Thank You

Having surpassed 1,000 unique visitors to this blog, I wanted to thank you all for reading it. What makes us even prouder is that 700 of you kept coming back for more! I am glad that you are finding it an entertaining source of information about our beloved Mexico.

When we started this blog, in May, I didn't expect to be sitting here just three months later looking at nearly 2000 visits, amassing 3,863 page views, on it. That's really made my day. Thank you very much and I hope that you will continue to enjoy the articles that we write.

You may be interested to know which are the top ten most viewed blog entries:

1, Why Biodegradable Sunscreen?

2, Pirates of the Caribbean - Jean LaFitte

3, Why Can't I Climb on the Maya Pyramids?

4, How to Haggle for Goods at the Mercado

5, El Calendario de Todos Santos

6, Roger Waters, 'The Wall', in México City, 2010

7, Drug Wars - Cancún is Safe for Tourists

8, Gay Vacations in the Riviera Maya

9, The Oil Leak isn't in the Mexican Caribbean

10, Xcaret - The Secret Sanctuary

Thank you very much for reading! <3

"Sea turtles, mate."

Ragetti: Is that... can't be.
Pintel: How?
Captain Teague: Sea turtles, mate.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Sea turtles can be found in all of the world's oceans, minus the really cold ones up by the poles. They spend their lives in the sea, coming to the surface to breath, before dodging back underwater to feed. Here they can live for up to 80 years. The largest of the five species of sea turtle can grow up to eight feet (2.5m) long, weighing in at 1,300lbs (93 stone; or 590kg). They are truly one of the great, gentle giants of the sea.

Only the mature females ever venture onto land and then only to lay their eggs on the beaches. Beaches in Mexico are some of the dwindling number where nesting occurs, as anyone who reads A Canuck in Cancun knows:

A gigantic mama turtle was RIGHT THERE laying her eggs!! Super awe, jaw on the sandy floor, ga ga girls, we oohed and aaahed and watched her do her thing ... Turtle patrol came along and took her measurements and clamped a tracking device on her flipper. Her shell was 106 cms by 96 cms, big girl! We got hit by some flying sand when she started to try to get out of her hole, her powerful flippers making loud THWACK sounds as she dug her way out. We left her in peace to make her way back to sea.
A Canuck in Cancun: Where the Boys Aren't: Girls' Beach Getaway

And if you don't read 'A Canuck in Cancun', then why not? It's a brilliant blog!



When these eggs hatch, there is a sudden surge of tiny babies rushing towards the ocean. Seagulls and other predators lunge in and only a fraction ever make it. Then there is the arduous task of growing up, amidst the sharks and others who like to see sea turtle on the menu.

Sea turtles have been around for 130 million years; yet they have now been hunted to the brink of extinction by human beings. Sadly, a large proportion of this happens in Mexico, where poachers illegally catch and sell them into the international market, or eat them at home. Tourist are warned to boycott and report any restaurant with sea turtle on offer. Moreover, please don't buy any tortoiseshell products.

Even more recently, BP came under sharp criticism for burning sea turtles alive, by trapping them into controlled 'burn zones', in a bid to remove oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. The Nature Institute in New Orleans estimated that at least 425 sea turtles had perished that way, with many more being picked up by conservationists. The survivors had to be cleaned up, with toothbrushes used to scrub the oil from their shells.

Sea Turtles are globally protected under the regulations of both the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Mexico is amongst those countries who have added extra laws to strengthen international law. It is illegal to poach, hunt, catch or eat sea turtles in Mexico. It is also illegal to use shrimp nets that don't allow sea turtles to escape. By-catch (when something other than what you were fishing for ends up caught) was a major threat to the sea turtles before that law came in. Traditional nesting beaches, in Mexico, are protected under law. They are often incorporated into national parks in order to ensure this protection.

In addition, there have been many other campaigns in the country, aiming to combat some of the cultural, religious or superstitious reasoning behind the consumption of sea turtles. In this very Catholic of countries, sea turtles are often eaten during Lent. This is such a problem that activists wrote to the Pope hoping that he would rule that sea turtles are meat, not fish, and therefore prohibited during that period. He hasn't done so yet.

