Q: How do we meet people here, make friends and become part of the community? Joe K. Wisconsin
A: This can be a challenge for many new residents as they are moving to a different country with a different culture and language. So a good place to start might be to take a Spanish language class.
Yes, this is a tourist town and many of the locals speak English. There are plenty of long-time residents who have gotten by without speaking Spanish. But you want to thrive, not survive!
A basic Spanish vocabulary can always come in handy, and it can be a real pleasure to be conversational. Besides, understanding the language will give you a good insight to the culture and the Mexican way of thinking. Hint: “ahorita” does not necessarily mean “in just a minute”…
There are many Religious Services and 12 step meetings, a list is provided in this paper. Expats in Vallarta is an informal group is for Expats living around Vallarta or for those considering the area. They are meeting on Tuesday March 15th at 5:00pm at Langostino’s on Los Muertos Beach. Visit their website at www.expatsinvallarta.com
The Downtown Art Walk is held every Wednesday from 6PM-10PM. Fourteen different galleries host different events and this is a great way to meet the artists and art lovers. www.vallartaartwalk.com. The “Southside Shuffle” is another fun event on Olas Altas and Constitución Streets every other Friday from 6PM-10PM. The local Farmers Market is every Saturday from 10 am to 1pm at the new Paradise Community center at Pulpito #127.
Who can resist the sights and sounds of fresh coffee, bread and produce, and the great opportunity to make new acquaintances? There are also some great events this spring in our brand new air conditioned theater. http://www.teatrovallarta.com
You should also consider an active pursuit, enroll in yoga or Pilates class, learn to play tennis or golf, take a sailing or diving class, or just get out and take a stroll on the Malecón. And to keep up your energy, don’t forget to patronize the local shops, markets and restaurants. Vallarta is home to a plethora of amazing markets and world-class restaurants, and they could all use your patronage right now. Strike up a conversation with the proprietor and you may be surprised with the friendships you can make.
And as you discover special places, you will also begin to become a source of information for new arrivals and will have a topic to discuss. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there has never been a better time to become involved with a charitable foundation. It is no secret that the economic slowdown has had a drastically negative economic impact on our beautiful town and there are many people in need.
There are wonderful opportunities to help children, animals, the needy and make our city a better, kinder place. Besides the feeling of well-being that can come from contributing, there is the added benefit of meeting some wonderful caring people and starting lasting friendships. One of the most active organizations in our bay is called PEACE; their website is: www.peacemexico.org.
Best of all, you are not limited to just one charity. I have many friends and clients who are involved in several. So get up, get out and find your passion!
And by this time next year you will be writing and asking, “How am I going to find enough hours in the day to…”
Do you have a question about Real Estate in Puerto Vallarta? Just ask!
Michael Green here in 1997 to take advantage of the unsurpassed lifestyle PV offers. Mike can be reached by e mail: pvgetaways@hotmail.com
domingo, 27 de marzo de 2011
ASK THE MORTAGE EXPERTS
With mortgages becoming more of the norm in Mexico and with ever-increasing loan options, The Tribune is helping sort through the confusion by having your personal Financing/Mortgage questions answered by our local experts – David Schwendeman and Terence Reilly, Founder’s of MEXLend, an industry-leading Mortgage Broker based in Vallarta. We invite you to e-mail your questions regarding buying or financing Real Estate in Mexico to buyinginmexico@hotmail.com.
Q: “Why are interest rates so high here? I would like to buy with a mortgage, but find it difficult with the rates. Paul, V, Minneapolis, MN
A: GREAT NEWS FOR YOU. Interest rates have just come down again—and they are wonderful rates for purchasing a second home. Rates are now starting as low as 5.25%! These are historically the lowest rates EVER available for the purchase of a Mexican property.
However, even with this reduction, they are slightly higher than the rates that are quoted from the US for primary residences. The key here are the words “primary residences.” Due to legalities, all US dollar mortgages for US citizens and Canadians must be declared as “second homes” or vacation homes.
There was a time when borrowers in the US would cheat by declaring secondary properties as primary residences to take advantage of a lower interest rate, but currently lenders are checking very closely and if caught, there are consequences: borrowers must either re-negotiate the mortgage for a higher term, or pay the lender off in full. Banks across the country are looking through their files for these cases. In the US, banks charge higher interest rates for second homes. The climate in the US has become extremely conservative and banks look at clients very carefully.
So why are rates higher for a vacation home? Because lenders know that if a borrower gets into financial trouble, the first property that will go back to the bank will be the vacation home. Borrowers will protect their initial investment in their primary residence because it is where they live, work and perhaps their children go to school; consequently, in the US, the borrower pays a higher interest rate as well as more closing points on a second or vacation home.
Another very important factor in higher interest rates is that second home mortgages and investment properties are not backed by the government.
The US government has created programs that help homeowners get low rates for their homes but these programs do not cover non-primary residences.
A third reason why mortgage rates are higher for a second home here is that we are in Mexico. Lending in a foreign country is considered more of a risk to the banks. There is a different legal mechanism for foreclosure and an entirely different type of court system. The costs of establishing the legal framework to lend and should the need arise, defend their loans, run higher outside of their home country.
However, every property owner in Mexico should take great comfort in that the mortgage interest rates have drastically lowered over the past six years.. This means that large institutional lenders are becoming more and more confident with the Mexican housing market, and trust the stability of the home values even in this global crisis. The foreclosure rate of Cross Border loans has been so miniscule that it has no effect on market valuations and is emboldening the banks.
The mortgage system in Canada works differently. Fixed rate mortgages are not the norm and most interest rates are re-negotiated every 3 or 5 years, which makes them what in the US is considered an Adjustable Rate Mortgage or ARM. However, this morning I logged onto the Royal Bank of Canada website and they DO have a 25 Year Fixed Rate Mortgage product-- The posted interest rate was 8.25%! This means that the current rate of 7.5% for Mexican properties is LESS by almost a full point than is offered in Canada.
We believe that there has never been a better time to buy your dream vacation home in Mexico.
There are some amazing deals, combined with a stable market and now…the lowest interest rates for mortgages. Speak to a mortgage broker to get prequalified and then run to your favorite realtor. It is a GREAT time to buy!
MEXLend, Inc. is a Mexican mortgage brokerage that currently represents 8 different lenders offering 75 different loan options in Dollars, Pesos and Euros for buyers looking to purchase vacation or investment property throughout Mexico – including products specifically for Canadian citizens. In announced results based upon post-closing client interviews conducted by Mexico’s largest US lender, MEXLend won the #1 mark of distinction for both client satisfaction and fastest closings for the second straight cycle. MEXLend can be reached at 322-132-7991 (in Vallarta), 917-779-9061 (while in the US or Canada), toll–free in Mexico by calling 1-800-3-Mi-Casa or go online at www.mexlend.com (For US and Euro loans) or www.mexlend.com.mx for Peso loans.
Q: “Why are interest rates so high here? I would like to buy with a mortgage, but find it difficult with the rates. Paul, V, Minneapolis, MN
A: GREAT NEWS FOR YOU. Interest rates have just come down again—and they are wonderful rates for purchasing a second home. Rates are now starting as low as 5.25%! These are historically the lowest rates EVER available for the purchase of a Mexican property.
However, even with this reduction, they are slightly higher than the rates that are quoted from the US for primary residences. The key here are the words “primary residences.” Due to legalities, all US dollar mortgages for US citizens and Canadians must be declared as “second homes” or vacation homes.
There was a time when borrowers in the US would cheat by declaring secondary properties as primary residences to take advantage of a lower interest rate, but currently lenders are checking very closely and if caught, there are consequences: borrowers must either re-negotiate the mortgage for a higher term, or pay the lender off in full. Banks across the country are looking through their files for these cases. In the US, banks charge higher interest rates for second homes. The climate in the US has become extremely conservative and banks look at clients very carefully.
So why are rates higher for a vacation home? Because lenders know that if a borrower gets into financial trouble, the first property that will go back to the bank will be the vacation home. Borrowers will protect their initial investment in their primary residence because it is where they live, work and perhaps their children go to school; consequently, in the US, the borrower pays a higher interest rate as well as more closing points on a second or vacation home.
Another very important factor in higher interest rates is that second home mortgages and investment properties are not backed by the government.
The US government has created programs that help homeowners get low rates for their homes but these programs do not cover non-primary residences.
A third reason why mortgage rates are higher for a second home here is that we are in Mexico. Lending in a foreign country is considered more of a risk to the banks. There is a different legal mechanism for foreclosure and an entirely different type of court system. The costs of establishing the legal framework to lend and should the need arise, defend their loans, run higher outside of their home country.
However, every property owner in Mexico should take great comfort in that the mortgage interest rates have drastically lowered over the past six years.. This means that large institutional lenders are becoming more and more confident with the Mexican housing market, and trust the stability of the home values even in this global crisis. The foreclosure rate of Cross Border loans has been so miniscule that it has no effect on market valuations and is emboldening the banks.
The mortgage system in Canada works differently. Fixed rate mortgages are not the norm and most interest rates are re-negotiated every 3 or 5 years, which makes them what in the US is considered an Adjustable Rate Mortgage or ARM. However, this morning I logged onto the Royal Bank of Canada website and they DO have a 25 Year Fixed Rate Mortgage product-- The posted interest rate was 8.25%! This means that the current rate of 7.5% for Mexican properties is LESS by almost a full point than is offered in Canada.
We believe that there has never been a better time to buy your dream vacation home in Mexico.
There are some amazing deals, combined with a stable market and now…the lowest interest rates for mortgages. Speak to a mortgage broker to get prequalified and then run to your favorite realtor. It is a GREAT time to buy!
MEXLend, Inc. is a Mexican mortgage brokerage that currently represents 8 different lenders offering 75 different loan options in Dollars, Pesos and Euros for buyers looking to purchase vacation or investment property throughout Mexico – including products specifically for Canadian citizens. In announced results based upon post-closing client interviews conducted by Mexico’s largest US lender, MEXLend won the #1 mark of distinction for both client satisfaction and fastest closings for the second straight cycle. MEXLend can be reached at 322-132-7991 (in Vallarta), 917-779-9061 (while in the US or Canada), toll–free in Mexico by calling 1-800-3-Mi-Casa or go online at www.mexlend.com (For US and Euro loans) or www.mexlend.com.mx for Peso loans.
Mexico’s Ancient Civilizations: The Olmec Civilization
The Olmec civilization is the name given to a sophisticated Central American culture with its heyday between 1200 and 400 BC. The Olmec heartland lies in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco, at the narrow part of Mexico west of the Yucatan peninsula and east of Oaxaca.
The following is an introductory guide to the Olmec civilization, its place in Central American prehistory, and some important facts about the people and how they lived.
While the very earliest sites of the Olmec show relatively simple egalitarian societies based on hunting and fishing, the Olmecs eventually established a highly complex level of political government, including public building projects such as pyramids and large platform mounds; agriculture; a writing system; and a characteristic sculptural artistry including enormous stone heads with heavy features reminiscent of angry babies.
Olmec Capitals
There are four main regions or zones that have been associated with Olmec by the use of iconography, architecture and settlement plan, including San Lorenzo de Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Laguna de los Cerros. Within each of these zones, there were three or four different levels of hamlets of different sizes. At the center of the zone was a fairly dense center with plazas and pyramids and kingly residences. Outside of the center were a somewhat sparser collection of hamlets and farmsteads, each at least economically and culturally tied to the center.
Olmec Kings and Rituals
Although there are no records of Olmec king names, we do know that the rituals associated with a king included an emphasis on the sun, and references to solar equinoxes were built into platform and plaza configurations. Sun glyph iconography is seen on many locations, and there is an undeniable importance of sunflower in dietary and ritual contexts.
The ballgame played an important role in Olmec culture, as it does in many Central American societies, and, like those other societies, it may have included human sacrifice. The colossal heads are often sculpted with headgear, thought to represent ball player wear; animal effigies exist of jaguars dressed as ball players. It is possible that women also played in the games, as there are figurines from La Venta which are females wearing helmets.
Olmec Landscape
The Olmec farms and hamlets and centers were situated on and next to a diverse set of landforms, including floodplain lowlands, coastal plains, plateau uplands, and volcanic highlands. But the large Olmec capitals were based on high places in the floodplains of big rivers such as Coatzacoalcos and Tabasco.
The Olmec coped with recurring floods by building their residences and storage structures on artificially raised earth platforms, or by rebuilding on old sites, creating ‘tell’ formations. Many of the earliest Olmec sites are likely buried deep within the floodplains.
The Olmec were clearly interested in color and color schemes of the environment. For example, the plaza at La Venta has a striking appearance of brown soil embedded with tiny bits of shattered greenstone. And there are several blue-green serpentine mosaic pavements tiled with clays and sands in a rainbow of different colors. A common sacrificial object was a jadeite offering covered with red cinnabar.
Olmec Diet and Subsistence
By 5000 BC, the Olmec relied on domestic maize, sunflower, and manioc, later domesticating beans. They also gathered corozo palm nuts, squash, and chili. There is some possibility that the Olmec were the first to use chocolate.
The main source of animal protein was domesticated dog, but that was supplemented with white tailed deer, migratory birds, fish, turtles, and coastal shellfish. White tailed-deer in particular was specifically associated with ritual feasting.
Important Facts about the Olmec
Sacred places: Caves (Juxtlahuaca and Oxtotitlán), springs, and mountains. Sites: El Manati, Takalik Abaj, Pijijiapan.
Human Sacrifice: Children and infants at El Manati; human remains under monuments at San Lorenzo; La Venta has an altar showing an eagle-clad king holding a captive.
Bloodletting: Ritual cutting of part of the body to allow bleeding for sacrifice, was probably also practiced
Colossal Heads: Appear to be portraits of male (and possibly female) Olmec rulers. Sometimes wear helmets indicating that they are ballplayers, figurines and sculpture from La Venta show that women wore helmet headgear, and some of the heads may represent women. A relief at the Pijijiapan as well as La Venta Stela 5 and La Venta Offering 4 show women standing next to men rulers, perhaps as partners.
Olmec Trade, Exchange, and Communications
Exchange: Exotic materials were brought in or traded from far places to the Olmec zones, including literally tons of volcanic basalt to San Lorenzo from the Tuxtla mountains, 60 km away, which was carved into royal sculptures and manos and metates, natural basalt columns from Roca Partida.
Greenstone (jadeite, serpentine, schist, gneiss, green quartz), played a clearly important role in elite contexts at Olmec sites. Some sources for these materials are the gulf coastal region in Motagua Valley, Guatemala, 1000 km away from the Olmec heartland. These materials were carved into beads and animal effigies.
Obsidian was brought in from Puebla, 300 km from San Lorenzo. And also, Pachuca green obsidian from central Mexico.
Writing: The earliest Olmec writing began with glyphs representing calendrical events, and eventually evolved into logographs, line drawings for single ideas. The earliest proto-glyph so far is an Early Formative greenstone carving of a footprint from El Manati. The same sign shows up on a Middle Formative monument 13 at La Venta next to a striding figure. The Cascajal block shows many early glyph forms.
The Olmec designed a printing press of sorts, a roller stamp or cylinder seal, which could be inked and rolled onto human skin, paper, or cloth.
Calendar: 260 day, 13 numbers and 20 named days.
Olmec Sites
La Venta, Tres Zapotes, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Tenango del Valle, San Lorenzo, Laguna de los Cerros, Puerto Escondido, San Andres, Tlatilco, El Manati, Juxtlahuaca Cave, Oxtotitlán Cave, Takalik Abaj, Pijijiapan, Tenochtitlan, Potrero Nuevo, Loma del Zapote, El Remolino and Paso los Ortices, El Manatí, Teopantecuanitlán, Río Pesquero, Takalik Abaj
Olmec Civilization Issues
The Olmec Civilization is at the center of the mother-sister controversy, which is a debate concerning the relative strength of the Olmec society compared to other early Mesoamerican cultures.
