coyoacán Urban Oasis - Margot Lee Shetterly

by
c o y o a c á n Urban Oasis
www.insidemex.com
MARCH 2007
the english speaker’s guide to living in méxico
mexpets issue
dog
tales
Dogs dine out
at the Bow Wow
Deli › 10
One animal
shelter’s
mission to
rescue and to
educate › 14
Need to travel
overseas with your pet?
Here’s how › 19
Jonathan heath on Mexico’s economy › 7 // Advanced frequent flyer tips › 27
Around
Coyoacán
Taste
Martha
Ortiz
20
What’s the
strangest food
your dog likes
to eat?
Her medium
is food.
Her inspiration,
the world.
Rumbo a...
Guadalajara
8
Travel to
the big
city with
a different
sense of time.
Open the door
$1,000,000 pesos
apartments in the DF
Editors Letter Dog Days
5 Invoices
Ceci Connolly
Bush and Latin America
Glimpses Victor Solis
7 News and Notes
x Factor Mexico’s macroeconomy by the numbers
The Guide
G1
Coyoacán
& The Calendar
[ ] InsideMéxico
9 Inside Out
CloseUp
A Xoloitzcuintli breeder
10-11 InsideOut
Lorraine Orlandi on the Dog
Café
Pulkue, three-year-old Chihuahua, and owner Karo Aguilar
“Strawberries and cream,
and hotcakes with syrup
and peaches.”
Market Meter
4 Inbox
“Sushi – what weirder
thing could she eat?”
Niki, one-and-a-half-year-old
French Poodle, and owner
Lili Huerta
25
Steals and Deals
Lingo for Gringos
Creature Talk
12 Arts&Culture
Carolina Herrera in Oaxaca
Los Folkloristas sing Mexico’s
Past
14 Cover Story
For Mexican pets, a shelter
from the storm
And practical advice on
preparing your pet for an
international move
22 Taste
The Cava
Why a Wine’s Nose Matters
24 Real Estate
CloseUp Oscar Cedillo:
Keeping it Real in Roma
26 Transitions
How Healthy is that Taco on
the Corner?
“Guayava and bananas.”
Kikin, one-year-old Cocker Spaniel-Maltese, and owner
Salomón Caballero
The Fixer A look at rules
for renters in Mexico
28 The Green Guide
Can Mexico go Solar?
29 Farewells
Marilyn Greenwald
31 The BackPage
Rossana Fuentes-Berain
“Tacos, but as if a person
were eating them, with
salsa and everything.”
Lex, two-year-old Poodle, and
owner Giovanna Villegas
March 2007
You will feel at home.
Get closer with MBE.
Public Service
Announcement
Doggone it!
A
lthough this was going to be the
pets issue, things quickly went to
the dogs…
The poor dog, in life the firmest friend/
The first to welcome, foremost to defend/
Whose honest heart is still the master’s own/
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes/for him alone/
Unhonour’d falls, unnoticed all his worth/
Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth /
While man, vain insect hopes to be forgiven /
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.
–Lord Byron, inscription on the gravestone
of his Newfoundland dog, 1808
All you cat, ferret, gerbil, rabbit, horse and
finch lovers out there, be patient, we’ll return to the theme. For now, send us your
favorite animal stories and we’ll begin by
posting some of them at insidemex.com.
And what about “man’s
(and woman’s) best friend”?
The phrase belies the complexity of our relationship
with our canine companions. Or maybe, it’s that the
best friendships aren’t the
simplest of relationships.
The one between humans
and dogs has its ups and downs, as well
as moments that can be are hilarious, poignant, gruesome, ridiculous, and spiritual
(think Amores Perros).
Many foreigners have a negative view of a
dog’s life in Mexico. And in fact, the number
was somewhere north of one hundred when
we stopped counting the bodies of dogs who’d
ventured unfortunately close to the Mexican
road. On the other hand, it’s just as common
to see a dog with its owner or family, eating,
playing and conviviendo.
In Mexico City you’re more likely to see
dogs steeled against the cold – or at least
their owners’ idea of cold – wrapped in chic
sweaters that would make Carolina Herrera
(see pg. 12) proud. We even saw one dog,
whose owners could not afford a fashionable
doggie top coat, dressed in a tattered, but
somehow quite literary, black turtleneck.
The bonding of human with dog always
has the feeling of inevitability…of all the
doorways in all the world, this furry love
walked into yours. So it was with Birdie
and Beck, who last month brought their
puppy chaos from the parking lot down the
street full-tilt into our lives. And we’ll never
forget how one friend of ours found his dog.
A stray sidled up to him during lunch at a
restaurant in Puerto Escondido, rested his
chin on our friend’s thigh, and gently gazed
into the friend’s eyes. That was two years
ago. Now Brando makes the annual round
trip to Mexico in the winter and back to
Maine in the spring with parents and four
legged brother.
From Tara FitzGerald’s cover story on
the shelter Presencia Animal, to Lorraine
Orlandi’s afternoon at a dog birthday party to
Quade Hermann’s interview with a breeder
of Xoloitzcuintli (the ancient breed thought by
the Aztecs to accompany their masters to the
netherworld) we take a curious, wet-nosed
look at our closest companions, who somehow, through their wise and wacky ways
teach us what it means to be more human.
Woof, woof!
Aran, Margot, Birdie and Beck Shetterly
Distribution 40, 000
Aran Shetterly
(paper and online)
editor - in - chief
[email protected]
Margot Lee Shetterly
managing editor
Catherine Dunn
méxico city editor
Luz Montero
staff photographer
Editorial Contributors
Carlo Cibo, Ceci Connolly,
Georgina del Angel, Tara
Fitzgerald , Rossana FuentesBerain, Mario GonzálezRomán, Maya Harris, Quade
Hermann, Beatriz Mancebo,
Lorraine Orlandi, Gibran Raya
Jamie Rosen, Michelle M.
Stroud
[ ] InsideMéxico
NUMBER 3 • febrUARY 2007
Emilio Deheza
creative consultant
advertising
[email protected]
art & photography
contributors
Alejandro Xolalpa
Víctor Solís, Quade
Hermann, Erick Montero,
Patricia Cerezo
commercial director
Carlos Xolalpa, Sales
design
Griselda Juarez, Sales
Marcela Méndez
Ana Ma. Prado
in monterrey: Olivia Deheza
[email protected]
Emilio Deheza diseño
legal counsel
Maya Harris
pr coordinator, méxico
Luis Fernando González
[email protected]
Nieves for Solorzano, Carvajal, John Boit, Melwood Global, us
González, Pérez-Correa, s.c.
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March 2007
[email protected]
Is Bush’s trip an
opportunity for Latin
America? Ceci Connolly
President Bush arrives in Latin America
March 8 for a six-day swing that culminates with meetings in Mexico with
President Felipe Calderon.
The reason for the trip, according to the
White House, is “to underscore the commitment of the United States to the Western
Hemisphere and…highlight our common
agenda.”
My first thought was, why bother? Six
years after Bush and his companero Vicente Fox chummed it up on the ranch,
the most notable changes in U.S. policy
have been exactly the sorts of things Mexicans most dislike. Last year, Bush signed
into law authorization for a 700-mile fence
along the border and last month raised application fees for legal immigration, in some
cases by as much as 80 percent.
Aside from his quick blow through Cancun
a year ago, Bush’s last trip to Latin America
was in November 2005. And that is perhaps
best remembered for the raucous anti-U.S.
protests in Argentina and the taunts of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Today, the lame duck president is as
unpopular throughout Latin America as
elsewhere, largely because of the ongoing
war in Iraq. In tracking polls conducted for
the BBC, approval for the United States
has steadily declined, from 40 percent support in 2005 to 29 percent at the start of
2007. The numbers are even more dismal
in this region—12 percent in Mexico and 13
percent in Argentina, says MUND Americas president Dan Lund, who conducted
the Mexico survey.
Ever since its 1847 surrender in the
U.S.-Mexican War, Mexico has viewed any
foreign intervention by the United States
warily, Lund told me.
“The more dangerous the U.S. is, or
seems to be, the more nervous you feel sitting south of the border,” he said. “The
United States in violent warfare—even if
it’s on the other side of the world—that
echo is there in Latin America.”
Yet in the upside down world of politics,
Bush’s visit may represent an unexpected
opportunity for U.S. allies in the region to
make gains.
Like every president entering the sunset of his career, Bush is thinking legacy
and desperately searching for something
to plunk down in the history books besides
the bloody Iraq story.
The Democrats now in charge of Congress, keenly aware that obstructionists are
March 2007
out of fashion, are equally eager to prove
they can lead. And immigration reform
appears to be one of the few subjects where
they and Bush are more simpatico than
he and Republican lawmakers. It isn’t difficult to envision a scenario in which House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid—both border state
Democrats—craft a compromise with Bush
the Texan.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff signaled the administration’s openness in his mid-February visit to Mexico.
“Every time a Border Patrol officer is
transporting a load of future housekeepers
and landscapers to some place to be returned, he’s not looking for drug dealers or
drug loads,” he said. “So to me, total immigration reform that addresses economic migrants is actually an enforcement enabler
because it lets us focus more on the people
that we don’t want in the country under
any circumstances, namely the criminals
and the dangerous folks.”
Bush’s visit should also encourage
Calderon and other more democratically-oriented leaders in the region to act as
checks against the Chavez, whose clout has
only grown in recent months. The planned
stop in tiny Uruguay is meant to convey
that Bush understands how difficult it can
be to stand up to the charismatic, oil-rich
leftist.
The trip also includes visits to economic heavyweight Brazil, Colombia, which is
heavily reliant on U.S. dollars to fight
narco-trafficking, and Guatemala, which
produces a large number of migrants.
But Chavez allies in Argentina, Bolivia
and Ecuador are being passed over, as
is Daniel Ortega, the former Sandinista
dictator who recently returned to power
in Nicaragua.
Citing what the Bush administration
views as the “radical and irresponsible
populism” of Chavez, diplomat R. Nicholas
Burns promised late last year that “the
U.S. intends to make the goal of invigorating ties with Latin America as a major
priority.”
That could be good news for America’s
neighbors to the south. Besides, for Bush,
it will be good to get out of Dodge, errr, I
mean Washington.
Ceci Connolly is a reformed political
reporter, on a leave of absence
from the Washington Post.
Víctor Solís
Inside México Listens In
“”There are few matters so important to the
future of this country....we are going to put into
place the same kind of diplomatic and lobbying
effort that we did in the early 1990s when
NAFTA was being decided.”
- Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s ambassador to the US, referring to efforts to get immigration reform in the United States.
“This country is already
among the top three
markets for armoring
in North and South
America. Armored cars
are here to stay.”
- Esteban Hernández, head
of Mexico’s association of
armored vehicle producers, on projected growth in
his industry. from Reuters.
com
I am looking to take a
vacation this March break,
but under no circumstances
will I choose a Mexican
destination. I refuse to
support the tourism industry
of a country that fails to
adequately address unsolved
violent crime involving
citizens of my country.
- Kathryn (from the CBC website) Mississauga, Ontario
“Mexico City is a complicated place to fly. [T]here are
helicopters from news companies, TV stations, all kinds of
executive choppers. There is a lot of traffic.”
-Eduardo Trujillo, a helicopter pilot.
Express yourself: [email protected]
InsideMéxico [ ]
SOLCARGO:
Taking legal
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to a higher level
Monterrey
Elevation: 1740 feet
above sea level
March Average Hi/Low
Temp: 81 F/ 58 F
March Average Precipitation: 0.8 inches
Latitude & Longitude:
25.40 N, 100.18 W
Full Moon: March 3.
Also, full lunar eclipse
March 3-4
March 2
Theodor Seuss
Geisel
Better known as Dr. Seuss, was
born on this day in 1904.
“Have no fear, little fish,” said
the Cat in the Hat. “These
Things are good Things.”
And he gave them a pat. “They
are tame. Oh, so tame! They
have come here to play.
They will give you some fun /
On this wet, wet, wet day.”
Solorzano, Carvajal, González y
Pérez-Correa “SOLCARGO” is a
highly respected and well
connected Mexican law firm
with offices in México City
and Los Cabos.
March 7
Guam Discovery
Day
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firm that can service all of our clients personal and business
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[email protected]
Carretera Transpeninsular
Kilometro 4.5 Local “C”
Fracc. El Tezal
23410, Cabo San Lucas
Los Cabos, Baja California Sur
T.+52 (624) 1043503
F.+52 (624) 1043506
Contact:
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Av. Insurgentes Sur 1605
Piso 12, suite 3
San José Insurgentes
México D.F. 03900
T.+52(55) 50620050
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Luis Fernando González Nieves
• Corporate, Foreign Investment
& Finance
• Immigration
• Intellectual Property-Entertainment
Law
• Litigation & Dispute Resolution,
Bankruptcy
• Real Estate, Resort & Hospitality
• Enviromental & Land Use
• Tax & Administrative Law
is celebrated on the first Monday in March. It marks the day
Ferdinand Magellan landed on
the island in 1521. The discovery
saved the lives of the sick and
starving crew.
March 8:
International
Women’s Day
The first National Women’s
Day was organized in the United
States in 1909. International
Women’s Day was observed
in Denmark, Germany, Austria
and Switzerland on March 19,
1911, when more then one million men and woman marched
for women’s rights. This year’s
theme: ‘Ending impunity for
violence against women’
March 11:
Daylight Saving
Time
México
Whoah!!! In March? Just when
you thought you knew what
time it was back home, you’ve
got to adjust again. Mexico’s
daylight saving time still falls
on the first Sunday in April, so
expect a few weeks of confusion. Why the change? Some
say DST saves the US 1% a day
on energy consumption. Add an
extra 30 days and you are talking
about some serious conservation. This isn’t a new scheme.
Benjamin Franklin proposed the
idea in 1784 in an article entitled,
“The Economical Project of
Diminishing the Cost of Light.”
March 13, 1781
Discovery of Uranus. Please…
this is serious. William Herschel, a German musician living
in England, glimpsed the planet
and named it after King George
III of England. It became the
seventh known member of our
solar system. The current name
came into use in 1850. In Greek
mythology, Uranus is the father
of Saturn. Its diameter is 32,190
miles, compared to Earth’s
mere 7,973 miles.
March 14, 1879
Albert Einstein’s birthday.
Some quotes from the genius:
“The important thing is not
to stop questioning.” “Any
intelligent fool can make things
bigger, more complex, and
more violent. It takes a touch of
genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite
direction.” “Science without religion is lame. Religion without
science is blind.”
March 17
St. Patrick’s Day.
During the Mexican-American war of 1846–48, recent
American immigrants were
conscripted into the Regular
Army and sent to fight the
Mexicans. When some of these
men – mostly Irish – realized
they were at war with a Catholic
country on behalf of an invading
Protestant army, they switched
sides and offered their services
to the Mexican General, Mejia.
By all accounts St. Patrick’s
Battalion, numbering as many
as 800, fought valiantly. The
Americans hung the men as
traitors. To Mexicans they are
the Irish Martyrs.
March 21.
Benito Juarez’s
birthday
Born in the remote Oaxaca
town of Guelatao in 1806, Juarez
learned Spanish when he was
nine and became president of
Mexico in 1858. Some say he
was Mexico’s greatest President, a man of laws. Revisionists suggest his accomplishments have been overrated for
the sake of cohesion between
criollos, mestizos and indigenos
(Juarez was a Zapotec). Regardless, his personal story is one of
the most remarkable in the history of the Americas. He said,
“Among individuals, as among
nations, respect for rights beyond one’s own is peace.”
March 24.
Here today, gone
tomorrow
The world’s most famous magician and escape artist, Harry
Houdini, was born on this day in
1874. A new biography suggests
that his public profession was a
cover for his covert role as a spy
for both England and the United
States. Believe it…or not?
Ye’ll come and find the place where
I am lying. And kneel and say an Ave
there for me. –from danny boy
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Alejandro Xolalpa
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Juarez
phone num [email protected]
here
044 55 2519 9591
March 2007
Mexico’s
Macro and
theWorld
Economy
Macroeconomic stability lets us
address other problems Jonathan Heath S
Jonathan Heath is HSBC’s Head of Research and Chief Economist for Mexico.
Born in Mexico to Canadian parents,
Mr. Heath is one of the most respected
macroeconomists in the country.
INSIDE MEXICO: Recent reports predict that by 2050 Mexico’s economy
could be the world’s sixth largest. What
do you think?
JONATHAN HEATH: Well, there is no
simple answer. Recently I was reviewing
a report I gave in 1986. Back then we
were at the peak of the hyperinflation.
The 80s was a no-growth decade. We call
it the lost decade. The debt burden was
high. People were crying that there was
no hope. It was a doomsday scenario.
Today, inflation is at 4 percent. Back
then inflation was over 100 percent and
the margin of error was 10 percent!
Now we’re arguing about half-a-percent
margin of error. Who cares!?
Mexican economic history is one of
external debt and chaos. The few times
we’ve had low levels of external debt
we’ve been able to make real economic
progress and achieve economic stability.
If you don’t have macroeconomic stability, you can’t address poverty, unequal
income distribution, or employment.
IM: Where should Mexico focus for
economic success?
JH: What’s the way forward? Well, I
think we need a very flexible economy.