Another pervasive (but utterly incorrect) belief was that sea turtle eggs boosted male potency. Playboy pin-up and singer Dorismar was enlisted to help combat that one. For the non-Spanish speakers, that legend reads, "My man doesn't need turtle eggs."

Dorismar also made an appearance on the extremely popular TV show, Sábado Gigante. She used her charms to convince Spanish speaking men everywhere that they really didn't need to eat sea turtle eggs. Wearing nothing but revealing pyjamas, she explained carefully that it's a myth that they help male virility.

The TV show broadcasts to an audience of over 100 million people, spread across 42 countries. Dorismar's slot on it was part of Sábado Gigante's campaign tour of Latin America, ending in Mexico City. During which they spread the 'Don't Eat Sea Turtles' word even further. Live music and personal appearances by Dorismar helped the message to sink in.

May to October is sea turtle breeding season, so it is possible that any visitors to Mexico might encounter their nests. If you see a mound of sand with a stick in it, then leave it well alone. It is being monitored by one of the many volunteer or state sea turtle conservation organizations. If you happen to spot a giant turtle leaving the ocean, with huge tyre track grooves in the sand, then report it immediately to the beach patrols. They can then alert the relevant people to come and protect the nest.

Then sit back, at a distance, and revel in the fact that you have witnessed one of nature's more wondrous moments. Because, if the poachers win, no future generation will be able to see it at all.

C-58 Minesweeper Wreck Site - Advanced Diving Attraction

There is something so beautifully evocative about shipwrecks. Sociologists, historians and psychologists have pondered long and hard about our endless fascination with the story of the Titanic. Their conclusions seem to be that there is something for everyone in the details of that tragic disaster. There are the human interest stories to inspire or break our hearts. There is the sheer horror of the ship sinking. There are the mechanics of such a huge vessel. There is the fledging technology of the Marconi systems. There are the ghosts and portents. There is the shipwreck.

Shipwrecks seem to call to the human soul. Perhaps its born of disquiet; that here is evidence of the achievements of humankind, in all its mammoth, hulking, engineering genius, now left to the ravages of nature. Nature will eventually win, breaking down the steel and wood, and all those fancy furnishings, as the force of the ocean beats against it and the bacteria eats away. Nature 1, Humanity 0.

But in the meantime, there is the awe-inspiring wonder of it all. There is the haunting sight of human things disintegrating; but there is also new life. Where the captain once stood at the wheel, navigating by stars and compass, now there are coral formations and a family of groupers darting through. Where the look-out once climbed, there are manta rays gliding effortlessly through the deep. Where the first mate once consulted his records and rigs, the barracuda snaps for lunch. Where the crew once went about their daily lives, keeping the ship afloat and on course, the coral creatures crawl.



It is this function of shipwrecks, as home to marine life, that saw the deliberate sinking of several vessels off the coast of the Riveria Maya. They had all been military ships, in the United States Navy, during World War II. Later decommissioned, they were sold to the Mexican Navy. Their useful life on the surface of the water eventually became over; but they had further service to complete beneath it. As nature's coral reefs became eroded, there was need for artifical reefs. These ships became humanity's contribution to the cause.

The most famous of these is the C58 General Anaya, which is the location of SCUBA diving expeditions. This American ship had originally been known as the USS Harlequin, built in 1944, in Portland, Oregon, USA. She saw active service as an admiral-class minesweeper, forging ahead of the main fleet of the US Navy ships, neutralizing naval mine bombs, during World War II. In 1962, she was sold to the Mexican Navy, who renamed her C58 General Anaya. There she remained in active service, still as a minesweeper. But she was getting old and unsuitable for purpose. In 1980, she was sunk as an artificial reef, off the coast of Cozumel. Now she lies on the ocean bed and she is beautiful.




For those wishing to undertake this amazing dive, there is the recommendation that you are an experienced diver. The current down to the ship can be quite strong. Once there, though, the bulk of the C58 General Anaya minesweeper will protect you, as it protects the marine life inside. You can enter this ship. Hurricane Wilma tore it into two, in 2005, allowing you easy access into the internal quarters. Alternatively, you can swim around it. Either way, it is a stunning, jaw-dropping sight, which only the intrepid few will ever see.

