Mexican Wholesale

Feliz Año Nuevo

Happy New Year

Mexican New Year

Feliz año nuevo y prosperidad.  Happy New Year and prosperity to all.
AetnaJo

During the closing of 2009 I have decided to share using video. Nothing other than being in the Mexican Metropolis, can express the city any better. Enjoy!

I find this video very real in depicting the Mexican Metropolis and depending on your feedback, I will decide whether or not to continue posting videos.

Happy New Year,

AetnaJo

Mexico Awaiting 2010

The year-end holidays in Mexico are always known for time honored with traditions and a family oriented spirit. You can sing Christmas carols with your friends and family and enjoy some buñuelos, tamales and ponche with spiked rum.

Then comes New Year’s Eve. And while it has its traditions, this holiday is not so family-oriented.

The most important beach destinations in Mexico are packed with young people looking for a good time. The most visited ones are Acapulco, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. They are always packed with young Mexicans who travel in groups to get together and have fun with friends on the last night of the year.

Upscale hotels and restaurants host New Year’s Eve dinners with festive menus and orchestras for dancing.

What you wear on New Year’s Eve is thought to influence your destiny during the next 12 months. Some dress in white from head to toe to invite good vibrations and assure a good year spiritually. Green clothing attracts a year of good health. Wearing red underwear is said to bring love, while yellow underwear brings wealth. And no, it’s not fair to wear both colors. You have to decide which is more important.

Whether you celebrate with family or friends, New Year’s Eve dinner is usually a feast.

Roast turkey or stuffed pork loin with pasta in a creamy sauce and a salad are favorites in my family. A margarita glass filled with grapes and a glass of champagne or sparkling cider, known as sidra, are set at each place.

Someone keeps an eye on the clock, and leads the countdown chorus to midnight — “Diez! Nueve! Ocho! Siete! Seis! Cinco! Cuatro! Tres! Dos… Feliz año nuevoooo! At the stroke of midnight, we drink a champagne toast to the New Year. Then we gobble down the 12 grapes in a single minute, one at a time, to assure good luck in the upcoming 12 months that they represent. Here’s a suggestion… choose small seedless grapes. They’re easier to chew and swallow fast.

Some of us seize an empty suitcase we had ready and walk around the house or run around the block so we’ll get to travel in the year to come.

And all of us embrace those present, one by one, with an air kiss near the cheek for the ladies, and a bear hug that goes slap, slap, SLAP, slap, slap, SLAP on the back for the men. Published on December 26, 2009 byDaniel Wheeler © 2009.

As you now see,  Mexicos’ New Years Eve Traditions are full of fun and love and are never ending. As always, enjoy.

New Years Eve Fireworks In Mexico

Poinsettias - Native Of Mexico

I was researching and reading when I stumbled across this article. Because of the time and season, I decided to republish. Enjoy!

Holiday poinsettias are as much a part of the Christmas fabric as the Nativity scene or the traditional wreaths.

Native to Mexico, poinsettias are classic winter bloomers. Commonly known here as flores de nochebuena, or flowers of the Holy Night, have come to resonate with Christians beyond the country’s borders. As many as 500 million fire plants hit the market worldwide during the holiday season.

Mexico’s part of that is estimated at 20 million poinsettias with a market value of $400 million pesos, according to the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).

“Many people are not aware of the real origin of the cuetlaxochitl, as our ancestors used to call it (the Aztecs cultivated the plant long before Christianity came to the Western hemisphere),” said Dante Vladimir Galindo García, an organizing member of the December 8 Día Nacional de la Nochebuena. “For Mexicans, the plant speaks of our ancestors’ dedication to caring for fauna and the parks of Oaxtepec (today a tourist destination in Morelos featuring spas and an aquatic park) and Chapultepec (Mexico City).”

The production in 2009 also represents a 30 percent increase over 2007 when 15 million potted plants were distributed on the domestic market. By contrast, about 80 million poinsettias are produced in the U.S., with the California-based Paul Ecke Ranch as one of the world’s largest poinsettia producers.

Surprisingly, poinsettias grown in Mexico don’t make the cut for exporting.

“We are proud that a plant native to our country is transcendent from a commercial point of view. But, at the same time, we are sad the majority of plant cuttings are patented abroad,” said Rodolfo Guadarrama González of the Consejo Mexicano de la Flor, or the Mexican Council of the Flower, an organization regrouping plant breeders and suppliers.

