Fredrick Catherwood’s Lasting Legacy

Fredrick Catherwood’s Lasting Legacy


In  the early 1840’s, two haggard men on mules emerged from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula telling stories of a lost civilization discovered and unknown cities explored, long before the days when Nikon cameras and National Geographic magazine told us of these things. Between the years of 1839-1842, American John Lloyd Stephens...

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Buying on the Beach

Buying on the Beach

Defining Mexico’s Federal Maritime Zone


  Defining and measuring the Federal Maritime Zone The Federal Maritime Zone is legally described as the 20 meter wide strip of land that is transitable and next to the beach (playa mar). Let’s break this down to make sure we are clear on what we are talking about: 1....

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The Secret to Raising Fish

The Secret to Raising Fish

The Holy Trinity of Resonance


Do some boats raise fish better than others? You bet they do, but why? And, how can a 25 foot Mexican panga raise more fish than a “no expenses spared” 45 foot sport fisher? It is all about the Holy Trinity of Resonance, Vibration and the Horsepower to Weight Ratio....

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Wine and Cheese

Wine and Cheese

Breaking with tradition


The theme of an eternal discussion among sommeliers, the pairing of wine and cheese is without a doubt the most difficult.  This despite the fact that both are a result of the blending of yeast and bacteria.  A good cheese can better a low quality wine or a powerful cheese...

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Pacific Coast Pirates


…a 27 year old English Captain by the name of Thomas Cavendish, was bearing down on him with distinctly unfriendly intentions.”   An account of the Manila Galleon and English pirates off the coast of Mexico The Spanish galleon Santa Ana slowly tracked the coast of Baja California in November 1587 under clear skies and favorable sailing conditions. She was four months out of Manila and only days away from dropping anchor at her home port of Acapulco. She carried in her hold an immense fortune in Oriental treasure: gold, pearls, silks from the China, ginger, cloves and cinnamon from the Spice Islands, jewels from Burma, Indian ivory. Lookouts from the Santa Ana spotted distant sails as the overloaded ship passed by Cabo San Lucas. Captain Tomas de Alzola reduced sail and ordered camouflage netting to be hung. Weapons were issued to those among the 160 passengers and crew capable...

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Latest ADIP Articles
Quetzalcoatl - The Feathered Serpent God of the Aztecs

Quetzalcoatl – The Feathered Serpent God of the Aztecs

When you think of Mexican mythology, you might not think of flying dragons, but nevertheless in Mexico’s pre-Hispanic recollections there exists a mythical god who was symbolized as a flying dragon, or also called, a feathered serpent, or the Quetzal-like flying snake. In the native Nahuatl Aztec tongue, the name was Quetzalcoatl, also known in...

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Aztec Mythology

Aztec Mythology

The Aztec empire, which once dominated what is now Central Mexico, fell to the Spanish conquistadors in 1521. Yet, to this day we are constantly reminded of Mexico’s Aztec past in many ways. Among the most visible examples are the replicas of the Aztec Sun Stone (commonly known as the Aztec calendar) and other works...

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Bus Travel in Mexico

Bus Travel in Mexico

If you’re ready for a little adventure, one of the great joys of traveling in Mexico is going by bus. During the past decade, service has improved by leaps and bounds. Today, you can catch a bus in Zihuatanejo and make it to Cancun in a day and a half. If you’re really determined, you...

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The Hidden Treasures of Zihuatlan - Café Zihuatlan

The Hidden Treasures of Zihuatlan – Café Zihuatlan

Café Zihuatlan – Zihuatanejo’s award-winning organic coffee. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But Juanita is furious. Someone in town is trying to take advantage of the recent popularity of Juanita’s certified organic coffee and has the nerve to copy not only her packaging but also her registered trademark, “Café Zihuatlan,”...

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Preparing for Retirement - Life Insurace

Preparing for Retirement – Life Insurace

When we sit down to plan our retirement, we often contemplate beautiful sceneries, times with our family, and perhaps even a new business or career. However, it is just as important to consider the risks associated with growing older, especially the biggest one: Death. Let’s face it. Life insurance can be a pretty depressing subject....

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Birding 101 - Birding in Paradise

Birding 101 – Birding in Paradise

A neighbor asked me the other day, “How did you get started looking at birds?” I have no idea. Growing up in an apartment in Chicago, we knew what pigeons were, we knew that robins arrived in the spring and they ate worms and that there were sparrows. That’s all I can remember. I moved...

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Letter from the Editor - January 2007

Letter from the Editor – January 2007

Welcome to Another Day in Paradise.     It’s January and if you are not feeling like that proverbial snowball barreling downhill—just wait a moment you will be.     But we’re in the tropics, so maybe we shouldn’t use snowball or even skiers out-running avalanches, analogies. Let’s think surfing. Imagine a tiny dot of...

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AMPI Joins Realtors® and Invades New Orleans

It was the largest invasion, including foreigners since the French troops arrived in 1815 for the Battle of New Orleans. A big difference, this group was here to “help rebuild New Orleans.” The Conference set attendance records with over 25,000 Realtors® attending. This resulted from a year long campaign by NAR. Fifty countries were represented...

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Tropical Houseplants 101

Tropical Houseplants 101

In this climate, I find it hard not to use house plants. We live in a climate where plants are plentiful and beautiful. Plants will add liveliness and freshness to your abode. Plants are less expensive than furniture and will add pizzazz to any setting in home. And remember that plants, like books, can be...

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Sailfest 2007

For the sixth consecutive year, Zihuatanejo will be host of the annual SailFest Regatta, an event whereby sailors (cruisers), locals and tourists participate in a fun-filled week of races, raffles, auctions and sailing-related activities designed to benefit the city’s poorest schools. The fun begins January 31st at Rick’s Bar on Cuauhtemoc Street, home of the...

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Notary Public vs. Notario Publico

Notary Public vs. Notario Publico

Throughout my professional practice I have noted several times that foreign clients—especially those who come from a country with a “Common Law” legal system, such as the United States—believe that Mexican notaries are very expensive, in comparison with a U.S. notary’s fee. There is a very good reason for this. Although notaries in both countries...

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The Romance of a Mexican Garden

The Romance of a Mexican Garden

The nightlife of a garden: tropical plants rustling, nocturnal creatures calling outside the walls. Candlelight patterns the walls and shines on glasses clinking, on laughing smiles. A fountain musics the dark against the sound of waves on sand far down in the moonlight bay. There is a romance in outdoor spaces where the nights stay...

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