Barracuda in the Mexican Caribbean

There is something quite sinister about things with teeth in the ocean. It's a consideration that is particularly keen when you're immersed in said ocean, wearing only a swimsuit and a snorkel mask. Suddenly any shape, half glimpsed from the corner of your eye, is a shark. You turn quickly and face it head on. It's a bit of coral. You try to still your thundering heart and resolve not to think of the 's' word. Then a second word creeps into your consciousness: barracuda.

The 1970s have a lot to answer for. After the global success of 'Jaws' (1975), it seemed that any company with a camera and an ocean was making a 'horror in the deep' movie. (We've already covered sharks in a previous blog.) In 1978, along came 'Barracuda'. Its opening scene had two divers devoured by a battery of barracuda. The sea around them turns red with blood. The camera follows a severed hand rising to the surface. Screams abound. Scary stuff.

It's only as the movie progresses that we discover that chemicals have been released into the ocean. Their pollutants cause aggression in everyone and everything that drinks it. Its exposure to this that has the barracuda riled to the tips of their fins. Mutant barracuda, in fact, not natural behaviour at all. But by then, who cares? All that's crept into the cultural mindset are the over-riding facts: barracuda live in the ocean; they have teeth; they will eat you. This naturally gives people pause, when they learn that the Mexican Caribbean is home to barracuda.



There was also a 1997 film called 'Barracuda', but that was a 'Misery' rip-off and didn't involve fish.

Reversing out of the theaters, it's time to look at the reality of these much maligned creatures. First of all, it's worth noting that there are 27 different species of barracuda; yet only one, the Great Barracuda, has been reported to attack humans. Yes, the Great Barracuda does live in the Mexican Caribbean.

However, these attacks are rare. Prof Donald Perrin de Sylva (University of Miami), the world's leading authority on the Great Barracuda, stated that there have been only 25 confirmed cases in the past century. They have usually got a good cause attached to them though. Either the person attacked was attempting to spear the barracuda with a harpoon at the time; or else they were swimming in murky waters, whilst wearing shiny jewelry. In short, their jewelry looked like a tasty fish and, therefore, dinner.

Right there is your big 'surviving an encounter with a barracuda' tip. Don't swim in murky waters (easy to achieve in the crystal clear Caribbean, as long as you avoid the mangrove estuaries); and ensure that you remove shiny jewelry if you want to enter such places. (If the barracuda can see you clearly, then you could be bedecked with all the Mexican gold in the country and they won't attack. They will clearly see that you're not a fish.) Also, unless you're aiming for a Darwin Award, don't attempt to harpoon them whilst standing two feet away. If you do see one, then keep calm and don't make lots of jerky movements. Just back away, carefully and precisely, so that you both can go about your day.

Most unexpected meetings are similiar to that experienced by blogger, Mellasview, in her 'What to do if you see a Barracuda in the Water':

'...seeing this spectacular predator in the water, as stiff as a board was by far the most awesome sight I saw while vacationing. It had a mysterious power to it, and was the only fish I saw that seemed to sit so still that it looked frozen. Like a hummingbird, it was quite a beautiful, yet mysterious sight to see.'

In this case, Mellasview was swimming when she noticed the Great Barracuda just three feet away. She was wearing a shiny bracelet at the time. She covered that up and backed away slowly. The Great Barracuda did not attack.

Human beings are not the prey of the Great Barracuda. They prefer fish. However, they can be intensely curious about us. Many a diver has spotted a barracuda, just lying stationary in the ocean, watching him/her. One of the major theories is that humans often equate disturbed fish, especically when the anglers are around, which is another way of saying 'buffet time!' to the barracuda. 99% of the time, they will just watch, then go away. Or watch, then swim closer to see better, then go away.

Many of the businesses in the Riviera Maya rely upon taking tourists out to sea. The snorkeling trips, the boat trips, the fishing trips, the diving trips and dozens of others, all involve taking human beings deep into barracuda territory. It's estimated that over 566,000 people have entered the Caribbean Sea, around Cancún alone, every year. Yet the local and international media remains resolutely unsaturated with barracuda attack stories. These attractions would soon close down, if the tourists were regularly bitten.

