Culture

In the quiet corners of Merida and the state of Yucatan, a cultural envoy from the United States is bringing the gift of music to old and young alike…

Our new music and performance correspondent, Katalina McNulty, reviews five of the top local musical acts in Merida and tells you why you don’t want to miss their next performances…

The Barber of Seville will be performed in Merida this year, with José Adán Pérez in the leading role of Figaro. This young man from Mazatlán has come a long way in a very short time…

Here is the entire Spring/Summer schedule for the Yucatan Symphony Orchestra at the Teatro Jose Peon Contreras. Make your plans and buy your tickets early!

Coming up the last weekend of November, here’s your chance to discover some new and exciting artists from around the state of Yucatan. Don’t miss this!

The Yucatan Symphony Orchestra has begun its 2008-2009 Season… and things are changing. When we saw the names of four different conductors on the schedule, we asked our friend, violinist Elizabeth Arnott, to tell us what is going on…

A growing hobby around the world has a loyal contingent of fans here in Merida. The Working Gringos ventured out on a Saturday morning to find out more about the RC airplane community here…

The Symphony Orchestra of the Yucatan is a fairly new addition to the cultural landscape of Merida. What it lacks in age, it more than makes up for in quality… and it just keeps getting better. Read more here…

Bob Martin, the executive director of the Tree-Land Foundation, writes about the recent inauguration of the “See Well to Live Better” Clinic of Visual Health in Merida…

After moving to Mexico, we were confronted with a whole new set of Spanish names, unusual nicknames and names you’ll probably only find in Yucatan…

Coming to Yucatan for the first time can be a bit like learning to read. So much is so new. In service to this metaphor, we present to you the Yucatan Primer. An introduction to Yucatan for new arrivals…

The other day we were working on a website for some Mexican artists who now live in Merida. While reviewing the titles of their paintings, we saw one called “Cual de Los Dos” (Which of the Two?)…

We recently received the following email from a Yucateca friend. It contained a “Rosetta Stone” of local, modern Yucatan culture…

Anyone who has traveled by car in Yucatan - or anywhere else in Mexico for that matter - quickly discovers the tope…

Not long after we moved here, it occurred to us that Mexicans and Mayans have a collective sweet tooth…

Here in the center of Merida, we see four different types of policemen. Now we know what they’re called. Sort of…

We’re dreaming of a whiiiiiiite Chriss-mas! Can’t really sing that song here. It never snows in the Yucatan. So instead, Mexicans opt for a bright Christmas…

These words used to conjure up visions of Hare Krishna, orange robes and George Harrison for us…

For any animal lover who travels to or lives in Mexico, there are few sorer (is that a word?) subjects than the state of dogs in this country…

We’d always heard that the mail in Mexico doesn’t work that well. And it does take longer for things to get where they are supposed to go when you use it. But we like the idea of supporting our local mailman…

Around these parts, the Mayans celebrate the Day of the Dead at the end of October. This holiday is called Halloween in Gringolandia, but the Mayans call it Hanal Pixan…

Pavo en relleno negro is a Yucatecan delicacy and it’s probably unlike anything you’ve ever tasted or seen…

For those of you who know anything about the hispanic culture, you know that a girl’s 15th birthday is a sort of coming-out, a celebration of her graduation from child to woman…

A new comida casera just opened around the corner. This place used to be a store that manufactured screws to order, and so the doors still bear the name, Casa de Los Tornillos…