The Cascajal Block, a large block found in a quarry that may be among the earliest written records in central America.
The search for bitumen sources, which was an important resource to many archaeological societies in central America.
Chocolate believed to be first used and domesticated by the Olmec.
The following is an introductory guide to the Olmec civilization, its place in Central American prehistory, and some important facts about the people and how they lived.
While the very earliest sites of the Olmec show relatively simple egalitarian societies based on hunting and fishing, the Olmecs eventually established a highly complex level of political government, including public building projects such as pyramids and large platform mounds; agriculture; a writing system; and a characteristic sculptural artistry including enormous stone heads with heavy features reminiscent of angry babies.
Olmec Capitals
There are four main regions or zones that have been associated with Olmec by the use of iconography, architecture and settlement plan, including San Lorenzo de Tenochtitlan, La Venta, Tres Zapotes, and Laguna de los Cerros. Within each of these zones, there were three or four different levels of hamlets of different sizes. At the center of the zone was a fairly dense center with plazas and pyramids and kingly residences. Outside of the center were a somewhat sparser collection of hamlets and farmsteads, each at least economically and culturally tied to the center.
Olmec Kings and Rituals
Although there are no records of Olmec king names, we do know that the rituals associated with a king included an emphasis on the sun, and references to solar equinoxes were built into platform and plaza configurations. Sun glyph iconography is seen on many locations, and there is an undeniable importance of sunflower in dietary and ritual contexts.
The ballgame played an important role in Olmec culture, as it does in many Central American societies, and, like those other societies, it may have included human sacrifice. The colossal heads are often sculpted with headgear, thought to represent ball player wear; animal effigies exist of jaguars dressed as ball players. It is possible that women also played in the games, as there are figurines from La Venta which are females wearing helmets.
Olmec Landscape
The Olmec farms and hamlets and centers were situated on and next to a diverse set of landforms, including floodplain lowlands, coastal plains, plateau uplands, and volcanic highlands. But the large Olmec capitals were based on high places in the floodplains of big rivers such as Coatzacoalcos and Tabasco.
The Olmec coped with recurring floods by building their residences and storage structures on artificially raised earth platforms, or by rebuilding on old sites, creating ‘tell’ formations. Many of the earliest Olmec sites are likely buried deep within the floodplains.
The Olmec were clearly interested in color and color schemes of the environment. For example, the plaza at La Venta has a striking appearance of brown soil embedded with tiny bits of shattered greenstone. And there are several blue-green serpentine mosaic pavements tiled with clays and sands in a rainbow of different colors. A common sacrificial object was a jadeite offering covered with red cinnabar.
Olmec Diet and Subsistence
By 5000 BC, the Olmec relied on domestic maize, sunflower, and manioc, later domesticating beans. They also gathered corozo palm nuts, squash, and chili. There is some possibility that the Olmec were the first to use chocolate.
The main source of animal protein was domesticated dog, but that was supplemented with white tailed deer, migratory birds, fish, turtles, and coastal shellfish. White tailed-deer in particular was specifically associated with ritual feasting.
Important Facts about the Olmec
Sacred places: Caves (Juxtlahuaca and Oxtotitlán), springs, and mountains. Sites: El Manati, Takalik Abaj, Pijijiapan.
Human Sacrifice: Children and infants at El Manati; human remains under monuments at San Lorenzo; La Venta has an altar showing an eagle-clad king holding a captive.
Bloodletting: Ritual cutting of part of the body to allow bleeding for sacrifice, was probably also practiced
Colossal Heads: Appear to be portraits of male (and possibly female) Olmec rulers. Sometimes wear helmets indicating that they are ballplayers, figurines and sculpture from La Venta show that women wore helmet headgear, and some of the heads may represent women. A relief at the Pijijiapan as well as La Venta Stela 5 and La Venta Offering 4 show women standing next to men rulers, perhaps as partners.
Olmec Trade, Exchange, and Communications
Exchange: Exotic materials were brought in or traded from far places to the Olmec zones, including literally tons of volcanic basalt to San Lorenzo from the Tuxtla mountains, 60 km away, which was carved into royal sculptures and manos and metates, natural basalt columns from Roca Partida.
Greenstone (jadeite, serpentine, schist, gneiss, green quartz), played a clearly important role in elite contexts at Olmec sites. Some sources for these materials are the gulf coastal region in Motagua Valley, Guatemala, 1000 km away from the Olmec heartland. These materials were carved into beads and animal effigies.
Obsidian was brought in from Puebla, 300 km from San Lorenzo. And also, Pachuca green obsidian from central Mexico.
Writing: The earliest Olmec writing began with glyphs representing calendrical events, and eventually evolved into logographs, line drawings for single ideas. The earliest proto-glyph so far is an Early Formative greenstone carving of a footprint from El Manati. The same sign shows up on a Middle Formative monument 13 at La Venta next to a striding figure. The Cascajal block shows many early glyph forms.
The Olmec designed a printing press of sorts, a roller stamp or cylinder seal, which could be inked and rolled onto human skin, paper, or cloth.
Calendar: 260 day, 13 numbers and 20 named days.
Olmec Sites
La Venta, Tres Zapotes, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Tenango del Valle, San Lorenzo, Laguna de los Cerros, Puerto Escondido, San Andres, Tlatilco, El Manati, Juxtlahuaca Cave, Oxtotitlán Cave, Takalik Abaj, Pijijiapan, Tenochtitlan, Potrero Nuevo, Loma del Zapote, El Remolino and Paso los Ortices, El Manatí, Teopantecuanitlán, Río Pesquero, Takalik Abaj
Olmec Civilization Issues
The Olmec Civilization is at the center of the mother-sister controversy, which is a debate concerning the relative strength of the Olmec society compared to other early Mesoamerican cultures.
The Cascajal Block, a large block found in a quarry that may be among the earliest written records in central America.
The search for bitumen sources, which was an important resource to many archaeological societies in central America.
Chocolate believed to be first used and domesticated by the Olmec.
Adiós Amiga! Puerto Vallarta bids farewell to the Hollywood Icon that put it on the map.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Legacy in Puerto Vallarta
Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an American icon, but her death on Wednesday at age 79 has a special poignancy in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. That once sleepy Mexican town that her steamy and tumultuous romance helped build into the thriving resort it is today.
Taylor’s Puerto Vallarta connection dates back to 1963, when Taylor joined actor Richard Burton while he was filming the movie, “The Night of the Iguana.” Both actors were still married, so the paparazzi followed the “It couple” to Mexico after rumors the two were having an affair. The affair made headlines and was condemned by the Vatican.
Both divorced their spouses and remained in Mexico. They loved the seaside town so much, Burton bought a massive 22,900-square-foot home called Casa Kimberley for Liz as a wedding gift. For 11 years, they lived there and in Casa San Angel, another home across the street which was connected by a famous pink bridge.
“The Burton-Taylor romance, plus the movie ‘Night of the Iguana’ meant a lot to Puerto Vallarta,” says Salvador Peña Chávez, Director of Puerto Vallarta’s Tourism Board. “It was the start of the city as a world-class tourist destination.” In fact, it was their photos of themselves and the surrounding landscape that peaked interest around the world. Puerto Vallarta became the South Beach of the 1960’s, a popular tourist destination for both celebrities and the public. Today, the once-small town of 12,500 has well over a quarter of a million residents.
Liz Taylor brought more than just tourists to town. During her 11 years there, she founded The Elizabeth Taylor Orphanage and took in children in need.
But Puerto Vallarta is also the place the couple is known to have had tempestuous and very vociferous fights. Eventually, in 1974, they divorced—then remarried in 1975.
That second marriage also ended in divorce. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times in her life.
Today, celebrities still flock to Puerto Vallarta. Kate Hudson was recently spotted here with boyfriend Matt Bellamy. Kevin Costner once had a home here, too.
More than a dozen movies have been made in the city since “The Night of the Iguana”, including “Predator” in 2008. Word is that city leaders have approved honoring Taylor’s contribution to the city with a public sculpture.
“When the sun comes up, I have morals again”
Elizabeth Taylor
Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an American icon, but her death on Wednesday at age 79 has a special poignancy in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. That once sleepy Mexican town that her steamy and tumultuous romance helped build into the thriving resort it is today.
Taylor’s Puerto Vallarta connection dates back to 1963, when Taylor joined actor Richard Burton while he was filming the movie, “The Night of the Iguana.” Both actors were still married, so the paparazzi followed the “It couple” to Mexico after rumors the two were having an affair. The affair made headlines and was condemned by the Vatican.
Both divorced their spouses and remained in Mexico. They loved the seaside town so much, Burton bought a massive 22,900-square-foot home called Casa Kimberley for Liz as a wedding gift. For 11 years, they lived there and in Casa San Angel, another home across the street which was connected by a famous pink bridge.
“The Burton-Taylor romance, plus the movie ‘Night of the Iguana’ meant a lot to Puerto Vallarta,” says Salvador Peña Chávez, Director of Puerto Vallarta’s Tourism Board. “It was the start of the city as a world-class tourist destination.” In fact, it was their photos of themselves and the surrounding landscape that peaked interest around the world. Puerto Vallarta became the South Beach of the 1960’s, a popular tourist destination for both celebrities and the public. Today, the once-small town of 12,500 has well over a quarter of a million residents.
Liz Taylor brought more than just tourists to town. During her 11 years there, she founded The Elizabeth Taylor Orphanage and took in children in need.
But Puerto Vallarta is also the place the couple is known to have had tempestuous and very vociferous fights. Eventually, in 1974, they divorced—then remarried in 1975.
That second marriage also ended in divorce. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times in her life.
Today, celebrities still flock to Puerto Vallarta. Kate Hudson was recently spotted here with boyfriend Matt Bellamy. Kevin Costner once had a home here, too.
More than a dozen movies have been made in the city since “The Night of the Iguana”, including “Predator” in 2008. Word is that city leaders have approved honoring Taylor’s contribution to the city with a public sculpture.
“When the sun comes up, I have morals again”
Elizabeth Taylor
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Bahia Mobile Chiropractic Erik Fulfer, DC Quality affordable chiropractic care at your Home, Office, Resort or Spa.
ONLY $20 USD/ $250 MXP per visit!
bahiachiro@gmail.com/www.bahiachiropractic.com (322) 182-5045
Beautiful Studio for rent in Amapas
Ocean View, terrace, furnished, A/C, kitchen, washer/dryer, cable , internet Walking distance to beach, 5 min from town. $7,800.00 pesos per month, contact Eduardo Cel. (045) 5518328344
11611
BEAUTIFUL SPACIOUS NEWLY DECORATED 2 bedroom 1 bath apartments with all amenities.
All with gorgeous Ocean View or Mountain views Penthouse 2 bedroom 2 bath upon availability.
Long and short term. From $6,500 pesos monthly sorrentovallartapv@hotmail.com
House fully furnished plus TV, one bedroom, sleeps four, English satalite TV, Vonage and Telmex phones, Internet, a/c, washer & dryer, newly renovated, in Romantic Zone, short or long term. 044 322 116 5085.
Beautiful House In Lomas Del Sol, Partialy Furnished, 3 Bedrooms, Garden, Equipped Kitchen, Common Swimming Pool, Security, $8,800 Pesos Per Month, Call (322)22 6 25 50
For Sale By Auction, 3-Bed/3-Bath Penthouse Corner Unit In Nuevo. Reduced To 399K. Details At Www.Puertovallartarealestateauctions.Com
Beautiful Condominium In Marina Vallarta,4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms,One Of The Best Developmentsin The Area, Facing Thesea With A Stunning Ocean View And The Entire Bay Jacuzzi In The Master Bedroom, Huge Swimming Pool, With Tennis Court, Gym, Sauna,Restaurant In The Pool Area,Security 24 Hours A Day, For Sale $1,050,000.00 Usd , For Rent $3,000 Usd Per Month Long Term Call (322)226-2550
Nice House In Las Gaviotas,In Gated Community, 3Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms,Common Swimming Pool, Gardens, In A Residential Area, Near To Banks , Shopping Malls, $2,750,000 Pesos, Call (322)22 6 25 50
Condominium Raul, In Suites Marbella Located On The Main Avenue Of Puerto Vallarta, Near From Shopping Malls,Furnished, 2 Bedrooms, Security 24Hrs, Common Swimming Pool, $110,000 Usd Call. (322) 2252555
Beautiful Condominium At Playa Gemelas,Fully Furnished, 2Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms, Fully Equipped Laundry Room, Full Terrace With Great Ocean View, Private Beach, 2 Swimming Pools. $420,000 Usd. Call (322) 22 6 25 50
House In Las Gaviotas, Furnished, 3Bedrooms+ Studio, 2.5 Bathrooms, Equipped Kitchen,Garden, A/C, $8,000.00 Pesos Per Month, Call (322)226-2550
One bedroom, one bath condo in 6 plex in Bucerias. Canadian owned. 2nd floor w/balcony. A/C 5 min. walk to beach. $150,00000 USD Ricardo (329) 298-1235
11647
Professional Cleaning Service, Yachts, Boats, Houses and Condos
Honest and Professional Call Alejandra at 044-322-152-1173
11612
EXPERIENCE MEXICO
Tours to: Mexico City/Taxco/Cuernavaca CUBA, “Havana Unforgettable Experience” Oaxaca
Argentina Tonala Original “Shop Till you Drop” Tour All Alegre Tours originate and end in Puerto Vallarta rvaldez714@hotmail.com www.AlegreTours.com
11610
AMERICAN BOARD - CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTOR
Bahia Mobile Chiropractic Erik Fulfer, DC Quality affordable chiropractic care at your Home, Office, Resort or Spa.
ONLY $20 USD/ $250 MXP per visit!
bahiachiro@gmail.com/www.bahiachiropractic.com (322) 182-5045
Useful Everyday Spanish Phrases
¡Buenos días!
bway-nohs dee-ahs
Hello! / Good morning!
¡Buenas tardes!
bway-nahs tard-ays
Good afternoon!
¡Buenas noches!
bway-nahs noh-chays
Good evening! / Good night!
Adiós.
ah-dee-ohs
Good bye.
Bienvenidos
byen-veh-nee-dohs
Welcome
Por favor.
por fah-bor
Please.
(Muchas) Gracias.
(moo-chahs) grah-see-ahs
Thank you (very much).
De nada.
day nah-dah
You’re welcome.
Hasta la vista / Hasta luego.
ah-stah lah vees-tah
/ ah-stah loo-ay-go
See you / See you later.
Lo siento
loh see-ehn-toh
I’m sorry
Con permiso / Perdón / Disculpe
kohn pehr-mee-soh / pehr-dohn / dees-kool-peh
Excuse me / Pardon me
Sí / No
see / noh
Yes / No
Me llamo... / Mi nombre es...
may yah-moh / mee nohm-breh ess
My name is...
¿Hablas inglés?
ah-blahs een-glehs
Do you speak English?
¿Puedes ayudarme?
pweh-deh ah-yoo-dar-meh
Claro / Claro que sí
klah-roh / klah-roh keh see
Sure / Of course
¿Dónde está / Dónde están... ?
dohn-deh eh-stah / dohn-deh eh-stahn
Where is ... / Where are ... ?
If you are a first time visitor to Puerto Vallarta, please remember you are in a different country with very different customs besides just the language itself. Mexican people for the most part are very polite, friendly, quite hospitable and usually have big smile on their face.
Many “gringos” not aware of this, especially the ones that have never been outside “Gringolandia”, sometimes come across as demanding and ridiculing. A kind word, sincere smile and “muchas gracias” go a long ways here in México.