If you’re not continuously investing in
technology you’re falling behind.
We are living in a competitive global
economy. It’s not good enough to just
grow. Right now, if China is growing at
200-300 kilometers an hour and we’re
moving at 30-40 KM/H, it seems we’re
doing great. But we’re actually losing
ground.
If our grandfathers had a factory,
they could do the same thing every day
for thirty or forty years. That’s an obsolete formula now.
IM: In terms of economic strategy
does Mexico have to choose between an
educated work force and cheap labor?
JH: The ideal labor force would be
like Germany’s or Switzerland’s. Those
are the most productive economies in
the world. If you can have high productivity and better wages, it’s a win-win.
Cheap labor means competing with
China. I would never compete with
China. The average Chinese laborer is
screwed! The wage differential between
China and Mexico is ten-to-one. Imagine
if we were to pay Mexican workers one
tenth of what they’re earning now.
We do have one advantage over
China: we are close to the US and can
deliver just-in-time production in a way
they can’t.
IM:What about developing tourism
as a linchpin in the Mexican economy?
JH: They have been talking about
tourism as the hope of the Mexican
economy for 30 years, since they built
Cancun back in the 1970s. Well, Cancun has one of the highest concentrations of hotel rooms anywhere, but it
hasn’t helped. We need to sit back and
assess it. Was tourism the wrong sector? Or was it the right sector but we
don’t know how to do it?
IM:What about alternative fuels?
JH: We should develop the potential,
but look at ethanol. Corn, sugar and
Jonathan Heath received a degree in Economics at Anahuac University in Mexico City.
He did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania before starting his professional career
in the Ministry of Budget and Planning (SPP). Later he joined Wharton Econometric Forecasting Associates in 1983, as Director of the Mexican Project. There, he developed a macroeconometric model of the Mexican economy. Before joining HSBC, he started and ran an economic
consulting network. He writes a regular column for Reforma.
Sign up for
[email protected]
March 2007
free
oil are all linked together. Oil goes up
and people demand more corn. Yellow
corn in particular yields many products, ethanol is one, and high-fructose
corn syrup is another. The demand for
ethanol goes up and then the price of
sugar also goes up. These are all joint
markets. People say, “What?! Why is
corn going up?” But it’s all linked.
IM: How important do you think the
influx of American and Canadian retirees will be to Mexico?
JH:I was in Panama City a few
months ago and there were four residential high rises, each over 100 stories. Where are these people coming
from? Retired couples from the US
and Europe, who’ve saved money all
their lives, and now they’re looking for
a cheaper place to retire, and a higher
standard of living. They’re looking for
countries like Panama and Mexico.
But Mexico is probably losing out.
We’re not giving what these other
places are giving. We’re not as flexible.
We need to work hard to attract these
retirees, because at the end of the day,
everyone benefits.
IM:What about NAFTA? Has it been
good, bad or indifferent for the Mexican
economy?
JH:The best thing about NAFTA is
it gave Mexico the ability to produce its
own foreign exchange, and made us a
more export-oriented economy. When
you produce your own foreign exchange,
you reduce your debt load. If you started with these expectations, NAFTA has
been a success. If you thought NAFTA
was going to solve poverty, well, then
it’s a failure.
But what NAFTA did do was cement
macroeconomic stability. Now we can
focus on solving the other problems. An
absence of macroeconomic stability is
like driving at night with no lights. You
can’t see where you’re going. NAFTA
gave us lights. Now we can concentrate
on driving.
IM: What economy is a good example
for Mexico?
JH:Chile. Without a doubt they are
the regional example to follow. They
are a success story no matter how you
look at it.
home delivery
in the D.F.
tep back. Look
at the big numbers. See the stunning
economic interdependence between the US
and Mexico.
* all monetary values in USD
$213.4 Billion worth of
goods exported by Mexico in
2005
87.6% Of 2005 exports
went to the US
1.8% Of 2005 exports went
to Canada
$223.7 Billion worth of
goods imported by Mexico in
2005
55.1% Of 2005 imports
came from the US
7.1% Of 2005 imports
came from China
47 Approximate number of
countries with which Mexico
has free-trade agreements
$6,770 2005 average per
capita income
20% Of the population
earns 55 percent of the income
1 World rank of Mexico for
production of avocadoes,
onions, limes, lemons and safflower seeds
4% The contribution of
agriculture to GDP
27.9% Of rural Mexicans
lived in poverty in 2004
$89 Billion of US capital
invested in Mexico between
1999 and 2006
$16 Billion invested by Spain
in Mexico between 1999 and
2006
$62 Million invested by
China in Mexico between 1999
and 2006
$18 Billion remitted annually
to the country by Mexicans
living abroad
Sources: World Bank, CIA Factbook, Wikipedia, Mexican Economic Secretariat
InsideMéxico [ ]
guadalajara
How to get there By car: Leave Mexico City via
the Toluca highway (57D) and
follow the signs. Toll road costs
$554 pesos and takes 6 hours.
By bus: Near-hourly departures
from morning until midnight
from Mexico City’s northern bus
station. Fare is $410 pesos. Book
online www.estrellablanca.com.mx
By air: Daily flights on AeroMexico and Aerolineas Azteca
from Mexico City, from usd
$196 RT. Fares and booking at
www.travelocity.com
worth seeing
Plaza de Armas
Arrive early for a spot around
the bandstand and enjoy free
concerts from local groups.
Wednesdays, Thursdays and
Sundays at 6:30 p.m.
Arena Charros
Av Doctor R Michel 577, Col.
San Carlos Tel: 3619.0315
See cowboys bust broncs and twirl
their lassos. Tournaments, escaramuzas, music. Sundays at noon.
Mercado Libertad (also
known as San Juan de Dios
Market)
Av Javier Mina and Calz. Independencia
Have a taco with handmade tortillas in the food fair and swing by
the bruja stalls on the third level.
Open seven days a week
Plaza de Toros
Nuevo Progresso
Pirineos 1930, Col. Monumental
An impressive ring for witnessing
the grand tradition of bullfighting.
Regular schedule from October
until spring, otherwise check
Ticketmaster for dates.
Plaza de los Mariachis
Close to the intersection of Av Javier Mina and Calz. Independencia
Raise a glass in tribute to the
birthplace of mariachi music and
admire the statues along the top
of the buildings. Plenty of places
for a beer and a serenade.
Chivas Training Centre
(known as Valle Verde)
Watch this year’s hot young players show their stuff. The address
isn’t public but this Chivas country-- most taxi drivers will know
how to get you there. Training
sessions throughout the week,
but always the morning of the day
before a game. Check www.chivas.
com.mx for details.
[ ] InsideMéxico
Mexico’s Heartland
T
The
biggest
small
town in
Mexico
offers
something
for
everyone
Text and Photos by Quade Hermann
patrol on mountain bikes. Every taxista is a voluntary guide, offering tips and sharing stories
hursday night. Plaza de Armas. The
with a wink and a smile. Feel free to practice
pale stone of the cathedral glows
your Spanish with them. One even had a Spanwarm orange in the setting sun.
ish–English dictionary, just to be sure we were
Conversations along the benches in
talking about the same thing.
the plaza are set to the low, sweet
If you’re a cowgirl at heart, this is the definitemusic of violins and trumpets.
ly the town for you. The state of Jalisco is considSome folks tap their
ered to be the home of the
toes, as they listen to the
charreria –rodeo – which
band play favorites in the
was decreed Mexico’s nacolonial–era bandstand.
tional sport in 1880.
Others watch toddlers
Every rodeo features
run through flocks of cooten events and in addiing pigeons, scattering
tion to being a measure
them into clouds that lift,
of a cowboy’s skill, each is
circle the plaza – once,
At 4.1 million people,
its own ritualized grand
twice – and settle again.
Guadalajara is Mexico’s
pageant. There are many
Over the childrens’ desecond largest metropolirules for ‘authentic’ charlighted laughter you can
tan areas. Residents of the
ros, right down to the outhear the rustle of feathers,
city, founded on January 5,
fits they wear. Shirts, for
wings beating the air.
1532, are known as “tapatios”.
example, must be light–
It’s the kind of serenity
coloured, and the buttons
you don’t often find in the
made of bone.
heated chaos of a big Mexican city.
There are experts on hand to coach the asBut that’s the thing about Guadalajara. It
piring cowboy. Visit El Charro, on the corner
manages to offer a traveler all the urban deof Juarez and Molina in the centro historico.
lights you expect from a city of four million,
They have traditional outfits, as well as more
with few of the distresses.
American–style boots, buckles and hats. You
Traffic moves efficiently. Shops are plentiful,
can’t miss it; there’s a life size plastic horse in
and open every day. The streets are clean and
the doorway.
the sidewalks unclogged by ambulantes. Police
The closet mariachi can also get outfitted
March 2007
Children chase pigeons in the Plaza de Armas
This fountain makes a beautiful bike rack
here. The purple velveteen women’s traje with gold botonadura got me fantasizing about starting my own band.
And the sombreros are to die for.
If the prices are too high in this famous shop (or the
ones nearby) just stroll down Juarez to the awe–inspiring Mercado Libertad where you will find everything you
need – including the guitar – at a fraction of the price.
Strolling comes naturally in Guadalajara’s centro
historico because it’s laid out in a series of old plazas
connected by pedestrian–only streets. Admire the old
churches, modern art, and beautifully restored colonial–
era buildings, then take a rest on a bench by a gushing
fountain and watch the tapatios go by.
You won’t need a guidebook to find your way from
plaza to plaza, though one will help you identify the
many points of historical interest.
Be sure to enjoy all the beauty along the way, but don’t
miss out on a few important somber moments.
In the Callejon del Diablo, the devil’s alley, you can
tour the mansion that was the seat of the Holy Spanish
Inquisition in the region.
Or step into the Catedral Metropolitana, which is
almost as old as the city itself, and join the dumbstruck
crowd around the glass coffin of the Incorruptible Saint
Innocence. She was murdered by her father for converting to Catholicism, and the child–size doll has the
blackened relics of her hands (in lace gloves) beside a
container of her blood.
When you’ve had enough of relics and incense, catch a
little live entertainment and Guadalajara’s futbol fever.
With three teams, Chivas, Atlas and Tecos there’s a lot
to be feverish about. So skip the museums and churches,
and head out to the Chivas training center.
At this peaceful suburban enclave you can stand
alongside hardcore fans to watch El Bofo chase a ball
around the cancha.
Afterwards, try to get your jersey autographed – a
special souvenir from Guadalajara that few others will
have. (see sidebar) ❚
March 2007
Ancient Dogs
Breeding Mexican history
by Quade Hermann/Photo by Luz Montero
A woman looks once at the small, pink-skinned,
hairless dog, and then looks again. Fidel Giménez
smiles. He’s used to double, even triple, takes. In a
sunny park full of golden-haired retrievers and fluffy
spaniels, his xoloitzcuintli (pronounced sho-lo-itzCWINT-leh) stands out.
“The first time you see them maybe you don’t
know what to think,” he chuckles. “You don’t know
if they’re pretty or ugly or what.”
Not hard to see why Sholos, as they’re called,
might be considered ugly. Small-boned and delicate,
they have large bat-like ears, narrow faces, and long
bony tails. Many are completely bald, but if they do
have any hair it’s on their toes, the end of their tails,
and the tops of their heads. Because they have no
fur, their bodies are hot to the touch.
7 months-old Cualli (Giménez gives all his dogs
Nahuatl names) doesn’t shy away when I run my
hand over her soft skin. They’re smart dogs, says
Giménez, loyal, and very affectionate. Cualli gives
my calf a good sniff, then curls around it, eyeing the
bigger, hairier dogs trotting past.
Cualli looks exactly like her ancestors did some
3,500 years ago. Sholos were first raised by the Aztecs for companionship, comfort, and, according to
archeologists, food. They also played a crucial role
in religion, believed to have the ability to guide their
owners safely across the great river and into Mictlán,
the afterlife.
“It’s our nation’s breed,” says Giménez proudly.
His father started breeding the dogs more than 40
years ago. “My father’s a patriot, a man very interested in Mexican culture and everything Mexican,”
he explains. “And it’s the same way with me.”
When Giménez’s father started breeding Sholos
in the late 1960s there were just a few hundred
left in the world. The remaining dogs were kept by
Mexican nationalists, artists and intellectuals, and
in isolated villages in the Sierras where the Aztec
nobility had fled to escape the conquest, taking their
Sholos with them.
Now in a kennel outside Mexico City, Giménez
and his family breed the dogs carefully, working
hard to maintain the ancient characteristics. They
are among the handful of committed breeders who
have brought Sholos back from near extinction, to a
worldwide population of 5,000.
“Ten or 15 years ago it was very rare to have
somebody asking for a puppy,” says Giménez. “Now
I get inquiries every day, from Mexico and also from
different countries.” He’s sent dogs as far afield as
Finland and Israel. And last year, one of his dogs was
a champion at the World Dog Show in Poland.
Giménez puppies start at $1000 USD, but he
takes pains to point out that his family is not getting
rich; raising Sholos is not a business for them, but a
passion. “You just have to love these dogs,” he says,
bending down to give Cualli an affectionate pat.
“Once you get one you most likely won’t have own
any other breed again.”
InsideMéxico [ ]
Canine
Chic
This upscale Colonia Roma eatery
has gone to the dogs
by L o r r a i n e O r l a n d i
P hotos by L uz M ontero
H
izashi peers down his regal, wet nose as the camera bulb flashes. Today the
champion Siberian Husky is starring in his own
birthday celebration, a classy production
at a small, swank cafe on an gentrifying
block in Roma Norte.
Hizashi conducts himself with a dignity befitting his Old World bloodline …
until the cake arrives. It is shaped like
a giant dog bone, and the ostrich liver
biscuit on top sends Hizashi’s practiced
poise flying out the window. He shoves
his face into the mashed potato and
lamb’s liver icing.
Woof.
Welcome to the Bow-Wow Deli. People
are warmly accepted here, but dogs are
catered to with love. Inspired by similar
establishments in Japan, the Bow-Wow
may be the surest sign yet that this developing nation of more than 100 million
people (and countless dogs) has one paw
firmly in the First World.
The decor is understated chic, with a
whiff of Paris Hilton. Whimsical displays
hold $1000 peso hand-woven collars imported from Germany and rhinestonecovered leash grips. The menu offers
gourmet coffee, green tea and, for fourlegged foodies, those homemade ostrich
liver biscuits.
On a typical afternoon some patrons
smoke and gossip and sip lattes. Others
pant and drool and lick the floor. All are
valued customers for owner Miki Nikai, a
36-year-old dog lover from Nara, Japan.
“I want people without doggies, people
with doggies, all to share a nice atmosphere,” says Nikai, who greets all customers with a shy smile, and sometimes
a scratch behind the ears. But no matter
[ 10 ] InsideMéxico
your pedigree, the rules apply: no leash,
no service. Fighting and excessive barking are prohibited.
Mexican society is changing, and that
is true for dogs as well. If Birthday pooch
Hizashi exemplifies a class of canine that
is increasingly popular here, then his
master, 22-year-old Adriana Alvarez,
represents a new breed of pet owner.
Especially in a nation where dogs have
traditionally subsisted on leftover tortillas. Once a week, Hizashi eats raw tuna
or salmon with his dry croquettes.
Alvarez, a university student in graphic design, made place cards for Hizashi’s
party guests. And there was the $150
peso lamb and vegetable cake. Seems
like a lot of luxury for a dog, but Alvarez
has no doubt her pet is worth it.
“He helps keep me in contact with
nature, with my equilibrium,” she says,
her dark sweater bristling with white
dog hair. “This city is stressful. I brush
him, we play, and I forget everything.
We are very good friends.”
Bow-Wow owner Nikai moved here
six years ago with her husband, a Mexican chef (who cooks for humans) whom
she met while working and studying in
New York.
They adopted a skittish African greyhound with a sensitive stomach and
Nikai began cooking for him. She researched dog nutrition on the internet
and bought books on the subject.
“It’s the same thing as when you have
your first baby; you become very sensitive to food,” she says. On his birthday she baked her dog a
cake. Then she started baking them for
her friends’ dogs. Soon she was making
them to order. She uses flour, egg and
pureed liver for flavor. No milk, sugar
or chocolate, all of which are tough on
canine digestive tracts. Following her
chef-husband’s lead, Nikai is strict about
Make a wish: Hizashi savors his birthday cake.
the freshness and quality of the food she
serves.
In a crowded city brimming with
neighborhood eateries, the Bow-Wow
may be the only one where a man’s best
friend is not just tolerated but honored.
“For me it’s very gratifying to serve
dogs as if they were people,” says Ivan
Galindo, 20, who worked as a Bow-Wow
waiter until starting veterinary school in
January. “It shows they’re appreciated.”
Until recently, Nikai saw little demand in Mexico for an establishment
like hers. But since she opened the cafe in September customers have, well,
lapped it up.
“In the past couple of years I see
peoples’ customs toward dogs changing
drastically,” she says.
Still, she is not insensitive to the notion that her shop reeks of First World
decadence. Dog treats sell for about $50
pesos per bag, a few cents more than the
average daily minimum wage in Mexico
City. But Nikai aims to perform a service
for dogs and their devoted masters.
