Features The Sol, the English Language source of News for the Riviera Nayarit Mexico, La Penita de Jaltemba, Rincon de Guayabitos, Lo de Marcos. Los Ayala, Lo de Marcos, and San Pancho

May 16, 2010 Features Page 2

Mexican Traditional Lacquered Pottery:

Claudia Dias Roserdo

Tara A. Spears �

Whether you are a serious collector or just want a unique Mexican souvenir from a vacation to the Riviera Nayarit, local resident artist, Claudia Dias Roserdo, provides gorgeous hand painted lacquered pottery at the La Penita Thursday market. She proudly creates the beautiful folk art pottery that her family has made for four generations. Claudia specializes in dinnerware and home d�cor items in brilliant colors and traditional designs that she learned from her grandmother- besides teaching the patterns to her children to carry on the art. Born in the southern state of Guerrero, which is known for its pottery artisans, Claudia moved with her family to Guayabitos about ten years ago. The family makes all of the wares they sell at tianguis and year round at their store �Artesanias Monserrat� on Avenida Sol Nuevo (across the street from the Penamar Hotel.) As the mother of 12 and grandmother of 4, it is amazing that this tiny woman can find the time to play in the clay and paint such wonderful details!

What is artesania? This term was invented in Spanish during the early 20^th century to distinguish merchandise made by traditional methods versus those made by industrial/ assembly line methods. The word is also a source of Mexican national identity and used to promote traditional products to tourists. Mexican artesania has its foundations in the crafts of the many pre-Hispanic cultures within the country combined with the 500 years of European influence that transforms the indigenous crafts into unique Mexican folk art. Artesania tradition is a blend of indigenous and European techniques and designs. This blending, called �mestizo� was previously emphasized by Mexico�s political, intellectual and artistic elite after the Mexican Revolution of 1910 toppled Portfirio Diaz�s French-style and modernization-focused presidency. Artesania can be defined as items created by common people, using traditional methods that originated hundreds of years ago. Most artisans do not have school-based training in their craft, but rather learn it through formal or informal apprenticeship, usually with relatives. When referring to �common people� in Mexico, it generally applies to people native to rural areas and not of the middle or upper classes. Today, Mexican artesania is highly valued around the world and is often one of the reasons tourists are attracted to the country.

claudia fam wares.JPG It�s curious how these indigenous groups were able to preserve their artistic techniques, such as coil building, open firing, and using natural pigments � yet they lost their original language and their religion. When the Spaniards arrived, the blending of societies allowed the native people to learn new techniques. It is this combination of styles that gave life to some of the more famous present day ceramic styles of Mexican earthenware: majolica or Talavera.

From 1920 to 1950 Mexico was the third largest producer of handcrafts, with ceramic/ pottery the most prevalent type. During the Aztec empire, ceramics was considered one of the highest art forms. It was believed that the knowledge of making pottery came from the god Quetzalcoatl himself.

The Process of Making Talavera Pottery

Talavera pottery is a high-quality decorative earthenware recognized by its strong colors and detailed patterns. After becoming aware of the lengthy process required for each hand crafted piece of ceramic pottery, you won�t want to bargain down the price at the market! Claudia and her family said that each piece generally takes four weeks from clay to finished item.

raw clay.jpg The clay: The traditional process of making clay for pottery takes 12 to 15 days. The raw clay is found locally in several Mexican states, Puebla and Guerrero; it is now packaged and sold throughout the country. Since Claudia lives in Nayarit she purchases the clay instead of mixing her own. The best clay uses two types of clay that are blended and left to soak in water for days to improve their quality and malleability. The potter then drains the water and filters the combined clays to remove all impurities, resulting in a loss of almost fifty percent of its original volume. After obtaining clay, the craftsmen mold the clay either by hand or using a potter�s wheel.

The drying:

The pottery piece is then polished by using a wet sponge to bring a smooth finish to the clay. The Talavera piece is then dried by placing it in the sun for up to 3 weeks. It�s best to dry at a slow pace to minimize the stress on the Talavera in the drying process and will produce a stronger, more uniform finish for the pottery. The dry molded clay is then baked in a brick oven for 7 to 8 hours at 200 degrees F.

