By John Mitchell It appears that even the ancient Maya ruins at Chichen Itza are feeling the effects of global warming. The heating of the Earth’s atmosphere has reportedly changed the rain patterns and lengthened the dry season at Chichen Itza. Resulting droughts, along with lightning storms and hurricanes, have taken a heavy toll on [...]

MERIDA, Mexico – Is the ancient Maya doomsday prophecy accurate? Will the world come to an end on Dec. 21, 2012 as predicted by the ancient astronomers and used as the theme of the movie, 2012?

By John Mitchell I first discovered the works of Jose Emilio Pacheco during the 1980′s when I came across an English translation of his poems in a Mexico City bookstore. Pacheco immediately became and remains one of my favorite contemporary Latin American poets. His haunting verse probes the mysteries of time and decay and expresses [...]

By John Mitchell Anyone interested in Mexico has probably run across a travel article by Ron Butler at one time or another. He wrote extensively and passionately about his wanderings south of the U.S. border, and his articles were published in numerous newspapers and magazines. Ron is perhaps best known to Mexicophiles for his book [...]

By John Mitchell This year Vancouverites didn’t have to travel all the way to Mexico to celebrate the Day of the Dead. On Thursday, October 29th, the Mexico Tourism Board hosted a Day of the Dead fiesta at the Roundhouse located in the historical Yaletown district of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The MTB is also [...]

By John Mitchell Mexico City is an endlessly fascinating place to explore, but getting around one of the world’s largest metropolises can be exhausting and frustrating to say the least. I usually take the speedy Metro (subway) whenever I can. If it gets overcrowded, as it often does, I can always resurface for air and [...]

By John Mitchell I confess that I’m a ruins junkie. I just can’t seem to get enough of exploring ancient Mayan temples and climbing Aztec pyramids. Year after year, the mystery and stark beauty of Mexico’s pre-Hispanic ruins keep me coming back for more. Over the decades, I’ve accumulated a large stash of archaeology guidebooks [...]