In Mexico's Copper Canyon, California Native guests stop to take photos on the road down to the remote village of Batopilas.
Memorial Day is coming up and it’s time to start planning your fall and winter adventures. We have just published our 2012 schedule of tours to Mexico’s Copper Canyon. We haven’t announced our 2012 prices but if you sign up now, we will honor our 2011 prices for your 2012 trip.
And, yes, our guests in Mexico are safe. We are often asked about the safety of traveling in Mexico in light of the media sensationalism about the government’s campaign against the drug traffickers. Mexico is a very large country and the violence has been mainly in cities along the U.S. border. None of it has any effect on the destinations we travel to and no tourists have been involved in any incidents. Putting it into perspective, it would be the same as avoiding travel to Yosemite because there was an incident in New York City. This coming October more than 40 countries will be sending their athletes to participate in the Pan-American games in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Ricardo Gonzalez, great uncle of Bessie "Crickett" Quijada.
A few weeks ago we received a very interesting comment from Bessie "Crickett" Quijada regarding our article, A Visit With Mrs. Pancho Villa. I contacted her and she agreed to share some of her photos with us.
In her comment Mrs. Quijada told us “My grand mother’s brother, Ricardo Gonzales, rode with The General Pancho Villa. In the Military Classics Illustrated (News Letter) there is a photo of My great uncle Ricardo on horseback along with Pancho Villa and about 5 or 6 other riders. My uncle is to Pancho Villas left. I have a photo of my uncle with Mrs Pancho Villa (Dona Luz) taken at La Quinta Manor where she lived until her death. The Villa’s manor is a museum in Chihuahua, MX. In the Military Classics Illustrated along with the photo of my uncle with Pancho Villa there is an article titled, The Villistas: Soldiers in Sombreros and Suit Coats By Don Fuchik.”
The author she refers to, Don Fuchik, was a very close friend of mine from the time we were 13-years old until his death a few years ago. He was also a consultant for The California Native and led many of our trips through Mexico’s Copper Canyon.
Pancho Villa and his wife, Luz Corral de Villa, in 1914.
Dona Luz Corral de Villa with Ricardo Gonzalez in 1967.
Crickett was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Stockton, California. She now lives in Fresno. She describes herself as being 67 going on 12, and never wants to grow up. She has eight children, two which she adopted, and two male pet hooded rats whom she adores (she claims that rats make great pets). Her nickname is Crickett and that is what she prefers to be called.
Maidens were sacrificed to the Rain God Chac in Chichen-Itza's Sacred Well.
My first introduction to the Mayans was in a grammar school textbook where our fourth grade class read a story titled “The Sacred Well of Chichen Itza.” I was fascinated with the tale of the young maidens being thrown into the well to be sacrificed to the Rain God Chac. This was back in the 1940’s and more than 20 years passed before I first traveled to Chichen Itza and stood before that very same well—too late to rescue a maiden but a wonderful time to conjure up visions of a past when exotic civilizations populated the Americas.
In an inner chamber of Chichen-Itza's largest pyramid sits the jade-eyed jaguar throne of Kukulkan.
The Yucatan Peninsula is the homeland of the Mayan people, whose mighty empire lasted over a thousand years. Throughout the peninsula are the amazing archaeological ruins of their great cities—Chichén Itzá, Uxmal, Edzna and many more—a fantastic place to take a time-traveling vacation. In addition, there are lovely colonial cities, forts designed to protect against Caribbean pirates and beautiful beaches.
The El Castillo pyramid dominates the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen-Itza
After leaving the sacred well, I climbed a passageway cut into the great pyramid called “El Castillo” into an older pyramid covered by “El Castillo.” Here in an inside chamber I gazed upon Kukilkan’s red jaguar throne, its eyes and spots glittering with jade and its fangs glowing with pyrite. After exiting with the tourists I wandered alone in the ruins where I found a little entrance in the side of a pyramid and entered a narrow passage. Gradually the outside light from the entrance grew dimmer and dimmer and then my little pocket flashlight stopped working. I found myself alone in the pitch-black. Very creepy. I felt my way back up the tunnel, imagining the possibility of getting lost in an underground labyrinth and was very happy when I emerged into the sunlight—Indiana Jones would have been proud.