“Sometimes I feel so guilty. In Mexico
there are people who cannot afford food,”
she says. “But at the same time, there are
people like me who are not rich, but they
want to do something special for their doggie, even if it is just one day a year.” ❚
Bow-Wow Deli.
Located at Medellin #40-A, Colonia
Roma. Tel: (55) 52084171; Web: www.
bowwowdeli.com;
email: [email protected] Open
Monday through
Friday, 9:30am8:00pm, Saturday
9:30am-3:30pm,
closed Sunday
March 2007
Bag Check
Carry your stuff in style
this spring
Photos by Luz Montero
Sinaloa Satchel
(Cadillacs sold separately)
$520 pesos
By Tres Tetas
At: Kong
Colima 143, Col. Roma
1054 6094
Go gold
Handbag
$1100 pesos
Manola
Álvaro Obregón
185, Col. Roma
5208 8290
Anda como burro
en primavera: Compares someone to a
donkey with strong,
springtime reproduction
needs.
Habla como perico:
A person who talks too
much is like a prattling
parrot.
Backpack Basket
A backpack? A basket? It’s both!
$360 pesos
By Oqram Diseño
www.oqramdesign.com
Dime
Álvaro Obregón 185-B
Colonia Roma
Camarón que se
duerme, se lo lleva
la corriente: The
shrimp that sleeps is carried
away by the current. A person who gets distracted
won’t end up where he
wants to go.
Cocktail
Party Chic
$1542 pesos
Manola
Álvaro Obregón 185,
Col. Roma
5208 8290
Floral Fun
Purse: $400 pesos
Wallet: $195 pesos
By Sensacional
www.sensacional.com.mx
At: Kong
Colima 143, Col. Roma
1054 6094
Animal mania
Más vale pájaro
en mano que cien
volando: A bird in the
hand is worth more than
100 in the air. A twist on
the common, Englishlanguage expression.
Feed your pockets
These wallets made from
recycled snack wrappers
will keep your money
toasty and tasty
Large: $70 pesos
Small: $35 pesos
By bagabunda
At: Kong
Colima 143, Col. Roma
1054 6094
Hijo de tigre, pintito: The son of a tiger is
the same. Like father, like
son.
Con un ojo al gato
y otro al garabato:
One eye on the cat and
another on the meat hook.
Keeping an eye on two
things at once.
Pata de perro: Literally, dog foot. Someone
who roams or wanders.
Livtopia.com is the leading online site bringing people
from all over North America to great places in Mexico.
Our totally bilingual Concierge service regularly provides:
• Realty Assistance to find the perfect home
• Visa Procurement Assistance
• Insurance (Health, Automobile, House)
• Relocation Services
• Automobile Permits
• Tax Specialist Referrals
cintillo livtopia.indd 1
March 2007
Many of these services we can offer for free.
Visit us online, we can do all this and help you
find the perfect home in places all over Mexico.
www.livtopia.com
www.mexretire.com
21/2/07 23:34:35
InsideMéxico [ 11 ]
higH
FAShION
Artisans’
Mecca Hosts
Designer CAROLINA HERRERA takes a turn
on Oaxaca’s cobbled streets
B y M a rg ot L e e S h e tt e r ly
[ 12 ] InsideMéxico
photos by Patricia Cerezo
M
arch in Oaxaca is warm, the
skies sharp blue like glacier
ice. Blooming jacaranda trees
bathe this southern city, a
beehive nestled in the Sierra
Norte mountains, in a purple mist.
A year ago, Venezuelan fashion designer
Carolina Herrera brought her understated elegance to Mexico, first to Mexico City to open
one of her signature CH boutiques (the first
in Latin American) then to Oaxaca, for Moda
Mexico International, a two-day fashion spectacle that took over the former convent Santo
Domingo and transformed that icon of the
Oaxacan patrimony into a runway.
The simmering political situation was still
more than two months from erupting into direct confrontation, and the city buzzed about,
bartering for the hard-to-come-by tickets,
gossiping about the celebrities who would or
would not be making an appearance (“I hear
Brad Pitt’s flying in today!” “Is that Naomi
Campbell there on the corner?”). Barriers
around the massive bronze-hued building
kept curious locals at bay, then parted just
wide enough to let in the svelte, the miniskirted, those wearing wraparound sunglasses or fabulous exotic-pelt boots.
Into the middle of the frenzy walked Carolina Herrera, timeless and gracious in a white
suit. Her first time to Oaxaca, Herrera spent
the day before the event perusing the panoply of textiles found in the local markets
and lunching with artist Francisco Toledo
(“He’s a very attractive man…such wonderful
hands.”)
Herrera’s models take to the runway in a collection inspired by 18th century Viennese prints.
Venezuelan-born Herrera is one of the
fashion elite, a designer whose classic style
has earned her financial success, the respect
of her peers, and loyal clients. The international society girl was late to entrepreneurship. At 40, she left Caracas for New York
to make a go of the fashion biz, her husband
and children in tow. And though most would
scratch their heads looking for links between the wealthy woman whose business
is based on an image of effortless luxury
and the daily lives of many of the women in
Mexico’s second poorest state, Herrera begs
to differ.
March 2007
March 2007
Los Folkloristas
Singing Mexico’s
past
by Beatriz Mancebo
M
PHOTO BY Carolina Herrera New York
“I was not supposed to have talent,” she
says. “When I started this business, they
thought it was a whim, that I’d never last.
Well I showed them.”
“People look at an indigenous woman from
Oaxaca, a poor woman, and they make a
judgment and write her off. They don’t consider the talent that might lie beyond those
preconceptions.”
Herrera has a clear point of view on her
work and her profession. “The role of fashion
is to please the eye, it is not intellectual.”
Does fashion matter, then?
“Of course fashion matters. Fashion is
for everyday. It brings us beauty. Fashion
improves civilizations.”
The weekend’s crowd is overwhelmingly
chilango, a slice of Mexico City society airlifted and transported en masse to Oaxaca. In
fact, there was quite a brouhaha over how few
Oaxacans—guests, press, even local designers—received invitations. Herrera, when told
of the situation, was surprised.
“I wasn’t involved in the planning of the
event,” said Herrera, “and I certainly don’t
support that. Oaxaca has offered up its resources and welcomed us here, and of course
Oaxacans should be allowed to enjoy this.”
At night, stage lights inside Santo Domingo painted the colors of the sunset on
the convent walls. A demimonde of celebrities, stylists and fashionistas gives interviews and mugs for cameras. Beautiful
Oaxacan girls dressed in brightly colored
traditional dress, their hair adorned with
ribbons in the style of Oaxaca’s isthmus culture shepherd guests to their seats. Backstage, models, skinny like exquisite praying
mantises, turn up their faces for painting
and shimmy their slender forms into the
designer’s confections.
Herrera sits up front. There are other designers showing, such as Mexico’s Carlos
Demichelis, but she is the center of attention.
When her models parade down the runway,
the crowd takes pleasure in both Herrera’s
skill and the confident personal style that
shows in the work.
“My inspiration comes from many places,
from books, from memory. This collection was
inspired by a late 18th century movement in
Viennese prints and decorative arts, from a
show I saw in Paris.” The clothes have classic lines but are adorned with bold prints,
with pink, brown and periwinkle dominating
the color scheme.
“One dresses according to the times,” she
said. “We must translate our inspiration
for the time in which we are living, so that
the clothes are not folkloric. That is what it
means to be modern.”
The last model leaves the catwalk, and the
audience comes to its feet. Herrera limps to
a podium to receive an award for her distinguished career, her white suit now set off by
a painted purple cane, support for an ankle
twisted on Oaxaca’s cobbled streets. She gives
a short speech of thanks to the evening’s emcee and the crowd, then gingerly, but gracefully returns to her seat. ❚
Backstage,
models prep
for their
turn on the
catwalk.
Oaxaqueñas
in traditional
dress served as
hostesses for
the event.
Carolina
Herrera
strikes a
pose with
two young
fans.
exicans have a long, richly textured, and
sometimes turbulent, history. Along the
way, some of that history was set to music.
Mexican musica folklorica; stories of love lost
and found, adventure, conflict, sacrifice and
times gone by.
Los Folkloristas was founded in 1966 by
people passionate about preserving and
recording the traditional music of Mexico
and Latin America. From the beginning, they
have worked hard to be faithful to the original
sound of the old songs; they play instruments
authentic to the time period and place of the
music’s origin. In each concert you will hear
as many as 70 instruments, collected from
all over the region, some from very remote
places.
Folkloric music has been handed down
through the generations by oral tradition; there
are few written scores. Los Folkloristas repertoire includes everything from a pre-Hispanic
Mayan lullaby to Son Jarocho. During a single
concert, you will be treated to as many as 20
different types of music.
El son is a danceable music played mainly in
Jalisco, Veracruz and Nayarit. Locals take to the
floor and dance in the zapateado way, striking
hard with every step. The rhythm of the song
is created in part by the sound of heels hitting
wood.
La valona verses employ typically clever
Mexican humor to give songs double meanings. For instance, the last word or sentence
of a stanza might be repeated in the following
stanza, but used in a different way, seeding
the song throughout with funny double-entendres.
At one point the Catholic Church tried
to suppress the Son Jarocho. Apparently the
church took exception to the frequent use
of sexual double-entendres and tendency
to make fun of religion, death, and even the
church itself.
And for the pre-Hispanic music, from the
first moment I heard the song Raíz Viva, I fell
in love with the unique sounds of the 20 or
so drum and wind instruments. Not all the
instruments in this version are traditional; in
the original piece musicians played the triple
flute of Texexexpan, Veracruz, the triple flute of
the Golf, and the Toltecas flutes. Even so, this
haunting instrumental piece will transport you
to an ancient past rich with myths, gods, and
natural beauty.
If you want to experience all this yourself,
you’ll have a chance this month. Los Folkloristas will be playing in Mexico City. Keep an eye
out for dates.
For more information and tickets, see their
website www.losfolkloristas.com.mx.
InsideMéxico [ 13 ]
Curious faces greet
visitors to one of the
shelter’s patios, where
the dogs are free to
play and hang out
together.
[ 14 ] InsideMéxico
March 2007
dog tales
Aclean
welllighted
place
Presencia Animal rescues
Mexico City’s lost, abused
and abandoned animals,
and offers them safe
haven.
March 2007
InsideMéxico [ 15 ]
K
by T a r a F i t z G e r a ld
P h oto s by L u z M o n t e ro
ena stands trembling on the surgery table as two
vets carefully tend to the multiple burns and scabs
on her body, covering them with ointment and gauze
and then bandaging her carefully. When they are
finished she looks more bandage than dog, but she
never cries or complains.
Kena was brought to the Presencia Animal pet shelter in January after a reporter who was called to a warehouse fire found her
tied up inside the burning building. She is just one of 75 dogs and
34 cats that, after being abandoned, lost or mistreated, currently
live at this haven run by Dr. Jose Luis Genis.
“I like this work because it is more varied than
simply working in a veterinary clinic,” says Dr.
Genis, a soft spoken man who has worked at
the shelter for 10 years. As we go from room to
room in this house that serves as a pet orphanage, he talks to the animals, strokes one, and
then picks up another for a cuddle.
“Not all the animals that arrive here are
mistreated, but many of them are. We also get
dogs and cats that have been rescued from the
street. Some have been abandoned and some
are merely lost,” Dr. Genis explains.
Presencia Animal opened its doors to the
waifs and strays of the animal kingdom 20
years ago. Since then it has worked not only to
care for these abandoned creatures, but to educate people on how to be better pet owners.
From the street, the shelter looks like just
another house. There’s no sign and it doesn’t
publicise the address so that people don’t abandon animals on the doorstep. Instead, there’s an
answering service where people can leave questions about adopting a pet, or information about
a rescued animal. The staff return all calls, and
will arrange to pick up an animal if necessary.
From the moment I walk in, the Presencia
Animal shelter feels more like a home than a
shelter. In the kitchen, small dogs romp freely,
while others sun themselves on the front and
back patios. Dr. Genis explains that where
each dog is kept depends largely on size, temperament and the type of attention required.
“For example, the dogs that are here [on the
back patio within sight of the surgery] tend to
be the more timid animals. They need attention
because most of them have been mistreated,
and here they have more direct contact with
us throughout the day,” he says.
Of course, many of the dogs are caged because they are aggressive or overly energetic,
but even these cages are spread throughout the
rooms of the house. The place is light and airy
and people come and go constantly.
The cat kingdom – one large room dedicated
to the three dozen feline residents – is at the
back of the house. There are scratching poles,
cubby holes for chilling out, toys and bells scattered over the floor, and a huge wooden playhouse for climbing.
Tiny, fluffy kittens purr and street-wise
toms, veterans of one too many brawls, stalk.
As he surveys the scene, Dr. Genis notes that
some of these cats will never be adopted be[ 16 ] InsideMéxico
cause they are simply too wild and won’t even
let people touch them. He’s a pragmatist, realizing that he will never be able to save each
and every animal that arrives at the shelter.
It is too late for the shelter to help one scrawny little black-and-white cat with a lopsided
expression. “This one will have to be put down
today because his body is not absorbing nutrients any more. There’s nothing more we can do
for him,” Dr. Genis says as he places the tiny cat
in a cage so that the others can’t steal his food.
For the dogs and cats that Dr. Genis deems
adoptable, Presencia works hard to find them
homes. On the shelter’s website you can browse
photos of the animals and fill-in an online adoption
application form. All the animals are guaranteed
to be healthy, sterilized and fully vaccinated.
There are strict conditions for the adoptive
family as well. A prospective pet owner must
answer questions about past pets and why he
no longer has them, his reasons for adopting a
new pet, and the conditions in which it will live
(e.g. inside or outside the house).
Once its high standards have been met, the
shelter delivers the adopted pet to its new home.
But their responsibility doesn’t end there. The
adoptive family must agree to a follow-up visit to
check on the animal’s health and wellbeing.
“Our aim is to get five dogs adopted per
week,” says Dr. Genis, adding that so far this
year (to mid-February) 31 dogs have been adopted. In 2006, Presencia found new homes
for 246 dogs. “Normally people hear about us
through our website or through advertisements
that we place in newspapers,” he adds.
Dr. Jose Luis Genis, the
is responsible for the dayas well as ensuring that th
responsible, loving owner
to give a little affection, as
Virtual Adoption
Presencia also has a “virtual adoption” program for the animals that are old, disabled or
in need of constant medical care, and as such
have little or no chance of being taken into
someone’s home. Donations to the program
ensure these animals will live out their lives on
the secure and peaceful grounds of a large farm
outside of Mexico City with 24 hours care and
all the love and freedom they need.
In return for an annual donation of 1,200 pesos
the sponsor receives a photo of her adopted pet,
as well as monthly updates on how it is getting
on. Presencia arranges annual visits to the farm.
At the moment, about 130 dogs and 50 cats are
being cared for by sponsors who have signed on
through the virtual adoptions program.
And here’s one of the lucky ones.
Silvia, a volunteer at the shelter, tracks
down the owner of lost French poodle
Nacho and arranges to have him delivered home within a few days.
March 2007
Two poodles recuperate after their
neutering operations.
All the animals that
arrive at the shelter are
sterilized as a matter of
course in order to prevent health problems
and overpopulation.
Then there is the nursery assistance program for kittens and puppies recuperating
from starting life on the street and that are
still too young to be adopted. Donations help
care for them until they have grown up a bit,
received all their vaccines and medical treatments, and been sterilized. At that point they
are ready to go to a good home.
Volunteer Work
director of the shelter,
-to-day care of the animals,
hose who are adopted go to
rs. But he’s never too busy
s Mosh here can testify.
Presencia Animal keeps photographic
records of all its animals that are up for
adoption, as well as those that have found
new homes.
March 2007
The shelter is open every day from 9am-4pm for
official business, but there is always someone
there taking care of the animals. The four regular
staff members are helped by about six volunteers.
In addition to Dr. Genis, there is another vet that
visits three days a week and performs the more
complicated surgical procedures.
Although the shelter welcomes volunteers,
they want to be sure they’re getting the right
people. “We have a person who is dedicated to
interviewing potential volunteers,” Dr. Genis
explains.
Sylvia has been volunteering at Presencia
Animal for about two years now. “I decided to
volunteer after I rescued a dog from the street
and a friend told me about the adoption programs they run here. I love animals – I have a
dog and six cats at home – so I am just glad to
be able to help,” she says.
Presencia Animal promotes sterilization –
“Sterilize and Save Lives”– something that some
Mexicans are often loath to do. “People here are
less likely to sterilize their pets because they
want puppies or kittens,” says Sylvia. “But then
they just end up throwing them out on the street
because they can’t find homes for them.”
The shelter sterilizes all its animals and encourages pet owners to do the same. As well as
preventing animal overpopulation, Presencia
says it can help animals lead longer, healthier
lives by preventing uterine, ovarian, breast and
testicular cancer.
Meanwhile, my visit ends on a happy note
when Dr. Genis discovers that a French poodle
named Nacho who was brought in to the shelter is wearing identification tags. He probably
has an anxious owner who is looking for him.