Galindo García and Guadarrama González are among a growing number of poinsettia stakeholders in Mexico who are hoping to help boost their presence in the international market. Their efforts include the creation of the Día Nacional de la Nochebuena, which was first held in 2008. To mark the day this year, a series of conferences took place in several poinsettia-growing states, including Morelos — Mexico’s number-one poinsettia producer. As many as six million poinsettias are cultivated in the state of eternal spring, followed by Michoacán and Distrito Federal with five million and three million plants respectively.

“The Día Nacional de la Nochebuena was simultaneously celebrated in Taxco, Guerrero, Chapingo and Xochitla, Estado de Mexico,” continued Galindo García, who also speaks for the Consejo Estatal de Productores de Ornamentales de Morelos, or the Morelos State Council of Producers of Ornamental Plants.

Poinsettias grow in subtropical climates and are usually planted during the months of March and April to be brought into full bloom by November. They come in a variety of sizes and their colors range from spectacular red to the less popular pink, white, and orange.

Here are some tips on how to pick out a good plant and maximize its lifespan indoors:

• Check the plant’s flowers, which are the small yellowish buds in the center of the bright red petals that are in fact leaves or bracts. A plant with closed buds lasts longer. Also, look at the foliage to make sure the plant is in its prime. Discoloration, falling leaves or missing flowers are generally signs of a poor choice.
• Water thoroughly when the soil is dry (the soil must be moist not wet), keep plants in a warm room (14-20 degrees C) with as much natural light as possible and avoid drafts or heat from radiators or appliances.
• Also, keep in mind research suggests poinsettias could trigger severe reactions, such as skin and stomach irritation, in people who are allergic to latex rubber. Place the plant out of children’s as well as pets’ reach.

Whether called poinsettias, nochebuena or cuetlaxochitl, the iconic Christmas plant always arrives as if on cue to deliver holiday cheers and the spirit of the holiday.

“Nochebuena is the symbol of Christmas, family unity, and the birth of baby Jesus,” Galindo García reminds us.

Published on December 19, 2009 by Diodora Bucur © 2009

Poinsettias-Native Of Mexico

Maya City

The Maya culture prospered for about two thousand years in what is now Beliz, Guatemala, western Honduras, El Salvador and the five Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan. The region occupied by the Maya People was about 193,000 square miles in area and is referred to cooperatively as El Mundo Maya (The Maya World.)

The Mayan people were expert weavers and temple builders who left behind treasures of archaeological sites for many coming generations to admire. These Mayan people made their living by hunting, fishing and agriculture. They were a Linguistic Group which is one of the largest in the Americas and is divided into about 69 languages including the Huastec, Yucatec, Western Maya, and Eastern Maya groups.

There is brilliance in the Maya culture that is well appreciated specially in the area of architecture and ornamentation of their cities. These Mayan cities were the center of power for the king-priests who administered the compliance, the honor and the manpower of the people who believed in them.

The growth of the Mayan culture and cities evolved during different times. The beginning of the Mayan culture construction was developed in the highlands. During the Classical Period, between 250 and 900 A.D., the lowlands witnessed the thriving of great cities such as Takal, located in the heart of the Guatemalan Peten. After the Classic Period, the inspired desire moved to the plains and low plateaus of the south end of the Yucatan peninsula, where the Puuc cities saw their flash of glory.

Each Maya city had a unique style, although constituency and epochs lent them certain general features. The ruins of their cities appear suddenly in the middle of thick jungles yet their engineering workmanship guaranteed the supply of necessities and water to the populace. They also had the most advance calendar system of those days, and an ample and complex network of roads that crossed all of the land for keeping communications and commerce and they had an interchange open to all Maya centers. Most of the names of the old Mayan cities have been forgotten as the ones used today were made up by explorers, missionaries, travelers and archaeologists.

Many of the palaces contain two three and even five story buildings. The emphasis was put in height and verticality which gives an imposing touch to the cities. It is said that the constructors wanted to come closer to Heaven and to their gods in this way, and in doing it, they raised the tallest buildings in ancient America.

Decorating with molded stucco reached a high degree of perfection. Stucco was a very fine paste made of lime with a bit of which was in turn applied over stone supports anchored to the walls, ceilings or crests. The interior side of the walls were covered with stucco and then painted.