Firing

making plate.jpg When the piece comes out of the oven it is dipped in a lead-free white glaze and left to dry for several days. Then the potters go to work creating there patterns to decorate the Talavera piece. This can take hours or days depending on the size of the piece. The pottery is all hand painted with natural mineral based enamels applied with a animal-hair paint brush. The potter finishes his art work and the piece is then left to dry again.

Finish

The final firing in the oven is what transforms the glaze and the paint into a hard, brightly covered surface. This intense heat fuses the colors to the clay and crystallizes the surface of the pottery item creating the glossy finish. The temperature at which a piece is fired gives pottery its finished appearance and its strength.

wedding bowl.jpg Daughter Jenifer said, �All of us kids started to help make the pottery from three years old. My mother designs the shapes, selects the colors.� As with so many other artists, Claudia chose Guayabitos to raise her family and expand the pottery business. Quipped youngest son Juan, �We love the beach here!� As this talented family has discovered, the beautiful Riviera Nayarit is inspiring.

Look at artesania not just as a utilitarian household item but as a reflection of the Mexican culture and a source of family pride. The deceptively simple pieces radiate bright colors and historical patterns-a great show piece for every home. As art historian, Herbert Read, remarked, �A peoples� creativity, its sensitivity, and its finesse can all be appreciated through its pottery.�

claudia son.JPG

Local potter Claudia and some of her 12 children that make artesania ceramics

Visit the family display on the west side of the La Penita square on Thursday or check out the store, Artesanias Monserrat at Ave. Sol Nuevo #122, Guayabitos. Open 10am to 10pm

Jalisco Reports 48 Dengue Deaths for 2009
PVNN
May 03, 2010

Though between 1989 and 2009, the Jalisco Health Department did not 'officially' report any deaths from dengue fever, this year dengue is in the news again and beginning to make its presence felt in the Mexican state of Jalisco, as reported in a recent article by the Guadalajara Reporter staff:

Not for the first time in the past 12 months, Jalisco health officials are in damage limitation mode after test results from a federal laboratory revealed that 48 people died last year from hemorrhagic dengue, instead of just one officially reported victim.

While Jalisco Health Secretary Alfonso Petersen stopped short of saying the deaths could have been prevented, he admitted that "a lack of knowledge" among health professionals may have contributed to the high number of fatalities.

Jalisco subsequently jumped to the top of Mexico�s dengue fatality table, way ahead of Morelos with 16 deaths and Guerrero with 11. Remarkably, Jalisco now registers 50 percent of all dengue deaths in 2009 but more results are expected from other states.

Petersen, who took over as the state�s health supremo after the sacking of Alfonso Gutierrez in September last year, said the diagnosis of patients was complicated since many had other health complaints, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Between 1989 and 2009, the Jalisco Health Department refused to acknowledge any deaths from dengue, despite the protestations of some who claimed the government was trying to avoid bad publicity and protect the tourism sector. Petersen now admits there were fatalities during this period, perhaps as many as ten per year.

The first official acknowledgement of a death from dengue in the past decade came in September last year, at the height of the epidemic. Vanesa Robles, a 23-year-old woman from Guadalajara, was given four different diagnoses � typhoid, brucellosis, salmonella and gastroenteritis � before she died. The doctor attending her received the results of the dengue analysis only after she had died.

Thirty-nine of the 48 deaths reported this week were in the Guadalajara metropolitan area � two each in Puerto Vallarta, Tala and Ameca, and one each in El Salto and Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos. More than two-thirds of those who died were women. Sixty-five percent passed away in facilities of the Instituto Mexicana de Seguro Social (IMSS), 15 percent in private hospitals and the rest in public health institutions, including Guadalajara�s Hospitales Civiles.

The official (laboratory tested) total of dengue cases in 2009 was 4,919 (4,102 classic and 817 hemorrhagic), although Petersen said that as many as 50,000 people could have been infected by the mosquito-borne virus.

Experts have been contacted to provide immediate training to doctors in Jalisco on the diagnosis and treatment of hemorrhagic dengue. The first training session for 300 medics took place in Guadalajara on Thursday.

According to the World Health Organization, medical care by physicians and nurses experienced with the effects and progression of hemorrhagic dengue fever can frequently save lives � decreasing mortality rates from more than 20 percent to less than one percent. Maintenance of the patient�s circulating fluid volume is the central feature of this care.

