto Vallarta....

Blue and white ceramics have always been a favorite of mine since my grandmother gave me a small delicate pitcher from Italy. It is at least 100 years old and today sits in my home here in Vallarta. Imagine my surprise when, shortly after I moved here, I walked...

"We are all connected," explains my friend Paola, "through our hearts. The meaning of love is a heart, and we are love in different sizes, shapes, colors, and situations." Since Valentine's Day is soon approaching, I thought I would look at where we can find hearts in Puerto Vallarta....

With the International Charro Championships coming to the Arena Vallarta from January 31 – February 4, I thought I would share some information about the origins of this competition and the people who are an integral part of it. Horses are an important part of the Mexican culture. Introduced...