For thousands of years, the Yucatec Maya has been the dominant Mayan language throughout the Yucatan Peninsula, including Yucatan, Campethe and Quintana Roo. The Maya peoples’ language was documented in the ancient hieroglyphs of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilizations at several archaeological sites and may be as much as 5,000 years old. Still at the 2000 census there were 799,696 people in the Mexico that spoke this language.

Ralph L. Roys, a Maya ethno historian, wrote that sixteen native Maya states occupied most of the Yucatan Peninsula in the early 16th century and that this population was “remarkably uniform in language, customs and fundamental political ideas.” Historians have indicated that most of todays Campeche was ruled by four native states when the Spaniards first arrived in 1517; Acalan-Tixcel, Chanputun (Champoton,) Campech (Ah Kin Pech) and Ah Canul. Acalan was primarily occupied by the Chontal Indians and the other three states were Yucatec Mayan nations.

Learning Spanish is a must, whether traveling to Mexico or staying home!

Learning to speak a new language is always beneficial. Spanish is an easy language to learn specially after you’ve mastered the Spanish vowels and consonants.  So here we go.

Vowels:

A:  as in  art
E:  as in  red
I:  as in  marine
O: as in  corn
U: as in  foot

Consonants:

B:   soft as in vain

C:  as in  cat  when used before  a  o  or  u

CH:  as in  choose

D:  as in “dog” when the intial letter

G:  as in “go” when the initial letter

H:  always silent

J:  harsh as in hot

Ll:  between the lli  in  million  and the  y  in  yell

Q:  always followed by a silent  u  and eith  e  and  i

R:  a rolled ‘r’ sound, longer and stronger, as in ‘rrrr’

S:   as in send

V:  same as in Spanish B

X:  as the  x  in  taxi when between two vowels

Z: as the z  in  zebra

Getting Around:

What time does ‘?’ : A que hora

The:  El/La

Bus:  Autobus

Train:  Tren

Subway:  Metro

Next:  Proximo

First:  Primer

Last:   Ultimo

Greetings

Hello: Hola

Goodbye: Adios

Yes:  Si

No: No

Please:  Por Favor

Thank You:  Gracias

Your Welcome:  De Nada

Excuse Me: Perdon / Conpermiso

Around Town:

Police:  Policia

Post Office:  Los Correos

Public Toilets:  Los aseos Publicos

A Telephone:  Un Telefono

The Church:  La Iglesia

You can always refer to the “Learning Spanish  page of this blog where I will be adding new verses for you to learn. Whatever you do, remember to enjoy learning Spanish!

Mexican Cliff Divers

Mexico has many well-known beaches. Acapulco, Cancun, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas are a few of the most recognized beaches. These beaches are magnets for sun-starved North Americans and Europeans who party in the splendid warmth of the sea and sun.

There are although, less-known but not automatically less significant beach destinations. These places are everywhere along the Pacific coast, anecdotal from those formed specifically for the Mexican tourist. One is Rincon de Guayabitos in Nayarit or Huatulco in Oaxaca. There are also other beach towns that have gradually emererged from sleepy fishing villages, such as Melaque, Jalisco.

Some of these places offer attractive features such as surfing, snorkeling and leisure options. There is more than enough for family and friends to be surrounded by sun, sand, surf, sea salt and sea food.

The Mexican beaches can always be observed joyfully tackling serious mounds of shrimp, prawns, octopus, clams lobster and fish even though, unquestionably Mexican people love their meat tucked into a tortilla, they are absolutely fervent about seafood.

Mexico has a large fleet of trawlers which dredge up vast quantities of shrimp and prawns that are quickly frozen for the clients waiting inland. Along the Pacific villages, “pangas” which are sea-going launches with one or two men that fish by hand line for red snapper, Dorado and tuna. Also, they fish inshore by set net for an assortment of other species.

An hour from Melaque is Tenacatita. It is one of the most popular beach destinations at any time, especially during Mexican holidays. Rarely is the surf rough, its waters are warm and the sand stretches in a wide, welcoming wedge to a far-distant surprise of never ending rocks, ending in an arc of yellow sand to La Manzanarilla. Tenacatita is a sun, surf, swim, and sea salt and sea food haven. For over half a mile, the beach is populated by palm thatched ‘palapa’ restaurants.

Los Ayala is located at the foot of the Sierra de Vallejo Mountains. Los Ayala is an undiscovered gem and is an authentic Mexican beach town and fishing village. It is just beginning to be exposed as a tropical beach destination for foreign visitors. It is said that Los Ayala is a town evocative of the Garden of Eden. The adjacent vegetation is dense and thick, including thousands of shades of green dancing palm trees, giant lime trees, mahogany trees and a large quantity of papaya, mango and banana trees. It is also considered a bird watcher’s paradise.

