 Readers share top tips for Mexico travel
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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"[Puerto Escondido is] Beautiful, laid-back, inexpensive, and 100+ in the summer with 90 percent humidity. Go in the winter, trust me on this one!" - SF_Owner
As usual, tips from observant travelers persevered through the comments section's critiques, political rants and random efforts at wit over the past year. This collection, chosen for remarks that add new information to the original article or offer recommendations for travel in Mexico, has been edited for space, grammar and clarity. Keep letting us know about your discoveries and unique experiences in 2012.
"I rode the Rosarito-Ensenada bike ride in 1995 and I absolutely loved it. Ten thousand people all biking 50+ miles from Rosarito beach to Ensenada, and the ride itself wasn't difficult at all — there were families and riders of all ages. It was a really fun time. Upon arrival, the entire town turns out for a huge party. Ensenada was known as a party town for Southern Californians, and lots of young people had fun there. I am saddened by what's happened in Mexico in recent years. … It's a pity, because I'd love to go back & do Rosarito-Ensenada again." — by miss_piggy
"I always eat a lot of different seafoods when in Mexico. In Veracruz it was fantastic: blue crabs, fish, oysters, shrimp, etc. The seafood is also good in Baja but they don't prepare it as well as in Veracruz." — by wow
"The Baja style battered fish tacos took root in the 1960's in Ensenada as Japanese fishermen supplied the tempura batter and Canadian tourists seeking 'fish 'n' chips' food supplied the mayonnaise (white sauce) and slaw." — by alteredcarbon
"'The Wind That Swept Mexico' is a great book about the Mexican Revolution. … I will recommend 'The Savage Detectives' — soon to be (if is not already) a classic." — by MonicoNeck
"For a fascinating account of the glorious/tragic Cortes expedition try 'History of the Conquest of Mexico' by William Prescott. 'Mexico, Biography of Power' by Enrique Krauze relates the story of the almost unbroken chain of revolutions that comprise Mexican history over the last 200 years." — by vidair
"Pre-Revolutionary Mexico: 'At the Edge of The Storm,' and 'Tierras Flacas' by Agustin Yañez. The first book is an amazing descriptive look at a small town in Guadalajara pre-revolution. It captures the times, mores, and existence of common people in an isolated small town." — by elpookie
"(David Lida's) first collection of short stories, 'Travel Advisory,' is fantastic, if a bit rougher than his later fiction. His blog is well worth bookmarking for occasional visits. His perspectives and photographs are always a pleasure, often quirky and thought-provoking.
"For history, I'd recommend two large volumes: 'Mexico, A Biography of Power' by Enrique Krauze, which takes the reader through the generations of leadership in Mexico from the fall of the Aztecs to modern times. It helped me to understand not only the tumult of the country's history but also the reasons for the general mindset of the contemporary Mexican people. Also 'Conquest' by Hugh Thomas, which documents the rise and fall of the classical Aztec civilization in vivid detail. It's a real page-turner despite the heartbreaking tragedy of the subject matter. Good companion pieces would be the fine historical fiction novel 'Aztec' by Gary Jennings, still popular after all these years, 'The Conquest of New Spain' by Bernal Díaz (a Spanish priest who served under Cortes) and 'The Broken Spears' by Miguel Leon-Portilla for the Aztec perspective." — by xoconostle
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"I liked 'God's Middle Finger' by Richard Grant, about the roughness, rudeness and isolation of the Sierra Madre … also, 'The Years with Laura Díaz' by Carlos Fuentes, a great semi-fiction/historical look at the 20th century through the eyes of one woman; his 'La Frontera de Cristal,' a collection of short stories about the border area is very good, too." — by clarry
"Fans of colorful, vibrant Mexican art will enjoy these photos of paintings and murals by Jesus Lopez Vega, native of Ajijic, Jalisco: He also painted murals in LA and Portland as a young man. " — by zelda777
"You left out one of the best exhibits in San Jose: MACLA /Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino. For those wanting a fun experience, check out MACLA the first Friday night of each month when the gallery is open and the artists speak about their works." — by politico
"Officially, 111 U.S. citizens were killed in Mexico last year, a third in just two cities. Almost all of them were involved in illicit vocations, usually the trafficking of guns, drugs, or people across the border. This is 111 out of close to 8 million visitors, with nearly 1 million of those being part- or full-time residents choosing Mexico over the U.S. or Canada. You know who else had 111 murders in one year recently? Boston. And Las Vegas. And Orlando. Are any tourists scared of going to those places? … Meanwhile, almost 1,000 U.S. citizens died in Puerto Rico." — by ackthpt
