After a brief return to Guadalajara, I took a short stop in Chapala, a small town located on the shore of Mexico’s largest lake. The town is very popular with American retirees, probably due its colonial charm mixed with the picturesque lakeside setting. While beautiful, the town was a tad sleepy for my taste, and there's frankly just a creepy vibe I get any time I find myself in one of these American expat towns. In front of the church on Friday nights you can behold the o

Having had a taste of small, medium, and large cities in Mexico, I decided to check out the coast. I stayed in town, rather than in the resorts to the north, to save money and infuse a very touristy location with some of the authentic Mexican charm that I was growing increasingly fond of. This unfortunately meant that the beaches were none too attractive, and swimming was ill-advised given the notorious rip tides, making it hard to get relief from the heat and humidity. Ne

Guadalajara is Mexico’s second city, a cheaper, less-congested sibling to the monster that is Mexico City. I got a private rooftop room through AirBnB (for $11 a night), with a view of the neogothic Expiatorio Temple of the Blessed Sacrament. While there, I made sure to try pulque. It’s made from the fermented sap of the agave plant and has a sour yeast-like taste. This pulqueria was covered wall to wall with lucha libre memorabilia. Which, of course, inspired me to see the

While staying in Guanajuato, I made a day trip to the nearby town of San Miguel. The town was practically deserted in the early 1900s during the influenza pandemic. However, over the decades, many artists discovered the well-preserved colonial structures and established art institutes. This reputation made its way to the US where, shortly after the close of WWII, former soldiers studying on the GI bill came in large numbers to its art schools. Since then, San Miguel has be

They say that the town of Guanajuato can be seen in a single day, but no one who ever did left the next day. Guanajuato has a population 1/10th the size of Queretaro's and twice the charm. Guanajuato is squeezed into a narrow valley flanked by steep mountains, which makes its streets very narrow, steep, and winding. Many homes can only be reached on foot by traversing the town's claustrophobia-inducing alleys. The Spanish found silver in the surrounding mountains in the 1540