The half mile long beach of Los Ayala is a palm fringed cove, perfect for swimming with soft, silky gold specked sand, a gradually slopping shoreline and crystal clear waters. The south end of Los Ayala beach is rocky and dotted with caves that tempt visitors to explore. It is truly a magical beach town.

These are a very few of the Mexican beaches in and around the area of Acapulco, Jalisco, Mexico. As always, remember to enjoy.

Mexico's Volcano Pico De Orizaba

There are thousands of volcanoes in Mexico of which many are very fascinating. One of the most interesting and the smallest is located in a suburb of the city of Puebla. The “Cuexomate Volcano” weighs about 40 metric tons and stands just 43 feet tall with a reach diameter of 75 feet. Its name Cuexocomate which comes from the Nahuatl language and means ‘a bowl’. Cuexomate was created in 1664 as an offshoot parasitic cone during an eruption of a much larger volcano named Popocateptetl. Cuexocomate is an inactive volcano, yet nearby residents are concerned, since Popocatepetl has been increasing in activity over past years. If Popocatepetl were to erupt again, it is believed that Cuexcomate with its subterranean link could re-establish and the worlds’ smallest volcano suddenly becomes much larger.

The third largest mountain in North America is only a few hours from the Mexican City airport. Climbers from throughout the world looking for fresh and unlike experiences and an altitude that is higher than any in the United States, can fly to Mexico City and set personal altitude documentation on the Mexican Volcanoes.

Mexico has three major glaciated volcanoes:

· Pico de Orizaba (Citlateptl) 5700m 18,700ft

· Popocatepetl 5452m 17,888 ft

· Iztaccihuatl 5286m 17,342 ft

Popocatepetl began erupting in December of 1994 and thousands of residents were evacuated from the area. The evacuations have since been cancelled but it has been closed to climbers since then and it seems that it will remain closed for many years to come. As recent a May of 1996, the bodies of five climbers who had gone to film an eruption, were found. The cause of death has never been revealed.

For now, Izta is open for climbing although if Popo blows its top, you would not want to be in or near the cities of Puebla or Amecameca. Izta does have huts that are only several hours hike from the road. These huts are basic and undersized. At almost 16,000 feet they have a great view but beware of potentially fatal altitude sickness.

Pico de Orizaba is farther, being approximately 100 miles away. Pico de Orizaba is unaffected by eruptions of Popo. Traveling to Pico has its hazards. You must go through a dry trail that is about one foot wide and has a steep slope on each side. A slip on either side could put you inside the crater or down the side of the volcano. This hike will certainly tire you and it will also have you short of oxygen. There is no room for potential error so you must stay alert and use your ice axe.

Orizaba is the most far-flung while Pope is the most well-liked. The winter holidays are the most popular climbing days. While there, you can tour the many destinations in Mexico City and Puebla. Mexico City is at 7,200 Ft and Puebla is at 7,000 Ft. You can take in some relaxation, shopping eating and so much more.

These are only four of the thousands of volcanoes in Mexico yet all of these mountains are major glaciated peaks. There is certainly a minimum skill set for these peaks which include self-arrest skills, glacier travel experience and crevasse rescue practice. As always, remember to enjoy.

Lava Dome Volcano

Straberry/Lime Margarita

Because of the popularity of this article at http://www.Mexican-goods.com and the information given to you  in the previous article on this blog (“tequila,”) I’ve decided to share this with you. So here it is, specially for you.

This traditional Mexican tequila-based cocktail has grown in popularity since it’s inception in the 1950’s. Now it is practically synonymous with tropical beaches and palm trees. While there are thousands of Margarita recipes, this one will give you one of the most traditional, classic fruit flavors of the earlier original version.

Tangy and fruity margaritas can be whipped up in the blender quicker than you can say “cheers!”

Ingredients:

• 2 cups lime juice
• 1 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup triple sec or cointreau
• 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries
• Ice
• Salt (optional garnish for glass)

Preparation:

Fill blender 2/3 with ice. Add ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve in a glass with a salted rim.

As you enjoy the holidays, relax with a few,  Mexican tequila based cocktails. Remember, all in modest consumption is good.  Enjoy!