A quick phone call confirms Dr. Genis’ suspicions and arrangements are made to return the
mop-headed pooch to his rightful home. You
can almost see Nacho smile when Dr. Genis
says, “You’re going home boy! You’re one of the
lucky ones.” ❚
Make Contact
Presencia Animal
www.presenciaanimal.org
Tel: 5135-5343 (in DF)
[email protected]
(for information on virtual
adoptions)
Cambia un Destino
– adoption center
www.cambiaundestino.com.mx
Tel: 5219-3610 or 5219-3611
(in DF)
Business hours:
Mon-Fri 9.30 am-7.30 pm,
Sat and Sun 12 pm-5 pm
adopciones@cambiaundestino.
com.mx
Prodefensa Animal A.C.
(prodan), Monterrey
Rescues mistreated and
abandoned animals; offers
pet for adoption; gives talks in
schools on caring for animals
and promotes pet sterilization, among other activities.
Plutarco Elias Calle No. 307
Col. Tampiquito
Garza García, N.L. 66240
Tel: 8478-0566 (Monterrey)
www.prodan.org.mx
Bank account:
BANORTE 147026358
Checks should be made out to
Prodefensa Animal A.C.
Donations can be made
online.
More links about animal
adoptions and shelters on
Presencia Animal’s website.
InsideMéxico [ 17 ]
Luneta, one of the
shelter’s older residents, belies her age
with her spectacular
jumping ability.
What’s going on out
here? Luneta makes
an acrobatic break for
freedom.
Kena rests on the floor of the
surgery after a bandage change.
[ 18 ] InsideMéxico
Kena was rescued from a
warehouse fire
and brought to
the shelter by a
reporter called to
the blaze. Presencia Animal is
appealing for donations to fund
her costly medical
care.
Cubby holes for cats. The three
dozen feline residents of the shelter
have their own room filled with toys
and a wooden playhouse.
March 2007
the
tip
Pet Travel Advice
Import regulations vary widely from country to country, so you need to do your research and start
the process well in advance. It will help a lot if you work with a vet who’s familiar with the regulations
of the country where you’re going.
Pet Travel Scheme (pets)
Information
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/
quarantine/index.htm
www.perrosdemexico.com.mx
A great resource for dog owners in Mexico
USDA Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service
(aphis)
www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/
iregs/animals/
Provides links to international
export/import regulations for
many countries.
Mexico City vets experienced
importing and exporting pets
Dr. Samuel Yelin
HosPetAl
Toluca Libre
Tel: 5259-5840
Dr. Hector Sánchez
Clinica Animal de Bosques
Duraznos
Tel: 5596-1672
Immigrant pets
B y M i c h e ll e M. S t ro u d
F
or corporate families that move often
between countries, owning a pet can
seem like a domestic luxury beyond
reach. The prospect of the sticky red tape
that comes with transporting animals across
national borders had, until recently, kept my
family pet-free.
That changed for us one night in Chapultepec Park. A weak, young, flea-ridden German shepherd – soon to be named Roxy -won our hearts. When we lifted her into our
car, we embarked on a journey that would
teach us all that is involved in preparing a
pet for the transient life of an executive with
a global corporation.
Avoiding Quarantines
It’s a dog’s life. Two puppies chill out
on the back patio.
March 2007
Many countries require animals to be detained at the border until authorities are
positive that they are disease (and particularly rabies) free. However, there are ways to
shorten these quarantines and even to avoid
them altogether.
In our case, we may not know where we’re
going practically until we’re packing the
house. So as soon as we adopted Roxy, we
began preparing her to travel at a moments
notice. In a situation such as ours, it’s a good
idea to follow the guidelines for a country
whose regulations are strict, just to increase
the likelihood that you’ll be covered no matter where you go. The island nations, Great
Britain, Japan, and Australia, tend to have
the toughest requirements.
We chose to follow the British guidelines
because they’re demanding enough to satisfy
the requirements of most European countries
and many others. Until recently, Britain had
a mandatory six-month quarantine, which is
not only costly, but can be traumatic for the
animal. Now, with the introduction of their
new “pet travel scheme” (PETS), it’s possible
to bypass pet prison.
In order to do this, we had to implant a
microchip in Roxy’s shoulder. The point of
the chip is to prove that Roxy is the same
dog whose rabies vaccination numbers are
recorded in the accompanying paperwork.
Without that proof, she would be tossed into
quarantine.
However -- and here’s the tricky part -the chips most often used in Mexico aren’t
always readable by British scanners, and
the chips in Britain usually can’t be read by
the scanners here. There’s no universally
accepted “chipping” system.
You have a choice. You can either insist
that your vet order a chip from the country
where you’re going, or you can implant the
Mexican chip and bring along a Mexican
scanner that the foreign authorities can use
to match your pet to her paperwork.
Once Roxy got her chip, the next step was
a rabies vaccination, followed by a blood test
a few weeks later to confirm that the shot
had worked. This process isn’t just time consuming, it’s expensive. The chip, the vaccination, and the blood test will cost you upwards
of $250 USD.
And there’s more… six months more. Roxy
won’t be cleared to travel for six months after
her blood test.
Final Steps
Before we leave Mexico, Roxy will go back to
the vet for a final exam and a health certificate declaring that she’s okay to travel. At
the Mexico airport, we’ll present that certificate and the vaccination records to the Office
of Animal Health. They will issue a second
certificate, the Guia Sanitaria, before Roxy
leaves the country.
Since most receiving countries and many
airlines will have their own requirements
vis-à-vis health certificates and vaccinations,
be sure you have everything you need in
hand before you leave the vet’s office. ❚
InsideMéxico [ 19 ]
[ 20 ] InsideMéxico
Sobremesa
The world of chef
Martha Ortiz
One of Mexico’s culinary
greats dishes on literature,
feminine cuisine, and the
taste of patria
B y M a rgot L e e S h e t t e r ly
L
et’s dispense with the obvious: the food at Aguila y Sol
is, by all measures, excellent:
a Four Forks review from
Reforma. Several prestigious
Star Diamond awards by the American
Academy of Hospitality Sciences. Acknowledgement by the international luxury and travel press as one of the world’s
best restaurants. And, not least of all,
multitudes of satisfied customers, who
continue to crowd the elegant Polanco
dining room five years after its opening.
For the restaurant’s owner and Executive Chef Martha Ortiz, however, the
sense of taste is just the staging area for
a ritual dedicated to the culture and history of Mexico.
The first thing you notice in Ortiz’s
office, located in an understated building next door to the restaurant, are the
books, stacked in shelves, piled on her
desk. Slender with long dark hair, Ortiz, model glamorous in photos, is earthy
and accessible in person. “I’d love to be
a literature PhD,” she says, and there is
more than a hint of the academy in her
bearing and resume; Ortiz began her career studying the Sociology of Food and
the History of Gastronomy.
In 2001, after years of writing about
food—she has penned eight cookbooks
on Mexican regional cuisine—and offering consulting, photography, PR and art
direction to others’ culinary projects, she
launched Aguila y Sol, with the mission of
creating “a total experience of the senses”
through Mexican gastronomy.
“Each plate is a little story,” Ortiz
says, “a little film that you can eat.” It
becomes clear that for Ortiz, food is a
multidimensional thing, its qualities extending beyond taste, color and texture
to encompass even characteristics such
as gender.
“Think about tortillas—there’s a woman caressing and forming the tortilla with
her hands,” she says. “Mexican cuisine is
profoundly feminine. But strong, the way
Mexican women are strong. What these
women do, it’s really like magic…. [they]
have to invoke the wind, the water, the
fire, the earth….from nothing.”
“Patricia [Quintana, chef of restaurant
Izote] and I were the first to offer authentic Mexican cooking in an upscale setting.
Martha Ortiz’s
eclectic approach
to classical Mexican
cuisine has earned her
international acclaim.
photos by guillermo kahlo
omnivore’sdilemma
Taste
The dining room is a “ritual space”
dedicated to Mexican culture and history
Now we’ve been joined by many others.”
Today, Ortiz is a star on the international
chef circuit, her name often mentioned in
the company of France’s Daniel Boulud,
Napa Valley’s Alice Waters and Spain’s
Ferran Adria.
Watching Ortiz prepare her dishes is
to witness not so much food preparation
in the traditional sense as a meticulous
production of the plates, a poet writing
and editing with colors and textures. The
presentation is overwhelmingly appealing to the eye: into a green avocado soup
in a tomato red dish, she places a taro
chip, inserts two chive quills and paints
a tiny “beauty spot” of red chili oil.
Some in the food world question Ortiz’s
culinary bona fides, grumbling that her
success is the triumph of marketing over
skill. There is no question that the appearance of the food, the atmosphere in
which it is presented, even the names
of the dishes are of utmost importance
to her. The imagination of the girl who
dreamed of being a princess at Mitla (the
ancient site of the Mixtec empire, in Oaxaca) is evident in names like María va a
la florería (a dessert decorated with flowers from Xochimilco) and Rosca de Reina
Magas (the traditional Día de los Magos
pastry with a feminine twist).
“I’ve developed a culinary utopia,
based not just on the act of eating, but
in tasting bits and pieces of the history
of my country. [Mexican food] gives us
identity. For example, chiles en nogada,
mole Oaxaqueño and sopa de tortilla, they
all carry Mexican pride.”
“I like to expose myself to other disciplines,” Ortiz says, and perhaps it is this
hunger for company beyond the world of
cooking that causes some to bristle.
She’s currently working on a cookbook called México: tú que a todo me sabes, a delicious play between the words
“to taste” and “to know”, with no direct
English translation but which might be
expressed (less eloquently) as “Mexico
you are my taste”. Friends, such as the
famed Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta (who built the Camino Real Hotels,
among others) have contributed essays
to the book, which will be published later
this year.
Asked about plans to expand Aguila y
Sol, she admits to having an interest in
a Madrid outpost (“it’s the ‘conquista del
regreso’ she says) and has been invited to
open one in Los Angeles.
“I want Mexican culture to travel the
world,” she says. “It’s the voyage of the
eagle.”
If she succeeds, many more people will
learn to taste the rich colors of Mexican
earth and sky and history. ❚
March 2007
i n g r e d i e n t s (Servings:4)
•500 g sweet whipping cream
•3 egg yolks
•1 tablespoon toasted and
ground chile ancho, or to taste
•90 g bittersweet chocolate
•75 g bitter chocolate
•1 pinch of salt
•Whimsical corn cookies (see
recipe)
Ceremonial Avocado Soup
i n g r e d i e n t s (Servings: 2)
•150 g peeled, pitted avocado
•1/2 chile serrano, or to taste
•10 g sour cream and
•30 g coconut milk
•100 ml chicken broth (fat free)
•1/2 teaspoon cilantro seeds
(coriander) crushed
•1 pinch oregano
•20 g green apple cut in cubes,
for decorating
•20 g peeled cucumber in cubes
•1 teaspoon dry coconut seasoned with chile
•Scallion, for decoration
•Salt, to taste
•Oregano Vinaigrette, to taste
p r e p a r a t i o n
H
p r e p a r a t i o n
eat the cream in a pot;
when it begins to boil,
carefully add egg yokes;
then, add ground chile with
the chocolates and a pinch of
salt. Cook until completely
mixed. Pour into bowls and
refrigerate. Serve with the
“whimsical” cookies. (see
recipe) iquify the avocado with
the chile, cream, coconut
milk and chicken broth. Add
the cilantro seeds, oregano
and salt. Pass the mixture
through a colander and refrigerate. Serve in soup bowls,
decorating with cubed apple,
cucumber, coco enchilado and
scallions. Finish with a dash
of oregano vinaigrette.
Oregano
Vinaigrette
Whimsical
Corn Cookies p r e p a r a t i o n
p r e p a r a t i o n
ix the vinegar with the
mustard; add salt and
pepper to taste. Add oregano, then oil. Beat until all
ingredients are thoroughly
mixed. ix sugar and egg whites.
Add flour, cocoa and
butter. Drop dough in circles
on non-stick cooling pan and
bake at 200º C. Give the cookies whimsical forms immediately after taking them out of
the oven.
L
i n g r e d i e n t s
M
photos by luz montero
M
(Yield: Approx. 150 milliliters)
•2 tablespoons white wine
vinegar
•1 teaspoons dijon mustard
•2 teaspoons dried oregano
•125 ml olive oil
•1 tablespoon fresh oregano
mashed
• Salt, to taste
• Ground white pepper, to taste i n g r e d i e n t s
• 3 egg whites
• 125 g white sugar
• 100 g wheat flour
• 25 g corn flour
(Servings: 12 cookies)
• 25 g cocoa
• 50 g melted butter atasteofaguilaysol
Crema de Cacao
With Whimsical Cookies
a good meal demands a good wine
for so many good reasons
oscar wilde 9
col. polanco, méxico, d.f.
5282 1066
5280 1834
[email protected]
March 2007
InsideMéxico [ 21 ]
La Cava
winewise LESSON 2
the nose
wine
knows...
by ca r lo c i b o / p h oto s by lu z m o n t e ro
A
roma may be more important to
your appreciation of a wine than
taste.
PART 1 - THE NOSE: A HISTORY
T
he best wines possess
the richest aromas.
Those that aren’t as
good are aromatically poor,
and our sense of smell tells
us the difference. A wine’s
“nose” as it’s called, reveals
much about its identity, origin and quality before you
even put it in your mouth.
In fact, smell may be the
most important sense for
expert
choice
Carlo Cibo
Each month,
we’ll bring
you a fresh
perspective
on the wines
we drink and
why we love
them.
[ 22 ] InsideMéxico
tasting and enjoying wine.
A large part of what we call
the “taste” is really “aroma.”
(You know this because when
you have cold you can’t taste
your food.) In addition to telling you about the wine, the
bouquet can conjure intense
memories of people, places,
and emotions; it’s an olfactory prelude
to the carnal
gratification on your palate.
The aromatic information that is processed by our
brains, therefore, mingles
with previous experiences.
For this reason, it’s fundamentally important that a
good wine taster, as well as
an aficionado, taste wines often so that the aromas lodge
in her memory.
Nearly 500 aromatic com-
Everyday
Wines
Wine for daily use that are good and
inexpensive – under $150 pesos.
LAN Crianza
100 % Tempranillo
Bodegas LAN
D.O.C. Rioja, España
The color is cherry red with ruby background. Complex combination of aromas.
The aging process created an aromatic balance between the oak (from the casks) and
mature fruits. It’s an expressive wine, with
sweet and elegant tannins. Accopanies stews
and dry cheeses. You can find it in supermarkets for an average price of $140 pesos.
pounds have been detected in
wine and can be organized in
the following manner: primary aromas that come from the
grape and are the most fresh
and fruity; secondary aromas
generated during the fermentation process are more intricate than the primary aromas; tertiary aromas are the
most mysterious, elegant, and
complex. These result from
the chemical changes that occur as the wine ages.
This multiplicity of aromatic compounds is a function of the soil, climate, age
and type (or types) of grapes,
the ripeness of the grapes,
as well as the materials and
technology used during the
winemaking and aging processes.
Special Occasion Wines
With a good quality/price ratio, these
wines offer intense flavors and make
excellent gifts. At less than $500
pesos, they are worth the price.
Cinco Sentidos
Malbec
Finca Algarve
Mendoza, Argentina
This wine is clean and brilliant. Its
intense red-violet color glimmers with
hints of ruby. Delicate aromas of ripe
plum and cherry enter the nose and repeat on the tongue. In the glass, you will
smell hints of vanilla and leather, which
come the time spent aging in the cask.
Enjoy it with pasta, a fondue or a grilled
steak. You can find it in specialty stores
and a few restaurants, such as Entrevinos
in Polanco for $200 pesos.
March 2007
PART 2- THE NOSE:
IN PRACTICE
Paying close attention
to the “nose” will increase
your enjoyment of the wine.
Many people worry that
they’re not going to be able
to detect as many aromas
as they think they should
be able to. Smelling wine
is really about practice and
concentration. If you pay
more attention to aromas
around you – plants, spices,
the earth, flowers, fruit, vegetables, bread, cooking food
– you’ll also improve your
nose for wine.
Keep your glass on the
table and swirl it so that air
mixes with the wine. Then,
quickly, lift the glass to your
nose. Stick your nose as far
into the glass as you can without touching the wine and
smell it. Free associate: is the
smell fruity, woody, intense,
light? Wait a moment and try
again. (Your nose gets tired
fast, but recovers fast, too.)
Listen to what your friends
say and try to find the aromas
that they smell. The important thing, after this ritual of
swirling and sniffing, is that
you discover smells that are
pleasurable and interesting…
and that you have fun.
Note: Bad aromas exist too.
Wine is a natural, agricultural
product. When a wine is damaged it’s immediately noticeable in the aroma.
Luxury
Wines
These wines can be enjoyed now, or
kept for a later date.
Gran Ricardo
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc y
Merlot
Bodegas Monte Xanic,
Valle de Guadalupe, B.C., México
This is a great Mexican wine with
primary aromas of strawberry and wild
raspberry in front, and a background of
cedar, chocolate and anis. It’s smooth
and velvety with amazing balance. This
fine wine can be enjoyed by itself or with
entrees such as beef Wellington and
baked leg of lamb with rosemary. It will
compliment the strong flavors of venison, duck, goose, as well as aged cheeses. You can find it in specialty stores for
an average price of $650 pesos.