SUE AND MARIE
Dive sites around Puerto Vallarta have an abundance of macro life. In addition to the nudibranch’s we have talked about, there seahorses as well which I love. This is another advantage of taking that step from snorkelling to scuba diving, as you can get up close to these creatures and I could personally watch them for hours. So why do I find them so fascinating I hear you ask, well their characteristics are just crazy. They have stolen different parts of at least 6 animals to make them one of the most interesting creatures to observe. Its horse like head has eyes like a lizard so they can keep one eye out for predators such as, large fish, crabs and sea turtles, while the other eye can watch out for food such as small crustaceans, shrimp, plankton and worms.
Their tube-shaped snout is just like that of an aardvark with a toothless upper and lower jaw. The seahorse rapidly opens and closes its jaws in a snapping motion, acting like a vacuum sucking up its food. Their bony armour plating is just like that of the Stegosaurus, but they have the ability to change colour like a chameleon. With the blink of an eye they lighten or darken to match the colour of their surroundings. This protects them from prey. It’s really cool, but as a diver, very frustrating as it makes them so difficult to find.
The seahorses armour links together with spines like a puffer fish, but this affects their flexibility and the amour is also heavy so consequently they are not good swimmers. When they do swim it’s usually in a vertical position and looks effortless. Their dorsal fin (along its back) is transparent and flaps at 20-30 times per second so we can’t see it. They use pectoral fins (on each side) for direction and move up and down by controlling the volume of gas in their bodies. Just like us divers who need alter the amount of air in our jackets (buoyancy control devices) when changing depth.
They also have monkey like tails. This is because they like to sit and wait for passing food, using their tail to wrap around coral or sea grass and anchor themselves to the ocean floor. Seahorses are monogamous and truly loving to the point that when one partner dies, the other usually dies within a few days. During courting every morning they dance together, rubbing heads, changing colour busting out some synchronised swimming. They link tails to form a V shape.
The female tends to gets easily distracted though, especially with passing food. If the male gets really annoyed he will snap at her head to get her attention which would have to hurt. The male has the same reaction if another male seahorse approaches his partner. Mating happens during a full moon. The female produces 200-600 pinkish eggs and deposits them into the males kangaroo like pouch. He then fertilises them and they grow for 3-6 weeks. When the male gives birth he may actually go through labour pain! Up to 1,500 sea ponies are born and are about 1cm long. They are left to fend for themselves so survival is rare. After 6 months they will have grown to their full size of 15cm and be sexually mature, and hopefully live a healthy paired life of around 4 years.
Sea horses numbers are depleting and it’s illegal to trade them, but it is still happening. Largely due to use in Chinese remedies, but also here in Mexico. I have seen dried seahorses for sale as jewelry, so please help us preserve seahorses by not supporting this trade. The best place to find these creatures is Majahuitas, a few miles south of Mismaloya, but please don’t touch, just observe these fantastic animals.
Their tube-shaped snout is just like that of an aardvark with a toothless upper and lower jaw. The seahorse rapidly opens and closes its jaws in a snapping motion, acting like a vacuum sucking up its food. Their bony armour plating is just like that of the Stegosaurus, but they have the ability to change colour like a chameleon. With the blink of an eye they lighten or darken to match the colour of their surroundings. This protects them from prey. It’s really cool, but as a diver, very frustrating as it makes them so difficult to find.
The seahorses armour links together with spines like a puffer fish, but this affects their flexibility and the amour is also heavy so consequently they are not good swimmers. When they do swim it’s usually in a vertical position and looks effortless. Their dorsal fin (along its back) is transparent and flaps at 20-30 times per second so we can’t see it. They use pectoral fins (on each side) for direction and move up and down by controlling the volume of gas in their bodies. Just like us divers who need alter the amount of air in our jackets (buoyancy control devices) when changing depth.
They also have monkey like tails. This is because they like to sit and wait for passing food, using their tail to wrap around coral or sea grass and anchor themselves to the ocean floor. Seahorses are monogamous and truly loving to the point that when one partner dies, the other usually dies within a few days. During courting every morning they dance together, rubbing heads, changing colour busting out some synchronised swimming. They link tails to form a V shape.
The female tends to gets easily distracted though, especially with passing food. If the male gets really annoyed he will snap at her head to get her attention which would have to hurt. The male has the same reaction if another male seahorse approaches his partner. Mating happens during a full moon. The female produces 200-600 pinkish eggs and deposits them into the males kangaroo like pouch. He then fertilises them and they grow for 3-6 weeks. When the male gives birth he may actually go through labour pain! Up to 1,500 sea ponies are born and are about 1cm long. They are left to fend for themselves so survival is rare. After 6 months they will have grown to their full size of 15cm and be sexually mature, and hopefully live a healthy paired life of around 4 years.
Sea horses numbers are depleting and it’s illegal to trade them, but it is still happening. Largely due to use in Chinese remedies, but also here in Mexico. I have seen dried seahorses for sale as jewelry, so please help us preserve seahorses by not supporting this trade. The best place to find these creatures is Majahuitas, a few miles south of Mismaloya, but please don’t touch, just observe these fantastic animals.
What is the Most Popular Thing to do in Vallarta? Hit the Beach, OF COURSE!!
So why not do it in style? And you needn’t be a mythical model type to feel and look great, thanks to Curvas Peligrosas (Dangerous Curves), a fabulous beachwear shop with quality swimsuits from size 6 to 36, now in their fourth year here in Puerto Vallarta.
Women of substance, finally it is our turn to shine, owners Robina Oliver and Carlos Vazquez remind us that size is just a number. Stocking some 30 brands from quality U.S. designers at prices ranging from 300 pesos to 950 pesos, with the average suit costing about 750, there are many choices for all sizes. Starting out as a shop dedicated to sizes 12 and up, they listened to the numerous requests for ‘smaller’ sized suits over their first year, and Curvas Peligrosas added size 6 through 10 to their already large selection of gorgeous swimsuits. Now they have a suit for every body.
Since there are lots of very handy and attractive three-piece sets among the 1,000 or so suits in the current inventory, you can go from breakfast to beach in a heartbeat. There are some stunning suits with matching cover-ups, from Longitude, Jantzen, and other quality brands. Check out the patented Carol Wior suits, with under-wires, and all lined, front and back, with super-strong lycra to help keep everything in place.
Women of substance, finally it is our turn to shine, owners Robina Oliver and Carlos Vazquez remind us that size is just a number. Stocking some 30 brands from quality U.S. designers at prices ranging from 300 pesos to 950 pesos, with the average suit costing about 750, there are many choices for all sizes. Starting out as a shop dedicated to sizes 12 and up, they listened to the numerous requests for ‘smaller’ sized suits over their first year, and Curvas Peligrosas added size 6 through 10 to their already large selection of gorgeous swimsuits. Now they have a suit for every body.
Since there are lots of very handy and attractive three-piece sets among the 1,000 or so suits in the current inventory, you can go from breakfast to beach in a heartbeat. There are some stunning suits with matching cover-ups, from Longitude, Jantzen, and other quality brands. Check out the patented Carol Wior suits, with under-wires, and all lined, front and back, with super-strong lycra to help keep everything in place.
There are absolutely beautiful, flattering styles in every size, from 6 to 36. In fact, some women who had sworn off bathing suits forever are finding, to their surprise and delight, they can look and feel really good on the beach! Robina has a knack for helping each customer find what is best for them, determining shape as well as size – pear, apple, etc. – and then going right to the racks to pick out several suits for the person to try on. Some may be so out of touch with their bodies, or certainly with buying a bathing suit that they have no idea what would be the most flattering. But Robina brings a positive energy to the experience, making it exciting and fun, perhaps for the first time in a long time, to see yourself in the mirror!
Curvas Peligrosas also stocks a variety of cover-ups, casual wear and more to help you feel beautiful and in a carefree beach mood all day long. Find Curvas Peligrosas on Facebook for their current hours and to keep up with the latest on the newest styles they have in stock.
Located just off the Malecón, one block north of the Rio Cuale, and one block from the Juarez parking garage, at 178 Juarez in El Centro. Right at the corner of Libertad.
Open Monday to Friday 10 to 5, and Saturday 11 to 3, for high season.
(322) 223-5978, www.CurvasPeligrosasPV.com
Curvas Peligrosas also stocks a variety of cover-ups, casual wear and more to help you feel beautiful and in a carefree beach mood all day long. Find Curvas Peligrosas on Facebook for their current hours and to keep up with the latest on the newest styles they have in stock.
Located just off the Malecón, one block north of the Rio Cuale, and one block from the Juarez parking garage, at 178 Juarez in El Centro. Right at the corner of Libertad.
Open Monday to Friday 10 to 5, and Saturday 11 to 3, for high season.
(322) 223-5978, www.CurvasPeligrosasPV.com
Yelapa
I met Mel my first night in Yelapa. Gringos living I’n Mexico in those days didn’t have to be crazy, but in most cases, it helped.
All the other cases are either dead or on the lam. With his boyish charms and his quick smile, Mel looked normal to the Mexicans and the expatriates living peacefully among the Macaws, Jaguars, Vampire Bats and Scorpions in this small fishing village hidden among the banana groves and coco nut trees somewhere along the coast of Jalisco in 72.
He was sitting at a table in a restaurant called The Yacht Club playing poker with another American and a couple of Canadians. They accepted my offer to join them. Each bet involved an international money exchange between greenbacks, pesos, and beaver bucks.
After winning about five hundred pesos from my new friends, the game closed down and Mel invited me up to his house for a little one on one poker. Mel was an honest card player. After losing another five hundred pesos more of his own money, into those wee hours of the morning, he sure wasn’t cheating.
Mel informed me about the Yelapa tradition where the winner buys the loser breakfast.
Since I was buying with a huge hunk of his money, I was happy to pick up the tab of my new friend and gambling buddy. I spent the rest of my winnings on a kilo of pot. I started selling pot and having poker games at my house three nights a week.
After a month, I moved into a much larger and nicer house overlooking the bay. Mel accepted my invitation to share the rent. Mel was a poet and an artist living quietly in Mexico. He had a way with the ladies.
“You must stop by for tea,” Mel would extend this invitation to some of the better looking ladies living alone here and most responded. “I don’t know what came over me,” they would explain later. I was walking by the path to your house and I got this irresistible urge to stop in for tea. I only knew Mel of a few months that winter before I headed north again.
The guy I knew was in his prime, easy to laugh, comfortable with himself and the world. Many years later, Mel would die penniless and alone on the beach.
That Mel was someone I never knew, desperate and angry, mad at anyone and everyone, a scowl on his much older and thinner face and his fist always wrapped around the handle of his ever present machete.
The ladies no longer stopped by for tea and one by one, his friends began to drift away.
He was kicked out of his house after another fight with Christina, his last girlfriend. The fight ended with Mel vainly chasing her through the pre-dawn jungle, screaming curses as he waved his machete at the terrified girl, both of them were naked.
The next morning, his landlord walked in and pointed a pistol at a half awake Mel. “You have one hour to get your things and get out of this house.
I will tolerate the drinking, the drugs, the fighting into the night, but I will not tolerate nudity! “Mel gathered what few belongings he owned and left. His checks from the states stopped coming and soon he was homeless and broke.
Christine found a new and much saner boyfriend. Mel was a hemophiliac. His main source of income was a small disability check he got from the states. I have a theory that Mel contracted aids from a blood transfusion.
This would help to explain the homeless and hostile man that was dying on the beach in Yelapa.
Angry from a death sentence he didn’t deserve, sick from a relentless disease that was ravaging his emaciated body, Mel gave up.
He stopped eating. Soon he was dead. Someone called his sister in Ohio. She thanked them for the call. When they inquired about where to send the body, she replied that wasn’t her problem and hung up.
The gringos in Yelapa passed the hat around and sent someone to Puerto Vallarta to buy a coffin.
Since there wasn’t much money raised, they had to settle for the cheapest box in the funeral home.
By the time they got back to Yelapa, Mel was getting pretty ripe. He was too long to fit into the the box properly and his toes stuck out.
On the way up the hill to the cemetery the bottom of the cheap box broke open, Mel fell out and began rolling back down the hill. Finally the repaired coffin and Mel made it to the cemetery.
The burial party had only managed to dig a hole about four feet eel before the hit hard rock. “ That’s deep enough!” someone declared.
Mel had a leather bound journal he had kept for years. Rumor had it that he had written down all the dirt on the Gringo families who had lived in Yelapa the longest.
They wrapped Mel’s arms over whatever was written and buried him with it. When they began lowering Mel into his final resting place, a waterspout suddenly appeared on the bay.
There are Mexicans and some Gringos who swear today they believe Mel was a witch.
Thirty years later, he still doesn’t have a headstone, but the regulars - those Gringos who have made this small fishing village their home- still tell their favorite stories of my friend and gambling buddy.
Robert McLane
In 2007, my book, STOP WAR AMERICA, won Honorable Mention at the New York Book Festival
US Mexico envoy Carlos Pascual resigns over Wikileaks cables
Carlos Pascual’s cables provoked a strong reaction in Mexico
US Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual has resigned over leaked diplomatic cables in which he doubted Mexico’s ability to tackle drug gangs.
The dispute flared last month when Mexican President Felipe Calderon accused Mr. Pascual of “ignorance”.
He said the US cables, released by Wikileaks in December, had harmed ties.
The US is backing Mexico’s war against drug-trafficking with more than $1 Billion in equipment and training.
The two countries have also increasingly been sharing intelligence in a bid to tackle the drug gangs as violence continues to take a heavy toll in Mexico, with more than 34,000 killed since late 2006.
It emerged earlier this month that the US has been sending unarmed surveillance drones over Mexico to gather information on the major drug traffickers.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Mr. Pascual had decided to step down due to “his personal desire to ensure the strong relationship between our two countries and to avert issues raised by President Calderon that could distract from the important business of advancing our bilateral interests”.
She said she and President Barack Obama had accepted his resignation with “great reluctance”.
Mr Pascual’s decision to leave comes less than a fortnight since Mr. Calderon held talks with President Barack Obama in Washington.
The Mexican president had not hidden his anger at the remarks made by Mr. Pascual in the diplomatic cables, and reportedly asked for the ambassador to be removed from his post.
“I do not have to tell the US ambassador how many times I meet with my Security Cabinet. It is none of his business.
I will not accept or tolerate any type of intervention,” Mr. Calderon said in February, in an interview with Mexico’s El Universal newspaper.
“But that man’s ignorance translates into a distortion of what is happening in Mexico, and affects things and creates ill-feeling within our own team.”
President Calderon launched his crackdown on the drug gangs after taking office in December 2006
Mr. Calderon also told the Washington Post that bilateral relations had suffered “serious damage” because of the US diplomatic cables.
The Mexican presidency said on Saturday that ties between the two countries remained solid despite Mr. Pascual’s resignation.
In his cables, released by Wikileaks and published by The Guardian newspaper, Mr. Pascual questioned whether President Calderon could win his war on drugs, saying the various security agencies were often at odds.
The Mexican security forces, he said, were slow and risk-averse.
Mr. Pascual, a Cuban-American expert in failed states, is a career diplomat.
He recently began dating the daughter of a senior member of Mexico’s main opposition party, the Institutional Revolutionary party or PRI.
US Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual has resigned over leaked diplomatic cables in which he doubted Mexico’s ability to tackle drug gangs.
The dispute flared last month when Mexican President Felipe Calderon accused Mr. Pascual of “ignorance”.
He said the US cables, released by Wikileaks in December, had harmed ties.
The US is backing Mexico’s war against drug-trafficking with more than $1 Billion in equipment and training.
The two countries have also increasingly been sharing intelligence in a bid to tackle the drug gangs as violence continues to take a heavy toll in Mexico, with more than 34,000 killed since late 2006.
It emerged earlier this month that the US has been sending unarmed surveillance drones over Mexico to gather information on the major drug traffickers.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Mr. Pascual had decided to step down due to “his personal desire to ensure the strong relationship between our two countries and to avert issues raised by President Calderon that could distract from the important business of advancing our bilateral interests”.
She said she and President Barack Obama had accepted his resignation with “great reluctance”.
