Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City

1 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Xavier Quetzalcoatl Contreras Castillo/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Xavier Quetzalcoatl Contreras Castillo/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) is a prominent cultural center in Mexico City. It has hosted notable events in music, dance, theatre, opera and literature in Mexico and has held important exhibitions of painting, sculpture and photography. Consequently, the Palacio de Bellas Artes has been called the “Cathedral of Art in Mexico”. The building is located on the western side of the historic center of Mexico City next to the Alameda Central park.   read more…

Hospicio Cabañas in Guadalajara

1 July 2022 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, Museums, Exhibitions, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Fperezgo/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Fperezgo/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Hospicio Cabañas or Museum Cabañas in Guadalajara, Jalisco was one of the oldest and largest orphanage and hospital complexes in the Americas. Now turned into a museum, the main hall hosts the magnum opus frescoes of muralist painter José Clemente Orozco. The place was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The complex was founded in 1791 by the Bishop of Guadalajara in order to combine the functions of a workhouse, hospital, orphanage, and almshouse. It owes its name to Juan Ruiz de Cabañas who was appointed to the see of Guadalajara in 1796 and engaged Manuel Tolsá, a renowned architect from Mexico City, to design the structure.   read more…

Puebla de Zaragoza in Mexico

21 May 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Thaniaconh8aa/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Thaniaconh8aa/cc-by-sa-4.0

Puebla, also known in Spanish as Puebla de Zaragoza, formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza and in colonial times as Puebla de los Ángeles, is the seat of Puebla Municipality, the capital and largest city of the state of Puebla, and the second largest in colonial Mexico and the richest Catholic diocese. A colonial era planned city, it is located in (southern) Central Mexico on the main route between the capital, Mexico City, and Mexico’s main Atlantic port, Veracruz—about 100 km (62 mi) east southeast of Mexico City and about 220 km (140 mi) west of Veracruz.   read more…

Cozumel in Mexico

5 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  10 minutes

San Miguel de Cozumel © Harpqueen

San Miguel de Cozumel © Harpqueen

Cozumel is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico‘s Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The municipality is part of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The economy of Cozumel is based on tourism, with visitors able to benefit from the island’s balnearios, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico

11 January 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  22 minutes

Cancun and the Riviera Maya © Mardetanha - www.safainla.us/cc-by-sa-3.0

Cancun and the Riviera Maya © Mardetanha – www.safainla.us/cc-by-sa-3.0

Mexico, officially the United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico has approximately 129 million inhabitants, making it the world’s 13th-largest country by area, 10th-most populous country, and most populous Spanish-speaking nation. It is a federation comprising 31 states and Mexico City, its capital city and largest metropolis. Other major urban areas include Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and León.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico – Isla Mujeres in the Caribbean

12 July 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - dronepicr/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – dronepicr/cc-by-2.0

Isla Mujeres (“Women Island”) is an island in the Gulf of Mexico, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) off the Yucatán Peninsula coast. The island is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) long and 650 metres (2,130 ft) wide. To the east is the Caribbean Sea with a strong surf and rocky coast, and to the west the skyline of Cancún can be seen across the clear waters. The namesake town on the island has a population of 13,000 inhabitants. The island is part of the Isla Mujeres Municipality in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico.   read more…

Baja California in Mexico

22 May 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Rosarito Beach © flickr.com - cesar bojorquez/cc-by-2.0

Rosarito Beach © flickr.com – cesar bojorquez/cc-by-2.0

Baja California (English: Lower California) is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, comprises the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North Territory of Baja California (El Territorio Norte de Baja California). It comprises the northern half of the Baja California Peninsula plus oceanic Guadalupe Island. The mainland portion of the state is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the east by Sonora, the U.S. State of Arizona, and the Gulf of California (also known as the “Sea of Cortez”), and on the south by Baja California Sur. Its northern limit is the U.S. state of California. The state has an estimated population of well above 3,3 million, much more than the sparsely populated Baja California Sur to the south, and similar to San Diego County, California on its north. Over 75% of the population lives in the capital city, Mexicali, in Ensenada, or in Tijuana. Other important cities include San Felipe, Rosarito Beach and Tecate. The population of the state is composed of Mestizos, mostly immigrants from other parts of Mexico, and, as with most northern Mexican states, a large population of Mexicans of European ancestry, and also a large minority group of East Asian, Middle Eastern and indigenous descent. Additionally, there is a large immigrant population from the United States due to its proximity to San Diego and the cheaper cost of living compared to San Diego. There is also a significant population from Central America. Many immigrants moved to Baja California for a better quality of life and the number of higher paying jobs in comparison to the rest of Mexico and Latin America.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico – Cabo San Lucas

14 December 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Sport Reading Time:  8 minutes

Marina © Cristo Vlahos/cc-by-sa-4.0

Marina © Cristo Vlahos/cc-by-sa-4.0

Cabo San Lucas, commonly called Cabo in American English, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. Cabo San Lucas together with San José del Cabo is known as Los Cabos. Cabo has been rated as one of Mexico’s top 5 tourist destinations; it is known for its beaches, scuba diving locations, balnearios, the sea arch El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, and marine life. The Los Cabos Corridor has become a heavily trafficked holiday destination for tourists, with numerous resorts and timeshares along the coast between Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo. Cabo houses a range of wildlife, including rays, sharks, birds, and a range of fish, such as mahi-mahi (dorado), and striped marlin.   read more…

Mexicali in Baja California

7 October 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

House of Culture © Thelmadatter

House of Culture © Thelmadatter

Mexicali is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California and seat of the Municipality of Mexicali. The City of Mexicali has a population of 690,00, according to the 2010 census, while the population of the entire metropolitan area reaches 1,000,000; making the city and metropolitan area the second most populous in Baja California. The city maintains a highly educated and skilled population, as it has modernized and become an important population center in the desert region. Founded on March 14, 1903, Mexicali is situated on the Mexico–United States border adjacent to its sister city Calexico in California, with which it forms a dual-state, international population center, Calexico–Mexicali.   read more…

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