March 2007
InsideMéxico [ 23 ]
Health
The Fixer
TACOS a healthy option
Taking out the bad
won’t make you miss
out on the good
Understanding rental
requirements in Mexico
by G eo rg i n a
del Ángel
P h oto s by
L u z M o n t e ro
One of the double-edged
luxuries of eating in Mexico
– getting a licuado or a
tamal on the street corner, a
quesadilla in the market, a
taco at the local joint – is forgetting about those nagging
nutritional labels that stalk
us in the supermarket. In a
foreign country, it’s all the
more tempting to imagine
that calories and cholesterol
simply don’t count. (Come on
– tacos al pastor are tiny!)
Yet living here doesn’t
mean we’re on permanent
vacation from paying attention to what we eat. Inside
México’s nutrition columnist steers you toward better
choices, without suffering
total taco avoidance.
A
bove all the regional dishes that
identify each state
in the country, the
taco is like the national flag
of food, Mexico’s common culinary banner.
Since pre-Hispanic times
the taco has been a basic
food of the Mexican people.
Conquest-era chroniclers
Bernal Díaz del Castillo
and Don Fray Bernardino
de Sahagún explicitly narrate how the indigenous
diet consisted of a tortilla
made from maíz. On the tortilla the indigenous people
heaped vegetables, beans,
turkey or quail, chapulines
(grasshopper), gusanos de
maguey (worms), tadpoles
or snake meat. Then they
rolled it up and ate it.
Tortillas, a healthy
food
Every nutrient has a function inside the human body,
which is why it’s important
to recognize which ones are
found in any given food.
[ 24 ] InsideMéxico
Fia-what?
D
Healthy taco suggestions
•Lean meats (chicken, fish,
beef)
•Any type of fresh vegetable
that isn’t fried (flor de calabaza,
nopales, spinach, etc.)
•Legumes (beans)
•Tortillas de maíz (tortillas de
harina – flour – contain salt
and fat)
Remember: To keep calories down, tortillas de maíz should be grilled
(a la parrilla or a la plancha) or roasted (asada) and never fried (frita).
The body’s ability to create
healthy cells and maintain
a state of well-being depends on those nutrients.
The Mexican corn tortilla’s
high nutritional content offers our bodies lots of benefits; it contains calcium and
dietary fiber, without adding
fat or salt (unlike flour tortillas, which do).
How to make
a healthy taco
The difference between a
healthy and an unhealthy
taco is what’s inside the tortilla. Given the countless
varieties of tacos, when it
comes time to order, how do
we make a healthy, balanced
choice? The important thing
is to choose a filling with
high-quality nutrients, and
to remember that everyone
has particular needs. In general, an obese person with
high blood cholesterol should
choose grilled white meats
like chicken or fish, legumes
and grilled vegetables. Someone with anemia should
eat red meat at least twice
a week, and legumes and
grilled vegetables as well. A
pregnant woman should opt
for grilled white meats, green
vegetables and legumes, and
red meat once
a week. ❚
Georgina del Ángel is a nutritionist and researcher at the Salvador Zubirán National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City,
specializing in nutrition and the treatment of chronic and
degenerative diseases. Any questions? [email protected]
B y M aya H a r r i s
ays, weeks or
even months after scouring the
classifieds, talking to realtors and touring so-called “rooms with a
view” you’ve finally found
the perfect rental property
and you’re anxious to end
the search and settle in.
Sound familiar? If so,
you know that the work
has only just begun.
Renting property in
Mexico is a civil act, regulated by each state, and in
Mexico City (as well as in
most other states) rental
law includes a fianza or a
fiador. This means that beyond the renter’s contract,
and security deposit, the
landlord also requires a
personal guaranty contract,
committing a third party
to assume the obligation of
the lease in the event that
the renter defaults.
Essentially, someone
– an individual, organization or institution– has to
vouch for the renter.
Many landlords will first
ask for a fiador. A fiador
or guarantor, is a property
owner (individual or company) who co-signs with
the renter. A fiador must
have real estate registered
in her name. This property
can be held as leverage if
the renter doesn’t pay. Depending on how the contract is constructed, landowners can legally sue the
fiador directly without first
suing the renter.
Despite the risk incurred, it’s common practice to co-sign for the sake
of a friend: “I trust the people I’ve done it for, and I’ve
never had a problem. If I
can help friends simplify
their process, I’m happy to
do so” says Cristina Garcia,
who has agreed to be a fiador for numerous friends.
However, this is where
many new arrivals run into
problems. Many of us arrive
without personal contacts
or a sponsoring company.
Unfortunately, we immigrants often lose out on our
dream rentals because we
cannot turn up a fiador. It
feels a little awkward to ask
someone you’ve just met to
risk their personal property
for your sake.
Lacking a fiador, a renter may be allowed by the
landlord to purchase a fianza – bond contract – from
an afinanzadora – financial
institution specialized in
performance bonds.
Fianzas are, essentially,
landlord insurance paid by
the renter; the renter pays
a premium (around 10% of
a year’s contract) so that
the institution will assume
liability in the event that
the renter defaults.
Although small property
owners often discourage
this option, Phillip Hendrix
of Coldwell Banker recommends fianzas to landlords because they can go
directly to the afianzadora
to recoup lost rent instead
of suing someone.
Landlords who have
had very bad experiences
have been known to ask for
both a fiador and a fianza,
though “if you have a fiador – there is no need to
spend the extra money on
a fianza. One or the other
should be enough,” says
Patricia Hogan, of International Relocation Services.
The moral of this tale? If
you are new to Mexico and
need a place to live, look
for close, property-owning
friends while you’re scouting those apartments.
Happy hunting! ❚
Next Month:
Step-by-step advice on
getting a fiador and acquiring a fianza.
Please send comments and questions to: [email protected]
March 2007
Market Meter
What’s does
$1,ooo,ooo
pesos get you?
T
BY C at h e r i n e D u n n
P HOTOS BY L u z M o n t e ro
hat Polanco palace is probably a pipe
dream, but for a price tag of a million
pesos you can turn up decent-sized
apartments in good, centrally located
neighborhoods.
Nuevo León 221, Condesa
92m2, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom,
communal terrace, street parking
The 35-year-old yellow building,
across Baja California from the heart of
Condesa, was completely renovated in
2000, and the current owners added
hardwood floors to the living room/
dining room about six months ago.
They also built a bar that partitions the
kitchen and living room area, an excellent set-up for entertaining.
Wall-to-wall carpet covers
both bedrooms, which look onto
the building’s terrace. The master
bedroom (which is accompanied
by its own bathroom) comfortably
fits a king size bed and comes with
a full wall of deep built-in closets
and shelves. The second bedroom is
smaller and has no closet. The full hall
bathroom is little.
The kitchen is divided in two by a
wall of pantries and cupboards – more
storage! The cuarto de servicio, off the
kitchen, fits a washer and dryer. As the
only apartment on the ground floor of
a nine-apartment building, it has more
privacy, though less sunlight.
Cuauhtémoc 1378, Santa Cruz Atoyac
68 m2, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath,
1 parking space, 24-hour
security + elevator, small gym
and rooftop terrace
Hunkered alongside fourlane Av. Cuauhtémoc, this
one-year-old complex puts
you across the street from Del
Valle, a five-minute walk from
Metro Zapata, and a short jaunt
from Plaza Universidad. There
are banks, supermarkets and a
movie theatre close at hand.
The living room/dining room
is compact, as is everything in
this laminate-floored apartment.
The natural light coming through
half-frosted windows opens
up the space a bit. A cuarto de
servicio off the kitchen can fit a
washing machine and an extra
pantry. Counter and cupboard
space are limited, and there is no
additional storage.
The bedrooms, one slightly
larger than the other, don’t
come with closets. The view of
the mechanic’s shop in back is
not much to look at, but in the
distance you see the silhouettes
of mountains. An $800 peso/
month maintenance fee covers
the small communal gym, which
includes a treadmill, an elliptical
machine, and a weight machine.
Obrero Mundial 239, Navarte
97 m2, 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 parking space, no
elevator, 4th floor
You’ll get a workout climbing
to the fourth floor, but the treetop level perch is a darn good
reward. Parts of Obrero Mundial are traffic-busy and not so
pretty, but this block is shaded
by greenery. Highlights include
the living room/dining room
with floor-to-ceiling windows
and a balcony, and the charming kitchen with glass-paned
cupboards and rustic tilework.
Arched doorways line the
hallway off the dining area. The
black-tiled bathroom has two
entrances: one off the hallway
and one from the master bed-
room. Of the three apartments,
it is the only one with a vanity
sink instead of a stand-alone
model. In the two smaller bedrooms the closets are awkward,
built out of the wall instead of
inset. Remodeling would fix it.
There is no cuarto de servicio,
but on the roof is a common
room for installing your own
washer and dryer.
For more information on these apartments and real estate
in Mexico, email [email protected].
March 2007
InsideMéxico [ 25 ]
RealEstate
Inside México
Talks with
Óscar Cedillo
CloseUp
City Streets
A Roma
resident’s
love of DF’s
gritty side
Photos
by Luz Montero
The building is located
on a leafy street in Colonia
Roma.
Stunning wood floors
reflect the space’s natural
light.
An antique bathtub
provides a touch of luxury.
The bar stands ready for
an after work drink.
[ 26 ] InsideMéxico
I nside M éxico : What do
you do?
Ó scar C edillo : I’m the
head of the Community and
Culture sections at the daily
newspaper Excelsior.
IM: How did you get your
start in journalism?
OC: Print journalism was
never my passion; I had always wanted to work in film.
But I started working at the
newspaper El Financiero in
‘96-’97, after leaving school.
I started writing articles,
then I went from there to
Reforma, where I worked
in the Justice section, then
to Metro (Reforma’s daily
tabloid). That’s when I really fell in love with what I
was doing. I love the popular
aspect of the job. I love seeing the sordid side of life: the
kidnappers, the thieves, the
prostitutes, the gangsters…
I’ve interviewed them all. In
the streets I meet all kinds
of people. I’m energized by
the theatre of the street.
IM: Your walls are covered
with art and images from
film. Where did this interest
come from?
OC: Actually, I’ve always
been interested in film.
My father is a real cinephile. Before I was even old
enough to read, my dad and
I would go to the movies together. We’d watch the films
and eat a roast chicken. I
learned everything about
film and saw the great
icons like El Indio Fernández. We’d go to all kinds of
theatres, from the piojitos
(popular cinemas) to the
nicest ones. We saw classic
films, Mexican films, international films, good ones,
San Judas
Tadeo, the
patron saint
of difficult
cases, keeps
watch over
Cedillo’s
apartment.
bad ones, everything. I even
remember seeing these horrible Russian films.
IM: What are your favorite
films?
OC: The Godfather, Scarface
and Taxi Driver. I love Martin Scorcese’s sensibility.
IM: Why did you choose to
live in Colonia Roma?
OC: I lived in Condesa for a
long time, before it was fashionable. It’s a great neighborhood but I got tired of the
traffic and all the people. A
friend of mine was living in
this building, and he told me
about this apartment. I’ve
been here for three years
now.
I grew up in [nearby Colonia] Doctores, so Roma for
me is like the same old familiar barrio. It’s great to be
with the people, to be in the
streets, to convivir. I have a
good relationship with the
people around the neighborhood, like the zapatero and
the señora down the street
who sells quesadillas.
I’m completely at home
in Mexico City… I can’t get
enough of the luchas, the
cantinas and the popular
markets. I go the beach for
a few days and I get antsy
to be back here.
IM: Do you think the gentrification of neighborhoods
like Roma is a bad thing?
OC: I don’t think so. The
neighborhoods aren’t losing
something, they’re getting
better. The aesthetics are
improving. I can have my
comfortable apartment here,
and still have the life on the
street. Like a lot of formerly
popular areas – Escandón,
Condesa, Navarte – in Roma
you get the neighborhood,
but now you get the services
too. It’s the best of both.
Mexico is a very visual
place, the language of the
barrio is visual. People come
from outside and find value
in the popular way of life,
which we ourselves don’t
always do, since we’re in it
every day and can’t see it.
But I’m very proud to be
from the barrio. It used to
annoy me when intellectuals
would come here and consume the culture, but now
I want them to have it and
understand it. The way I see
it, they can come and get inspiration and write about it,
but I’ve already lived it. ❚
March 2007
Staying in Touch
Flying
Smart
How to get the most
from your air miles
By Jamie Rosen
I love frequent flyer miles. I once
flew nine times in one day back and
forth between Boston and New York
just because Pan Am was running a
promotion that offered 5,000 bonus
miles each way.
So when I moved to Mexico two
years ago, I was pleased to find that
Mexico is a fantastic place to live if
you’re a frequent flyer junkie. That’s
because Mexico is considered by most
airlines to be in the same “zone” as
the rest of North America. For example, airlines that will fly you from
New York to London for 50,000 frequent flyer miles will also fly you
from Mexico City to
Istanbul for the same
50,000 miles (which
I did with my wife in
October).
From a cost perspective, this makes
about as much sense
as the US Postal Service charging the 39
cents to deliver a letter, whether it’s going
from one side of Manhattan to the other or
from Boston to Seattle
(or from Puerto Rico to Guam, if you
really want to stretch the point).
When it comes to regular tickets,
airlines usually match the price to
the distance. But when it comes to
frequent flyer tickets, for some reason,
airlines see the world as big zones:
North America, Europe, Asia, etc.
This is a windfall for anyone living at
the edge of one of these zones. Just to
quantify the point, a round-trip economy-class ticket from New York to London on Continental costs $497; from
Mexico City to Istanbul, $1938. But if
you use miles, you’ll pay the same for
both: 50,000 OnePass miles.
For hardcore travelers who ob-
From Mexico
City to
Istanbul,
cash in when
you live on
the edge of
the North
American
airline zone.
March 2007
sess about making the most of every mile, this is only the beginning.
Since I go to New York regularly, I
take advantage of another perk: the
free stopover.
When flying Continental I can use
miles to take a vacation in Europe
and stop – for free – in New York on
my way home. That’s because Newark is a gateway city for Continental
and considered a “natural” routing
point between Mexico and Europe.
For these trips, I fly direct from
Mexico City to Paris or Amsterdam
(on one of Continental’s partner airlines, Air France or KLM) and then
take Continental on my way home
with a stopover in New York for several days. For 50,000 miles, which
is just 15,000 more than it normally
costs to fly from Mexico City to New
York, I get a trip to Europe without
having to double-back (and pay for)
a second trip to New York.
Another variation works for people
who divide their time between the
US and Mexico. For example, suppose you live in Atlanta and spend
winters in San Miguel de Allende.
Rather than cash in your frequent
flyer miles for a round-trip ticket
(30,000 miles on Delta), use 20,000
more miles and add in a trip to Europe too. How? This is not for the
faint-of-heart as it requires some
deft scheduling, but in theory you
can book a 50,000 mile frequent flyer
ticket from San Miguel to Atlanta
on March 1, stop in Atlanta for six
months, then fly to Madrid to brush
up on your Spanish before heading
back to San Miguel for the winter.
To get the most from your miles,
you’ll have to spend some time learning the ins and outs of various frequent flyer programs. It took me
years and many flights on the Pan
Am Shuttle to get the hang of these
Byzantine systems. A good place to
start is www.webflyer.com ❚
InsideMéxico [ 27 ]
Doing
the math
A startup company
brings solar power to Mexico
Here comes
the sun
BY M a rg ot L e e S h e t t e r ly
Luz Montero
W
hen it comes to solar energy potential,
Mexico is, ahem, light years ahead of
many places in the world.
“Germany is currently number one in terms of solar energy
production, but Mexico gets five times as much sun as Germany,” says Gleb Kouruznetsov, Director General of Grupo
ECOS, a Mexico-City based compan dedicated to the production and sale of efficient and alternative energy product. “This is
a huge opportunity for us.”
Formed five years ago by four students and two professors at Mexico City’s Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de
México (ITAM), the company’s mission is to protect the
environment and contribute to social well-being through the
use of energy technologies.
Alfredo Villafranca is a professor of the Ethics of Development at ITAM and an ECOS partner. He’s worked for years
with non-profits providing services to underserved communities and saw starting a business with strong social values as the
best way to extend the impact of sustainable development
projects. One of the company’s steadiest sources of revenue
comes from selling solar-powered light “kits” for installation
along highways, in remote pueblos and in other areas as of yet
untouched by the electricity grid.
“The effect of bringing light and power to these areas is
great. There’s a little restaurant in one of our pueblos, a very
simple place selling quesadillas. With no electricity, they could
only work during daylight. Now, the family has doubled their
work hours and their income. It’s changed their lives.”
The cultural resistance, however, even among those who
It would require
about $500,000
pesos to take a house
entirely off the grid,
but even smaller panels ($5-$7 USD per
watt, per panel) can
reduce your monthly
bill. The actual
amount of energy
generated depends
on factors including
pollution, angle of
the sun and type of
panel installed. See
www.grupoecos.com.
mx for more information, email info@
eco-sistemas.com.
mx or call Gleb Kouruznetsov at 5681
7126.
Villafranca: Solar energy makes environmental and
economic sense.
stand to benefit most, can be strong. “Some towns see the
lights as a stigma,” says Villafranca. “They say, ‘These are for
poor people. We want lampposts, like rich people have.’”