Petersen told citizens not to be worried that more cases of dengue have been registered so far this year compared to 2009 � 367. He credited the increase to more efficient detection and diagnosis.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a potentially deadly complication that is characterized by high fever, often with enlargement of the liver, and in severe cases circulatory failure. The illness often begins with a sudden rise in temperature accompanied by facial flush and other flu-like symptoms. The fever usually continues for two to seven days and can be as high as 41�C, possibly with convulsions and other complications.

In moderate cases, all signs and symptoms abate after the fever subsides. In severe cases, the patient�s condition may suddenly deteriorate after a few days of fever; the temperature drops, followed by signs of circulatory failure, and the patient may rapidly go into a critical state of shock and die within 12 to 24 hours, or quickly recover following appropriate treatment.

Retire to Mexico - the Price is Right
Les Christie - CNN
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April 30, 2010


	Walk around Cabo or La Paz, owners and tourists are unaffected. Even in the borders cities, it's a turf war, rarely affecting Americans. - Bruce Greenberg

The years-long trend of Americans buying homes and expatriating to Mexico has collapsed, done in by a trifecta of the recession, swine flu and an epic crime wave.

Sales volume plunged nearly 70% last year for Coldwell Banker, according Phillip Hendrix, director of the firm's Mexican operations. And at Costa Baja, a residential resort development a few miles north of La Paz, sales have slowed by about 40% in the past 12 months.

"Sales are off like crazy. The recession is really hurting and the headlines have been driving people away. The narco-wars especially have bit into the housing market in Mexico," said Tom Kelly, a follower of Mexican real estate trends and author of Cashing In on a Second Home in Mexico.

But that's good news for Americans who have always dreamed of retiring to Mexico but could never afford it: The bust has made homebuying a bargain. Prices can be less than half of what an equivalent home would run in the U.S.

Although the crime wave is confined to a fairly limited area, the perception of it has hurt markets all over the nation, said Alejandro Yberri, CEO of Costa Baja.

Information on prices of homes being sold to expatriate Americans is sketchy, but Kelly estimates overall declines of between 20% and 30% since the peak. In the high-crime communities close to the U.S. border, the drop has been even steeper, perhaps 40% or more.

Still, that means deals for adventurous souls - even in safe traditionally expatriate neighborhoods.

Lovers of Mexico, like Bruce Greenberg, a marketing consultant for Mexican real estate, rue that the entire country has been colored by the border wars. "Walk around Cabo or La Paz," he said. "Owners and tourists are unaffected. Even in the borders cities, it's a turf war, rarely affecting Americans."

Indeed, neighborhoods in southern Baja cities, even late at night, seem perfectly secure. On the waterfront of downtown La Paz recently, there were families out pushing strollers, lovers cuddling on benches and children eating ice cream at 11 p.m. No one seemed at all nervous.

The housing markets down south may be starting to revive a little after being on life support the past couple of years. Outside San Jose del Cabo, a couple hours south of La Paz, lot sales in the huge Puerto Los Cabos development have increased this year after being very slow in 2008 and 2009, according to its marketing director Alex Cuttler.

Up and down the coastal resort communities of southern Baja the landscape teems with sale signs, mostly in English.

That all changes up north, where crime has raged more fiercely and the border patrol has stepped up security, making traveling between the U.S. and Mexico more difficult. That means northern Mexican resorts, such as Rosarito, Rocky Point and San Felipe have suffered the most in this real estate downturn, according to Hendrix.

The homes here are less than an hour's drive from Southern California and Arizona, so many Americans would buy them as weekend and vacation retreats.

But with border guards on high alert and the crackdown on smuggling and illegal immigration, getting back into the United States can tack on an extra two or three hours at the border crossing. And that surely discourages some homebuyers even though a three bedroom, ocean-front condo can sell for less than $300,000 there, a fraction of its price back home.

All the problems have slowed sales in northern Mexico a lot. A recent Los Angeles Times story about the Baja bust made the sea-side corridor between Tijuana and Ensenada sound like a ghost town.

Perversely, that story juiced buyer interest, according to Kelly.

"Realtors were deluged with inquiries," he said. "People were thinking that the bottom was reached."