Mr Pascual’s decision to leave comes less than a fortnight since Mr. Calderon held talks with President Barack Obama in Washington.
The Mexican president had not hidden his anger at the remarks made by Mr. Pascual in the diplomatic cables, and reportedly asked for the ambassador to be removed from his post.
“I do not have to tell the US ambassador how many times I meet with my Security Cabinet. It is none of his business.
I will not accept or tolerate any type of intervention,” Mr. Calderon said in February, in an interview with Mexico’s El Universal newspaper.
“But that man’s ignorance translates into a distortion of what is happening in Mexico, and affects things and creates ill-feeling within our own team.”
President Calderon launched his crackdown on the drug gangs after taking office in December 2006
Mr. Calderon also told the Washington Post that bilateral relations had suffered “serious damage” because of the US diplomatic cables.
The Mexican presidency said on Saturday that ties between the two countries remained solid despite Mr. Pascual’s resignation.
In his cables, released by Wikileaks and published by The Guardian newspaper, Mr. Pascual questioned whether President Calderon could win his war on drugs, saying the various security agencies were often at odds.
The Mexican security forces, he said, were slow and risk-averse.
Mr. Pascual, a Cuban-American expert in failed states, is a career diplomat.
He recently began dating the daughter of a senior member of Mexico’s main opposition party, the Institutional Revolutionary party or PRI.
New Works By Al Garvey At Galeria Uno March 30th
Paintings of the hidden PuertoVallarta neighborhood known as the Barrio Lindo will be among those displayed for the first time at Galería Uno during the Art Walk on March 30th.
This is the picturesque hillside haven above the Malecón where Al Garvey lives and works.
These latest land- and cityscapes in oil capture in glowing colors the combination of charm and daily reality that characterize Vallarta and the surrounding area.
Al has been painting since boyhood, his studies ranging from Chicago to Los Angeles to Paris and encompassing a wide range of media including sculpture, serigraphy, woodworking and architectural design.
The home Al designed and built here, with its two dance floors and rock-sculpted walls is the culmination of his talents and the perfect environment for his work.
Galería Uno and the artist invite visitors to Vallarta as well as local aficionados to a cocktail reception from 6-9 pm on Wednesday March 30th.
The gallery is located downtown at Morelos 561, and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week.
This is the picturesque hillside haven above the Malecón where Al Garvey lives and works.
These latest land- and cityscapes in oil capture in glowing colors the combination of charm and daily reality that characterize Vallarta and the surrounding area.
Al has been painting since boyhood, his studies ranging from Chicago to Los Angeles to Paris and encompassing a wide range of media including sculpture, serigraphy, woodworking and architectural design.
The home Al designed and built here, with its two dance floors and rock-sculpted walls is the culmination of his talents and the perfect environment for his work.
Galería Uno and the artist invite visitors to Vallarta as well as local aficionados to a cocktail reception from 6-9 pm on Wednesday March 30th.
The gallery is located downtown at Morelos 561, and is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the week.
Latin Motion
What is that dance?
Sometimes when Salseros (people who like to dance salsa) want a break to move to other types of music with a different rhythm, you might suddenly see them moving tightly and closely in a very provocative way.
You might even break a sweat watching this steamy dance and have to ask, “Is that salsa?!” in a very perplexed way. I’m not talking about the Cha Cha Cha which can be danced to Cuban music or Latin Pop or Rock such as Carlos Santana’s, “Oye Come Va”, it too can be very sexy, but not like this dance.
Nor is it merengue or cumbia which consists of moving from side to side, with very basic steps in an upbeat, jovial way.
What I’m talking about was once censored in its country of origin and had a very slow uprising to international status due to its lack of acceptance.
I’m talking about Bachata which sounds like the Mexican rice drink called horchata and only in recent years became popular and gained international recognition.
Bachata is a mixture of two Cuban styles, the Bolero and Son. From 1950 onward bachata had mixed with the romantic bolero, the Mexican corridor and other styles which gave birth to this new sound that identified the Dominican Republic in the same way merengue did for this region.
There are many different styles of bachata but the originated style is from the Caribbean. The dance is a four-step beat and can be performed both in open and closed position depending on the setting, mood of the partners, and how well you know the person you’re dancing with.
Or how well you want to get to know them – ha! The dance can involve dancing in place or in circles and at times complicated footwork can be integrated.
The word “Bachata” means “party” or “social gathering”. In the beginning, this music and dance was associated with parties in gardens, on terraces and streets of the gorgeous city of Santo Domingo. The festivities were carried out with or without the presence of music hence giving its more significance in that it’s more about the Caribbean way of life instead of just the music and dance. However, in its inception it wasn’t as celebrated.
It was associated as part of the poor class system and dismissed on the radio airwaves for many years. Bachata musicians had to find a way to develop their own system of producing and distributing their music. It had lost popularity in the 70’s but saw a revival in the 80’s.
The modern era of bachata was born in 1987 with the use of electrical instruments and the masterful use of the guitar. In modern day, the music is frequently faster than the older songs and is more danceable than before. You will see bachata danced in many parts of the world now, which is why Puerto Vallarta is beginning to see an emergence of this dance also.
It’s as sexy as you want to make it, but it’s also great exercise and a lot of fun just like the other Latin dances. So when you see a couple dancing really closely and have to ask in a heated state, “Is that Salsa?!” Remember it’s the dance that sounds like horchata called bachata… and then go order a real drink.
Marcella Castellanos teaches salsa at Yoga Vallarta. You can contact her via Facebook or Twitter at Latin Motion PV or at www.latinmotionpv.com or visit her blog at http://latinmotionpv.blogspot.com/.
Sometimes when Salseros (people who like to dance salsa) want a break to move to other types of music with a different rhythm, you might suddenly see them moving tightly and closely in a very provocative way.
You might even break a sweat watching this steamy dance and have to ask, “Is that salsa?!” in a very perplexed way. I’m not talking about the Cha Cha Cha which can be danced to Cuban music or Latin Pop or Rock such as Carlos Santana’s, “Oye Come Va”, it too can be very sexy, but not like this dance.
Nor is it merengue or cumbia which consists of moving from side to side, with very basic steps in an upbeat, jovial way.
What I’m talking about was once censored in its country of origin and had a very slow uprising to international status due to its lack of acceptance.
I’m talking about Bachata which sounds like the Mexican rice drink called horchata and only in recent years became popular and gained international recognition.
Bachata is a mixture of two Cuban styles, the Bolero and Son. From 1950 onward bachata had mixed with the romantic bolero, the Mexican corridor and other styles which gave birth to this new sound that identified the Dominican Republic in the same way merengue did for this region.
There are many different styles of bachata but the originated style is from the Caribbean. The dance is a four-step beat and can be performed both in open and closed position depending on the setting, mood of the partners, and how well you know the person you’re dancing with.
Or how well you want to get to know them – ha! The dance can involve dancing in place or in circles and at times complicated footwork can be integrated.
The word “Bachata” means “party” or “social gathering”. In the beginning, this music and dance was associated with parties in gardens, on terraces and streets of the gorgeous city of Santo Domingo. The festivities were carried out with or without the presence of music hence giving its more significance in that it’s more about the Caribbean way of life instead of just the music and dance. However, in its inception it wasn’t as celebrated.
It was associated as part of the poor class system and dismissed on the radio airwaves for many years. Bachata musicians had to find a way to develop their own system of producing and distributing their music. It had lost popularity in the 70’s but saw a revival in the 80’s.
The modern era of bachata was born in 1987 with the use of electrical instruments and the masterful use of the guitar. In modern day, the music is frequently faster than the older songs and is more danceable than before. You will see bachata danced in many parts of the world now, which is why Puerto Vallarta is beginning to see an emergence of this dance also.
It’s as sexy as you want to make it, but it’s also great exercise and a lot of fun just like the other Latin dances. So when you see a couple dancing really closely and have to ask in a heated state, “Is that Salsa?!” Remember it’s the dance that sounds like horchata called bachata… and then go order a real drink.
Marcella Castellanos teaches salsa at Yoga Vallarta. You can contact her via Facebook or Twitter at Latin Motion PV or at www.latinmotionpv.com or visit her blog at http://latinmotionpv.blogspot.com/.
The Art of Rest
Aside from keeping your immune system up to par by maintaining a balance between the 3 bodies, i.e. feeding your physical body with the right foods and exercise, disciplining the mental body and coming to terms with your emotional body, sleep is essential.
I often hear the complaint from my clients that they cannot get good nights sleep. During sleep, the hormone melatonin (which is secreted only in total darkness) signals your entire body to shift from daytime running-around mode into nighttime healing mode. In addition to that, it also stimulates the nighttime release of another valuable hormone: growth hormone.
Growth hormone is vital for normal development of children, but it has wonderfully beneficial effects in adults as well. It actually:
• Makes your bones stronger
• Increases your muscle mass through the creation of new muscle cells
• Promotes lipolysis, which helps you lose body fat
• Increases protein synthesis and stimulates optimal maintenance of all internal organs
• Supports your pancreas’ ability to make insulin
• Stimulates your immune system
Needless to say how important deep sleep is. Here are some suggestions you may try if you are not getting enough.
• Listen to white noise or relaxation CDs. Some people find the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be soothing for sleep. The River Cuale is great…
• Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep. Asian medicine states that eating 2 hours before sleep will stimulate the liver, where your spirit resides during sleep. Stimulating the liver with fats and sugar causes the spirit to be restless, this being the cause of restless sleep and excessive dreaming (What??? No more cheerios and bananas before bed time??? Comfort food is good, maybe tea would be better.)
• Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin. Turn off all the those little red lights on the DVD player, air conditioning, fans, clocks, T.V., or cover them up with cloth.
• No TV right before bed, even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely.
It is too stimulating to the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep. Also disruptive of pineal gland function for the same reason as above. Not to mention the news factor that seems to be rather sensational and disturbing.
• Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be awoken suddenly. And it may save you money when your bed partner tosses the damn thing out the window. Try going to bed a ½ hour earlier and keep the drapes open so the sun light will waken you naturally.
• Avoid foods that you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true for dairy and wheat products, as they may have effect on sleep, such as causing excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, and gas, among others. (there goes my cherrios again..)…
• Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating sleep. Try some aromatherapy and candles if you have a bathtub.
• If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, the hormonal changes at this time may cause problems if not properly addressed. I recommend pasiflora tea before bedtime that seems to work well. No coffee after 3 p.m. helps. Green oil works wonders when massaged into hands and feet (www.organic-select.com)
• Make certain you are exercising regularly; at least 30 minutes everyday can help you fall asleep. However, don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake.
• Establish a bedtime routine. This could include meditation, deep breathing, using aromatherapy or essential oils,
• or indulging in a foot massage from your dear one.
• When catching a siesta, or traveling, Wear an eye mask to block out light. I find ear plugs come in handy on flights.
• Order some of sleeping potion No.9 from Organic-Select.com..this is good for 6-8 hours of deep, dreamless sleep. It is a blend of natural Chinese and Mexican herbs. My Mexican mom says to make an infusion of pasiflora leaves and drink ½ cup before retiring.. They also make a small pillow out of the dried leaves and sleep on it… and it REALLY works.
She uses the pillows with fussy grand babies. She also says to take a siesta under the pasilfora tree and you will have sweet dreams.
And don’t forget the power of the hammock.
I often hear the complaint from my clients that they cannot get good nights sleep. During sleep, the hormone melatonin (which is secreted only in total darkness) signals your entire body to shift from daytime running-around mode into nighttime healing mode. In addition to that, it also stimulates the nighttime release of another valuable hormone: growth hormone.
Growth hormone is vital for normal development of children, but it has wonderfully beneficial effects in adults as well. It actually:
• Makes your bones stronger
• Increases your muscle mass through the creation of new muscle cells
• Promotes lipolysis, which helps you lose body fat
• Increases protein synthesis and stimulates optimal maintenance of all internal organs
• Supports your pancreas’ ability to make insulin
• Stimulates your immune system
Needless to say how important deep sleep is. Here are some suggestions you may try if you are not getting enough.
• Listen to white noise or relaxation CDs. Some people find the sound of white noise or nature sounds, such as the ocean or forest, to be soothing for sleep. The River Cuale is great…
• Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars. This will raise blood sugar and inhibit sleep. Later, when blood sugar drops too low (hypoglycemia), you might wake up and not be able to fall back asleep. Asian medicine states that eating 2 hours before sleep will stimulate the liver, where your spirit resides during sleep. Stimulating the liver with fats and sugar causes the spirit to be restless, this being the cause of restless sleep and excessive dreaming (What??? No more cheerios and bananas before bed time??? Comfort food is good, maybe tea would be better.)
• Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland’s production of melatonin and serotonin. Turn off all the those little red lights on the DVD player, air conditioning, fans, clocks, T.V., or cover them up with cloth.
• No TV right before bed, even better, get the TV out of the bedroom or even out of the house, completely.
It is too stimulating to the brain and it will take longer to fall asleep. Also disruptive of pineal gland function for the same reason as above. Not to mention the news factor that seems to be rather sensational and disturbing.
• Avoid using loud alarm clocks. It is very stressful on the body to be awoken suddenly. And it may save you money when your bed partner tosses the damn thing out the window. Try going to bed a ½ hour earlier and keep the drapes open so the sun light will waken you naturally.
• Avoid foods that you may be sensitive to. This is particularly true for dairy and wheat products, as they may have effect on sleep, such as causing excess congestion, gastrointestinal upset, and gas, among others. (there goes my cherrios again..)…
• Take a hot bath, shower or sauna before bed. When body temperature is raised in the late evening, it will fall at bedtime, facilitating sleep. Try some aromatherapy and candles if you have a bathtub.
• If you are menopausal or perimenopausal, the hormonal changes at this time may cause problems if not properly addressed. I recommend pasiflora tea before bedtime that seems to work well. No coffee after 3 p.m. helps. Green oil works wonders when massaged into hands and feet (www.organic-select.com)
• Make certain you are exercising regularly; at least 30 minutes everyday can help you fall asleep. However, don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake.
• Establish a bedtime routine. This could include meditation, deep breathing, using aromatherapy or essential oils,
• or indulging in a foot massage from your dear one.
• When catching a siesta, or traveling, Wear an eye mask to block out light. I find ear plugs come in handy on flights.
• Order some of sleeping potion No.9 from Organic-Select.com..this is good for 6-8 hours of deep, dreamless sleep. It is a blend of natural Chinese and Mexican herbs. My Mexican mom says to make an infusion of pasiflora leaves and drink ½ cup before retiring.. They also make a small pillow out of the dried leaves and sleep on it… and it REALLY works.
She uses the pillows with fussy grand babies. She also says to take a siesta under the pasilfora tree and you will have sweet dreams.
And don’t forget the power of the hammock.
Squarrel Imperils Mexican language
The two elderly men in the village of Ayapan, Tabasco, have drifted apart, said Fernando Nava, head of the Mexican Institute for Indigenous Languages.
He used the example to draw attention to the threat to the more than 350 indigenous languages across Mexico.More than 20 of these are under threat of extinction.
‘Little in common’
Dr Nava played down reports of an argument between the two Ayapan residents, both in their 70s. “We know they are not to say enemies, but we know they are apart.
We know they are two people with little in common,” he told Televisa News in the interview.
“They are really personal reasons that they don’t speak to each other. We don’t have to think of a war.”
The men are the only fluent speakers of their local version of the “Zoque” language.
Other languages from the same root are spoken in the Mexican states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas.
The Zoque tribe is thought to descend from the Olmecas and its members are spread around the south of Mexico.
The indigenous languages institute is trying to encourage more local people to speak Ayapan Zoque, and hopes the two men will pass the language on to their families.
It is also being recorded.
“We hope in a few years to be talking about new speakers of the language,” Dr Nava said. Mexico is one of the countries in the world with the richest diversity of languages. More than 350 indigenous languages are spoken within its territory.