Kouruznetsov cites what he calls “cortoplazismo”– unwillingness to invest for the long term – on the part of governments
and corporate executives as another barrier to surmount. But he
remains hopeful, saying he expects the next five years will bring
energy reform in Mexico, as well as technological breakthroughs
and a global explosion in the market for alternative energies.
Villafranca echoes the optimism, but is frank about the
consequences of a world addicted to carbon-based energy,
and a Mexico which wants its cars, computers and air conditioners, just like its northern neighbors.
“The demand for power is far outstripping what can be
delivered,” Villafranca says. “If we don’t do something soon
the system is going to break.”
Energy stored during
the day shines all night.
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[ 28 ] InsideMéxico
EVERY SALE HELPS US PRESERVE AND PROTECT
ALTIPLANO’S DELICATE DESERT ECOSYSTEM.
March 2007
farewells
Marilyn
Greenwald
1924 – 2006
by Catherine Dunn
“She loved jokes, loved to travel.
She was a real fabulous companion.”
V
icky Sylvan met
Marilyn Greenwald
in 1951 or 52. Marilyn was modeling French
designer clothes for a
charity fashion show at El
Patio, the it social spot in
the Centro. Marilyn, says
Vicky, was gorgeous and
glamorous.
The two developed a
friendship that lasted until
Marilyn died Dec. 2, 2006
in Mexico City.
Marilyn’s uncle was
a man named Martin
Temple, a vegetarian who
started a fur business in
the Mexico City. Martin’s
brother, Jack, brought his
wife, and two young daughters, Marilyn and Elaine,
here from New York after
the 1929 stock market
crash.
The Temples lived next
to Parque México in Hipodromo. The colonia’s secular ambience (it had only
Your help
is life
To lend your support
to patients who cannot
cover their medical
expenses contact
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(55) 2624 2306 & 07
or consult our website
www. fundrenal.org.mx
March 2007
– Friend Katharine Miller
two Catholic churches) attracted many Jewish immigrants, like the Temples,
as well as refugees from
the Spanish Civil War. The
Temple sisters went to the
American School, then on
the corner of Insurgentes
and San Luis Potosi.
After high school, Marilyn went off to New York.
She became a hat model
– “it sounds terribly oldfashioned,” says her sister Elaine Menassé – and
posed for magazines, including True Confessions.
She also worked for a commission focusing on Latin
America issues that was
chaired by Nelson Rockefeller.
Marilyn fell in love with
a co-worker at a New York
department store. She and
Jack Greenwald, World
War II vet and Bronx native, eloped and ended up,
after a few years, in Mex-
Marilyn
Greenwald
during her
modeling
days in New
York.
Photo courtesy Elaine Menassé
ico City where Jack went
to work in the Temple
family’s fur and tannery
business. The couple had
two sons, Steven, an anesthesiologist who lives in
Chicago, and Mauricio, an
industrial psychologist who
lives in Mexico City.
Marilyn made friends
wherever she went. “People enjoyed her,” Elaine
says. “That’s an enormous thing – to be entertained, amused, comfortable.” Vicky Sylvan echoes
Elaine’s assessment. “She
was just fun to be around
… she had flair.”
Together,Vicky and
Marilyn created the Art
Corner, a charity fundraiser at Beth Israel synagogue. Forget jams and jellies, they thought. Instead
the two recruited artists
to donate works to a good
cause. The Art Corner was
a big success and a precursor to the American School
Art Fair.
Ever elegant, and a consummate shopper, Marilyn
loved to buy things and
loved to give presents. For
kicks, Marilyn and her
friend Katharine Miller
liked to watch a home shop-
ping show that auctioned
semi-precious gems. The
pals would call the show to
bid on a jewel, and crack up
laughing to hear one another’s voices on the TV.
After her husband died
in the early 1980s, Marilyn
globetrotted on numerous
group tours and cruises.
China, Japan, Hong Kong,
Singapore. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia.
She convinced her sister to
accompany her to India, a
country that overwhelmed
and affected Marilyn. The
place got a hold of her,
Elaine says, and she came
back more spiritual.
Later, the sisters went to
Egypt, where they floated
down the Nile. On that trip
they visited Jordan and the
magnificent carved city
of Petra. In Turkey, they
toured the ruins of Troy.
Marilyn would always
say, “Let’s go, let’s go,”
Katharine Miller recalls.
“She wouldn’t even think
twice.”
Marilyn celebrated her
80th birthday with her
family, including her two
sons and two grandsons, by
taking a cruise that passed
through the locks of the
Panama Canal.
“She wasn’t a sweet old
lady one bit,” Elaine said.
“You don’t have to be sweet
to be kind.”
?
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kidneys
OK
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Find out if you are at risk:
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InsideMéxico [ 29 ]
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extranjero en México porque
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ese mercado!
¿Estás interesado en llegar al mercado angloparlante en México?
¿no hablas ingles y no estás seguro de cómo comunicar tu mensaje?
¡puede
ayudarte!
Desde el concepto hasta el diseño, nos aseguramos
de que nuestros clientes obtengan lo mejor
de los anuncios que publican.
Contacto: [email protected] Telefono: 55 5574 42 81
[ 30 ] InsideMéxico
March 2007
The Back Page
Gringo, is a gringo,
is a gringo, is a gringo?
by
F
Rossana Fuentes-Berain
Telling the difference between differences
ew Mexicans can talk about the
US without at least paying lip service to history, and we remember
that it was the Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln – a Republican – who opposed the 19th century war in which half
of Mexico’s territory was taken as booty.
But then again, it was with Democrat
Bill Clinton that we signed that same
war’s armistice as NAFTA was being
passed more than 150 years later.
And so, when I am asked which US political party’s victory is better for Mexico,
my immediate answer is, which Mexico?
A Mexican, is a Mexican, is a Mexican,
is a Mexican? I quote, honoring dear old
Gertrude Stein.
Personally, I have more Democrats as
friends. But I can live pretty well with
Republicans from California or the East
Coast. Current Texas Republicans, at
least those inhabiting the White House,
are harder for me to swallow.
But the fact of the matter is that I truly
believe both Mexicans and Americans
have to be understood in a more personal,
and less partisan, fashion.
Washington, D.C. and Mexico City have
entrenched bureaucratic and political bodies that try to paint us all in their colors.
However, at the end of the day, our identities are too complex for simple answers. You
might as well ask, which loves his neighbour better, a donkey or an elephant?
Speaking of visiting the neighbors, a
left-leaning Mexican friend of mine (who
distrusts anything coming from the US)
recently joined me on a visit to friends in
Cranberry, New Jersey. It’s a small community, with a mixed bag of middle-of-theroad Republicans and Democrats.
When we arrived, she couldn’t tell the
difference between them. I could, but then
again who cared? We had a wonderful
weekend, with lots of good food, conversation, and human warmth.
On the train back to New York she
asked if any of those present had voted
for George W. Bush. Probably, I said. She
Rossana Fuentes-Berain is
Managing Editor of the El Universal Op-ed
pages and Editorial Board member and founder
of Foreign Affairs en Español. She is a member
of various NGOs working to advance the freedom of access to information in Mexico.
March 2007
couldn’t believe it.
How could she have enjoyed their company if they had voted for Bush? Well, for
the same reason our hosts enjoyed hers,
even though she had cast her ballot for
López Obrador – the personification of the
Big Bad Wolf for the Wall Street-types
around the grill.
We were just enjoying each other’s
company. No one was trying to pin down
the party loyalties of the other guests and
judge them for it.
Political polarization doesn’t make life
easy for anyone, and only leads to country
and culture bashing. Still, political parties
do it because they think it’ll gain them
electoral mileage. But no matter what
they claim, no political party – Republicans, Democrats, priistas, perredistas or
panistas – represents all Americans or all
Mexicans. Democracy be welcomed!
Within the confines of a stereotype any
simple definition is possible, but look at
real human beings and you’ll have a harder time showing that, a) all Americans are
greedy and will steal our national goods,
as well as our dignity if we let them; or b)
all Mexicans are corrupt, lazy and always
ready to deceive an American.
None of the political parties – here or
there – offer an honest picture of the complexity of the relationship between our
two countries.
The truth is that Democrats or Republicans are as good or as bad for certain Mexicans, as priistas, perredistas, or
panistas are for certain Americans.
Democrats and Republicans alike have
attention deficit disorder vis-a-vis Mexicans on both sides of the border.
Priistas, perredistas and panistas have
yet to figure out how to relate to the million or so Americans who live in Mexico,
or the many more Mexicans and MexicanAmericans living in the US.
So, better to concentrate our analysis
on how to get past party politics, because
no matter who is in office, they won’t be
there forever.
Are we doomed by the fact that our
elected politicians just don’t understand
that Mexicans and Americans mostly like
each other?
Not really. I think there is hope, because
despite all our prejudices, most of us enjoy
a good mixed party, where Mexicans and
Americans of all stripes take themselves,
and each other, at face value.
For when
you want
your story
told right:
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InsideMéxico [ 31 ]
r e s ta u r a n t s · b a r s · s h o p p i n g · M USEU M S & m o r e !
look for more
Back to School
The new Guide page
on classes G6
Local Resources
Emergency numbers
to clip & save G4
March Calendar Art attack in the
Centro Histórico G5
Classifieds G7
ect
coll l!
l
’em a
This year marks the centennial of Frida
Kahlo’s birth, July 6, 1907 in the Blue House,
now a museum that draws droves to the
home the painter once shared with husband
Diego Rivera.
Photo by Luz Montero
Of paseos
and times past
Coyoacán has been a hit ever
since Cortés arrived. Take a
stroll around these streets and
it’s easy to see why.
I
f the story of Mexico City is, in
part, one of ravenous expansion,
Coyoacán, which means “place of
the coyotes” in Nahuatl, is a place the
urban jungle couldn’t quite swallow.
Amble past walled gardens and Franciscan churches, along cobblestone
streets and shaded plazas, and you’ll
feel like you’ve left DF behind.
“You can still smell the country air
here,” says Julio Hansen, an accountant who moonlights on weekends as
a seller of tamales chiapanecos. For
27 years, he and his sisters have been
selling the mole-filled specialties on
the same corner beside the Parroquia
San Juan Batutista. “It’s a pueblo
inside of the city,” he says.
There’s un toque of new-age-hippie-haven about Coyoacán (spiritual
bookstores, henna tattoo artists and
tarot readers) that mingles with the
classical cornerstones it’s famous for
(Plaza Santa Catarina, Hernán Cortés’s home). On weekends, the Jardín
Centenario and Jardín Hidalgo become a veritable fair grounds.
Coyoacán history coils around both
its leyendas and legendary figures.
Hansen recalls the tale of “el náhuatl
de Coyoacán,” an Aztec who turned
into an animal and attacked Spaniards. “El Sombrerón” was the devil
disguised as a charro who roamed
Coyoacán’s cow pastures and ranches.
Star sightings of the past include
Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Leon
Trotsky. Some theories put Lee Harvey Oswald here before the John F.
Kennedy assassination. President
Venustiano Carranza oversaw the
writing of the 1917 constitution in
Casa del Sol on Av. Francisco Sosa.
When you’re in the center of Coyoacán, walk. Slowly. It’s good air here.
Navigating
C
oyoacán, a swath of barrios, pueblos and colonias, is one of Mexico City’s 16 delegaciones.
The Guide focuses on the center of Coyoacán
and the surrounding area, where many of the museums, churches, shops, cafés and markets can be found
along residential streets.
Here you won’t be greeted by a valet parking corps.
Street parking is commandeered by the “viene, viene”
men and women who’ll wave you into a spot with a
large rag and expect compensation when you leave.
There’re a number of parking lots too, and we’ve highlighted a few on the map. (Note: Centenario, a main
street, becomes Tres Cruces at the Jardín Centenario).
The main metro stops serving the center are Coyoacán, Viveros and Miguel Ángel de Quevedo, all on
Línea 3. From the Coyoacán stop you can take a pesero
or a sitio taxi to the center, and from Viveros it’s a 15
to 20 minute walk. The Coyoacán tourism office is
marked by a star on the map (next page). They’ve got
handy local maps and brochures.
Coming in April
Where do you like to go in Las Lomas?
What do you like to do, or eat, or buy when you
get there? Email [email protected].
All prices listed in
Mexican pesos
Credit cards accepted
unless noted
Average cost listed
per person
1. El Caracol de Oro
Café-restaurant
Higuera 22-B-C
5658 9054, 5658 9489
Mo-Sa: 8:30 am-11:30 pm
Sun: 9 am - 10 pm
No American Express
Average cost: $115 - $150
Try the manzana
curry, apple wrapped in
chicken with cheese
in this buzzing cafetería
with an artsy interior and
a fun soundtack.
2. El Sheik
Middle Eastern
Madrid 129
5659 3311
Mo -Su: 8 am - 7 pm
Average cost: $100
Try the kepes and
choose from 30 dishes
during the Wed, Sat and
Sun buffet, 1:30 - 6 pm.
A pastry counter brims
with baklava treats.
3. El Tajín
Mexican alta cocina
M. Á. de Quevedo 687
(Inside the Centro
Cultural Veracruzano)
5659 5759
Mo- Fr: 1 - 6 pm
Sa-Su: 1 - 7 pm
Average cost: $250
Try the crab meat soup
and the amarantocoated chicken. Alicia
Gironella De’Angeli’s
kitchen delivers sabores
antiguos in this quiet,
refined dining room.
4. Entre Vero
Uruguayan
Jardín Centenario 14-C
5659 0066
Mo-Th: 1:30 - 11 pm
Fr-Sa: 1:30 pm - 12 am
Su: 1:30 pm - 11 pm
Average cost: $300
- $400
Try the cortes a la parrilla, grilled steaks. An
Informal bistro on the
main plaza but, like Los
Danzantes, one of the
nicer restaurants in the
area. (Validated parking
lot on Tres Cruces, corner of B. Domínguez)
[ G2 ] InsideMéxico
5. La Salamandra
Pastas, steaks, salads
Caballocalco 33
5659 3262
Mo-Th: 1 - 9 pm
Fri, Sa: 1 - 10:30 pm
Sun: 2 - 7 pm
Average cost: $110
Try the brochetta. Plastic picnic tables inside
and on sidewalk terrace.
During the busy lunch
hour we spotted members of an early ‘90s
Mexican rock band.
6. Los Danzantes
Contemporary
Mexican
Jardín Centenario 12
5554 1213, 5658 6054
Su- We: 1:30 - 11 pm
Th: 1:30 pm - 12 am
Fr- Sa: 1:30 pm - 1 am
Average cost: $350
www.losdanzantes.com
Try the huitlacoche ravioli or the confite de pato
en pipián verde. Ask for a
restaurant recommendation around here and
favorite Los Danzantes,
with its cactus-lined patio and bold murals, rolls
off the tongue. Breakfast
served Sat and Sun 9:30
am - 12:30 pm. (Validated
parking, see Entre Vero)
7. Pepe Coyotes
Hidalgo 295
5659 8902, 5658 0627
Mo-Su: 8 am - 2 am
Cash only
www.suguiadf.com
Get huge portions of
beef, chicken or seafood
alambres, along with
tacos and camarones a
la diabla. They also have
a stand in Mercado
Coyoacán (see 22).
8. Taro
Japanese
Restaurant-Bar
Av. Universidad 1861
5661 4083, -4204
Mo, Tu, Th: 1 - 10:30pm
Fr, Sat: 1-11 pm
Sun: 1-9 pm
Wed: closed
Average cost: $200
www.restaurantetaro.com
Try the yakiniku,meats
andseafood prepared at
your table
Though tecnically not in
coyaocan, it’s so close,
and so good, we had to
include it. Established in
1980 the Japanese owner
has preserved Japan’s
culinay traditions with
lots of sushi choices.
I nside M éxico
R ecommends
12. La Guadalupana
Bars
9.Café de Todo
Corazón
Cantina
Francisco Ortega 34-B
Tue-Sun: 4 pm - 12 am
Cash only
A chil place with live
music and the inviting
hum of café-bar chatter.
Higuera 2
5554 6253
Mon - Sat: 1 pm - 12:30 am
Sun: closed
From the eaves of a wood-beamed
ceiling, fans turn above the soft
din, and mounted bull heads
watch over the circa-1932 classic.
Women couldn’t enter in the old
days, but now they can order cervezas alongside the best of ‘em.
10.El Hijo
del Cuervo
Jardín Centenario 17
5658 7824
Mo - We: 4 pm - 12 am
Th and Su: 1 pm - 1 am
Fr, Sa: 1 pm - 2:30/3 am
No American Express
www.elhijodelcuervo.com
Live music Tues (jazz)
and Wed (rock). Beer by
the bottle, tarro or jara
in this raucous staple of
the Coyoacán bar scene.
11. La Bipolar
Malitzin 155
5484 8230
Mo - Sa: 1 pm -2 am
Sun: 1 - 10 pm
Actor Diego Luna
opened this cantina with
a yummy antojitos restaurant-bar downstairs
(picnic-table style),
and dance floor with
good music upstairs.
Coyoacán hot-spot of
the moment.
13. La Posta
Italian restaurant-bar
Pacifico 292
5554 5538
Mon - Sat: 1:30 pm - 12
am, Sun: 1:30 - 6 pm
www.restaurantelaposta.
com.mx
Terrace and bar make
a pleasant evening or
daytime stop.
