Hi again everyone, interesting to read you advice once again! They've really been helpful, although Silvita, you really don't coger buses at least here in Cuernavaca and chingar is used for f-ing with someone only in the non-literal sense I'd love to know more about where you guys are from in Mexico. Fulano, where are you originally from?

I just came home from Xochimilco, and had a great time. It is Saturday and there were enough people but I'm sure Sunday is the best time to go: I'd say the more people, the more fun (however, it might be easier to bargain on the price some other day). Remember to bring your own music and I'm sure it's nicer and cheaper with your own picnic basket although you can buy snacks, beer and soda when there. You'll have a great time! And if you need any help on especially Cuernavaca where I've been for over 2 months now, just let me know.
We are now 4 girls going to tour Yucatán during Semana Santa, and our itinerary is now pretty much final and looks like this: Palenque-Campeche-Uxmál-Mérida-Chichen Itzá-Tulúm-Isla Mujeres. We had to go for Isla Mujeres as we need a reason to travel up to Cancún because we´re flying back from there and we don't want to go to Cancún, especially any time near spring break

Aside from all this planning I still love it, although I'm in the middle of my second food poisoning so far I moved from the rich snobby neighborhood to a much cosier one nearby and now share a big apartment with two big bedrooms, a huge living room, kitchen and bathroom with a friend, which costs us 2400 pesos (about 240 dollars) a month. 1200 for all this space is much nicer than 2800 for a tiny place where friends staying the night will have to pay 100/night for sharing my bed. Besides the studying I'm voluntering at a community center and helping a local NGO with a project in corporate social responsibility and planning my trip to Chiapas in late May: I'm going to interview people for my master's thesis on social reforms made by the Zapatistas and I'm really excited now that it seems it's really going to happen (and I'll finally graduate ).

Keep writing people!

By the way, I just talked to my lovely land lady who feels lonely because her husband is in the US working and she told me he has worked mostly in Florida and Arizona and that he's a refrigeration technician. Maybe an old friend of dd's?

Hey Pia glad your now "into Mexico" and still having fun. And your absolutely right about using the word "coger" in Mexico or in the Spanish speaking areas of the Southwest USA, it means one thing to most people as you have by now found out. Yea use "Agarrar" instead.
And the word "chingar" tambien, it's workingman's language but is funny when used at times such as castigating a slow fellow worker,
"Hijo de la chingada! Apurate',Jalale',Chingale', pinchi Guey!"
But I'm sure you have heard plenty of these epithets by now as the "Mexican's" are famous for there use of them. Have fun with the people, a laughing face in Mexico is worth it's weight in gold.

And I'm glad you are sensitive enough to have seen and experienced the horrible, snobbish, patronizing,attitudes of the wealthy classes in Mexico,(It's like this or worse in most of Latin America), and what has always struck me was the ignorance and ugliness of these so called upper class people. The working class Mexicans have more culture and beauty in there little fingers than the weak and arrogant ruling classes put together!
I was born and raised in the most regionally represented (from every area of the country) Mexican and Mexican-American populated city in the world (except DF) "Los Angeles,California". Funny but true! A place where the Mexican people left the rascist and class conscious Mexican ruling classes behind, and have thrived and prospered for not only themselves but for the USofA! Beautiful story! One of these days the USA will realize how much they have benefited as well as the Mexican-American's themselves.
Hey enough of that, but let me give you a tip that never fails me. Check out the eating habits of the Mexican's and you'll notice a couple of things. One, always put a little "sal y limon" con chile" on your food, also, if you start to feel asco or nauseated drink a shot of Tequila with sal y limon devolada! It's a natural germ killer! A real "health food"! (puro pedo!)
No matter how hard it may seem to drink that Tequila at the time, do it and you will start to feel better almost immediately.
At least I do!
Con Ganas Ranas!

I haven't been to Cancun but I had planned a trip to Mérida and Chichen-Itza for the Vernal Equinox one year. It fell thru!

My daughter & family are going on a Cruise over Semana Santa that will call at Cozumel. I don't know what other Mexican Ports of Call are on their schedule.

My favorite spot in all of Mexico is Guadalajara (Jalisco). The folkloric Ballet Sunday mornings at Teatro Degollado is great! We went to Plazuela Mariachi one evening and the strolling Mariachis played las Mañanitas for me: it was my birthday. The old area reminds me much of Alcalá de Henares in Spain.

A subjective view, if there ever was one! haha..

Pia, while you are visiting the Zapatistas and admiring all of their "social reform" - can you ask them why they need to wear black hoods (a la the KKK in America) and carry AK-47's, and give the rest of the world the impression that all of Mexico is simply a bunch of uneducated, poor, dirty militant Indians? Thanks!

Alando: Now that would make an interesting thesis interview. I would actually pay to see/read that.

Having lived at length in Mexico, I've found that the "culture" that was referenced is not to be found on either border...but nearer the center. The "ni de aqui, ni de alli" feel of border Mexico is accentuated by the poverty in the north and the radicalism in the south.

Central Mexico is really fascinating to me. Colonial Guanajuato (except for the really dumb "momias" exhibit...ay what a waste of pesos), and the rest of the "centro" conjure fond memories for me.

Of course, Cuernavaca is no cure for culture-lack, though, since it's more like an American student colony than anything else. Get out to the small towns like Dolores Hidalgo, Leon, etc. Good times!

That having been said, I don't really plan on returning to Mexico again...why would I when Spain is what it is? Maybe I'm part of the arrogant ruling class.

Pff, Alando. I'm doing research, not admiring anything.

I do agree with fulano in a way, the wealthy people here do tend to admire things from "abroad" and adapt their culture accordingly and there definitely is a lot of discrimination and looking down on people because of their social class.

Don't know why I even bother replying though.

Well, I think you find that everywhere (the wealthy admiring things from abroad). Otherwise, why wealthy Americans or Spaniards buy French perfumes and cosmetics, German cars and Italian clothes. The only people really worried about local companies doing well are for the most part the owners of those companies and it's workers.

It is more a matter of quality and taste. For good or bad, most Mexicans won't trade things like tequila, beer, food, social life, weather, beaches or food for those made or found abroad. However, your Mexican "pride" can't take you too far when talking about things like well-paying jobs, cars or computers. We just don't have them and are forced to buy foreign.

Anyway, I'm not so sure what's the issue here. Are we talking about cultural heritage of the cities or the people? Or what do you mean by culture?

So if I look very Mexican and dress in mariachi or a native Indian clothes, and speak a native language and believe and follow the traditions of the native people, instead of dressing in regular clothes and belong to the middle or upper class and have a regular job, house and car, that makes my culture better or makes me richer in culture?

No, that's not what I meant. What I do think is that many people at for example the university I go to tend to look down on people using "traditional" clothing, who have a "campesino" accent: in general, I find, things that are typical for less wealthy people, and that is a pity. Of course globalization makes its way everywhere and it would be stupid to force youself to look in a certain way just to be "traditional". But it is also stupid to look down on someone who is.