According to the UN, one language disappears across the world every two weeks.
Things to Do!!
Tequila Tasting
Located in a traditional Mexican Hacienda in Puerto Vallarta, you will enjoy a tequila tasting from an extraordinary collection of tequila. Listen to live music until 2:00 a.m. Light food is available and the finest Cuban cigars. Morelos #589 – only one block off the Malecon.
Trolley
An enchanting open air trolley will take you on a short tour of the downtown Puerto Vallarta. It leaves from in front of McDonald’s every 30 minutes between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm. The cost is $6.00 USD per person.
Turtles
In Mexico turtles are protected and it is against the law to sell or consume turtle soup, turtle eggs, turtle shells etc. During the summer months the adult turtles return to our Vallarta shores to lay their eggs.
The nests are protected by a fence and guarded until the hatchlings emerge. Many hotels, who have protected nesting sites on their beaches, will allow guests to help the new hatchlings get from the nurseries to the open ocean;
Rosita Hotel, Sheraton, Fiesta Americana, Westin Regina, Marriott Casa Magna, Sun Terra Vallarta Torre, Presidente Intercontinental and Dreams Resort & Spa. Inquire at the reception desk of the hotel nearest you about estimated hatching schedules and if you can participate in the release of the hatchlings.
Whale Watching
In the winter months in Puerto Vallarta (November to March) Whale Sittings in the Bay of Banderas can be viewed from the terrace on you villa.
There are several tour companies will take you on the water to watch the whales. Often you will see mothers and their babies close up.
Wind Surfing
Many of the hotels in Puerto Vallarta rent wind surfers. Call the hotel information desks at the hotels closest to you.
Yachting
Motor yachts, sail boats and catamarans are readily available in Puerto Vallarta or at the Marina.
Yoga
Classes are held at the Escuela de Musica in the Isla Rio Cuale on the island in the River Cuale below the bridge - East end of the island in downtown Puerto Vallarta. Everyone is welcome.
There are also morning classes on the beach at the Los Arcos Hotel in Olas Altas. Yoga with Mikki, Yoga Vallarta all have daily classes for all levels.
Mismaloya
Canopy Chicos
Email for Reservations:
canopychicos@hotmail.com
Grupo el Eden
El Eden, Rio Mismaloya Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Mundo Nogalito
Avenida del cedro Num.7 Colonia el Nogalito Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Romantic Zone
Canopy River
Insurgentes #369, Basilio Badillo or Fco. Medina Ascencio 1968A
Phone: (322) 222-0560
Email for Reservations:
info@canopyriver.com.mx
Tour Vallarta
Lazaro Cardenas 381-E
Phone: (322) 223-5445
jnunez@tour-vallarta.com
Unique ATV Tours
Basilio Badillo 429 Colonia Emiliano Zapata
Phone: 322-223-3516
Free Line US/CA: 1.866.391.6109
Email for Reservations:
uniqueatvtours@aol.com
Downtown
Canopy El Eden
Ignacio L Vallarta #228,
Emiliano Zapata
Phone: (322) 222-9983
Canopy los Veranos
Francisca Rodriguez No.336 Col. Emiliano Zapata Puerto Vallarta Jalisco CP. 48380
Rancho Palma Real
Juarez #20 Puerto Vallarta Jalisco CP. 48260
North-shorew
Cruceros Princesa
Paseo de las Garzas 100 - B Zona Hotelera Norte Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Grayline Puerto Vallarta
Rio Santiago 203, Fluvial
Phone: (322) 225-1190
Email for Reservations:
csoberon@graylinevallarta.com
Website: www.graylinevallarta.com
Outdoor Vallarta
Fco.Villa 1444 Punta Mita. Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
ShoreX
Peninsula Shopping Center 2nd level
Las Glorias
Servicios Ecoturisticos El Jorullo
Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio 1968 A
Phone: (322) 222-0560
Email for Reservations:
info@ecofun.mx
Vallarta Fishing
Tucan #120 Col. Aralias
Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Marina Vallarta
Charly´s Sailing and Sportfishing
Cond. Club de Tenis Puesta del Sol, Local 9-A Phone: (322) 221 0352
Email for Reservations:
contact@cssfishing.com
Dos Amantes Custom
Sailing Charters
Marina Vallarta Dock F-2
ECO Explorer
Proa s/n Local 21,
Condominio Marina Rey
Phone: (322) 221 3257
Email for Reservations:
info@ecoexplorer.com.mx
Ecotours de México -
Earth Friendly Adventures
Proa s/n local 20,
Condominio Marina del Rey
Phone: (322) 222 6606
Email for Reservations:
info@ecotoursvallarta.com
Mike´s Fishing Charter
Mastil 2 Int 1
Col. Marina Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Vallarta Adventures
Marina Vallarta
Calle Mastil Ed. Marina Golf Local 13C Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
Music
Puerto Vallarta Municipal
Music Band
Every Thursday and Sunday
Plaza de Armas
6:00 pm.
Cover/Entrance:FREE
Popular Dance
Dancers of the Bahía de Banderas
Every Saturday at the Main Plaza El Pitillal
Every Sunday at the Plaza de Armas Los Arcos
7:00 pm.
Cover-Entrance: FREE
Folclorick
Grupo Folclórico Municipal Xiutla
Every Friday
Lázaro Cárdenas Park / Parque Lázaro Cárdenas
7:30 pm
Cover-Entrance: FREE
Danza
Pre-Hispanic Dance
Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday
Hidalgo Park/Parque Hidalgo
7:00 pm.
Cover-Entrance: FREE
Spanish Classes
Conversation Club
CEPE Universidad de Guadalajara
Libertad 105-1, downtown
Tel. 223 2082
Native English Speakers
for Practice
Volunteers Wanted Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio 1712
Col. Olimpica Tel. 222-7137
Located in a traditional Mexican Hacienda in Puerto Vallarta, you will enjoy a tequila tasting from an extraordinary collection of tequila. Listen to live music until 2:00 a.m. Light food is available and the finest Cuban cigars. Morelos #589 – only one block off the Malecon.
Trolley
An enchanting open air trolley will take you on a short tour of the downtown Puerto Vallarta. It leaves from in front of McDonald’s every 30 minutes between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm. The cost is $6.00 USD per person.
Turtles
In Mexico turtles are protected and it is against the law to sell or consume turtle soup, turtle eggs, turtle shells etc. During the summer months the adult turtles return to our Vallarta shores to lay their eggs.
The nests are protected by a fence and guarded until the hatchlings emerge. Many hotels, who have protected nesting sites on their beaches, will allow guests to help the new hatchlings get from the nurseries to the open ocean;
Rosita Hotel, Sheraton, Fiesta Americana, Westin Regina, Marriott Casa Magna, Sun Terra Vallarta Torre, Presidente Intercontinental and Dreams Resort & Spa. Inquire at the reception desk of the hotel nearest you about estimated hatching schedules and if you can participate in the release of the hatchlings.
Whale Watching
In the winter months in Puerto Vallarta (November to March) Whale Sittings in the Bay of Banderas can be viewed from the terrace on you villa.
There are several tour companies will take you on the water to watch the whales. Often you will see mothers and their babies close up.
Wind Surfing
Many of the hotels in Puerto Vallarta rent wind surfers. Call the hotel information desks at the hotels closest to you.
Yachting
Motor yachts, sail boats and catamarans are readily available in Puerto Vallarta or at the Marina.
Yoga
Classes are held at the Escuela de Musica in the Isla Rio Cuale on the island in the River Cuale below the bridge - East end of the island in downtown Puerto Vallarta. Everyone is welcome.
There are also morning classes on the beach at the Los Arcos Hotel in Olas Altas. Yoga with Mikki, Yoga Vallarta all have daily classes for all levels.
Mismaloya
Canopy Chicos
Email for Reservations:
canopychicos@hotmail.com
Grupo el Eden
El Eden, Rio Mismaloya Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Mundo Nogalito
Avenida del cedro Num.7 Colonia el Nogalito Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Romantic Zone
Canopy River
Insurgentes #369, Basilio Badillo or Fco. Medina Ascencio 1968A
Phone: (322) 222-0560
Email for Reservations:
info@canopyriver.com.mx
Tour Vallarta
Lazaro Cardenas 381-E
Phone: (322) 223-5445
jnunez@tour-vallarta.com
Unique ATV Tours
Basilio Badillo 429 Colonia Emiliano Zapata
Phone: 322-223-3516
Free Line US/CA: 1.866.391.6109
Email for Reservations:
uniqueatvtours@aol.com
Downtown
Canopy El Eden
Ignacio L Vallarta #228,
Emiliano Zapata
Phone: (322) 222-9983
Canopy los Veranos
Francisca Rodriguez No.336 Col. Emiliano Zapata Puerto Vallarta Jalisco CP. 48380
Rancho Palma Real
Juarez #20 Puerto Vallarta Jalisco CP. 48260
North-shorew
Cruceros Princesa
Paseo de las Garzas 100 - B Zona Hotelera Norte Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Grayline Puerto Vallarta
Rio Santiago 203, Fluvial
Phone: (322) 225-1190
Email for Reservations:
csoberon@graylinevallarta.com
Website: www.graylinevallarta.com
Outdoor Vallarta
Fco.Villa 1444 Punta Mita. Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
ShoreX
Peninsula Shopping Center 2nd level
Las Glorias
Servicios Ecoturisticos El Jorullo
Boulevard Francisco Medina Ascencio 1968 A
Phone: (322) 222-0560
Email for Reservations:
info@ecofun.mx
Vallarta Fishing
Tucan #120 Col. Aralias
Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Marina Vallarta
Charly´s Sailing and Sportfishing
Cond. Club de Tenis Puesta del Sol, Local 9-A Phone: (322) 221 0352
Email for Reservations:
contact@cssfishing.com
Dos Amantes Custom
Sailing Charters
Marina Vallarta Dock F-2
ECO Explorer
Proa s/n Local 21,
Condominio Marina Rey
Phone: (322) 221 3257
Email for Reservations:
info@ecoexplorer.com.mx
Ecotours de México -
Earth Friendly Adventures
Proa s/n local 20,
Condominio Marina del Rey
Phone: (322) 222 6606
Email for Reservations:
info@ecotoursvallarta.com
Mike´s Fishing Charter
Mastil 2 Int 1
Col. Marina Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta Jalisco
Vallarta Adventures
Marina Vallarta
Calle Mastil Ed. Marina Golf Local 13C Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco.
Music
Puerto Vallarta Municipal
Music Band
Every Thursday and Sunday
Plaza de Armas
6:00 pm.
Cover/Entrance:FREE
Popular Dance
Dancers of the Bahía de Banderas
Every Saturday at the Main Plaza El Pitillal
Every Sunday at the Plaza de Armas Los Arcos
7:00 pm.
Cover-Entrance: FREE
Folclorick
Grupo Folclórico Municipal Xiutla
Every Friday
Lázaro Cárdenas Park / Parque Lázaro Cárdenas
7:30 pm
Cover-Entrance: FREE
Danza
Pre-Hispanic Dance
Every Monday, Tuesday and Friday
Hidalgo Park/Parque Hidalgo
7:00 pm.
Cover-Entrance: FREE
Spanish Classes
Conversation Club
CEPE Universidad de Guadalajara
Libertad 105-1, downtown
Tel. 223 2082
Native English Speakers
for Practice
Volunteers Wanted Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio 1712
Col. Olimpica Tel. 222-7137
Bernardo Arcos´s Women
Women with wide hips, big breasts and small head, women in pyramidal structures that evoke mother earth in balanced and solid forms: the works from an artist that know how to sculpt. The clay women of Bernardo Arcos García are forceful figures in movement that invite the spectator to do a visual journey through the forms.
According to Ramiro Fernández, Galeria Corona´s Director, this artist is inspired by Mother Goddess represented in the adipose Venus and Tlatilco figurines.
Tlatilco is a town northwest of Mexico City where many of this figurines can be found , young women with round hips and big breasts who represent the fertility of the earth. And this pre-Columbian influence is shown in his fine figurative technique.
Most of the time he works without a sketch, following the magic moment where the piece of art is created.
The greatness of the Contemporary Mexican Art in general, Ramiro Fernández says, lays in the deep influence of the pre-Columbian sculptures.
Master Bernardo Arcos was born in Atencingo, Puebla 55 years ago. He discovered his fondness to fine arts when studying High School and during the last 3 decades he has exhibited his works in Mexico City in different cultural centers such as: Museo de Arte Moderno, Museo del Chopo and the Auditorio Nacional. Also in Yucatán, Guadalajara and Puebla where he has received many acknowledgements for his works. Collectors of United States and Europe have acquired his works.
Nowadays he lives in between Vallarta and Puebla where he tirelessly performs his sculptures to which he adds his abstract and geometric works.
He is actually exhibiting his works on Galeria Corona, Calle Corona 164, Downtown Puerto Vallarta.
Spotlight on Charity: St. Patrick Would Approve: IFC Fiesta Raises Funds for Cleft Palate and Associated Local Charities
There is a saying that “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” and that held true on March 17 as the International Friendship Club (IFC) held a fiesta to honor the occasion.
There is a saying that “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” and that held true on March 17 as the International Friendship Club (IFC) held a fiesta to honor the occasion.
St. Patrick’s Day is certainly not a traditional Mexican holiday but Mi Pueblito Restaurant at Los Arcos Hotel on Los Muertos Beach put on a great Irish buffet to honor the “Wearing ‘O the Green”. And lots of green was in sight as the IFC group enjoyed a buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage and a Mulligan Stew among other favorites. Co-Chairs of this event, Mel Bornstein and Fred Forbes, did some food tastings with the chef at Mi Pueblito trying various recipes until he came up with the mouth- watering Irish favorites that Fred and Mel approved.
Mi Pueblito put on quite a floor show, and although it was lacking the Irish Jig it did feature dances from various Latin countries as well as some exotic dancers performing the Hawaiian Hula. As always, Mi Pueblito featured live music for dancing and IFC members took full advantage. Our IFC member, and volunteer photographer, Bob Davidson caught a number of folks, whether Irish or not, enjoying the festivities.
There were also a number of door prizes awarded and probably the most memorable was when our IFC club president, Mandy MacLeay, won a free membership to the IFC for next year! Well, that’s certainly one way to make sure she continues with the amazing work she does for the club! It was a great evening to have some delicious food, dancing and friendship while knowing we were holding a great fundraising event for the IFC’s programs.
No matter how many children are treated, or how many success stories we tell about these beautiful children, there are sad to say always new babies born each year with a cleft lip or palate who continue to join in the program. If you would like to learn more about the International Friendship Club or its Cleft Palate Program or other charities the IFC helps to support please stop by our clubhouse Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm, give us a call at 322-222-5466 or visit our website at ifcvallarta.com where you can learn all about the IFC and its many program and activities. And don’t forget to take an IFC Home Tour any Wednesday or Thursday morning where funds support this worthy cause.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad. It is located at Edificio Parian del Puente #13, Calle Libertad Corner Miramar, Colonia El Centro, PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com. Email: ifcvallarta@gmail.com. See our website for a map.
There is a saying that “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” and that held true on March 17 as the International Friendship Club (IFC) held a fiesta to honor the occasion.
St. Patrick’s Day is certainly not a traditional Mexican holiday but Mi Pueblito Restaurant at Los Arcos Hotel on Los Muertos Beach put on a great Irish buffet to honor the “Wearing ‘O the Green”. And lots of green was in sight as the IFC group enjoyed a buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage and a Mulligan Stew among other favorites. Co-Chairs of this event, Mel Bornstein and Fred Forbes, did some food tastings with the chef at Mi Pueblito trying various recipes until he came up with the mouth- watering Irish favorites that Fred and Mel approved.