Much Fear, Little Hope in Quake-Hit Mexico Village
Sandra Dibble - San Diego Union-Tribune
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April 19, 2010

As night falls in the desert around the Cienega de Santa Clara in Sonora, a member of the Rodriguez family snacks on chips in the family�s encampment. (Peggy Peattie/Union-Tribune)

Ejido Johnson, Mexico � The birds are still chirping in their cages, and the bougainvillea blossoms are spilling from the shaded yards. But since the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck northern Mexico on Easter Sunday, the residents of the tiny rural community of Ejido Luis Encinas Johnson have been gone.

A mile away from their hastily abandoned houses, the community�s 65 families are sleeping beneath tarps and tents pitched in the Sonoran Desert, yearning for home but too afraid to return.

�The fear is that another quake will come and bury us,� said Juan Butr�n, 58, a nature guide and leader of the landholding group created by presidential mandate more than three decades ago.

Two weeks after the quake, questions about the future hang over farming towns and villages in the Colorado River Delta near the quake�s epicenter, about 30 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Most of the damage to agriculture and residences is in Baja California, but the quake also affected communities in neighboring Sonora, and none more so than Ejido Johnson, a collection of small houses located nearly five miles from the closest paved road.

Although many communities suffered extensive damage, few faced such upheaval. Nearly all of the 79 houses are considered uninhabitable, said Guadalupe Herrera, the municipality�s chief representative in the area. With the main irrigation canal now filled with dirt and crevices the fields of winter wheat are withering.

In Baja California and Sonora, the government has pledged to relocate the homeless residents with promises of plots of land and building materials. Baja California Gov. Jos� Guadalupe Osuna Mill�n initially estimated that as many as 5,200 families faced relocation. But state authorities now say most will be able to move back home, even if they have to rebuild or repair their houses.

Sergio Montes, Baja California�s deputy secretary of infrastructure and urban development, said last week that �perhaps less than a tenth� of the Mexicali Valley�s residents will have to be relocated, but the final tally won�t be known until the state completes its survey next month. In the Sonoran municipality of San Luis R�o Colorado, which includes Ejido Johnson, state authorities said 150 houses were destroyed in the earthquake.

At Ejido Johnson, the sandy streets now have a ghostly feel. Most of the houses are still standing. But gone are the billowing lines of laundry, the sound of neighbors chatting in the shade of mesquite and cottonwood trees, the smell of wood fires with bubbling pots of beans.

Gone is Jes�s Lara, 76 and blind, who could sit and listen to birds from his front stoop.

�It was paradise,� said his daughter, Silvia Lara, 44.

The temblor �changed my life in one instant,� said their neighbor from across the street, Sara Torres, 65, a widow who was one of the original settlers. One afternoon last week, the fragrance of roses hung over her garden as she sifted through the ruins of the small adobe house.

Torres was outside on Easter Sunday, tending to her goats, when she felt a sudden boom. Returning to the house, she found that a wall had crumbled. Across the street, her neighbor�s adobe wall had also fallen.

Like other residents of the region, the villagers remember how foundations sank, deep crevices formed in their yards and streets, and jets of water and sand shot up, creating pools and leaving craters everywhere.

Leaving �makes me sad,� said Butr�n, the nature guide. �But what are we going to do if nature commands us? We could always fix our houses, but the problem is the ground.�

Luis Mendoza, a seismologist based at a scientific research institute in Ensenada, said Ejido Johnson, like many parts of the Mexicali Valley, suffered from a process known as liquefaction, in which sandy soil saturated with water liquefies during an earthquake, pushing through the earth�s surface.

�These soils become like a soup, and as a result the soil loses strength � some of these houses sunk into the ground,� said Jorge Meneses, a San Diego-based geotechnical engineer and president of the local chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, a nonprofit technical society. �In San Diego, if we have an earthquake of that magnitude, we�re going to have the same problem.�

Although the community�s land covers more than 13,000 acres, the group has water rights for less than 600 acres, enough to sustain only a fraction of the population, and many families subsist as temporary agricultural workers in other people�s fields. Despite its isolation and harsh conditions, residents of Ejido Johnson say they feel profoundly attached to their community.

�It�s not a place with a lot of money, but you can live here without a whole lot, and with a great deal of tranquillity,� said Francisco Lara Zavala, 50, a farmer, who has lived in Ejido Johnson since he was 15.

Butr�n, the head of the community, has been working to develop eco-tourism. Although Ejido Johnson is one of the delta�s poorest farming communities, it is rich in wildlife, with much of its territory covered by one of the few remaining wetlands in the Colorado River Delta, the Cienega de Santa Clara.

