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
Fashion Designer Sergio Alcala

Fashion Designer Sergio Alcala

Mexican Urban Kitsch


Sergio Alcalá is one of the most recognized fashion designers in México, and at only 23 years old, he is also considered one of the most innovative. Elle Magazine calls him the Jean Paul Gaultier of México, saying that his focused style makes him one to watch. His show at Fashion Week México Autumn /...

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J.C. Superstar ! Julio Cesar Chavez: Boxing legend

J.C. Superstar ! Julio Cesar Chavez: Boxing legend

If you mention the words “J.C. Superstar” to an American, the chances are they will think you are talking about a Broadway play. Utter those five syllables south of the Rio Grande, and get ready for an onslaught of words about Mexico’s most beloved practitioner of the sweet science. Julio Cesar Chavez is emblematic not...

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Great Renovations: Let there be Light

Great Renovations: Let there be Light

An Ixtapa couple create the dream home they couldn't find


Renovation and Interior Design: Maru Pinto de Caraza Searching for your dream home and still haven’t found what you‘re looking for? One couple who were not ready to take on the task of building a home decided to make-do with what they had found, and make it their own. Renovating a dark, uninviting space into...

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The Bookstores of Donceles Street, Mexico City

The Bookstores of Donceles Street, Mexico City

Step into any one of the dozen or so bookstores on Donceles Street in Mexico City´s historic center and you might find yourself in a predicament similar to the following: Do you stick to the game plan, zeroing in on that novel about the Mexican Revolution that you haven’t been able to find anywhere else,...

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The Mexican Wine Oasis

The Mexican Wine Oasis

Parras de la Fuente


It is not a mirage! After having crossed a long desert there appears a miraculous oasis… In this valley of fertile land crystalline springs abound.  The Parras valley is a verdant space in which one forgets that they are surrounded by the semi-desert region of Coahuila. In addition to its water reserve, the Parras valley’s...

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The Versatility of 40 Pound Test Line

The Versatility of 40 Pound Test Line

If you had to make a choice for a single line weight to use in salt water fishing, what weight line comes to mind first? Remember, it doesn’t matter if it is braid line or mono-filament. The dedicated light line sportsman would probably choose twenty pound test, and have many a valid argument. Using a...

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Dulce

Dulce

Desserts in the Latin American Tradition


Excerpts from the book , by Joseluis Flores, with Laura Zimmerman Maye: Cajeta Cajeta is a goat’s milk caramel similar to dulce de leche (cow’s milk-caramel originally from Argentina) or manjar blanco (what they call dulce de leche in Peru). In Mexico, it is traditionally sold in small, thin wooden boxes, or cajas, on the...

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Olmecs of Mexico

Olmecs of Mexico

The Olmecs, which means “people of rubber” in Nahuatl (the language of the Aztecs) began their civilization in southeastern Mexico between 1600 B.C. and 1400 B.C. It wasn’t until this century that the Olmecs were acknowledged to be part of Mexico’s history. Researchers prior to this time attributed many of the discoveries now associated with...

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Guillermo del Toro, master of fantasy and allegory

Guillermo del Toro, master of fantasy and allegory

Guillermo del Toro's “Pan’s Labrynth” held its Mexican premiere at the 2006 Morelia International Film Festival.


I consider myself to be pure, but not innocent. – Guillermo del Toro  October 17, 2006 (Morelia International Film Festival 2006) Guillermo del Toro is one of the most unusually gifted and versatile directors to have emerged in recent years fromMexico. Master of the horror and fantasy genre in the country, since his international debut...

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The Mexican Wine Oasis

The Mexican Wine Oasis

It is not a mirage! After having crossed a long desert there appears a miraculous oasis… In this valley of fertile land crystalline springs abound. The Parras valley is a verdant space in which one forgets that they are surrounded by the semi-desert region of Coahuila. In addition to its water reserve, the Parras valley’s...

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Alebrijes from Oaxaca

Alebrijes from Oaxaca

Beautiful and Whimsical Mexican Art Sculptures Made from Copal Wood


The valley surrounding Oaxaca is known for archaeological sites and a variety of artistic handicrafts. The most stunning are the intricately painted wooden alebrijes. Tourists have no trouble finding reason to visit Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca. Wildlife, archaeological wonders, unique handicrafts and a mixed culture resistant to modernization draw visitors from around the world....

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Magic Carpets, Oaxaca’s Master Weaver Preserves a Zapotec Tradition

Magic Carpets, Oaxaca’s Master Weaver Preserves a Zapotec Tradition

When you enter The-Bug-in-the-Rug store in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, you are greeted by the master weaver himself, Isaac Vasquez, a friendly, soft-spoken man with salt and pepper hair. He invites you into his workshop, housed in the sunny courtyard of his family compound. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the carpets on the adobe...

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