14. Mesón
del Buen Tunar
Jardín Centenario 4-2
(in the passage next to
San Juan Bautista)
5554 2635
Mo- Su: 10 am - 12 am
Cash only
A relaxed bar with
wooden tables inside
and out where students
drink endless pitchers
of draft beer. A classic,
been around a long time.
Walking tour
One of the most enchanting streets in
Mexico City, Francisco Sosa ambles
along a cobbled course, flanked by
colorful buildings and walls hiding
secret gardens. At the corner of Av.
Universidad sits the Capilla of San
Penzacola; wander further past the
Casa de Alvarado (Francisco Sosa
383, pictured right). When you reach
Plaza Santa Catarina, duck into the
chapel, then mosey across the street
to explore the Casa de Cultura Jesús
Reyes Heroles. Finish up in the Jardín
Centenario.
*Note: 15. La Botica, an
outpost of the popular
mezcalería chain in Roma
and Condesa, located
on Presidente Carranza,
corner of Carrillo Puerto
and 16. Dao, an Asian
restaurant and bar-lounge
at Av. México 59, were
clausurados at the time
of publication, but Inside
México would love to go
have a drink there… when
they’re open.
Cafes
17. Café El Jarocho
Av. Cuahtemoc 134
Mo-Sun: 6 am – 2 am
Cash only
Famous for its good,
cheap coffee, there’s
usually a fast-moving
line out the door. Be
sure to have a churro
PHOTOGRAPHY: LUZ MONTERO
Dining
with your coffee. You
can grab a bench or
table at two other locals:
Av. México 25 & 163-B
www.cafeeljarocho.com.mx
Choose your own coffee
cup in this nook of a
spot. Pizzas, sandwiches,
salads and a flour-less
brownie on the menu.
18. Café Bizarro
21. Moheli Cafetería
y Delicatessen
Cuauhtémoc 168
5659 8453
Mo - Sa: 9 am - 10:30 pm
Sun: 10 am - 10:30 pm
Oaxacan coffee with a
goth touch.
19. La Selva Café
Jardín Centenario 4-3
www.laselvacafe.com.mx
A hip, bustling hideaway.
20. Los Bizcochitos
de Coyoacán
Presidente Carranza 291
5554 6528
Mo-Su: 9 am - 8 pm
Cash only
Francisco Sosa 1
55554 6221
Su-We: 8 am - 10:30 pm
Th-Sa: 8 am - 11 pm
No American Express
Prices: Americano $16,
bagels, sandwiches and
entrees $46 - $74
Sip on a strong cup of
coffe under the sidewalk
trellis or inside.
Antojos
Walk around the Jardín
Centenario and Jardín
Hidalgo on the weekend
and your tummy will
want to take charge.
You’ll spy stands for
esquites (corn in a cup)
churros (fried dough
rolled in sugar), and
chicharrón (a fried snack,
that’s all we’ll say).
22. Mercado
Coyoacán
Allende, between Malintzin and Xicoténcatl
Mo-Su: 8 am - 6 pm
What to try: Tostados
Coyoacán, a stand in
the center heralded by a
giant yellow banner; La
Regional, towards the
back, for fine cheeses;
Pepe Coyotes (Local
257), with its cheap and
filling comida corrida.
El Jardín de Pulpo, on
the outside corner of
Allende and Malitzin
March 2007
Rio Churubusco
26
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23. “Mercado
de la Comida”
Higuera, almost at the
corner of Caballocalco
Mon - Sun: 8 am - 11 pm
This market doesn’t
have a real name, but
you’ll know it by all the
counters and stands
proffering quesadillas,
tostadas, pozole, flautas,
tamales, tacos and
jugos. Local 14 is famous
for its fried quesadillas,
and you’ll find healthier
toasted ones (a comal)
on the left-hand side,
second puesto from the
entry.
24. Siberia
Plaza Jardín del Centenario, next to Sanborns
Mo- Fr: 9 am - 9 pm
Sa, Su: 9 am - 10 pm
Cash only
Helados, nieves and
paletas
Shopping
25. Pino 6
This is the address of
a small corridor that
houses Aranzazu cake
bakery (Mo- Su: 8 am
- 8 pm) and Galeria 103
with a neat collection of
art for sale.
32. The Green
Corner
Av. Coyoacán 2000
Su-Th: 11 am - 8 pm
Fr, Sa: 11 am - 9 pm
Organic
27. Ecotienda
Organic and natural
products
Av. México 134
5554 8040
Mo- Fr: 8 am - 9 pm, Sa: 8
am - 7 pm, Sun: 8 am - 5 pm
Fruits, veggies, meats
and gluten-free bread
28. Empacadora
Selva Negra
Cold meats
Mina 7
5658 3305, 5658 3314
29. La Castellana
Wine shop
Melchor Ocampo 307
5554 1170, -1171
Mo-Th: 9 am - 8 pm
Fr, Sa: 9 am – 10 pm
Su: 9 am – 4 pm
www.lacastellana.com
Wine tastings, catas,
Friday afternoons after 3
pm. Call for details.
30. La Factoria
Gourmet goods
Francisco Sosa 243-B
5659 2333
Mo-Su: 11 am - 8 pm
Chocolates, cheeses,
teas and deli meats
31. Larre
Fishing gear and
excursions
M. Á. de Quevedo 486
5659 8823
March 2007
M. A. de Quevedo 353
Mo-Su: 7:30 am - 10 pm
Home delivery:
One of the bigger
organic grocery stores
around, browse the
aisles for peanut butter,
honey, cheeses and
cereals. The company’s
restaurant above,
with big salads and
other natural fare on the
menu, overlooks the
store.
Museums
33. Museo Frida
Kahlo
Londres 247
5554 5999
Tu-Su: 10 am - 5:45 pm
Entry: $30
You’ll tour past some
of the artist’s paintings,
clothes and kitchen
crockery.
34. Museo Leon
Trotsky
Av Churubusco 410
5658 8732
Tu-Su: 10 am - 5 pm
Entry: $30
Trotsky and his family
took refuge here during his Mexico exile.
The Russian revolutionary dodged bullets
here once, but was
stabbed with an ice
pick Aug. 20, 1940. He
died Aug. 21.
35. Museo Nacional
de Culturas
Populares
Av. Hidalgo 289
5554 8968, 56 58 12 65
We-Th: 10 am - 6 pm
Fr-Sun: 10 am - 8 pm
Free entry
Displays of popular
culture and Mexican
traditional customs.
Trollay tours of Coyoacán
depart in front Mon-Fri
10 am -5 pm, Sat & Sun 11
am - 6 pm.
36. Museo Nacional
de las Intervenciones
Calle 20 de agosto and
General Anaya
5604 0699
Tu-Su: 9 am-6 pm
Entry: $37
Inside the exconvento
de Churubusco 13 galleries illustrate foreign
invasions into Mexico.
37. Museo Nacional
de la Acuarela
Salvador Novo 88
5554 1801
Tu-Su: 10 am - 6pm
Free entry
Portrays the tecnical
use of water color and
it’s history in Mexican
painting.
38. Museo
Anahuacalli
Calle Museo 150
5617 4310
Tu - Su: 10:30 am - 5 pm
Entry: $45
Diego Rivera’s collection
of pre-Hispanic artifacts.
Parks & Plazas
39. Jardín
Centenario
The plaza that commemorated Mexico’s
first century in 1910 fills
with vendors’ tents and
carts on the weekends.
The coyote fountain
in the middle makes a
good picture spot.
40. Plaza Hidalgo
Flanked by the 18th
century Casa Municipal,
food vendors galore
gather on weekends.
The kiosko, donated by
Porfirio Díaz, plays stage
to various musicians
(talent varies).
41. Parroquia de
San Juan Bautista
The Franciscans constructed Coyoacán’s
main cathedral beginning in the mid-1500s.
42. Plaza and Capilla
de Santa Catarina
The small plaza and
slightly haphazardly
decorated chapel are
gems along Francisco
Sosa.
43. Plaza and Capilla
de La Conchita
Study the architectural
details on the church,
across from the Hernán
Cortés residence (privately owned), the red
house on the corner of
Higuera and Vallarta.
23
10
19
1
ico
a
13
Eu
ro
p
3
26. Centro Coyoacán
Mall
14 41
9
Af
ric
Miguel Ange
l de Quevedo
has excellent seafood
(though not cheap by
market standards). Also
several stalls worth of
children’s costumes
along Allende.
CENTENARIO
4 6
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12
39 JARDÍN
46
7 35
PLAZA
HIDALGO
10 24
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JARDÍN
CENTENARIO
V. Car
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40
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47
PLAZA
HIDALGO
Tres Cru
25
miento
Pino
Presid
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Ayunta
Esconida
Tata Vasco
Tata Vasco
tzin
Malin
22
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Av
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Zaragoza
Salvador
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32
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Dulce Oliva
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49
45
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PLAZA
STA CATARINA
30 51 42
Agua
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Tourism office
37
Cor
Priv.
Supermarket
Francisco Sosa
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San P
Parking lots
los
More
18
Walking tour
Taxis
rías
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Belisa
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Culture
Góm
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36
MUSEO DE LAS
INTERVENCIONES
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Abas
Paris
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Plazas
16
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Museums
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28
33
Carril
Shopping
27
EO
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44
VIVEROS
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Berlin
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Av
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44. Viveros
de Coyoacán
Open Mon – Sun, 6 am
– 6 pm the park has an
excellent 2100-meter
loop for runners and
walkers. A grid of garden
pathways and green
patches fills the space
between. The entrance
to the plant nursery
(Mo– Su, 10 am – 6
pm) is at the corner of
Melchor Ocampo and
Av. México.
Classes &Culture
45. Casa de Cultura
Jesús Reyes
Heroles
Francisco Sosa 202
5659 3937
Theatre performance
and classes: dance, art,
woodworking, language,
literature, photography.
The large tree-filled
garden is perfect for
hiding away with a book
or buying a piece of
eclectic sculpture.
46. Centro Cultural
Benemérito
de Las Americas
Jardín Centenario 16
Upstairs you’ll find
books and binders on
the history and legends
of Coyoacán.
47. Centro Cultural
Los Talleres
Franciso Sosa 29
5658 7288, 5339 5103
www.lostalleres.com.mx
Classes offerings include
dance (such as flamenco and jazz), art, music,
film, yoga and massage.
48. Escuela Activa
de Fotografía,
Coyoacán
Presidente Carranza 138
5659 7261
www.eaf.edu.mx
49. Instituto
Italiano di Cultura
Francisco Sosa 77
5554 0044
www.iic.org.mx
Study Italian, and cooking, through the Italian
Embassy’s cultural office. The library containing 21,000 books, 120
Italian magazines and a
video/DVD collection
is open Mo-Fr, 10 am
- 3:30 pm.
50. Teatro Bar
El Vicio
Madrid 13
5659 1139
www.elvicio.com.mx
A cabaret-bar that puts
on political satire shows
run by Las Reinas Chulas. Buy tickets at the
door, We-Su. The Teatro
La Capilla is on the same
plaza. Call 3095 4077 for
information.
51. Teatro Santa
Catarina
Plaza Santa Catarina 10
5658 0560
www.teatro.unam.mx
Another find on the
charming plaza.
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Phone
Directory
All telephone numbers
are local to Mexico
City.
City area code: 55
Country code: 52
Emergencies
Ambulances, firefighters
and police: 080
Police: 060
Red Cross: 060
Aerial ambulances:
5705 0925
Intensive therapy
ambulances: 5673 2555
ERUM: 5722 8805,
5722 8800
Rescue Squad and
Medical Emergencies
Water leaks: 5295 2891
Gas leaks: 5277 0422
Human Rights
Commission: 5229 5600
Tourism
Infotur: 5525 9380
Secretary of Tourism’s
Tourist Orientation and
Information Services
Benito Juárez International Airport: 5571 3600
Embassies
Australian Embassy
1101 2200
British Embassy
5242 8500
Consular section and
emergencies involving British
citizens
Canadian Embassy
5724 7900
Consular Section:
5724 7900 ext. 3322
Emergencies involving
Canadians, country-wide
telephone:
01 800 706 2900
French Embassy
& Consulate General
9171 9700
Irish Embassy
5520 5803
German Embassy
5283 2200
Japanese Embassy
5211 0028, 5514 4507
New Zealand Embassy
5283 9460
United States Embassy
5080 2000
Consular services and
after-hours emergencies
March 2007
m a rch
family,
1Unhappy
dancing
Anna Karenina
The St. Petersburg Ballet
Palacio de Bellas Artes
8 p.m.
Tickets: Ticketmaster
www.bellasartes.gob.mx
More shows March 3 & 4
2
Eréndira
Ikikunari
Film debut
Cinemark, Cinemex and
Cinepolis theatres
Director Juan Mora
Catlett’s rendition of
Conquest destruction in
precolombian Mexico.
www.erendira.com.mx
3
Feria del Libro
book reading
Peregrina: mi idilio
socialista con Felipe
Carrillo Puerto
Palacio de Minería
5 pm
Commentary on the
autobiography of Alma
Reed, one of Mexico’s
most famous expats.
Speakers include Elena
Poniatowska and Miguel
Capistrán. Part of the
Feria Internacional del
Libro del Palacio de
Minería.
Feb 22 - March 4
http://feria.mineria.
unam.mx
3
From the heart
Nonviolent
communication
workshop
Presented by Roberta
Wall, lawyer and
meditation teacher
CasaLuna
6 - 8 pm, cost: $200 pesos
Popócatepetl 20,
Condesa
balebusta@casaluna.
org.mx
“Tepito
– Bravo, 6
el barrio!”
Metro Auditorio, Línea 7
10 large photos by
Francisco Mata of
Mexico’s most famous
barrio
Feb. 2 - April 4
9
Newcomers
Club
Genaral meeting and
membership sign-up
March 2007
First Day of Spring
Union Church
Av. Paseo de la Reforma
1870
Second Friday of the
month: 9am-12 pm.
Tel. 5520 6912
Start your garden right. The plant
nurseries at Viveros in Coyoacán sell
tulips, roses, bougainvillea, azaleas,
herbs, fountains and more.
Exposición Permanente de Floricultores y Viveristas
10 Education
UK 2007
Hotel Camino Real
Salón Terraza Virreyes
More than 35 British
institutions participate
in the education fair
Register: www.
britishcouncil.org.mx
March 10 & 11. You
can also register for
interviews held March 12
Melchor Ocampo,
corner of Av. México
Col. Del Carmen
Mon - Sun: 10 am - 6 pm
21
14 Totalmente
de moda
Fashion Week México
Hotel Camino Real
Fall-Winter 2007
Shows by Mexico’s top
designers
www.fashionweekmexico.com
March 14 - 16
life in
17 Apictures
Delirio Íntimo
Theatrical homage to
Frida Kahlo
Teatro Casa de la Paz
Cozumel 32, Roma
7 pm, tickets: $80 pesos
5286 0403
More shows March 18 &
25 (6 pm),23 (8 pm), 24
(7 pm)
20
Martes de
Cinebar
XXIII Festival de México
en el Centro Histórico
15-31
Around
the Country
San Miguel de Allende
Lunario, located next to
Auditorio Nacional
Films at 7 and 9:30 pm
Cost: $50/ both shows
www.lunario.com.mx
Every Tuesday night
Bull XFighters ’07
23 Red
Motocross Free Style
Plaza de Toros México
8:30 pm
Tickets: Ticketmaster
www.redbullxfighters.com
Bingo
24 Bingo!
American Legion
4:30 - 6:30 pm
Celaya 25, Condesa.
$30/10 games
5564 4490
24
1300 creative types in
music, theatre, dance and
visual arts sweep through
the Centro.
www.fchmexico.com
Oaxaca
Jazz with guest
pianist
Susan Creamer
March 4
Casa Colonial
4 - 6 pm
Duets, a marriage
of good food and
fine music
The Day of
the Good
Samaritan
Classicial music on sideby-side Yamaha pianos accompanied by home-made
Mexican cuisine.
March 22 & 29
Casa Crayola
Ticjets: $250 pesos
Reservations: [email protected], (415) 152 8900
Guelaguetza, traditional
music and folk dance
March 16
Llano Park
10 am
For information on Oaxaca
cultural events: email Margie Barclay, barclayma@
aol.com
Blanco
y negro
Ricky Martin
Black and White Tour
Palacio de los Deportes
8 pm
Tickets: Ticketmaster
28
The
American
Society of Mexico
General Assembly
U.S. Ambassador’s
Residence
7 - 9:30 pm
Only American Society
Monterrey
Lake Chapala
Roger Waters
“Quilters”
The Pink Floyd founder jams
Estadio Universitario
de Monterrey
9 pm
March 2
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Lakeside Little Theatre
7:30 pm
March 1 - 6
Info: email Amy Friend,
[email protected]
Semana Santa
Cora
Photo and documentary
exposition on the pre-Easter
traditions of Nayarit’s Cora
people.
Museo Ciudad Guadalupe
(81) 8007 6530
Tues - Sun: 9 am - 6 pm
Admission: $5/children,
$10/adults
members. Renew or buy
your membership before
the event.