Just a mile from their houses, residents gathered last week on more stable ground in the tent city that will be their home for the foreseeable future. The population has swelled to several hundred, as others from a Baja California community a few miles away have joined them.

On Wednesday, one group of volunteers spent the morning playing games with the children, while others drove up with loads of donated clothes. One family hauled a cart from the town of Golfo de Santa Clara, drawing long lines for free hot dogs.

Ejido Johnson never received so much attention. The town had no police presence, but the tent city has 24-hour police, ambulance service and a mobile medical clinic in the daytime. The Mexican military is serving meals and has set up tents.

As night fell Wednesday, families gathered beneath tarps preparing to end another day. As they fretted over crops and worried about the future, they held to their one certainty: each other.

�We always tried to be protective of one another,� Butr�n said. �And when people came from outside, we always opened our arms to receive them.�

Whatever happens, he said, �I think we�re going to continue with the same mentality.�

More Baby Boomers Expected to Spend Golden Years South of Border
Kathleen Kirkwood - Contra Costa Times
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April 13, 2010


	A weakening American economy, U.S. State Department travel alerts and worries about the H1N1 virus have hurt tourist travel numbers to Mexico over the past year, but the country still remains an attractive haven for retirees.

Walnut Creek, Calif. - Brad Billingsley could have been waiting for his tee time at an Arizona golf course.

Instead, the former Lafayette, Calif., resident and his wife Linda were in a lagoon off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, snapping photos of gray whales bobbing next to their small charter boat.

"Every day, it's an adventure here," Brad Billingsley said. "It's added 20 years to my life."

Brad, 62, and Linda Billingsley, 61, are among the "silver surge" of baby boomers seeking alternative retirement nests in Mexico, according to a recent report by the International Community Foundation.

It's not certain how many U.S. retirees are living in Mexico - a 2004 study puts the number between 500,000 and 600,000 - but the foundation and other researchers say an increase is likely as more boomers settle into their golden years and find Mexico an affordable alternative. Almost half the retirees living in coastal areas are getting by comfortably on less than $1,000 per month, said the report, which cites the growth of real estate projects targeted at retirees as proof that aging Americans are flocking south of the border.

The Billingsleys had seriously considered a retirement community with a golf course in central Arizona. But they lacked the enthusiasm for fairway living that seemed to consume retirees there.

"Their entire lives were involved with golf," Brad Billingsley said.

In 2007, the couple became expatriates and settled into a $300,000, two-bedroom beachfront condominium in Rosarito Beach, in Baja California.

They've made the most of their retirement dollars, Brad Billingsley said. The cost of living - from groceries to health care - is low in their beachfront town and there's plenty to do, such as driving down the coast to Cabo, walking on the beach and shopping at the local mercado.

The couple lived in California's Bay Area for 60 years, much of it in Walnut Creek and Lafayette.

Sometimes they miss their old haunts, especially bookstores, Brad Billingsley said. But like most expatriates surveyed in the foundation's report, they return often to the U.S. The Billingsleys make a trip across the border to San Diego every few weeks.

Affordability, quality of life, weather and proximity to the U.S. were top reasons retirees chose Mexico, according to the foundation report, which surveyed 842 expatriates about their experiences.

"After the market crash of 2008, we wanted to better understand what was going on with retirees in Mexico," said Richard Kiy, president and chief executive officer of the foundation, a Southern California-based nonprofit that works to increase charitable giving and volunteerism across U.S. borders. In an 88-question survey of retirees 50 and older, the foundation found that expatriates had weathered the economic storm well.

The foundation's 17-page report, released in March, deals with demographics and day-to-day basics such as public safety concerns and household expenses of retirees in Mexico's coastal areas such as Cancun, Rosarito Beach, Rocky Point and Puerto. Four follow-up studies over the next few months will tackle topics that include the impact on Mexico's environment, health care accessibility, real estate and civic involvement by U.S. retirees.

A weakening American economy, U.S. State Department travel alerts and worries about the H1N1 virus have hurt tourist travel numbers to Mexico over the past year, but the country still remains an attractive haven for retirees, said Anne McEnany, co-author of the foundation's report and the foundation's senior adviser for environment and conservation.