Mi Pueblito put on quite a floor show, and although it was lacking the Irish Jig it did feature dances from various Latin countries as well as some exotic dancers performing the Hawaiian Hula. As always, Mi Pueblito featured live music for dancing and IFC members took full advantage. Our IFC member, and volunteer photographer, Bob Davidson caught a number of folks, whether Irish or not, enjoying the festivities.
There were also a number of door prizes awarded and probably the most memorable was when our IFC club president, Mandy MacLeay, won a free membership to the IFC for next year! Well, that’s certainly one way to make sure she continues with the amazing work she does for the club! It was a great evening to have some delicious food, dancing and friendship while knowing we were holding a great fundraising event for the IFC’s programs.
No matter how many children are treated, or how many success stories we tell about these beautiful children, there are sad to say always new babies born each year with a cleft lip or palate who continue to join in the program. If you would like to learn more about the International Friendship Club or its Cleft Palate Program or other charities the IFC helps to support please stop by our clubhouse Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm, give us a call at 322-222-5466 or visit our website at ifcvallarta.com where you can learn all about the IFC and its many program and activities. And don’t forget to take an IFC Home Tour any Wednesday or Thursday morning where funds support this worthy cause.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad. It is located at Edificio Parian del Puente #13, Calle Libertad Corner Miramar, Colonia El Centro, PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com. Email: ifcvallarta@gmail.com. See our website for a map.
St. Patrick’s Day is certainly not a traditional Mexican holiday but Mi Pueblito Restaurant at Los Arcos Hotel on Los Muertos Beach put on a great Irish buffet to honor the “Wearing ‘O the Green”. And lots of green was in sight as the IFC group enjoyed a buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage and a Mulligan Stew among other favorites. Co-Chairs of this event, Mel Bornstein and Fred Forbes, did some food tastings with the chef at Mi Pueblito trying various recipes until he came up with the mouth- watering Irish favorites that Fred and Mel approved.
Mi Pueblito put on quite a floor show, and although it was lacking the Irish Jig it did feature dances from various Latin countries as well as some exotic dancers performing the Hawaiian Hula. As always, Mi Pueblito featured live music for dancing and IFC members took full advantage. Our IFC member, and volunteer photographer, Bob Davidson caught a number of folks, whether Irish or not, enjoying the festivities.
There were also a number of door prizes awarded and probably the most memorable was when our IFC club president, Mandy MacLeay, won a free membership to the IFC for next year! Well, that’s certainly one way to make sure she continues with the amazing work she does for the club! It was a great evening to have some delicious food, dancing and friendship while knowing we were holding a great fundraising event for the IFC’s programs.
No matter how many children are treated, or how many success stories we tell about these beautiful children, there are sad to say always new babies born each year with a cleft lip or palate who continue to join in the program. If you would like to learn more about the International Friendship Club or its Cleft Palate Program or other charities the IFC helps to support please stop by our clubhouse Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm, give us a call at 322-222-5466 or visit our website at ifcvallarta.com where you can learn all about the IFC and its many program and activities. And don’t forget to take an IFC Home Tour any Wednesday or Thursday morning where funds support this worthy cause.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad. It is located at Edificio Parian del Puente #13, Calle Libertad Corner Miramar, Colonia El Centro, PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com. Email: ifcvallarta@gmail.com. See our website for a map.
There is a saying that “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” and that held true on March 17 as the International Friendship Club (IFC) held a fiesta to honor the occasion.
St. Patrick’s Day is certainly not a traditional Mexican holiday but Mi Pueblito Restaurant at Los Arcos Hotel on Los Muertos Beach put on a great Irish buffet to honor the “Wearing ‘O the Green”. And lots of green was in sight as the IFC group enjoyed a buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage and a Mulligan Stew among other favorites. Co-Chairs of this event, Mel Bornstein and Fred Forbes, did some food tastings with the chef at Mi Pueblito trying various recipes until he came up with the mouth- watering Irish favorites that Fred and Mel approved.
Mi Pueblito put on quite a floor show, and although it was lacking the Irish Jig it did feature dances from various Latin countries as well as some exotic dancers performing the Hawaiian Hula. As always, Mi Pueblito featured live music for dancing and IFC members took full advantage. Our IFC member, and volunteer photographer, Bob Davidson caught a number of folks, whether Irish or not, enjoying the festivities.
There were also a number of door prizes awarded and probably the most memorable was when our IFC club president, Mandy MacLeay, won a free membership to the IFC for next year! Well, that’s certainly one way to make sure she continues with the amazing work she does for the club! It was a great evening to have some delicious food, dancing and friendship while knowing we were holding a great fundraising event for the IFC’s programs.
No matter how many children are treated, or how many success stories we tell about these beautiful children, there are sad to say always new babies born each year with a cleft lip or palate who continue to join in the program. If you would like to learn more about the International Friendship Club or its Cleft Palate Program or other charities the IFC helps to support please stop by our clubhouse Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm, give us a call at 322-222-5466 or visit our website at ifcvallarta.com where you can learn all about the IFC and its many program and activities. And don’t forget to take an IFC Home Tour any Wednesday or Thursday morning where funds support this worthy cause.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad. It is located at Edificio Parian del Puente #13, Calle Libertad Corner Miramar, Colonia El Centro, PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com. Email: ifcvallarta@gmail.com. See our website for a map.
There is a saying that “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” and that held true on March 17 as the International Friendship Club (IFC) held a fiesta to honor the occasion.
St. Patrick’s Day is certainly not a traditional Mexican holiday but Mi Pueblito Restaurant at Los Arcos Hotel on Los Muertos Beach put on a great Irish buffet to honor the “Wearing ‘O the Green”. And lots of green was in sight as the IFC group enjoyed a buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage and a Mulligan Stew among other favorites. Co-Chairs of this event, Mel Bornstein and Fred Forbes, did some food tastings with the chef at Mi Pueblito trying various recipes until he came up with the mouth- watering Irish favorites that Fred and Mel approved.
Mi Pueblito put on quite a floor show, and although it was lacking the Irish Jig it did feature dances from various Latin countries as well as some exotic dancers performing the Hawaiian Hula. As always, Mi Pueblito featured live music for dancing and IFC members took full advantage. Our IFC member, and volunteer photographer, Bob Davidson caught a number of folks, whether Irish or not, enjoying the festivities.
There were also a number of door prizes awarded and probably the most memorable was when our IFC club president, Mandy MacLeay, won a free membership to the IFC for next year! Well, that’s certainly one way to make sure she continues with the amazing work she does for the club! It was a great evening to have some delicious food, dancing and friendship while knowing we were holding a great fundraising event for the IFC’s programs.
No matter how many children are treated, or how many success stories we tell about these beautiful children, there are sad to say always new babies born each year with a cleft lip or palate who continue to join in the program. If you would like to learn more about the International Friendship Club or its Cleft Palate Program or other charities the IFC helps to support please stop by our clubhouse Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm, give us a call at 322-222-5466 or visit our website at ifcvallarta.com where you can learn all about the IFC and its many program and activities. And don’t forget to take an IFC Home Tour any Wednesday or Thursday morning where funds support this worthy cause.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad. It is located at Edificio Parian del Puente #13, Calle Libertad Corner Miramar, Colonia El Centro, PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com. Email: ifcvallarta@gmail.com. See our website for a map.
St. Patrick’s Day is certainly not a traditional Mexican holiday but Mi Pueblito Restaurant at Los Arcos Hotel on Los Muertos Beach put on a great Irish buffet to honor the “Wearing ‘O the Green”. And lots of green was in sight as the IFC group enjoyed a buffet featuring corned beef and cabbage and a Mulligan Stew among other favorites. Co-Chairs of this event, Mel Bornstein and Fred Forbes, did some food tastings with the chef at Mi Pueblito trying various recipes until he came up with the mouth- watering Irish favorites that Fred and Mel approved.
Mi Pueblito put on quite a floor show, and although it was lacking the Irish Jig it did feature dances from various Latin countries as well as some exotic dancers performing the Hawaiian Hula. As always, Mi Pueblito featured live music for dancing and IFC members took full advantage. Our IFC member, and volunteer photographer, Bob Davidson caught a number of folks, whether Irish or not, enjoying the festivities.
There were also a number of door prizes awarded and probably the most memorable was when our IFC club president, Mandy MacLeay, won a free membership to the IFC for next year! Well, that’s certainly one way to make sure she continues with the amazing work she does for the club! It was a great evening to have some delicious food, dancing and friendship while knowing we were holding a great fundraising event for the IFC’s programs.
No matter how many children are treated, or how many success stories we tell about these beautiful children, there are sad to say always new babies born each year with a cleft lip or palate who continue to join in the program. If you would like to learn more about the International Friendship Club or its Cleft Palate Program or other charities the IFC helps to support please stop by our clubhouse Monday through Friday from 9am until 4pm, give us a call at 322-222-5466 or visit our website at ifcvallarta.com where you can learn all about the IFC and its many program and activities. And don’t forget to take an IFC Home Tour any Wednesday or Thursday morning where funds support this worthy cause.
The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad. It is located at Edificio Parian del Puente #13, Calle Libertad Corner Miramar, Colonia El Centro, PUERTO VALLARTA, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com. Email: ifcvallarta@gmail.com. See our website for a map.
Going Bananas...
Now I see bananas as a super food, already packaged and ready to take along with me to give me a boost when my agenda keeps me running. Here are some banana facts that may surprise you.
Bananas contain three natural sugars, sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, giving you an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.
No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the worlds leading athletes. Energy is not the only way a banana can help us keep fit.
It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression- According to a recent survey amongst people suffering from depression, many felt better after eating a banana.
This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax and improve your mood, generally making you feel happier.
Anemia-High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure- This tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect food to help control blood pressure.
So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration (I always wondered why they lump food and drugs together) has allowed the banana industry to make official claims for its ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Constipation-High is fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers-Well, if you must know…
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach, and with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn- Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a ripe banana for soothing relief.
Mosquito bites-The locals do not reach for the insect bite cream, but rub the affected area with the inside of a banana skin.
Many people find it amazingly affective in reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves- Bananas are high in the B vitamins that help calm and restore the nervous system.
Ulcers-The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eate3n without distress in over-chronicler cases.
It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control- Many cultures see bananas as a cooling fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperament.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)- Let your friends up north know that bananas con help SAD sufferers because again, they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.
Stress- Potassium is a vital mineral which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain, and regulates your body’s water balance.
When we are stressed our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high potassium banana snack.
Strokes- According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of having a stroke by as much as 40%.
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.
When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals.
It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. Also..we have an excellent varity available to us..finger bananas, pear bananas, apple bananas, plantains and Dominican..
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
GREEN ANGELS:
078 - (322) 221 26 80
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
060 -- (322) 223 94 76 and 78
TOURISM
(322) 222 0242 or 01 800 446 3942
HARBOR MASTER:
(322) 224 1000, 224 0427
ENVIROMENTAL EMERGENCY CENTER (COETEA)
01 800 710 49 43
FEDERAL COMMISSION ELECTRICITY (CFE) 071 –
(322) 225 5555
CANADIAN CONSULATE
(322) 293 00 98 and 99
AMERICAN CONSULATE
(322) 222 0069
and (33) 3268 21 45
RED CROSS * 060
EMERGENCY * 060 and 066
IMMIGRATION * (322) 221 13 80
FEDERAL POLICE
(322) 290 0658 and 64
BUCERIAS POLICE
(329) 298 1020
PROFECO * 01 800 468 8722
MUNICIPAL CIVIL PROTECTION
(322) 224 77 01
PUBLIC SECURITY
066 & (322) 290 0507
SEAPAL VALLARTA
(322) 226 9191
RADIO TAXI * 299 37 06
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OF PVR
(322) 221 1298 * (322) 221-1325
(322) 221-1537
AIRLINES:
Aeromexico
(322) 2242777 and (322) 2211204
Aerotron (322) 2211921
Air Canada (322) 2211212
Alaska Airlines
(322) 2211350 and (322) 2211352
American Airlines (322) 2211799
(322) 2211927 (322) 2211799
Continental Airlines
(322) 2211025 (322) 2211025
(322) 2211096
Frontier Airlines Mexicana Airlines
(322) 2211040
078 - (322) 221 26 80
FIRE DEPARTMENT:
060 -- (322) 223 94 76 and 78
TOURISM
(322) 222 0242 or 01 800 446 3942
HARBOR MASTER:
(322) 224 1000, 224 0427
ENVIROMENTAL EMERGENCY CENTER (COETEA)
01 800 710 49 43
FEDERAL COMMISSION ELECTRICITY (CFE) 071 –
(322) 225 5555
CANADIAN CONSULATE
(322) 293 00 98 and 99
AMERICAN CONSULATE
(322) 222 0069
and (33) 3268 21 45
RED CROSS * 060
EMERGENCY * 060 and 066
IMMIGRATION * (322) 221 13 80
FEDERAL POLICE
(322) 290 0658 and 64
BUCERIAS POLICE
(329) 298 1020
PROFECO * 01 800 468 8722
MUNICIPAL CIVIL PROTECTION
(322) 224 77 01
PUBLIC SECURITY
066 & (322) 290 0507
SEAPAL VALLARTA
(322) 226 9191
RADIO TAXI * 299 37 06
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT OF PVR
(322) 221 1298 * (322) 221-1325
(322) 221-1537
AIRLINES:
Aeromexico
(322) 2242777 and (322) 2211204
Aerotron (322) 2211921
Air Canada (322) 2211212
Alaska Airlines
(322) 2211350 and (322) 2211352
American Airlines (322) 2211799
(322) 2211927 (322) 2211799
Continental Airlines
(322) 2211025 (322) 2211025
(322) 2211096
Frontier Airlines Mexicana Airlines
(322) 2211040
Letters to Editor
Hi
I am a long time tourist from Michigan. We vacation here in Puerto Vallarta for 3 months every year. We also volunteer for a program called families at the dump.
If you are not aware of our program. Please go to www.familiesatthedump.org we have been helping the families from the city dump and the Col of Magisterio for over 5 years!!
We are in the village every day Monday thru Friday and help approximately 1000 people.
We have a lunch program that feeds between 150 and 200 daily,school sponsorship program, computer classes, english classes, food pantry and day care for the workers at the dump.
We would appreciate any help from folks who would like to get involved with our program.
We are not connected with any other organization.
We are a non profit 5 o 1 3c and registered in mexico, canada and the united states.
We have been given two awards from the mexican government for being one of the most outstanding missions working in mexico.
Please take a look at our program
Thank you
Phyllis scheffler
Hello Phyllis,
I am aware of your program and if you want to send me material and photos similar to the article about Colonia Magisterio, I would be glad to publish the information. As you may already know, there are a lot of “alleged charities” that of course aren´t and negatively affect the genuine ones.
If you have an article or any other copy of this award you earned, it would help establish credibility for your cause if we were to publish it.
The Colonia Magisterio story was a success because it included “hands on pictures” of people helping people, as we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words.
To start out with you can send me a brief bio about the organization and the people behind it, your mission statement and event schedule if there is one. Also, if a readers should be interested, what would be expected of them.
* * *
Dear editor:
This is a personal note as a follow-up to Luigi’s comments about the hCG diet in your March 20th issue.
As a recent person that followed the diet under the direction of Sure Results and lost 45 pounds in 6 weeks, I can tell you that two things.
One, it is not a starvation diet. Using hCG, I had to force myself to eat the 500 calories a day. Your body does NOT feel like it is starving, it feels that it is getting 3,500+ calories a day because it is feeding off your bad fat deposits. I simply was not hungry or felt faint. On the contrary, I had more energy and slept better!
Two, I have not experienced “rapid weight gain” after going off the diet. I am now nearly 2 months after finishing the diet and have gained a whopping ½ pound.
These feelings are shared by all of those that have followed the program as designed by Sure Results. I certainly wouldn’t do this program on my own, but only under the direction of a qualified Doctor..
I am not paid by Sure Results, but I am 100% sold on the diet.