Incidentally, I should pause at this point to emphasize 'bitten'. Barracuda don't kill human beings (unless through food poisoning, after a meal of them turned out to contain ciguatera). Even the most ferocious barracuda attacks on record simply required a bit of surgery or some stitches. They move with lightning speed, take one bite, then disappear off into the ether. As soon as the victims know that it's happened, it's already over bar the hospital visit. And again, let's restate that 25 cases in 100 years (globally) statistic.

The sports fishing community often have more trouble. But it's not themselves who are the targets. It's their catch.

This travel blog photo's source is TravelPod page: The remains of our catch post Barracuda attack, Tobacco Caye, Belize

Barracuda will quite happily surround a fishing boat, waiting for their meal to be lured onto the hook. Then they hurry in for a feast and leave just the head for the bemused fishing folk to pose with. If it's the wily barracuda itself that's been hooked, then you get the infamous reports of it flying through the air, onto the boat, then back off into the ocean. It's simply removing the hook from its own mouth and is clever enough to know that upwards is the way to do it.

In conclusion, yes, there are barracuda here. But you're highly unlikely to be attacked by them. Happy swimming!

Monster Fishing in Mexico

As any sports fisherman will tell you, Mexico is the place to go for the big catches. Peak season is dying down, but August is still boom time for these intrepid anglers. The reports are coming in, thick and fast, of landed monster fish worthy of a photograph to frame for the wall back home.

Take, for example, this snippet from Jonathan Roldan's 'Tailhunter Fish Report':

Tony Toven from Los Angeles had gotten enough "football tuna" and asked Captain Pancho to try for one of the bigger models. He hooked up on a big chunk of fresh squid over the trench off Las Arenas and was in for a big fight. By the time they got it to gaff, the fish had towed the panga into shallow water... The fish weighed in at 63 pounds (on a scale). Tuna continued to crash this past week for our anglers!
La Paz/ Las Arenas Fishing Report from Tailhunter International for Week of Aug. 1-7, 2010

Please click on the above link for a whole picture gallery of huge catches, plus blog entries telling all the stories from some amazing fishing expeditions around La Paz and Las Arenas.

Meanwhile, Seann, from Sport Fishermen, was reporting back from further down the Pacific coast. In Puerto Vallarta, there were blue marlin, black marlin, stripers, sailfish and tuna darting through the clear, blue waters.

The tuna bite was also red hot. The crew nailed 6 in about 3 hours, all about 40-60 lbs. One of the best days on water of the year, you cant ask for more. Our Annual Marlin and Tuna Tournament is coming up August 12th-14th. From what I've heard so far, it's going to be a bigger turnout than last year and the way the fishing is going right now it should be blast!
Marlin Report Puerto Vallarta

For more information about the Annual Marlin and Tuna Tournament, please click here.

Meanwhile, over on the other side of the country, Abu Fishing was showing videos of deep sea fishing in Cancún.



If you fancy your hand at fishing in Mexico, then peak season in the Yucatán is March to July; while the Pacific Ocean has the greatest variety of fish from November to January. That's only peak season though. As the reports above show, the bites are still great during the rest of the year too. You will be guaranteed at least one fish caught no matter when you come. Most tours don't even require you to bring a rod, as the boats are fully equipped. Just sit back, sail out and let those big fish come to you!

Same Sex Marriages Constitutional in Mexico City

The voting was a landslide. Eight ministers voted in favour; two against; and one abstained. The issue was whether same sex marriage is constitutional in the Federal District. Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, based in Mexico City, declared that it most certainly is.

However, decisions have been postponed on the addendums; namely - does this apply to the rest of the country, outside Mexico City? And is the right of same sex couples to adopt children equally constitutional?

The latter issue, in particular, has come under fierce opposition from the Catholic Church and Mexico's conservative government. Nevertheless all of the signs indicate that both of these questions will be eventually answered in the affirmative.

The Mexico City Legislative Assembly, headed by Mayor Marcelo Ebrard, had originally approved the bill, in December 2009, though it didn't become law until 4 March 2010. Its forerunner, which became effective on 16 March 2007, had approved civil unions. This was the first of its kind in Latin America and, by December 2009, 736 unions had taken place.