Reports of narcotics-related violence, especially in border cities such as Tijuana and Nogales, initially gave many retirees the jitters, McEnany said. But that anxiety fades away after they've settled into their new homes, she said.

"I'm really saddened to see coverage of (Mexican) crime in the media," said Doug Gray, 60, a retired fire captain from the East Bay.

He and his wife Cyndi, who live in Livermore, recently purchased a condominium in Manzanillo, a port city between Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco. They say they feel as safe - if not safer - walking around the mercados and boulevards as they did in Livermore.

"We really love the pace," Cyndi Gray said. "It's a slower pace and you can sit down there and get into the groove. I can unplug."

The Grays have yet to live there full-time; Cyndi, 48, is still working.

Ellen Fields, another expat from California, lives in Merida, on the Yucatan Peninsula.

A self-described "dot-bomb refugee," Fields and her husband James run Yucatanliving.com, a Web site for expatriates. They moved to Merida from San Luis Obispo in 2002.

Ellen Fields says she's enchanted by the Old World atmosphere of the markets and customs. "It's a very gracious culture," she said. "You walk down the street here and people say hello to you."

Ancient City Yielding New Clues in Michoacan, Mexico
Thomas H. Maugh II - Los Angeles Times
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April 13, 2010

Archaeology students clear the site of a house mound near Lake P�tzcuaro in Michoacan, Mexico. Colorado researchers have partially mapped an urban center once occupied by the Pur�pecha, a little-known people who fought the better-known Aztecs to a standstill and who controlled much of western Mexico. The area once supported as many as 40,000 people. (Colorado State University)

The Pur�pecha people occupied a central place in western Mexico, right next door to their better-known neighbors and enemies, the Aztecs.

Colorado researchers have discovered and partially mapped a major urban center once occupied by the Pur�pecha of Mexico, a little-known people who fought the Aztecs to a standstill and who controlled much of western Mexico until diseases brought by the Spanish decimated them.

The "proto-urban center," which researchers have not yet named, sat on volcanic rock on the shores of Lake P�tzcuaro in the central Mexican state of Michoacan, now a tourist destination. It supported as many as 40,000 people until the consolidation of the Pur�pecha empire about AD 1350 led most of its inhabitants to relocate to the new capital of Tzintzuntzan, six miles away.

"What's really interesting about the site is that it gives us a window into the pre-state period when social complexity was increasing and people were congregating together and starting to modify the landscape," said archaeologist Christopher Fisher of Colorado State University, who will present the findings this week at a St. Louis meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Finding that the urban center's population fell as the capital, Tzintzuntzan, grew will also help rewrite the history of the Pur�pecha, who were also known as Tarascans, said archaeologist Gary Feinman of Chicago's Field Museum, who was not involved in the research.

It indicates, he said, that concentration of the population - rather than population growth as had previously been believed - "was a critical element in the concentration of power, particularly in Mesoamerica, where you did not have domesticated animals. People were absolutely critical for moving goods, constructing things and producing food."

Despite the fact that the Pur�pecha empire was as large and powerful as that of the Aztecs, they "have gotten the short end of the stick as far as public attention goes," Fisher said.

Much of what we know about the Aztecs comes from the colonial records of the Spanish expeditionary force, he noted, but the Spaniards - who encountered the Aztecs first - had little contact with the Pur�pecha until the civilization was already doomed by disease.

Yet the Pur�pecha not only controlled most of western Mexico, but had a strongly fortified border with the Aztec empire and ultimately defeated the Aztec army in a fierce battle in the late 15th century.

Part of their strength came from their skill as coppersmiths and, despite the fact that they were fierce enemies, the Aztecs traded extensively with them to acquire copper tools, bells and other valuable objects.

Fisher and his team discovered the site last summer as part of their ongoing survey of the Lake P�tzcuaro basin.

Because the lake level has been dropping, the Pur�pecha site now sits a couple of miles east of the lake - Fisher is vague about the precise location because of fears of looting - but at its height was probably no more than a quarter mile from the shore.

The site sits on a landform called malpais, a young, rugged volcanic landscape "that looks like gravel dumped into a big pile," he said.

Because the land is not suitable for agriculture, the foundations of structures have been largely preserved.

The site encompasses about 5 square kilometers (about 1,200 acres). Using rugged computers and specialized GPS receivers, the team has carefully mapped about a fifth of the site, recording more than 1,300 features, including house mounds, room blocks, buildings, small temples, plazas and agricultural terraces.

