Choosing the best guide book for a particular destination is rarely easy. Depending on the destination there may literally be enough guide books in print to fill a suitcase. But regardless of where you are going, what you plan to do or the size of your budget, any good travel guide should provide you with accurate, thoroughly researched information in an easily accessible format. But in our experience, the most important part of finding the best guide book for a particular trip is to set goals for the trip based on your budget and desired experiences; then find a guide book written with those goals in mind.

Lonely Planet Central America on a Shostring?

Our month-long tour of Mexico from border to border was not part our original itinerary. So when the time came to leave Guatemala we were somewhat dismayed by our lack of a complete Mexican guide book. Our Lonely Planet guide, Central America on a Shoestring (2004), did have a chapter on the southern state of Chiapas, but even so the information was admittedly abridged. And a AAA Mexico Travelbook (1997), which we quickly realized was not intended for a car-less audience, picked up a few weeks earlier at a book exchange in Honduras.

So we spent several hours one afternoon scouring the small tourist island/exile-zone that is Flores, Guatemala searching for book exchanges with travel guides. We found several at various hotels around the island, but all were very strict about reserving the book exchange privileges for hotel guests only. To our good fortune the economical hospidaje where we planned to stay the night also had a fabulous book exchange including several Mexico travel guides. Among them was The Rough Guide to Mexico (2004).

Rough Guide to Mexico?

We stumbled upon the village of Mata Ortiz almost by chance while looking through a book on heritage sites in Chihuahua. It was described as a place where ancient pottery traditions have been revived by modern artisans based on the use of traditional materials and methods.

We found that the village is quickly becoming a destination for foreign visitors interested in the striking pottery being made there. With a few hotels (mid to high price range) and a handful of restaurants in town, there seem to be plenty of options. However, none of the restaurants or comedors we found were actually open on the day we visited. So if you ever consider visiting it might be wise to contact a local hotel by phone or email beforehand to be sure that they can accommodate your needs. During the afternoon of our visit a tour bus from Tuscon, AZ rolled into town with probably 50 tourists. That group did not stay overnight in Mata Ortiz, but left after dinner at the Adobe Inn to stay in a hotel in nearby Nuevas Casas Grandes.

The modern revival of pottery production in Mata Ortiz is attributed to the efforts of a resident named Juan Quezada. As the story was described to us, Quezada became intrigued with the ancient pottery traditions of the region 30 to 40 years ago after seeing the remnants of a large pot in a cave nearby. Over the course of many years he labored independently to rediscover this forgotten tradition. As his work began to receive notoriety he offered to teach family members and other village members what he had learned so that they might be able to benefit financially from outside interest in the local pottery style.

This photo gives a bit of perspective on the very arid existence that was life in the township of Paquime. Without even the limited benefits provided by other contemporary cliff-dwelling groups in the region (among them the more famous Anasazi) Paquime managed to flourish. Most notable among the advancements here, in my opinion, were the design and construction of canals and cisterns to convey water for domestic and agricultural needs from sources dozens of miles away.

With only one full day in Zacatecas, we did not have nearly enough time to enjoy all that the city had to offer.

Here you see the Francisco Goitia Museum in the foreground and a rare gothic cathedral in the background. The Goitia museum was a real treat. Works from regional artists are on display in what was formerly the State of Zacatecas´govenor´s mansion.

It´s after midnight here and we´ve spent 12 hours on busses today. We are exhausted but wanted to post a few photos from our recent stay in Real de Catorce.

Once a silver mining town of over 40,000 people it is now a burgeoning tourist destination. The town is only accessible by a two hour drive up a long cobble stone road. Oh, and at the end of the road is tunnel of several kilometers that is wide enough for only one way traffic. The town has an elevation of just over 9000 feet above sea level, so even at this time of year the temperatures are warm during the day and cool at night.

In short, we had a great time.