The updated law went much further than ever before. Same sex couples had the right not only to fully marry, but to adopt children; take out joint bank loans; be named as the spouse in insurance policies; inherit wealth, and much more. It made homosexual marriages equal to their heterosexual counterparts. So far, 320 same sex marriages have taken place under its protection.


Jorge Cerpa and Antonio Medina
- the first same sex couple to marry in Mexico
However, the government of Mexico is President Felipe Calderon's right-wing Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party). A challenge to the new law was soon set in motion. The government argued that the law would be destructive to families. The Mexican constitution protects families and procreation and therefore, the government declared, allowing same sex marriages had to be unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court, hearing the case, disagreed. Ministers Sergio Valls, Olga Sánchez, José de Jesus Gudiño, Juan Silva Meza, Luis María Aguilar, José Ramón Cossío, Fernando Franco and Arturo Zaldívar all voted in favour of its retention. Judge Gudiño commented, "I have tried to seek, and I don’t find, a way in which this could be unconstitutional."

Judge Franco made the point that, as 'procreation is not an essential element of matrimony' (you can still be married and not have children), then the law 'does not run counter to the protection the constitution grants to the family and procreation'.

The court will meet again, on Monday, to discuss the remaining two issues - nationwide application of the law and the adoption of children by same sex married couples. If the law is passed nationwide, then Mexico will join Argentina, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain and Sweden, as the only countries worldwide to afford full equality to its citizens, regardless of sexual orientation.



This will be the big news of the day for many readers of this blog. I'm guessing anyway, given the sheer amount of times that people find it by searching such keywords as, 'cancun gay festival', 'riviera maya gay', 'maya homosexuality' and 'gay tours of riveria maya'. At least 20% of people finding us seem to do so by searching for information about the gay scene in Mexico, no doubt lured here by a previous blog entry: Gay Vacations in the Riviera Maya. To you then, I dedicate this blog entry. :)

Edit: Since writing this blog entry, the Supreme Court has decreed that homosexual marriages must be recognized throughout Mexico. However, it stopped short of ruling that all states must allow marriages to take place within their borders. It also ruled that same-sex couples may jointly adopt children, though again only in Mexico City. Their rights as parents, however, must also be recognized throughout the country.

Mexican Violence Isn't That Widespread

We have covered the drug violence before, in Drug Wars - Cancún is Safe for Tourists. It was heartening to read that, amongst all of the scare stories and misinformation, some of the international news sources are conveying the reality of the situation. Today's blog is a little round up of some of them.



"If you look at history, today we have fewer murders, both in raw numbers and rates," said Mario Arroyo, a researcher with the Citizens' Institute for Crime Studies, a Mexico City think tank.

The statistics show that the most deadly violence is happening in northern Mexico close to the U.S. border where smuggling occurs, and in the states where marijuana and heroin are produced. Also:

• The state with the lowest murder rate is Yucatán, the Gulf of Mexico state known for its beaches and Mayan ruins. Its murder rate of 2 per 100,000 was comparable to Wyoming and Montana.

• Washington, D.C.'s murder rate is nearly quadruple that of the Mexican capital, Mexico City. Washington's murder rate was 31.4 per 100,000 people in 2008; Mexico City's rate in 2009 was 8."
Mexico's violence not as widespread as seems, USA Today, August 2010

"The news media prefer to report horrible events rather than address the reality; Mexico is, in general, a very safe country -- with the notable and news-making exception of Juarez and other border towns -- and has far less violent crime than any large U.S. city," says Barbara Erickson, one of more than a million Americans who lives safely in Mexico.

According to Erickson, a San Miguel de Allende resident, "one would have a greater chance of being hit by lightning than being shot or kidnapped by a drug load's gang."
How Safe is Mexico?, AOL Travel News, March 2010



The Miami Herald went further still. It cited that, while Mexico, as a whole, had a murder rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people, Washington DC has a rate of 31 per 100,000 people, while New Orleans has a rate of 74/100,000! Despite the news headlines, the homocide rate in Mexico has dropped significantly during the past ten years; while modern day murders tend to be 'concentrated in a few cities, mainly in Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Baja California'.