Such detailed mapping "is quite revolutionary because it gives us a chance to see what the economic picture was, and the social differentiation," said archaeologist Barbara Stark of Arizona State University, who was not involved in the research. "It's hard to describe how important that is for our understanding of these societies."

Most of the site dates from AD 1000 to about 1350, when it began to shrink as the population moved elsewhere. By 1500, it was largely abandoned.

Most of the rest of the empire disappeared soon after. Smallpox and other diseases that were spread to the Aztecs by the Spanish were transmitted to the Pur�pecha as well, killing 80% to 90% of the population. By the time the Spanish attacked the Pur�pecha, there was hardly anyone left to resist.

thomas.maugh(at)latimes.com

Remember you have a friend in Tequila

by Lilianne Fuller

"Remember, you have a friend in Tequila", said our new acquaintance Arturo Ramos. He was not referring to the alcoholic drink but to the beautiful city that we found ourselves in. He was on hand to greet us when we arrived with Esteban Valdivia, our tour guide and his Albertan compadre Jim. What brought us to Tequila was a quest to find a special type of hand cream made from the blue agave plant. We also wanted to purchase some really good tequila.

I had read a travel story about the Mexican state of Jalisco. One of the cities featured was Tequila; a small city nestled in the Sierra Madre Mountains. The story talked about a Jimador named Izmael. A Jimador is an experienced farmer who harvests the ripe blue agave cactus using a flat bladed knife called a coa. The story described how Izmael made his own therapeutic cream that was purported to improve even the most severely damaged and rough skin.

We had planned a visit to the Rivera Nayarit and decided to include a side trip to find him. Our destination was a three-hour drive from the coastal town of Rincon de Guayabitos. "Guayabitos", as it is known is a popular tourist town located in this rapidly developing region of Mexico.

We realized that without the help of a guide, our hopes of finding this Jimador would be virtually impossible so we decided to seek out Esteban. Esteban is an extraordinary knowledgeable tour guide who works out of his family restaurant, the Pi�a Colada. We ventured over to the restaurant and made plans to leave early the next day.

Our drive took us up into the Sierra Madres. Deep valleys line the road and now dormant volcanoes dot the landscape. Before we knew it, we were in Tequila. We made our way to the City Square for a late breakfast and waited to meet Arturo. When he arrived we showed him the newspaper article that I had brought with me. A rapid conversation in Spanish ensued and we were assured that even in this city of over 26,000 people our guides would find the man we were looking for.

They suggested that we spend some time in the nearby Sauza family museum and return to the square in an hour. Sure enough, true to their word an hour later Esteban came striding across the square and said "We have found him!" We walked the short distance to a nearby factory and after a formal introduction I bought 10 jars of the cream that I had come so far to find.

Having completed our quest we set off to seek the other reason for our trip, tequila. Tequila is made using traditional family recipes. The root of the blue agave cactus is distilled to make this potent drink. Our guides had included a trip to an agricultural college that specialized in using some non-traditional ingredients. There we were treated to a tasting. We sampled some tequilas that were made from blackberries, tamarind and mango. We also enjoyed some of the more customary tequilas that ranged from the young Blanco or silver tequila to the amber coloured very mature Anejo.

After an early dinner it was time to go. We bid farewell to our new friends and made our way back to the coast with fond memories, some delicious tequila and the agave cream that I had come hoping to find. Arturo, while encouraging us to return to his beautiful city also assured me that if I wanted more of Izmael's special cream he would send some to me. "Remember" he said, you have a friend in Tequila.

Rare Worthen's Sparrow Nest Sites Found in Mexico
Matt Walker - BBC Earth News
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March 22, 2010

A male sparrow searches for a mate.

SPARROW SPOTTING: Worthen's sparrow stands just 13cm tall on average and is identifiable by its distinctive head pattern, sporting a grey head with a rufous crown, brown stripe and pink beak.

Overall it is similar in appearance to the far more common field sparrow, though it has a unique plumage and song, a dry chipping trill that last two to three seconds.

The species nests from May to July, usually laying three to four eggs.

Three new breeding sites of one of the world's rarest birds, the Worthen's sparrow of Mexico, have been found.

The discovery of nests in the states of Nuevo Leon and Coahuila confirms the bird needs desert scrub to breed.

