At first blush David Hornick appears to be the most unlikely candidate to be spear-heading a housing development in the state of Oaxaca, one of the southernmost and poorest states in Mexico; his Spanish is sparse to be generous, until earlier this year he had never ventured to this part of the country, he’s never designed or built a home, and he’s lived virtually all his life in Schenectady, New York, leading a more or less typical, middle-class existence.
But Hornick had a vision, born of other life experiences which made …

La Catrina de Alcalá ranks amongst Oaxaca’s’s finest restaurants, rather unusual since most other restaurants within two blocks of the city’s zócalo manage to get by with cafeteria-style atmosphere, mariachis and marimbas, and mediocre food. But owner / artist Rolando Rojas took the plunge, and the gamble has paid off: Both quality Oaxacan, and unique continental fare in a tasteful courtyard setting, in the heart of the Centro Histórico.
The establishment is actually three businesses combined in a two-story piece of prime real estate, along Oaxaca’s famed pedestrian walkway, Macedonia Alcalá: …

Every Sunday Gloria awakens at 3 am, and begins preparing tejate, a frothy, tasty corn and cacao based drink, which she will offer for sale in the Tlacolula market. A couple of hours later her sister-in-law María and Maria’s daughter Luci follow suit, but in preparation for their own day of vending pre-Hispanic-style figures and masks, comals, and an assortment of other fired clay bowls, cups, plates and containers. Sundays, the women laugh, is their day of rest, when they don’t have to worry about scrounging for firewood, tending fields, …

Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
Introduction
This 2,000 kilometer driving tour serves the needs of vacationers to Oaxaca who also want to take in the sights in central Chiapas, as well as those who want to at least consider visits to the Pacific coastal resorts in Oaxaca and the Gulf beaches and cultural sights in the state of Veracruz … all without foreclosing a side trip to Puebla. The south central circuit of Mexico provides travelers with a leisurely and culturally diverse driving segment within the context of a two or three week …

Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.

Five articles on pg. A3 of a daily newspaper began, respectively, as follows:
1) The special investigations unit has been called in after a man was shot and a second man broke his jaw during an arrest…
2) A woman described as armed and dangerous is wanted by police in a home invasion robbery…
3) A man barricaded himself inside a house for almost an hour after attacking another man with an axe…
4) A man tried to lure a 14-year-old into his truck…
5) A young man is clinging to life …

Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
Driving a car in Oaxaca has always been dangerous, whether using your own vehicle or a rental one (see my earlier article entitled Driving in Oaxaca: Rules of the Road). But with a dramatic change in the law respecting obtaining a driver’s license, it’s now more precarious, and scary, than ever.
Until recently, to obtain a license you had to either take a written test, or pay a small bribe to avoid having to do so. In either case there was no road test and no eye …

Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.
Curandera Doña Mariana chants while controlling your body with the laying of water over hot rock, as the mysterious meandering of a range of herbal bouquets piques the olfactory sense. Traditional healer, or pleasing dominatrix? She methodically swats almost every inch of your torso, and each limb, with varying degrees of assertiveness and pressure. Yet she is ever so gentle. She reassures you of her command over process and purpose: relaxation, rejuvenation and healing: “Qué salga el mal; qué entre el bien,” she cajoles. Out with the …

Alvin Starkman, M.A., LL.B.

Oaxaca has traditionally been known as an adult travel destination, steeped in ruins, colonial churches, museums and a tradition for fine art and handicrafts. But having been visiting the region regularly since 1991, always with our daughter, and now having been living here for a few years and regularly toured friends and family with young children around the city and outlying sites, without a doubt young families contemplating a visit should set aside any lingering trepidation regarding both the well-being of their young progeny, and their …

Alvin Starkman M.A., LL.B.
Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO), Mexico’s Federal Office of Fair Trading, is the closest you can get to an American or Canadian style government administered consumer protection bureau and mediation facility. Its Oaxaca regional office is run in a relatively swift and efficient manner, meaning that it is extremely user friendly from the perspective of an expat seeking recourse against trades and businesses located both in the state and further abroad. Naturally, though, it’s subject to limitations, and to idiosyncrasies to which we are not accustomed. …

Think of mezcal (also known as mescal) as you would a single malt scotch, or better yet when comparing red wines of different vintages from the regions of France. Or perhaps grape varietals from the diversity of valleys and coastal areas in Australia. Forget about the worm for the time being, and forever the reputation with the college crowd of mezcal’s better known sister, tequila.
INTRODUCTION
Mezcal is made from the agave plant, often referred to as maguey. Its production, according to some sources, may actually pre-date the Spanish Conquest, although …