Info: 5277 5875, Mon-Fri
9 am - 5 pm
Email:
americansociety2005@
prodigy.net
28
Spring Concert:
“The Spirit of
Living and Dying”
Los Cantantes del Lago
community choir
Time TBD
March 23 - 25
Info: Georgina Russell,
(376) 766 1007,
cantantesdellago@gmail.
com
Mexpat
Mix, mingle and
milk the cash bar
8 pm
Find out where:
www.mexpat.com
Last Wednesday of
every month
All prices listed in Mexican
pesos.
For Ticketmaster sales,
call 5325 9000 or visit
www.ticketmaster.com.mx
Got a date?
Tell us about it.
Send announcements to
[email protected]
InsideMéxico [ G5 ]
Smart safety advice from one of
Mexico’s leading authorities
by Mario González-Román
Back
to School
to School
Getting around,
safe and sound
You look both ways when you
cross the street; here’s what to
note before you get in a cab
Mario Gonázlez-Román is a member of the Security Experts
Council of the New York-based Gerson Lehrman Group. For 28
years he worked at the US Embassy in Mexico, where he served
the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and held
the position of Foreign Service National Senior Advisor for Security. He is available as a private security consultant, and shares
his public security expertise on his website www.securitycornermexico.com. His email is [email protected].
Náhuatl
the language
that bore
the name
Don Mario’s Taxi Tips
• Never, ever enter a roving green taxi.
• If desperate for a ride, and you want to get a cab on the
street, wait until a passenger is dropped off and you see
that money is paid to the driver.
• If new to Mexico, call a city-wide radio taxi service. Here’s
a number I use: 5516 6020.
• If a resident, identify your closest sitio. Sitios are secure
taxi stands. Some to know:
• Condesa at Parque México: 5286 7129
• Behind US Embassy/Sheraton Hotel: 5514 9165
•Mérida 145 in Roma: 5574 3368, 5574 4596 & 97
• Lomas de Chapultepec at S. Madre/Reforma:
5520 2159
• Reforma/Palmas: 5245 1016
• Know your exact location before you call. If you’re not at
home, it’s best to call from a hotel or restaurant.
• Tell the taxi driver the street name and number of your
destination, along with the names of cross streets, the
colonia and the delegación.
• Sit in the back, where you have better visibility.
• Upon entering the vehicle always lock both back doors.
• Close personal contact with a driver who must concentrate on his work is not recommended.
• If you’re riding at night, turn around occasionally to make
sure no one is following you.
• Prepare your fare just before making a full stop
• When getting out, make sure you’re where you want to
be, and that strangers aren’t waiting for you.
• Drivers welcome tips, and it’s especially nice to give them
if you use the same sitio service regularly (I know my driver
in Condesa by name).
• Every Christmas, give your regular driver a small gift.
• Never leave home with credit cards if riding in non-sitio
taxis.
[ G6 ] InsideMéxico
México
Y
By Gibran Raya
ears ago, while visiting a rural town in
Estado de México, a local man asked me if I
spoke “Méxicano.” Though fluent in Spanish I was accustomed to missing the meaning of
the double-entendres commonly used by many
folks I spoke to, and so I held my answer for a few
moments, trying to figure out what joke or pun
would follow.
“Sí, hablo Méxicano, señor,” I finally replied.
In return the elder began speaking in a native
tongue that I could not even begin to decipher.
Then I realized this was no punch line set-up; the
man was simply sliding into the original language
most commonly spoken by natives to this land,
Náhuatl, the idiom that bore the name for this
nation and its people.
Born here and raised in New York City, I always
worked to know more of my native land on summer and winter holiday visits. Eventually I realized
that delving deeper into my roots meant acquiring some of the ancient knowledge that underlies
the physical and spiritual reality here. Thus, I had
to learn “real Méxicano”.
This proved difficult in New York. I found a few
Náhuatl booklets, but they were hard to learn
from. Here, acquaintances referred me to a
teacher.
“What is the first word that almost all babies
babble?” he asked us during the first class.
“Ma” or “MaMa,” we answered almost in unison.
Náhuatl class:
Saturdays 3 to 4:15 pm
Aztec Calendar class:
4:15 to 5:30 pm Cost: $30 pesos per class
Note: The classes are conducted in Spanish
Address: Palma 20, Interior 28 (corner of
Cinco de Mayo), one block from the Zócalo
Teacher: José Luis Chávez Martínez Xolotl
044 55 5172 0039
[email protected]
Xolotl also gives private instruction
Right, he said and then asked if we knew how to
say that in Náhuatl. He explained that the first
root of the language’s name is “Na” and “NaNa”
is used for “grandma” and sometimes for
“mother.” “Huatl” means root, language and/or
all that encompasses us.
The word “Náhuatl” reflects the language’s poetic multiplicity; it also stands for order, strength,
flowering, growth and expansion.
Understanding Náhuatl will enable me to start
forming a truer sense of the city I live in. Though
the capital’s name has several translations, it is
commonly explained as “place of the maguey’s
umbilical cord – located next to the stone bed of
prickly pears.” That’s México-Tenochtitlan, in
real “Méxicano.”
March 2007
ARTE: ERICK MONTERO
Security Corner
It’s
!
Free
MEXICO CITY
LOMAS DE
BEZARES
Cozy and
quiet 2bd/1bth
apartment in town
house.
Close to Bosques,
Santa Fe, Lomas,
Interlomas. Security.
Great neighborhood.
1,000 USD. Tel. 559605-95, 04455-54134566.
Aguilas San
Angel
– South of City
Rooms for Rent.
Furnished rooms for
rent in nice decent
house
Ideal for students or
professionals. Rent
depending on room
size. Call Betty:
04455-2886-1256
JUAREZ.
Furnished for rent.
Lovely, 2 bedrooms,
2 bath, chimney,
kitchen, clearing service, zuñí, all services.
$7,500.00 tel 55 36
9858
URGENT SALE
dish (aprox. 180200 cm) plus LNB,
standard dish (can
replace a broken
SKY dish)
2 receivers, 3 cards,
2 remote controls,
These items used
to get Direct TV
from the US. Worth
$600.00, sell
$3,000.00 pesos.
Call 5202-5250.
English
Classes, Translations, Tutoring,
Bilingual, Native born English
speaker. All levels
for individuals or
groups. Please call
04455 3189 0513
Spanish
Classes for
CINEMA and
LITERATURE.
Learn and understand new vocabulary,
idioms and metaphors and start using
richer language and
common expressions
used in Spanish.
Contact eco28gu@
hotmail.com or
eguzman@
alliantmexico.edu
Trouble with
your Mac or
iPod?
Need to get the
most from your
devices?
Call me! I make
March 2007
house calls (Mexico
City) Contact Mauricio solucion@mac.
com or 04455-29435914
Music
lessons, learn
quickly! Expert
lessons in popular
guitar, singing, piano,
violin, mandolin, flute
and more. Córdoba 206-A Int. 6,
Colonia Roma. Email
[email protected]
The best tailor in town!
Men’s suits, pants
and shirts.
Women’s suits
dresses and skirts.
Made to order, top
quality fabrics, excellent value. Professional and stylish. Sr.
Martin Contreras,
04455-1702-8361
erikmartin79@
hotmail.com
Top Notch
Mexico Guide.
Highly recommended & personalized service.
English/Spanish. Can give RFC
receipts. Contact
Mrs. Gwynne Fink
2223-2063, E-mail:
g.finkcompton@
yahoo.com.mx
The best
party for
your budget!
Let Spice Catering
handle the details.
We do it all and offer
international cuisines:
Thai, Indian, French,
and Mediterranean.
Call or email for a
free quote: www.
spicemexico.com ,
tel 1041-8071, info@
spicemexico.com
Media Image
Adviser. Servicio
de fotografìa profesional. Producto,
arquitectura, fashion,
eventos sociales y
empresariales. Tel
5679-9749, mediaimageadviser@yahoo.
com.mx or mediaimageadviser@gmail.
com
HOLISTIC MASSAGE. Healing
for the body, mind
and spirit. Resana
tu pasado, desanclando sentimientos
que te impiden ser
feliz. V Arturo Iturbe
A lectura de espalda,
alineación energética
y regresión al pasado
04455-4024-2040
Call now: (52) (55) 5574 4281 • Email: [email protected]
Discover
your potential: Astrology,
Thanatology, Tarot,
Reiki. Christina
Meza: 5254-1926 or
04455-1924-9255,
[email protected].
mx. Speak English
and Spanish.
SWORN TRANSLATOR & INTERPRETER.
English-Portuguese-RussianSpanish.
Focus on legal,
migratory, medical,
technical & scientific
issues. Other issues
& services available
upon request. Will
travel within the
country or abroad.
Perla BenÌtez D.
perlatraducciones@
yahoo.com. Tel (55)
5342-5976, mobile:
04455-1919-1780
Koshka Café.
Home Delivery.
Cordoba 209-C
corner of Chiapas,
Colonia Roma. Tel
5584-8396
Grafika La
Estampa. Prints,
photographs, vintage
books and art. Plaza
del Angel (Londres
161 local 1-A). Tel
5514-6930
The Newcomers’ Club of
Mexico City
meets the second
Friday of each
month at Union
Church. Information
and tickets for all
Newcomers events
and activities can be
obtained at our office
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
9:00-12:30 at Union
Church, 1870 Refor-
ma, Tel: 5520-6912,
email newcomers@
newcomers.org.mx
or from our website
www.newcomers.
org.mx
Belly Dancing lessons!
Learn this ancient
and sensual art with
Sara Hemsani. Girls,
Tuesdays 5-6 pm.
Adults, Tuesdays
6-7 pm. Learn to
move and communicate through your
femininity. Contact
5264-3309.
ANALYTICAL
TRANSLATIONS
Certified expert
specializing in Construction, Hi-Tech,
Advertising, Business,
Finance, Tourism,
Legal. IN CONDESA: 5574-4005 email:
[email protected]
JAZZ FEMALE
SINGER, BOSSA
& Soft Rock
Events, parties,
shows. Soprano for
church weddings,
christenings & masses. Live castanets
& guitar for social
events, weddings &
celebrations. Singing
lessons & vocalises.
5574-4005
PORTUGUESE,
SPANISH, ENGLISH, ITALIAN-
Native teachers &
interpreters at your
home & office.Conversation, grammar,
pronunciation lessons.
Foreigners, businessmen, newcomers,
diplomats.Simultaneous translators for
seminars, meetings,
business events, luncheons. 5574-4005
MEXICO STATE
MORELOS
Valle de
Bravo. 5 bed-
Tepoztlan
Centro. La
room villa in Valle
de Bravo.
Diferencia restaurant, Isabel Catolica
Pool, jacuzzi, wine
cava, internet. Spectacular views of lake.
Available 3-7 nights
at a time. Perfect
for wedding parties,
retreats, and lepidopterists. Mariana
(5255) 5589-2663 or
mgpm@prodigyweb.
net.mx
3, near Revolution.
Fri–Mon 13:00-21:00
tel 01 (739) 395 1371
OAXACA
Susana Trilling, teacher, chef,
writer and television
hostess can teach
you to cook with
the native foods of
Mexico. Offering day
classes, courses and
tours. www.seasonsofmyheart.com
Immigration
Lawyer
Lic. Miqueas Bautista Arce handles
FM3s, FM2s and all
other immigration
paperwork. UNAM
trained. Speak
English, French,
Spanish and Zapotec. www.expage.
com/miqueas,
miqueas@lawyer.
com
Oaxaca
English
library
519 Pino Suarez,
Oaxaca . Tel (951)
518-7077, library@
oaxlibrary.com
Hours: M-F 10-2 /
4-7 & Sat. 10-1. Go
to www.oaxlibrary.
com for our calendar of events.
Tepoztlan.
For picnic …rent
meadow with view of
Tepozteco formation. Surrounded by
bamboo, has toilet
facilities. Meadow
is near center. Picnic_tepoztlan@yahoo.
com . Tel 01(739)
395-7147 Lilia
P. VALLARTA
I speak English! Let me help
you find your home
on the beach, at
your price. Contact
me: Irma Trommlitz,
Coldwell Banker
LaCosta tel (322)
223-0055, cel
044-322-205-4677
national: 01-800-821
5161. From the USA 1866-415 5757 Irma@
cblacosta.com
S.M. ALLENDE
Computer
help!
Specializing in VOIP
PBXs for your business. One stop for
networking, security,
maintenance & repair.
Tel 044.415.101.0359
[email protected] http://www.
smacomputing.com
MERIDA
Mortgages
Now available
for American and
Mexican citizens
in many areas of
Mexico, Coastal
vacation cities such
as Puerto Vallarta and Cancun,
inland colonial
towns like San
Miguel de Allende,
Merida, Patzcuaro
and more. ellen@
mortgagesinmexico.
com to find out
more Or call 01-999928-0727.
Mexico-inEnglish.com.
Faithfully updates
blog lists and reviews
websites written in
English about Mexico.
Check it out for ideas
for travel, business or
friends. www.
Mexico-in-english.
com.
English
Library The
center of the English-speaking community in Mérida,
Yucatan. English
books, discussion
groups, fund raisers and monthly
get-togethers for
local expats. www.
meridaenglishlibrary.com
Spiritual
Tours of the
Yucatan
Tour the Mayan
ruins with a Mayan
shaman. Experience ancient Mayan
rituals in places
of power. Explore
the mystery of the
Mayan culture and
history. Iluminado
Tours in Merida.
www.iluminadotours.com or email
[email protected]
Business
Travel to
Merida Get your
own 1 or 2 bedroom
apartment for the
price of a hotel
room.
Kitchen, separate
bedroom, living room.
Off-street parking,
telephone, wireless
internet. Close to
banks, hotels and
centro.
www.suitesdelsol.
com
GUADALAJARa
Lake Chapala
Moving.
From Anywhere Worldwide To Lake
Chapala.
From Lake Chapala
To Anywhere Worldwide. We Are An
International Moving
Broker. winstontn@
yahoo.com
ENSENADA
Bazar Casa
Ramirez.
Beautiful artesanias from all over
Mexico.
Open 7 days a week
9 to 7, Sun 10 to 6
Tel (646)1788209,
Calle Lopea Mateos
496-3, Edificio
Ramirez. Email
bramirez717@
hotmail.com
INTERNATIONAL
SEEKING PHOTOS OF LIGHTHOUSES,
in Mexico or
anywhere else in the
world! Email Charles
at richard915@
mindspring.com
Psychotherapy · Biofeedback · Brainmapping · Acupuncture · Nutrition
Drug-free
therapies for
ADD Depression Insomnia
Anxiety Women’s Health
Dr. Brigham Bowles
Adults/Children/Couples
Psychologist
Acupuncturist
Tel. 52-47-90-44
Cel. 044-55-39-93-5063
[email protected]
InsideMéxico [ G7 ]
the bazaar
is your marketspace!
Reserve your space for the April issue: Call Alex Xolalpa 044 55 2519 9591
C
The best
books
in town!
Animation
Architecture
Art
Brainteasers and
Games of Skill
Children’s Books
Cooking
Decoration
Film
Graphic Design
Industrial Design
Photography
Science Fiction
Textile Design
If we don’t have it,
we’ll get it: any book,
from any publisher.
We’ll deliver to your
house! Join us for a
coffee in our café!
Homero 403 - B Col. Polanco
Tel. 52 50 97 34 Fax 52 50 12 51
[email protected]
Monday through Friday, 10 to 7
Saturday 10 to 4
Specialities: Pediatric Dentistry,
M
Y
CM
MY
CY CMY
K
Condesa
Teca / Lomas / Polanco
Santa Fe
Interlomas
Orthodontics, Cosmetic
Dentistry, Zoom Bleaching
Technique
• English Speaking 100%
• US Trained, USC dental School, Childrens
Hospital of Los Angeles
• American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
• 20 years of experience
• State of the art technology
Av. de las Palmas 735 - 305, Lomas de chapultepec
52 02 47 25 / 52 02 50 98
Chocolate Hot, cold, bitter, bars of
white, cakes...these are just
some of the ways to enjoy it
El único
lugarnot
queowned
no es de
The
only place
byCarlos
CarlosSlim
Slim
Peces y Reses
Gourmet Store
Steaks & Wines
Extensive selection
of fish and seafood
Jalapa 237
Col. Roma Sur
85 96 90 04
55 84 41 44
We preserve all the
traditions of chocolate
so that you can indulge
your cravings.
car rental
Conoce México
en libertad
con las mejores
tarifas
• Lisboa N°29,
Col. Juárez,
México, D.F.
55 35 3983
01 800 874 1435
Lada sin costo
• Rojo Gómez s/n
Frente a Posada Amor
Puerto Morelos
Quintana Roo
(998)2069102
018005529522
70,000*
www.peces-restaurante.com
Alfonso Reyes 239, Condesa Tel. 5025 9137
lectores quieren
comer, tomar, bailar, ir al cine,
pedir un taxi, comprar libros, visitar un
doctor, hacer ejercicio, estudiar español,
y gozar la vida dentro de México.
www.alasrentacar.com
Reserva tu espacio
para abril
Alejandro Xolalpa,
Director Comercial
[email protected]
[email protected].
5574 4281
Diles como cuando y donde.
*Este número representa la distribución de Inside México más el pass-along.
[ G8 ] InsideMéxico
March 2007