Such information may help conservationists formulate a plan to save the species from extinction.

Just a few hundred Worthen's sparrows survive, and until the latest discovery little was known about where and how the bird reproduces.

Details of the new breeding locations are published in the Journal of Field Ornithology.

Worthen's sparrow (Spizella wortheni) was originally discovered in the United States, where just a single bird was caught on 16 June 1884, near Silver City, New Mexico.

No Worthen's sparrows have since been captured in the country, where it is now thought to be extinct.

Formally, the bird also ranged over much of the Mexican Plateau.

However, now it is found in just a handful of places in northeastern Mexico, says Dr Ricardo Canales-del Castillo of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico.

That makes it one of the rarest sparrows in North America.

What is more, although flocks of the sparrow are sometimes seen in winter, little is known about where the bird lives and breeds in the summer, information that is crucial to safeguarding the species's future.

Caught in the act

So Dr Castillo and colleagues decided to search out places where the sparrow might be hiding.

This was particularly difficult because of the sparrow's behaviour: Worthen's sparrows do not migrate, but they move on from nesting sites as soon as the breeding season ends.

So the researchers had to catch the birds in the act of egg-laying and rearing.

Over the past 30 years, the sparrows have only been seen in a 25km squared area in northeastern Mexico, with most of its historical breeding sites since converted to agriculture.

These historical records also suggested the sparrows like to breed in valleys full of desert scrub and grassland, habitat also filled by prairie dogs.

So Dr Castillo's team targeted areas of similar habitat, particularly searching around the La Soledad valley in the municipality of Galeana, home to one of Mexico's most important prairie dog locations.

They found nests at San Rafael in Galeana, Nuevo Leon and at La Carbonera in the same state.

Another nests were also found at San Jose del Alamito just over the border into the state of Coahuila, but still within the La Soledad valley.

Overall, the researchers recorded 51 individual sparrows, which is half the 100 to 120 individuals that survive in the wild, according to the latest data held by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"Our most optimistic estimate is that 500 individuals remain," Dr Castillo told the BBC.

Knowing where the sparrow breeds could help protect it in the future, as conservationists can now attempt to preserve grasslands and associated shrubby areas, he says.

One such project under way, coordinated by the Bird Conservation Alliance, is seeking to purchase prime grassland habitat in the Saltillo Savannah in Mexico, which will also help preserve habitat vital for other species such as long-billed curlews, burrowing owls, mountain plovers, Sprague's pipits and Ferruginous hawks.

Cora men traditionally wore ankle-length white manta pants and colorful shirts along with leather huaraches, palm hats, and hand-woven shoulder bags. Many men now wear jeans, western-style shirts, cowboy hats, and other non-traditional clothing. The dress of women varies among communities, but generally women wear long, full skirts and elbow-length blouses of bright colored fabrics often decorated with ribbons and embroidery. Women also wear bead necklaces and earrings, wrap themselves in dark-patterned rebozos, and carry colorful hand-woven shoulder bags

The Best Road Maps for Mexico

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New with travel guide information added!

Pacific Coast Road, Driving and Travel Guide Log 2010

Driving in Mexico just got a little safer with the release of M�xico Road Logs - A comprehensive compilation of road logs of the Mexican Highway system researched and created by Bill and Dot Bell (www.ontheroadin.com). They have just released the updated version of their successful Nogales to Puerto Vallarta road Log and Travel Guide.

The Mexico Road Log and Driving Guides give details of what to expect along major travel routes when visiting different areas of Mexico. "Far more than a simple map, these road logs detail intersections, driving directions, points of interest, and provide important information on driving hazards that even current GPS systems do not track" said Dot Bell. "The Road Logs are a must for those who are driving throughout the Baja, Pacific, Gulf Coast, and the Interior of Mexico."

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The Bell's are experts in Mexico Travel and have led conferences, seminars and special classes about driving and travel in Mexico throughout Canada and the USA. They have the most comprehensive travel website on Mexico Driving, RVing and Camping and are now working with Mexpro to distribute Mexico Road Logs in an easy-to-use interactive download.

Available at http://www.ontheroadin.com.

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Click on the buy now button and you will be directed to a merchants page. Once you pay for the road log you will redirected to an easy to use download page where you will be able to receive your product immediately. Now only $9.99