The lifelike human sculptures are only 9 meters deep and can be easily seen from snorkling underwater. To see this amazing site you must adventure off to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. That is were they will be hiding.

Check out some of the photos at: Under Water Sculpture.

One day, I saw an ad in a magazine about a park called Xcaret, where there was a zoo, water slides, rides and a dolphin aquarium, so I decided that I was gonna go the next day. I bought my bus ticket, packed my wallet with 400 pesos and left to Xcaret. Once I arrived, happy and exited, I noticed that on the sign it was written that it cost 600 pesos to get in, the magazine said 300 pesos but I never checked the date on it. So no panic, I had my interact card on me. Unfortunately, with my bad luck, my card did not work there and I couldn’t get in the park. I told myself, big deal, I’ll go back to Cancun and go to the beach. So I go see a man who worked there and asked him at what time the bus would pass to go back to Cancun, he replied at 9 pm, and at that moment, it was 9 am.

At that very moment, my heart beat got harder and faster and I was trying to figure out my next step. I wasn’t going to wait 12 hours outside at 32 degrees celsius, no way. But I had noticed a girl, a bit younger than me, who had the same problem as I did, she couldn’t get back home and didn’t have enough money. I even tried getting a cab but we were at least 2 hours away I think, so I didn’t have enough money. So then this girl starts walking towards the highway and I decided to follow her. I was walking  in back of her and couldn’t really talk with her because she was mexican and during the first days my spanish was very bad.  All of a sudden a kind of bus-van stops on the side of the road and she hopped in, so I decided to tag along for the ride. There were five other people in the van from France, so I spoke to them and I asked where this van was going and they told me that it was going to a certain village which I can’t recall what the name was. My heart was pumping even faster and I started getting scared, here I am lost in Mexico. I got off at the village without having the slightest idea of where I was.  I started walking and I was trying to find someone who could have helped me. The girl from Xcaret was still around and I was still kind of following her, I know, I sound like a stalker, be assured I wasn’t stalking her . At this moment, she hopped on a second bus-van as if she knew where it was going, so my gut told me, hey why not hop in too, and so I did. After a good 45 minute ride, the bus-van dropped me off at Playa Del Carmen. I had already gone to Playa Del Carmen before so I knew the place and I knew where the bus station was to get a ticket back to Cancun. fortunately, out of all the places in Mexico these vans could have brought me, it brought me to one of the only places I had visited in the country. It was a pretty scary adventure, but it was actually pretty cool, I am writing a blog on it aren’t I. Don’t forget to travel safe !!

When spending 5 months in Mexico, I must admit that the best part of it all was the culinary experience. Of course, the art, the history, the culture were also a very interesting aspect of my experience in Mexico, but my favorite part of it all was nothing more than EATING! Mexican cuisine is filled with tasty and colorful spices which result in a wonderful experience for your taste buds!

Tamales

Although tamales were born in Mexico, thegy are now a popular dish all over Central America. Tamale is a starchy corn-based dough wrapped in plantain leafs. There are over a thousand different recipes. The salty tamales include different types of meat in the corn mix (chicken, pork, etc) whereas the sweet tamales will contain dried fruits or raisins. They can be served as a snack or as a meal (along with mole sauce or frijoles).  

Posole

Posole is a traditional soup or stew corn-based stew from Mexico. Every region in Mexico has its own way of preparing the dish. You’ll find different types of meats (chicken, pork, turkey), sardines and/or chili powder. it’s normally served with tortillas, as most other Mexican dishes. You cannot leave Mexico without trying posole. It’s very tasty!

Nopales

Nopales are the leaf of the nopal cactus. Once the spines are carefully removed, they are cooked and served with a main course meal.  You should definitely try it next time you find yourself in Mexico.

Tacos al pastor

So what do Mexicans eat after a night out dancing? Yes! Tacos al pastor from a stand in the street. They are tacos filled with pork and served on a flour tortilla. Really delicious!