The commentary added, "To say that it's unsafe to travel to Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta or Cancún -- or that you wouldn't allow your children to spend spring break in that country, as Fox News' right-wing airhead Bill O'Reilly said last year -- is as irresponsible as saying that it's unsafe to travel to some of the biggest U.S. cities.

The State Department's travel alert, while correctly pointing out that the violence is concentrated in some Mexican states, should have put Mexico's national figures in perspective. It wouldn't be a bad idea if, from now on, it compared them with other countries' murder rates, and with that of its own home city -- Washington, D.C."
Mexico's drug-related violence isn't widespread across the country, The Miami Herald, March 2010

All of these stories were pretty much referring to the same source. That was the United Nations findings. I went to read the original for myself, but found another great story instead.

Human Trafficking is a global issue. It is effectively modern day slavery; snatching vulnerable people from around the world and selling them onto private individuals or into brothels, usually in another country. Organizations like Amnesty International have long since been campaigning for governments to take note and help those brought into their realm. The United Nations recently came on board and launched its Blue Heart Campaign. Guess which country was the first to sign up for it? Viva Mexico!



"Mexico became the first country today to launch a national version of the United Nations-led “Blue Heart” campaign against human trafficking, which is regarded as one of the most lucrative forms of illegal activity for criminal groups.

“I admire Mexico’s leadership in fighting this modern slavery demonstrated through its strong commitment to the ‘Blue Heart’ campaign,” said Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which spearheaded the global campaign."
Mexico leads countries in UN ‘Blue Heart’ human trafficking campaign, UN News Service, April 2010.

Much kudos too for the USA, which launched its campaign two months later; and Spain, who are gearing up to start their campaign.

Royal Tomb Found at Teotihuacan

This is a great month in Mexican archaeology! First there was the discovery of a Maya tomb in El Zotz and now a second great find, this time in Teotihuacan. Like El Zotz, it could well be a monarch's tomb that has just been uncovered in Mexico. It might also solve an historical mystery.

The presense of a tunnel had long been suspected at Teotihuacan. In 2003, heavy rainfall caused a section of the ground to sink, right in front of the Temple of Quetzacoatl. However, it took until last year to raise the funds and assemble a team of world-class archaeologists to investigate the site. Last month, after eight months of digging, they finally reached the roof of the tunnel. What they found next astounded everyone.

The Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone lies just 50 kilometers (31 miles) north-east of Mexico City. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. Teotihuacan translates as 'City of the Gods'; but that was a later moniker, given to it by the Aztecs, who found the majestic ruins in the 1300s. It is still an impressive area now, with little imagination needed to picture the city in its heyday.



No-one knows for sure who did live there. The Nahua, Otomi or Totonac tribes are all strong contenders. Teotihuacan was built around 200 BCE and was abandoned in the 7th or 8th centuries CE. The population, of approximately 200,000 people at its height, left behind a wealth of architecture, there are also plentiful murals depicting the myths, legends, gods and meteorology of the day. Not to mention lots of ceramics and other physical evidence of the inhabitants of this once great city.

Some of those mysteries may be about to be solved with this week's announcement from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH - Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia). Using cameras lowered through the roof of the tunnel, archaeologists were able to glimpse one large chamber, with two smaller ones branching away. This is in addition to the tunnel itself which, in a scene reminiscent of an Indiana Jones plot, had been sealed with huge rocks hurled into it.

Speculation is rife that this is the last resting place of whomever ruled Teotihuacan. Sergio Gomez, one of the archaeologists working at the site, has spoken of the thousands of jade items, precious stones, shells and pottery seen in the chambers. There are also ceramics, which are of a style never encountered before. He concluded, "There is a high possibility that in this place, in the central chamber, we can find the remains of those who ruled Teotihuacan."



However it will be two months, at least, before the excavation team make it into the chambers themselves. No-one wants to damage the site any more than is necessary to access it, so progress is undertaken painstakingly, at a snail's pace.

It's a case of watch this space, but, in the meantime, enjoy the pictures provided by INAH.

... But Is It True?

I love Snopes.com. It's a site that examines all of the urban myths flying across the internet, then deploys a team to find out the truth behind them. Let's face it, we all enjoy receiving e-mails or seeing forum posts with these stories in them. They outrage, amuse, scandalize, entertain or terrify us; but are they true? They aren't a problem until a falsehood is widely accepted as truth. Then a reputation can be damaged irreparably. Enter Snopes.

