February 2006 / 43

Letter from the Editor

The times they are a changin’

It’s true. Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is experiencing some unprecedented growth of late. I’d wager we have seen more growth in the last five to ten years than in the 30 previous ones. The entire dynamic of the place is changing, that’s what I am hearing from all sides, something is building up. It seems we are at a crossroads, on the verge, but on the verge of what? Something bigger, something better or at the least something very different? For a place that has always prided itself on its repeat visitors who come back year after year after year for so many years, different can be worrisome. How can we change and still stay the same, improve while keeping what keeps them coming back? The decisions and plans that are made now will most assuredly have long reaching effects not only on the size and the shape of the city and how it grows, but on every aspect of its industry as well. This can be a time for great progress, a way to use this newly generated wealth to build for the future or it can be a chance for all to go horribly awry. I am an optimist, but it is a great challenge we face and there is much work to do. I say whether you realize it or not, you have a stake in this place; we all do. Whether you have invested millions here or just quietly come once a year for your annual vacation, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo is a place you came to and come back to, for a reason; most would call it love. So in this Valentine’s month when we look at love, we are thinking of its many forms. We are thinking about just what Zihuatanejo means to us and just why we are here. And we are hoping it is not a fleeting love or a blind love or even a desperate love but a love of a place that inspires, and especially now, we hope it inspires change for the better, and we hope you too, feel inspired to do whatever you can to make it so.

You can’t be wise and in love at the same time, Bob Dylan said that, but not to me.

Love and rockets,

History

Once upon a time at La Madera

Pirates? Indians? Fishermen? Or one of each? No one knows who is buried in what is perhaps Zihuatanejo’s oldest cemetery; all that remains are three wooden crosses half-hidden by weeds and enough questions to fuel all sorts of imaginings of long-ago Zihuatanejo..View full article

Food

Wines of Mexico

A country already world-famous for its tequila, Mexico is also trying its hand at winemaking, with successful results. In the past few years, the country's leading wineries have collected an impressive array of accolades, gaining a following among wine lovers excited by the prospect of finding excellent vintages in unexpected places..... View full article

Fishing

The Marlin of May

The Costa Grande is defined as the 150-mile stretch of coastline from Acapulco to the South, and on up to the Rio Balsas at Lazaro Cardenas to the North.

The fishing fleet of Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo is almost centered in the best section of this year round game fish producing water. In my opinion, the 40 days from after the 1st week of May, until the middle of June, the Costa Grande is the best fishery on the planet to have a chance at a marlin.... View full article

Nature

Little Black Birds of Zihuatanejo

Last month we looked at the big black birds circling up in the Zihuatanejo skies; this month we’ll look at some of the smaller ones down on the ground. There are no real small black birds like sparrows or warblers around. Most of the birds we are going to talk about are the size of a robin or larger..... View full article

Culture

Saints, martyrs and little candy hearts

Contrary to popular belief Valentine’s Day was not created by the greeting card industry but has in fact been celebrated since the 14th or 15th centuries, and really has nothing to do with St. Valentine. ...View full article

Community

Education Projects abound in Zihuatanejo, here’s a few philanthropic endeavors that are showing results

Zihuatanejo’s SailFest 2006

For the fifth 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.... View full article

Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival gears up for 2006

The third Annual Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival will be held this year March 26 to April 2, 2006. A week of live music in paradise, this non-profit, fully sponsor funded festival was founded to create a world class international event that would be a tourism draw to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo; to raise cultural awareness and to raise money for art, music and cultural endeavors in the community. .... View full article

La Nueva Creacion School

Up a winding, dirt road, high in the hills above beautiful Zihuatanejo bay, is the community of Colonia Vicente Guerrero. It is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city. Most of the residents are families lured here from poor rural villages, indigenous regions and worn-out farms to look for work. Most live in hand-built, one-room houses with dirt floors; many lack electricity, running water and sanitary facilities. ... View full article

Marina Sanchez Hernandez:
Educator – Indigenous Leader – Advocate

Many of us may know Marina Sanchez Hernandez as the Director of the Netzahualcoyotl School in Zihuatanejo, or the woman who recently served a three-year term as Regidora (city councilwoman) of Education and Culture under Mayor Amador Campos. Few know her history and the depth of her dedication to education for indigenous and all children in need, to families, and to her community... View full article

Z-Scene... View full article

Zihua Stories

We remember when

There is an old song called “Dearie, Do You Remember When?” One of the lines in the song says, “… dearie, if you remember when, then you’re much older than I.” Well, there are not too many of us left who remember when there really was a beach at Playa Almacen... View full article

Medical

I need Help! ... or where to obtain Medical Help

Every year here, we meet vacationing gringos and gringas who admit that their health here in the tropics isn’t quite the same as it was “back home.” Whether they are afflicted with heat prostration, nosebleeds, blistered feet, sprained ankles, dislocated shoulders, broken bones, digestive or stomach problems, bladder infections, skin rashes, malaria or dengue fever, Moctezuma’s revenge or a host of other corporal ailments, we invariably ask them, “Do you require emergency medical assistance?” ....View full article

Legal

LEGAL BULLETS 2006

This month we decided instead of writing an article, to provide you with the latest bullets of legal information applicable for this New Year, which we hope will be useful for you:....View full article

Travel

Travel and tribulations - Adventure in HIERVE EL AGUA

About two hours southeast of Oaxaca City lies one of the most uncommon natural wonders Mexico has to offer. Called Hierve el Agua (Boiling Water), the site features two petrified waterfalls descending more than 150 feet over a pair of steep cliffs.... View full article

Upcoming Events

A quick list of upcoming events in our community and in other parts of Mexico... View full article