Chile Relleno

Growing up, my mom would often make stuffed peppers and I was never a fan of it… until I ate Chile Relleno, the equivalent of stuffed chile) in Mexico! It’s basically a chili pepper pepper filled with meat and cheese. Then it’s fried in an egg bater or corn masa flour. It’s then served with a sauce (tomato or any type of mole sauce).

Mango con Chile

When I first arrived in Mexico, I wasn’t accustomed to eating very spicy. But my taste buds quickly adapted to the chili used in almost every Mexican dish. But not only were they used in dishes, they were also sprinkled on fruits! Mango with chile is a real treat! Do it at home… Buy real Mexican chili (in powder) and sprinkle it on your mango. YUM!

Before explaining the myths of the three civilizations, it is very important to know that the city of Teotihuacan is, in all three civilizations, the place where everything was created. The legend says that in the dark underground of the city, the Gods were reunited to decide who would take care of what and had to sacrifice themselves by jumping in the deep cenotes so that they could die and fulfill their mission. The myth explain that the poorest and smaller god of all jumped in the hole and sacrificed himself with no hesitation and became the Sun, because of his braveness and determination and the stronger God, who was afraid, became the moon. I have never been to Teotihucan, Mexico, but I’ve heard amazing stories and feedback from it. I know that Hernan Cortez was amazed by the city when he came to conquer the Aztecs. So please, if any of you have been, I would appreciate it if you could share some information on it.
Ok, let’s start with the Aztecs, they were the most powerful and feared people in Meso-America and were considered as a civilization of warriors. The Myth explains that the Aztecs, at first, were hated by all and were chased from wherever they went. But, fortunately, the Coluacs, decided to accept them in their civilization because they were very impressed by them. After living in Aztlan for a very long time, they began their search for their promised land guided by Huitzilopochtli, the left hummingbird, or the main God, who tells them to walk till they would see an eagle eating a snake. So after years of walking, they finally found an eagle eating a snake in the city of Tenochtitlan and based their civilization at that very location. As you noticed, the logo on the mexican flag is an eagle eating a snake. Also, the Aztecs believed they were the descent population of the sun, and believed that they often had to sacrifice blood and enemies to feed them, because if they would stop feeding the gods, it would mean the end of life.

The Mayas are probably the most intelligent civilization that has existed in meso-america because of their progress in astronomy, mathematics and architecture. Also, unlike the other civilizations, they don’t have any strong capital or main city, they have little city with concentrated powers in all of them, wich we could compare to a very early stage of federalism . Again, if any readers ever visited cities such as Tikal, Palenque, Copan or Chitchen Itza please leave comments to share the memories.

The third most important civilization is the Incas. This huge civilization was the last one before the second spanish wave of conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizzaro, eliminated them. The myth explains that Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, who were bother and sister, and husband and wife, and children of the Sun. After emerging from the Titicaca Lake that borders Peru and Bolivia, the Sun told them to go on a mission and to install themselves at the exact place where Manco Capac’s symbolic stick would sink to the ground. As many of you know, that symbolic place was Cuzco. I hope you’ve all enjoyed this brief History article on the three main civilizations of latin america, and even if it sound a bit “essay-ish” I really hope it picked your curiosity to an eventual trip in the cities mentioned in the article. For those who have already been, please share some memories with us .

Manà is a rock band from Mexico that has been around for about 20 years now. They sold over 22 million albums. Never heard of them? It doesn’t surprise me. ¡Que disfrutas! 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5VfcCLIvjU]

I had the opportunity to visit Cuatro Cienegas while I was studying in Monterrey, Mexico. Cuatro Cienegas is by far my favorite place in Mexico and a MUST SEE if you ever wander off to the Northern part of Mexico. It’s located in the desert region of Coahuila state. In English, Cuatro Cienegas translates to Four Marshes. The source of the marshes (low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation) and pozas (pools) are the thermal springs.

The best way to reach Cuatro Cienegas is by car. It’s located by Highway 30, 80 km from the city of Monclova. Otherwise, consider hoping on a bus from Monclova (2 hrs), Torreon (3.5 hrs), Saltillo (5 hrs) or Piedras Negras (6 hrs).