Just for fun, I decided to search the site for the urban myths concerning Mexico. There were 152 of them! Here are some of the biggies:

Mexican Pet

This story has many variations on a theme, involving different countries. The common thread is that someone, usually a woman, has visited Mexico as a tourist. She picks up a small dog, which she identifies as a Mexican hairless breed or some kind of Chihuahua. Fond of the little thing, but aware of the laws on transporting live animals back into America, she smuggles it home. The method of doing so isn't often told.

Once home, the dog becomes ill, or attacks the other family pets, or causes structural damage to the property, or dies. Whatever happens to it, the local vet is called in. The diagnosis is always the same, "This isn't a dog! It's a Mexican sewer rat!"


A rat and a chihuahua... an easy mistake to make?

Category: Unclassifable Veracity

Explanation: This urban myth has been around for decades. It gains popularity whenever there is a social scare about immigration, with the country involved altering accordingly. It's thinly veiled xenophobia. The message being: 'Leave foreign things in their own country! They're scary!'

Snopes link: Mexican Pet. See also 'Cactus Attacked Us!', where the variation was a Mexican cactus smuggled home, which turned out to be full of tarantulas.

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Interview with an Illegal Immigrant

The e-mail purports to be a transcript of an interview with an illegal Mexican immigrant, working (and joining a protect march) in Texas, USA. The discussion was between Jim Moore, from KHOU-TV, and a man identified only as Juan.

Juan appears illogical, outrageously demanding and, at times, downright stupid. He states that he crossed the Mexico-American border illegally, but has lived in Texas for six years. He paid money to a 'man in Dallas' for documentation; however, he believes that this entitles him to benefits under federal law. He is in America solely for the benefits, free health-care and education for his children. He has interpreted the Declaration of Independence, '... they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights', to mean that all aliens have rights.



Juan is patriotic, though to Mexico, not the USA. He waves a Mexican flag and states that he is still Mexican. He then argues that Texas is Mexico, as it was stolen from them by the Americans. The interviewer tries to argue that Texas became a Republic, before its residents voted to join the United States. Juan counters that all Americans steal things, like oil and babies. He wants Texas to be returned to Mexico, but, in the meantime, Texas should become Spanish speaking.

Jim asks what would happen if he was to do the reverse - illegally pass into Mexico. Juan replies that Jim would be jailed immediately. Juan then launches into a tirade about how foreigners will get, and should get, nothing in Mexico; 'land-grabbing Gringos' should stay at home. It all ends with Juan shouting 'Viva Mexico!'

Category: False!

Explanation: KHOU-TV have confirmed that they've neither recorded nor aired such an interview. Additionally, Jim Moore didn't even work for them at the time when it was supposed to have taken place. The Snopes team looked further and found no Texan news show which did claim it. They concluded that it was meant to be anti-immigration humour.

Snopes link: Interview with an Illegal Immigrant

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Urine in Corona Beer

Corona Extra, aka Corona, is one of Mexico's best-selling beers. However, the rumour is that part of the taste comes from the brewers urinating in it. In some stories, this is only purportedly in the beers destined to be exported into the USA.



Category: False!

Explanation:The story was taken seriously enough that, in 1987, some American retailers started pulling the beer from its shelves. Sales dropped significantly enough that Corona's US handlers, Barton Beers Ltd, set about trying to find the source of the rumour. They were successful. Luco & Sons, of Reno, were a major distributor of Heineken. Back then Heineken was America's favorite imported beer, with Corona nipping at its heels as a close second. A law suit was dropped only when Luco & Sons admitted publicly that they had made the story up. Corona soon regained sales and is now the number one imported beer in the States.

Unfortunately, the hoax refused to die. It's still being repeated as fact, despite thousands of dollars spent in marketing campaigns refuting the story.

Snopes link: Urine in Corona Beer

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Mass Migration of Golden Cow-Nosed Stingrays

It was June when Italian tourist, Sandra Critelli, was visiting the Yucatán Peninsula. She and her partner sailed out into the Gulf of Mexico to look for whale sharks. Instead, they ended up in the midst of a sight that truly took their breath away.