"Not only is Tlaxcala safe but it's steeped in history. Hernan Cortes made this his headquarters and became allied with Tlaxcalan Indian Tribes. With their help he demolished the Aztec Empire. Learn More from my site here." — by touristguide
"The violence in Oaxaca probably isn't coming from the cartels -- it's political and worth understanding. If you're interested you can read about it here." — by Bee_Traven
"Traditional Mexican food is an extremely healthy diet. Obesity and diabetes in Mexican-Americans (and in Mexico itself) are due to modern, Americanized and industrialized foods unknown to the traditional Mexican diet. The classic corn and bean combination that is the foundation of Mexican food provides complete vegetarian protein, as well as essential vitamins and minerals. That's how they managed to build those pyramids!" — by trilingual1946
"This is one of my favorite places. It's quiet, full of Australian surfers, and Zicatela is a fine place to stay alone as a girl and be able to walk around to bars at night." — by CWhoa
"If you happen to be in the capital city of Oaxaca, consider taking a microfinance tour with Fundacion En Via and meeting the amazing women of Teotitlan del Valle. These tours last for six hours, and are a fantastic opportunity to learn about local crafts, culture, and food while supporting no-interest and non-profit microfinance." — by Envia
"Beautiful, laid-back, inexpensive, and 100+ in the summer with 90 percent humidity. Go in the winter, trust me on this one!" — by SF_Owner
"If you want to splurge, take a small propeller plane from Oaxaca city down to the coast — it's a fantastic flight through mountain valleys, and when you look down and see the snaking road you will be soooo glad you didn't take the bus!" — by Man_Zanita
"Depending on whether it is high or low season, your flight options vary and can sometimes get confusing. I have put together an infographic with all the important flight information that travelers may need when flying to the region from Canada, US and Mexico City: See it here." — by HuatulcoJoe
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2012/01/04/mexico_mix_reader_tips.DTL&ao=2#ixzz1if9OW61O
"(Jose Guadalupe) Posada's print shop in Aguascalientes is now a museum. La Catrina and Posada's satirical calaveras are big stars there. For what it's worth, there are some Posada engravings depicting Catrins and Catrinas in full dress ... the famous image of her in the huge hat isn't the only depiction. To this day there are some villages where folk dances echo and mock the European manners of the dandies and ladies of the late colonial era. Some of them wear masks depicting light-skinned people." — xoconostle
"There is something very magnetic about the island, and most attribute it to the Goddess Ixchel. The goddess of love, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth, bounty, weavers and crafters, the moon, was intimate with the plumed snake. She was such a cherished diety, she was adopted by the Aztecs as well." — by kvissage
"Check out Seeds of Learning from Sonoma. They are a great nonprofit that builds schools in Central America. I've been on two trips to El Salvador and it was greatly rewarding." — by shaggy1
"Living in Mexico, I have had the wonderful opportunity to learn about 2012 directly from a Maya shaman, Actah, who was raised by his grandfather. … He explains the unique planetary cross which will occur in 2012, along with the north-south polarity of the Earth aligning with the center of our galaxy, creating a powerful gravitational field. The Maya have known this for millenia, and also knew that the last time this planetary configuration occurred was over 25,000 years ago. Actah's message [site in Spanish] is that there will be profound and increasingly rapid changes coming in this new era, and that we all need to raise our consciousness to cope. Another Maya shaman, Wandering Wolf, has a similar message." — zelda777
"This article gives a good opportunity to plug the great 'Tales of the Maya Skies' planetarium show at the Chabot Space & Science Center. Great intro to how the Maya see the creation of the Earth and universe." — by sierradave
"I recommend 'Xtabentum: A Novel of Yucatán' to learn more about Yucatan. It has a good plot so is easy to read, plus the book has Maya legends at the beginning of the chapters and a lot of the history of Merida (the capital of Yucatan) that was one of the richest cities in the world at the end of 1800." — by MonicoNeck
Former Chronicle travel editor Christine Delsol is the author of "Pauline Frommer's Cancún & the Yucatán" and a regular contributor to "Frommer's Mexico" and "Frommer's Cancún & the Yucatán."
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