I invite people to make their own decisions.
I doubt Luigi has done the diet so I wonder why the constant negative attacks?
Patrick Harrison
Hello Patrick,
The important thing is that it worked for you.
* * *
Dear Editor,
Is there any way to get in touch with the person that wrote the fine article in the March 20-26 2011 issue on The Maya Civilization?
Thanks
George Krayniak
Nuevo Vallarta
Hello George,
Unfortunately we can´t pass out e-mail addresses unless the person in question authorizes us to do so. We are awaiting a response from the Author.
I am a long time tourist from Michigan. We vacation here in Puerto Vallarta for 3 months every year. We also volunteer for a program called families at the dump.
If you are not aware of our program. Please go to www.familiesatthedump.org we have been helping the families from the city dump and the Col of Magisterio for over 5 years!!
We are in the village every day Monday thru Friday and help approximately 1000 people.
We have a lunch program that feeds between 150 and 200 daily,school sponsorship program, computer classes, english classes, food pantry and day care for the workers at the dump.
We would appreciate any help from folks who would like to get involved with our program.
We are not connected with any other organization.
We are a non profit 5 o 1 3c and registered in mexico, canada and the united states.
We have been given two awards from the mexican government for being one of the most outstanding missions working in mexico.
Please take a look at our program
Thank you
Phyllis scheffler
Hello Phyllis,
I am aware of your program and if you want to send me material and photos similar to the article about Colonia Magisterio, I would be glad to publish the information. As you may already know, there are a lot of “alleged charities” that of course aren´t and negatively affect the genuine ones.
If you have an article or any other copy of this award you earned, it would help establish credibility for your cause if we were to publish it.
The Colonia Magisterio story was a success because it included “hands on pictures” of people helping people, as we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words.
To start out with you can send me a brief bio about the organization and the people behind it, your mission statement and event schedule if there is one. Also, if a readers should be interested, what would be expected of them.
* * *
Dear editor:
This is a personal note as a follow-up to Luigi’s comments about the hCG diet in your March 20th issue.
As a recent person that followed the diet under the direction of Sure Results and lost 45 pounds in 6 weeks, I can tell you that two things.
One, it is not a starvation diet. Using hCG, I had to force myself to eat the 500 calories a day. Your body does NOT feel like it is starving, it feels that it is getting 3,500+ calories a day because it is feeding off your bad fat deposits. I simply was not hungry or felt faint. On the contrary, I had more energy and slept better!
Two, I have not experienced “rapid weight gain” after going off the diet. I am now nearly 2 months after finishing the diet and have gained a whopping ½ pound.
These feelings are shared by all of those that have followed the program as designed by Sure Results. I certainly wouldn’t do this program on my own, but only under the direction of a qualified Doctor..
I am not paid by Sure Results, but I am 100% sold on the diet.
I invite people to make their own decisions.
I doubt Luigi has done the diet so I wonder why the constant negative attacks?
Patrick Harrison
Hello Patrick,
The important thing is that it worked for you.
* * *
Dear Editor,
Is there any way to get in touch with the person that wrote the fine article in the March 20-26 2011 issue on The Maya Civilization?
Thanks
George Krayniak
Nuevo Vallarta
Hello George,
Unfortunately we can´t pass out e-mail addresses unless the person in question authorizes us to do so. We are awaiting a response from the Author.
Editorial
This edition of the Tribune is dedicated to Elizabeth Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) and wishes to recognize her not only for playing a major part in putting Puerto Vallarta on the map, but mainly for all of her charity work.
She made humanitarian impact on the world long before it was cool for celebrities to do so. She was honored as recently as last month at a star studded gala for her work with The Foundation for AIDS Research .and for the work she did with her own foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
In 1993, Miss Taylor received The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award during the Academy Awards for her work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This award is so rarely received that it has only be given out 33 times in the Oscars 83 year history. Elizabeth Taylor earned it all the way back in 1993;
showing the world just what a rare diamond in Hollywood she was.
Support for the Taylor’s foundation is still going strong. At the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation website a message reads, “We mourn the loss of legendary actress, businesswoman, and fearless activist Elizabeth Taylor. If you want to honor the memory of Elizabeth, you may do so either by making a contribution in her name to the foundation.
John Travolta once said that Taylor would be remembered for her best feature, “her heart.” Rosie O’Donnell stated that Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS work made her an angel.
I think we all agree, Elizabeth Taylor was an extraordinary human being who not only made Puerto Vallarta a better place, but the world. Taylor was quoted in 1989 that she decided to use her fame “in a constructive way” by raising millions of dollars for AIDS research.
The Tribune wishes to extend its deepest condolences to her family.
I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine.
You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.
Elizabeth Taylor
She made humanitarian impact on the world long before it was cool for celebrities to do so. She was honored as recently as last month at a star studded gala for her work with The Foundation for AIDS Research .and for the work she did with her own foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
In 1993, Miss Taylor received The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award during the Academy Awards for her work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This award is so rarely received that it has only be given out 33 times in the Oscars 83 year history. Elizabeth Taylor earned it all the way back in 1993;
showing the world just what a rare diamond in Hollywood she was.
Support for the Taylor’s foundation is still going strong. At the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation website a message reads, “We mourn the loss of legendary actress, businesswoman, and fearless activist Elizabeth Taylor. If you want to honor the memory of Elizabeth, you may do so either by making a contribution in her name to the foundation.
John Travolta once said that Taylor would be remembered for her best feature, “her heart.” Rosie O’Donnell stated that Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS work made her an angel.
I think we all agree, Elizabeth Taylor was an extraordinary human being who not only made Puerto Vallarta a better place, but the world. Taylor was quoted in 1989 that she decided to use her fame “in a constructive way” by raising millions of dollars for AIDS research.
The Tribune wishes to extend its deepest condolences to her family.
I adore wearing gems, but not because they are mine.
You can’t possess radiance, you can only admire it.
Elizabeth Taylor
Our Home is Your Home
We would like to extend special welcome to ALL visitors coming to our little paradise full of warm, friendly and hospitable folks from many parts of the world. Our representative at Gustavo Diaz Ordáz International Airport presents you with this complimentary copy of the Vallarta Tribune hoping it will be useful and informative besides making your vacation more enjoyable.
Whether you are visiting us from any of the Canadian provinces, United States or via a connecting flight from anywhere else in Mexico or the World, our representative is at the Airport to welcome you, Nuestra Casa es tu Casa! Bienvenidos.
We look forward to receiving any comments or experiences you may want to share with us and our readers.
Have a great time, hope to see you again soon.
Welcome!!
Whether you are visiting us from any of the Canadian provinces, United States or via a connecting flight from anywhere else in Mexico or the World, our representative is at the Airport to welcome you, Nuestra Casa es tu Casa! Bienvenidos.
We look forward to receiving any comments or experiences you may want to share with us and our readers.
Have a great time, hope to see you again soon.
Welcome!!
martes, 22 de marzo de 2011
The Maya Civilization
The Maya Civilization—also called the Mayan civilization—is the general name archaeologists have given to several independent, loosely affiliated city states who shared a cultural heritage in terms of language, customs, dress, artistic style and material culture. They occupied the Central American continent, including the southern parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, an area of about 150,000 square miles. In general, researchers tend to split the Maya into the Highland and Lowland Maya.
By the way, archaeologists prefer to use the term “Maya civilization” rather than the more common “Mayan civilization”, leaving “Mayan” to refer to the language.
Highland and Lowland Maya
The Maya civilization covered an enormous area with a large variation of environments, economies, and growth of the civilization. Scholars address some of the Maya cultural variation by studying separate issues related to the climate and environment of the region. The Maya Highlands are the southern part of the Maya civilization, included the mountainous region in Mexico (particularly Chiapas state), Guatemala and Honduras.
The Maya Lowlands make up the northern segment of the Maya region, including Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, and adjacent parts of Guatemala and Belize. A Pacific coastal piedmont range north of the Soconusco had fertile soils, dense forests and mangrove swamps.
The Maya civilization was certainly never an “empire”, inasmuch as one person never ruled the entire region. During the Classic period, there were several strong kings at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol and Dos Pilas, but none of them ever conquered the others. It’s probably best to think of the Maya as a collection of independent city states, who shared some ritual and ceremonial practices, some architecture, some cultural objects. The city states traded with one another, and with the Olmec and Teotihuacan polities (at different times), and they also warred with one another from time to time.
Timeline
Mesoamerican archaeology is broken up into general sections. The “Maya” are in general thought to have maintained a cultural continuity between about 500 BC and AD 900, with the “Classic Maya” from 250-900 AD.
Archaic before 2500 BC
Hunting and gathering lifestyle prevails.
Early Formative 2500-1000 BC
First beans and maize agriculture, people live in isolated farmsteads and hamlets
Middle Formative 1000-400 BC
First monumental architecture, first villages; people switch to full-time agriculture, Olmec contacts, and, at Nakbe, the first evidence of social ranking, beginning about 600-400 BC
Important sites: Nakbe, Chalchuapa, Kaminaljuyu
Late Formative 400 BC-AD 250
First massive palaces are built at urban Nakbe and El Mirador, first writing, constructed road systems and water control, organized trade and widespread warfare
Important sites: El Mirador, Nakbe, Cerros, Komchen, Tikal, Kaminaljuyu
Classic AD 250-900
Widespread literacy including calendars and lists of royal lineages at Copán and Tikal, first dynastic kingdoms, changing political alliances, large palaces and mortuary pyramids constructed intensification of agriculture. Populations peak at about 100 per square kilometers. Paramount kings and polities installed at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, and Dos Pilos
Important sites: Copán, Palenque, Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, Dos Pilas, Uxmal, Coba, Dzibilchaltun, Kabah, Labna, Sayil
Postclassic AD 900-1500
Some centers abandoned, written records stop. Puuc hill country flourishes and small rural towns prosper near rivers and lakes until the Spanish arrive in 1517
Important sites: Chichén Itzá, Mayapan, Iximche, Utatlan)
Each independent Maya city had its own set of institutionalized rulers, beginning in the Classic period (AD 250-900). Documentary evidence for the kings and queens has been found on stele and temple wall inscriptions and a few sarcophagi.
During the Classic period, kings were generally in charge of a particular city and its supporting region. The area controlled by a specific king might be hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers. The ruler’s court included palaces, temples and ball courts, and great plazas, open areas where festivals and other public events were held. Kings were hereditary positions, and, at least after they were dead, the kings were sometimes considered gods.
Important Facts about the Maya Civilization
Population: There is no complete population estimate, but it must have been in the millions. In the 1600s, the Spanish reported that there were between 600,000-1 million people living in the Yucatan peninsula alone. Each of the larger cities probably had populations in excess of 100,000, but that doesn’t count the rural sectors that supported the larger cities.
Environment: The Maya Lowland region below 800 meters is tropical with rainy and dry seasons. There is little exposed water except in lakes in limestone faults, swamps, and cenotes—natural sinkholes in the limestone that are geologically a result of the Chicxulub crater impact. Originally, the area was blanketed with multiple canopied forests, and mixed vegetation.
The Highland Maya regions include a string of volcanically active mountains. Eruptions have dumped rich volcanic ash throughout the region, leading to deep rich soils and obsidian deposits. Climate in the highland is temperate, with rare frost. Upland forests originally were mixed pine and deciduous trees.
Writing, Language and Calendars of the Maya Civilization
Mayan language: The various groups spoke nearly 30 closely related languages and dialects, including the Mayan and Huastec.
Writing: The Maya had 800 distinct hieroglyphs, with the first evidence of language written on stela and walls of buildings beginning ca 300 BC. Bark cloth paper codex were being used no later than the 1500s, but all but a handful were destroyed by Spanish.
Calendar: The so called “long count” calendar was invented by Mixe-Zoquean speakers, based on the extant Mesoamerican Calendar. It was adapted by the classic period Maya ca. 200 AD. The earliest inscription in long count among the Maya was made dated AD 292. Earliest date listed on the “long count” calendar is about August 11, 3114 BC, what the Maya said was the founding date of their civilization. The first dynastic calendars were being used by about 400 BC.
Astronomy
The Dresden Codex dated to the Late Post Classic/Colonial period (1250–1520) includes astronomical tables on Venus and Mars, on eclipses, on seasons and the movement of the tides. These tables chart the seasons with respect to their civic year, predict solar and lunar eclipses and tracked the motion of the planets.
Maya Civilization Ritual
Intoxicants: Chocolate (Theobroma), blache (fermented honey and an extract from the balche tree; morning glory seeds, pulque (from agave plants), tobacco, intoxicating enemas, Maya Blue.
The Maya tracked the sun, moon, and Venus. Calendars include eclipse warnings and safe periods, and almanacs for tracking Venus.
Maya Gods: What we know of Maya religion is based on writings and drawings on codices or temples. A few of the gods include: God A or Cimi or Cisin (god of death or flatulent one), God B or Chac, (rain and lightning), God C (sacredness), God D or Itzamna (creator or scribe or learned one), God E (maize), God G (sun), God L (trade or merchant), God K or Kauil, Ixchel or Ix Chel (goddess of fertility), Goddess O or Chac Chel. There are others; and in the Maya pantheon there are sometimes combined gods, glyphs for two different gods appearing as one glyph.
Death and Afterlife: Ideas about death and the afterlife are little known, but the entry to the underworld was called Xibalba or “Place of Fright”.
Maya Politics
Warfare: The Maya had fortified sites, and military themes and battles events are illustrated in Maya art by the Early Classic period. Warrior classes, including some professional warriors, were part of the Maya society. Wars were fought over territory, slaves, to avenge insults, and to establish succession.
Weaponry: axes, clubs, maces, throwing spears, shields and helmets, bladed spears
Ritual sacrifice: offerings thrown into “cenotes”, and placed in tombs; the Maya pierced their tongues, earlobes, genitals or other body parts for blood sacrifice. Animals (mostly jaguars) were sacrificed, and there were human victims, including high ranking enemy warriors who were captured, tortured and sacrificed.
Mayan Architecture
The first steles are associated with the Classic period, and the earliest is from Tikal, where a stele is dated AD 292. Emblem glyphs signified specific rulers and a specific sign called “ahaw” is today interpreted as “lord”.
Distinctive architectural styles of the Maya include (but aren’t limited to) Rio Bec (7th-9th centuries AD, block masonry palaces with towers and central doorways at sites such as Rio Bec, Hormiguero, Chicanna, and Becan); Chenes (7th-9th centuries AD, related to the Rio Bec but without the towers at Hochob Santa Rosa Xtampack, Dzibilnocac); Puuc (AD 700-950, intricately designed facades and doorjambs at Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Sayil, Labna, Kabah); and Toltec (or Maya Toltec AD 950-1250, at Chichén Itzá.
Archaeological Sites of the Maya
Really the best way to learn about the Maya is to go and visit the archaeological ruins. Many of them are open to the public and have museums and even gift shops on the sites. You can find Maya archaeological sites in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and in several Mexican states.
Major Maya Cities
Belize: Batsu’b Cave, Colha, Minanha, Altun Ha, Caracol, Lamanai, Cahal Pech, Xunantunich
El Salvador: Chalchuapa, Quelepa
Mexico: El Tajin, Mayapan, Cacaxtla, Bonampak, Chichén Itzá, Cobá , Uxmal, Palenque
Honduras: Copan, Puerto Escondido
Guatemala: Kaminaljuyu, La Corona (Site Q), Nakbe, Tikal
Although when you visit archaeological ruins of the Maya, you generally look at the tall buildings--but a lot interesting things are to be learned about the plazas, the big open spaces between the temples and palaces at the major Maya cities.
Mysterious Site Q was one of the sites referred to on glyphs and temple inscriptions; and researchers believe they have finally located it as the site of La Corona.
A newly discovered stone panel at the Classic Period Maya (AD 250-900) center of La Corona in Guatemala has confirmed the identification of that site as the long-sought Maya center once only known as “Site Q”.
