Natalie Taylor

Who were Leobino Zavala and Margarito Ledesma? On December 27, 1887, Leobino Zavala Camarena was born in Uriangato, about 140 kilometers from San Miguel de Allende. His father was Braulio Zavala, credited with writing the famous song “Allá en el Rancho Grande.” Leobino went to school locally but earned a law degree in 1910 from the University of Guanajuato. He then moved to San Miguel, where he remained for the rest of his life. In San Miguel he practiced his profession, but

A season of joy December is a continuous string of celebrations in Mexico, and also in San Miguel. The Christmas holiday season begins on December 12 with the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe and ends on February 2 nd  with Candelaria—Candlemas. The almost two-month period is marked by gatherings of family and friends, good food, and ancient traditions. For Christians, the main focus is December 24 and the birth of Jesus, an event both joyful and solemn. But there is so much

Mexico began with an uprising against Spanish rule. The War of Independence started in 1810 and lasted 11 years, when the country finally gained independence in 1821. The next one hundred years, however, were a parade of numerous governments—changing from liberal to conservative, from emperors to presidents, the drafting of various constitutions, settling on a federal, republican model. The entire century that began with sovereignty was fraught with bloody wars—both civil and

Archduke Maximilian, the younger brother of Franz Joseph, the emperor of Austria, came to Mexico in 1864 to become the emperor. His hapless three-year reign is a master-class in what not to do. Mexican conservatives formally solicit that Archduke Maximilian become their emperor In the first place, he naively believed the claims that he was “adored” by the Mexican people and that they were excited about having a foreign ruler foisted on them. This misinformation was fed by tho