Columns

Friends who work at the Selva Negra Foundation sent me a poster announcing a Festival de Las Aves in the little town of Ahuisculco, located 31 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara. Workshops, photo exhibits, dances, music, theater and bird watching were promised and I told my friends I would be sure to attend.

Maru Toledo has dedicated many years of her life to the rescue of Jalisco’s gastronomical and oral traditions.

The home of Jorge Martínez – the founder of the University of Guadalajara Art School – is right in the heart of downtown, but the moment we stepped inside, we left the noise of the city behind and found ourselves in an amazing wonderland where every wall and corner was filled with marvels, with no end of artistic treasures, all collected or created by the artist himself.

Most of us probably know that the Spanish word agua means water. But when someone shouts out “Aguas!,” they are telling you to “watch out,” warning you of some pending danger or inconvenience.

My wife, Susy Ibarra, has been a Spanish teacher for most of her life.

While hiking through the woods one day, I came upon a person crouching in the middle of the trail, examining some small brown mushrooms which had sprouted in the droppings left by a passing cow.