During the 1960s, between 30 and 35 stone panels carved with Maya hieroglyphic symbols became known to scholars. The panels had apparently been looted from an unknown classic period Maya capital city and acquired by museums all over the world. The panels were of high quality limestone and contained references to a previously unidentified city marked with a snakehead glyph emblem. Peter Mathews, then a Yale graduate student and now at LaTrobe University, gave the unidentified Maya city the name of Site Q (short for ‘Site ¿Que?’ or ‘which site?’ in Spanish). Several of the glyphs on the panels illustrate athletes, ball players of the ancient Mesoamerican ball game in which players bet their lives.
One athlete in particular is named on at least two panels; his name translates to Red or Great Turkey, and he appears on this panel from Site Q now in the Chicago Art Institute.
Mystery of Site Q
The location of Site Q has been one of the great mysteries for scholars of the Maya civilization. Because it seemed unlikely that a Maya capital city would go undiscovered for so long, candidates for Site Q included the known sites of Calakmul and El Peru, also called Waka. But neither really fit the bill, for stylistic reasons: the steles and glyph panels recovered from Calakmul and El Peru simply did not compare well enough to the mysterious looted panels. There was clearly a connection between Calakmul and Site Q, but it didn’t appear that they were one and the same. In 1996, a previously unknown Maya capital named La Corona was discovered in the jungles of the Peten peninsula, near Río San Pedro in northern Guatemala in the Laguna del Tigre region.
La Corona had been severely looted, but scholars began to think that it was possible that the site represented Site Q.
A Crown of Five Temples
The La Corona site, as reported in Archaeology magazine when it was discovered in 1996, was called that because it had a row of five temples that looked like a crown to researchers Ian Graham and David Stuart of the Peabody Museum at Harvard.
Although La Corona has experienced extensive looting, enough of the site remains to identify a main plaza about half the size of a football field.
Two tall structures and an acropolis make up most of the intact portion of the site. The west side of the plaza has mounds and two Maya altars, one of which is inscribed with the date May 2, AD 636, the 20th anniversary of the ascension of one of Maya rulers of Calakmul.
Although there are no ball courts, a typical feature of Maya cities, there are ballplayers illustrated on the stele, including one called Red or Great Turkey-the same Red or Great Turkey mentioned on the looted stele now at the Art Institute.
By the way, archaeologists prefer to use the term “Maya civilization” rather than the more common “Mayan civilization”, leaving “Mayan” to refer to the language.
Highland and Lowland Maya
The Maya civilization covered an enormous area with a large variation of environments, economies, and growth of the civilization. Scholars address some of the Maya cultural variation by studying separate issues related to the climate and environment of the region. The Maya Highlands are the southern part of the Maya civilization, included the mountainous region in Mexico (particularly Chiapas state), Guatemala and Honduras.
The Maya Lowlands make up the northern segment of the Maya region, including Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, and adjacent parts of Guatemala and Belize. A Pacific coastal piedmont range north of the Soconusco had fertile soils, dense forests and mangrove swamps.
The Maya civilization was certainly never an “empire”, inasmuch as one person never ruled the entire region. During the Classic period, there were several strong kings at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol and Dos Pilas, but none of them ever conquered the others. It’s probably best to think of the Maya as a collection of independent city states, who shared some ritual and ceremonial practices, some architecture, some cultural objects. The city states traded with one another, and with the Olmec and Teotihuacan polities (at different times), and they also warred with one another from time to time.
Timeline
Mesoamerican archaeology is broken up into general sections. The “Maya” are in general thought to have maintained a cultural continuity between about 500 BC and AD 900, with the “Classic Maya” from 250-900 AD.
Archaic before 2500 BC
Hunting and gathering lifestyle prevails.
Early Formative 2500-1000 BC
First beans and maize agriculture, people live in isolated farmsteads and hamlets
Middle Formative 1000-400 BC
First monumental architecture, first villages; people switch to full-time agriculture, Olmec contacts, and, at Nakbe, the first evidence of social ranking, beginning about 600-400 BC
Important sites: Nakbe, Chalchuapa, Kaminaljuyu
Late Formative 400 BC-AD 250
First massive palaces are built at urban Nakbe and El Mirador, first writing, constructed road systems and water control, organized trade and widespread warfare
Important sites: El Mirador, Nakbe, Cerros, Komchen, Tikal, Kaminaljuyu
Classic AD 250-900
Widespread literacy including calendars and lists of royal lineages at Copán and Tikal, first dynastic kingdoms, changing political alliances, large palaces and mortuary pyramids constructed intensification of agriculture. Populations peak at about 100 per square kilometers. Paramount kings and polities installed at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, and Dos Pilos
Important sites: Copán, Palenque, Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol, Dos Pilas, Uxmal, Coba, Dzibilchaltun, Kabah, Labna, Sayil
Postclassic AD 900-1500
Some centers abandoned, written records stop. Puuc hill country flourishes and small rural towns prosper near rivers and lakes until the Spanish arrive in 1517
Important sites: Chichén Itzá, Mayapan, Iximche, Utatlan)
Each independent Maya city had its own set of institutionalized rulers, beginning in the Classic period (AD 250-900). Documentary evidence for the kings and queens has been found on stele and temple wall inscriptions and a few sarcophagi.
During the Classic period, kings were generally in charge of a particular city and its supporting region. The area controlled by a specific king might be hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers. The ruler’s court included palaces, temples and ball courts, and great plazas, open areas where festivals and other public events were held. Kings were hereditary positions, and, at least after they were dead, the kings were sometimes considered gods.
Important Facts about the Maya Civilization
Population: There is no complete population estimate, but it must have been in the millions. In the 1600s, the Spanish reported that there were between 600,000-1 million people living in the Yucatan peninsula alone. Each of the larger cities probably had populations in excess of 100,000, but that doesn’t count the rural sectors that supported the larger cities.
Environment: The Maya Lowland region below 800 meters is tropical with rainy and dry seasons. There is little exposed water except in lakes in limestone faults, swamps, and cenotes—natural sinkholes in the limestone that are geologically a result of the Chicxulub crater impact. Originally, the area was blanketed with multiple canopied forests, and mixed vegetation.
The Highland Maya regions include a string of volcanically active mountains. Eruptions have dumped rich volcanic ash throughout the region, leading to deep rich soils and obsidian deposits. Climate in the highland is temperate, with rare frost. Upland forests originally were mixed pine and deciduous trees.
Writing, Language and Calendars of the Maya Civilization
Mayan language: The various groups spoke nearly 30 closely related languages and dialects, including the Mayan and Huastec.
Writing: The Maya had 800 distinct hieroglyphs, with the first evidence of language written on stela and walls of buildings beginning ca 300 BC. Bark cloth paper codex were being used no later than the 1500s, but all but a handful were destroyed by Spanish.
Calendar: The so called “long count” calendar was invented by Mixe-Zoquean speakers, based on the extant Mesoamerican Calendar. It was adapted by the classic period Maya ca. 200 AD. The earliest inscription in long count among the Maya was made dated AD 292. Earliest date listed on the “long count” calendar is about August 11, 3114 BC, what the Maya said was the founding date of their civilization. The first dynastic calendars were being used by about 400 BC.
Astronomy
The Dresden Codex dated to the Late Post Classic/Colonial period (1250–1520) includes astronomical tables on Venus and Mars, on eclipses, on seasons and the movement of the tides. These tables chart the seasons with respect to their civic year, predict solar and lunar eclipses and tracked the motion of the planets.
Maya Civilization Ritual
Intoxicants: Chocolate (Theobroma), blache (fermented honey and an extract from the balche tree; morning glory seeds, pulque (from agave plants), tobacco, intoxicating enemas, Maya Blue.
The Maya tracked the sun, moon, and Venus. Calendars include eclipse warnings and safe periods, and almanacs for tracking Venus.
Maya Gods: What we know of Maya religion is based on writings and drawings on codices or temples. A few of the gods include: God A or Cimi or Cisin (god of death or flatulent one), God B or Chac, (rain and lightning), God C (sacredness), God D or Itzamna (creator or scribe or learned one), God E (maize), God G (sun), God L (trade or merchant), God K or Kauil, Ixchel or Ix Chel (goddess of fertility), Goddess O or Chac Chel. There are others; and in the Maya pantheon there are sometimes combined gods, glyphs for two different gods appearing as one glyph.
Death and Afterlife: Ideas about death and the afterlife are little known, but the entry to the underworld was called Xibalba or “Place of Fright”.
Maya Politics
Warfare: The Maya had fortified sites, and military themes and battles events are illustrated in Maya art by the Early Classic period. Warrior classes, including some professional warriors, were part of the Maya society. Wars were fought over territory, slaves, to avenge insults, and to establish succession.
Weaponry: axes, clubs, maces, throwing spears, shields and helmets, bladed spears
Ritual sacrifice: offerings thrown into “cenotes”, and placed in tombs; the Maya pierced their tongues, earlobes, genitals or other body parts for blood sacrifice. Animals (mostly jaguars) were sacrificed, and there were human victims, including high ranking enemy warriors who were captured, tortured and sacrificed.
Mayan Architecture
The first steles are associated with the Classic period, and the earliest is from Tikal, where a stele is dated AD 292. Emblem glyphs signified specific rulers and a specific sign called “ahaw” is today interpreted as “lord”.
Distinctive architectural styles of the Maya include (but aren’t limited to) Rio Bec (7th-9th centuries AD, block masonry palaces with towers and central doorways at sites such as Rio Bec, Hormiguero, Chicanna, and Becan); Chenes (7th-9th centuries AD, related to the Rio Bec but without the towers at Hochob Santa Rosa Xtampack, Dzibilnocac); Puuc (AD 700-950, intricately designed facades and doorjambs at Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Sayil, Labna, Kabah); and Toltec (or Maya Toltec AD 950-1250, at Chichén Itzá.
Archaeological Sites of the Maya
Really the best way to learn about the Maya is to go and visit the archaeological ruins. Many of them are open to the public and have museums and even gift shops on the sites. You can find Maya archaeological sites in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and in several Mexican states.
Major Maya Cities
Belize: Batsu’b Cave, Colha, Minanha, Altun Ha, Caracol, Lamanai, Cahal Pech, Xunantunich
El Salvador: Chalchuapa, Quelepa
Mexico: El Tajin, Mayapan, Cacaxtla, Bonampak, Chichén Itzá, Cobá , Uxmal, Palenque
Honduras: Copan, Puerto Escondido
Guatemala: Kaminaljuyu, La Corona (Site Q), Nakbe, Tikal
Although when you visit archaeological ruins of the Maya, you generally look at the tall buildings--but a lot interesting things are to be learned about the plazas, the big open spaces between the temples and palaces at the major Maya cities.
Mysterious Site Q was one of the sites referred to on glyphs and temple inscriptions; and researchers believe they have finally located it as the site of La Corona.
A newly discovered stone panel at the Classic Period Maya (AD 250-900) center of La Corona in Guatemala has confirmed the identification of that site as the long-sought Maya center once only known as “Site Q”.
During the 1960s, between 30 and 35 stone panels carved with Maya hieroglyphic symbols became known to scholars. The panels had apparently been looted from an unknown classic period Maya capital city and acquired by museums all over the world. The panels were of high quality limestone and contained references to a previously unidentified city marked with a snakehead glyph emblem. Peter Mathews, then a Yale graduate student and now at LaTrobe University, gave the unidentified Maya city the name of Site Q (short for ‘Site ¿Que?’ or ‘which site?’ in Spanish). Several of the glyphs on the panels illustrate athletes, ball players of the ancient Mesoamerican ball game in which players bet their lives.
One athlete in particular is named on at least two panels; his name translates to Red or Great Turkey, and he appears on this panel from Site Q now in the Chicago Art Institute.
Mystery of Site Q
The location of Site Q has been one of the great mysteries for scholars of the Maya civilization. Because it seemed unlikely that a Maya capital city would go undiscovered for so long, candidates for Site Q included the known sites of Calakmul and El Peru, also called Waka. But neither really fit the bill, for stylistic reasons: the steles and glyph panels recovered from Calakmul and El Peru simply did not compare well enough to the mysterious looted panels. There was clearly a connection between Calakmul and Site Q, but it didn’t appear that they were one and the same. In 1996, a previously unknown Maya capital named La Corona was discovered in the jungles of the Peten peninsula, near Río San Pedro in northern Guatemala in the Laguna del Tigre region.
La Corona had been severely looted, but scholars began to think that it was possible that the site represented Site Q.
A Crown of Five Temples
The La Corona site, as reported in Archaeology magazine when it was discovered in 1996, was called that because it had a row of five temples that looked like a crown to researchers Ian Graham and David Stuart of the Peabody Museum at Harvard.
Although La Corona has experienced extensive looting, enough of the site remains to identify a main plaza about half the size of a football field.
Two tall structures and an acropolis make up most of the intact portion of the site. The west side of the plaza has mounds and two Maya altars, one of which is inscribed with the date May 2, AD 636, the 20th anniversary of the ascension of one of Maya rulers of Calakmul.
Although there are no ball courts, a typical feature of Maya cities, there are ballplayers illustrated on the stele, including one called Red or Great Turkey-the same Red or Great Turkey mentioned on the looted stele now at the Art Institute.
19th Annual Banderas Bay Regatta Now in the History Books
Boat owners wishing get their vessels away from docks and into the open sea were allowed to leave. Reportedly on Friday night there were close to 150 boats anchored offshore of La Cruz. Because of schedules and personal commitment by many of the participants it was decided that the best course of action was to simply shorten the races to two days rather than the originally planned three. As planned the final race of the 2010 Banderas Ray Regatta was run Saturday. Boats raced moderately long courses and were blessed with some pretty brisk winds late in the afternoon. This led to some pretty spectacular spinnaker runs, treating those out on the bay watching the race, with a colorful visual treat.
Awards were given out at the Awards Dinner and Beach Party that was held at the Paradise Village Resort and Spa. The Awards and Party was attended by almost 400 people who danced to the music of Philo Hayward and his Mexican Shuffle Band, had a great dinner and cheered the race winners for their accomplishments.
The final day of racing didn’t bring many surprises as those boats showing dominance on Thursday also dominated on Saturday.
This year’s overall division winners (top 3 finishers) are:
Division A
Cirque - Louis Kruk, skipper
Blue - Cheryl and Ken Solis, skippers
Sirocco - Lee Pryor, skipper
Division B
Dream Chaser – Cam McConnell, skipper
Mood and Stars – Guadalupe Dip, skipper
Paradox – Carl Carlson, skipper
Division C
Tabatha – Fred Delaney, skipper
Adios – Craig Shaw, skipper
Di’s Dream – Roger Frizzle, skipper
Division D
J/World #4 – Wayne SITEL, skipper
J/World #5 - Wayne SITEL, skipper
J/World #2 – Wayne SITEL, skipper
Division E
Wave Goodbye – Pablo Garcia, skipper
Miss Teak – Chris Prather, skipper
Tallon – Palsy Verhoeven, skipper
Division F
Poco Loco Dos – Keith Sangster, skipper
Salty Feet – Francisco Coppel, skipper
Saber Vivir – Charles Naslund, skipper
Division G
Piko – Lauren Buchholz, skipper
Mita Pizza – Ralph Hemphill-Fernandez, skipper
Itchen – T. J. Edwards, skipper
The Banderas Bay Regatta would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors including: Vallarta Yacht Club, Grupo Lloyd, Paradise Village Beach Resort and Spa, Vallarta Lifestyles Publishing Group, Mariners General Insurance Group, State of Nayarit / Rivera Nayarit, Philo’s Bar and Restaurant, PV Sailing, Vallarta Yachts, Vallarta Adventures, O & A Investment Funds, Marina Rivera Nayarit, Artist Federico Leon de La Vega and Chevron.
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