Thousands of golden cow-nosed stingrays were schooled together, swimming north. For miles around, they could see them near to the surface of the ocean. Ms Critelli reported, "We turned the boat towards the school, turned off the engine, and watched them move past us. There were thousands! They were swimming on the surface, and deep down, and all going in the same direction. They looked like beautiful leaves moving softly and gently by the wind."



Category: True!

Explanation: Every year, the golden cow-nosed rays migrate north in their tens of thousands. They travel from Brazilian waters, though the Yucatán Straits and then find their way to Chesapeake Bay, USA.

Snopes link: Mass Transit

World Heritage Status for Two Mexican Sites

UNESCO today announced that it has inscribed World Heritage status on two Mexican sites. El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro and the prehistoric caves of Yagul and Mitla, in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, were both honored.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is as international a concern as its name implies. The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee met in Brasilia, Brazil, to consider the applications of 39 sites dotted around the globe. Six were added to the World Heritage List, while a seventh received an extension. The list is formed of those places which are deemed to represent humankind's 'cultural and natural heritage', with 'outstanding universal value'.

Mexico already had 25 cultural and 4 natural sites inscribed on this list. These can be explored on-line at the UNESCO World Heritage site. The two new additions boost our number to 27 cultural sites.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (The Royal Road of the Interior Land) is a long-distance trade route that stretches from Mexico City to Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, USA. It is 2560 kilometers (1600 miles) long. The American section of it has been on the US National Historic Trail list since 2000.



UNESCO's statement read:

Camino Real de Tierra Adentro was the Royal Inland Road, also known as the Silver Route. The inscribed property consists of 55 sites and five existing World Heritage sites lying along a 1400 km section of this 2600 km route, that extends north from Mexico City to Texas and New Mexico, United States of America.

The route was actively used as a trade route for 300 years, from the mid-16th to the 19th centuries, mainly for transporting silver extracted from the mines of Zacatecas, Guanajuato and San Luis Potosí, and mercury imported from Europe.

Although it is a route that was motivated and consolidated by the mining industry, it also fostered the creation of social, cultural and religious links in particular between Spanish and Amerindian cultures.

UNESCO press release: 'World Heritage Committee inscribes three new cultural sites, three natural sites and one extension on World Heritage List'

There is a virtual tour of the trail on the American Bureau of Land Management site. However, it should be noted that, for some, the road actually extends as far as Veracruz. John Todd has written all about that on his site.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro is a very scenic route to travel along. It would take several days to thoroughly enjoy its views and the wayside attractions. A good place to start might be the National Museum of Viceroyalty, in Mexico City, where the 'Plata. Forjando México' (Silver. Forging Mexico) runs until October 2010. This exhibition shows the historic silverware that was such a mainstay of those using the trail. Other major urban stops along the way are Zacatecas, Durango, Parral and Chihuahua, before crossing into America.

Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla

There are around 100 caves and rock shelters in the Central Valley of Oaxaca, around Yagul and Mitla, which contain evidence of pre-historic human habitation. Many contain cave paintings, ceramics or stone tools dating to around 8000 BCE. The site has been on Mexico's Lista Indicativa de México since 1998.



UNESCO's statement read:

This property lies on the northern slopes of the Tlacolula valley in subtropical central Oaxaca and consists of two pre-Hispanic archaeological complexes and a series of pre-historic caves and rock shelters. Some of these shelters provide archaeological and rock-art evidence for the progress of nomadic hunter-gathers to incipient farmers.

Ten thousand-year-old Cucurbitaceae seeds in one cave, Guilá Naquitz, are considered to be the earliest known evidence of domesticated plants in the continent, while corn cob fragments from the same cave are said to be the earliest documented evidence for the domestication of maize.

The cultural landscape of the Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla demonstrates the link between man and nature that gave origin to the domestication of plants in North America, thus allowing the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations.

UNESCO press release: 'World Heritage Committee inscribes three new cultural sites, three natural sites and one extension on World Heritage List'

Entrance to the vicinity of the caves is free, as it is maintained by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History). Nearby are the ruins of a later settlement, where the Zapotec founded their great city, in Yagul, around 500 BCE. The nearest modern city is Tlacolula de Matamoros.