Blasting, high-decibel music, common at Mexican events, is a recipe for hearing loss－and a business opportunity in disguise.
Stories by Joseph Sorrentino
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Querétaro’s gourmet producers plant seeds to grow an industry
The next great wine or cheese you find in Mexico could be from this state, where these epicurean items are rising in demand.
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A heart-thumping brush with death is all the worse in the middle of nowhere
Writer Joseph Sorrentino was having a great time photographing in the Chiapas countryside — until he took a fateful bite of sugar cane.
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Puebla town with Venetian roots savors Italy’s Euro Championship victory
A different tricolor flag waved proudly in Chipilo Sunday, as Italo Mexican residents cheered, swore and prayed through the nailbiter final.
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Arte Casbal keeps alive both a family tradition and a dying Mixtec craft
In a Puebla artisan studio, brothers Jorge and Ulises Casbal are training the next generation to preserve an indigenous art form.
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Rain ritual keeps community close to its heritage and in tune with nature
Rain petition rituals, which occur annually in pueblos in the Valley of México and Puebla, date back thousands of years to Aztec culture.
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Ecotourism ranch offers welcome getaway in a pandemic era
The Haras Atlixco ranch, which advertises “Ecotourism by Horse,” convinced Joseph Sorrentino to get back in the saddle, and he’s glad he did.
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Woman seeks to document female entrepreneurship in her Puebla town
Chipilo, Puebla’s female business owners generally go unnoticed. Resident Zuri Merlo is hoping her documentary project will change that.
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Solutions to the region’s illegal migrant issue run deeper than ‘a ride home’
Most refugees fleeing the Northern Triangle nations don’t leave home for economic reasons. They’re escaping unimaginable violence.
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Querétaro Magical Town charms with its quiet delights
It’s easy to see why Bernal is designated as a Magical Town when you walk down its picturesque cobblestone streets.
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Puebla artist helps Aztec dancers preserve ancient traditions
Santos Popoca started painting Mesoamerican images on costumes for performers four years ago and found in it a calling.
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When the medical diagnosis is given in Spanish, that’s when the fun begins
In for a checkup demanded by insurance, Joseph Sorrentino visited a helpful Mexican doctor who may have told him he was very sick — or not.
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Cyclist on 4-year (and counting) trip to Alaska currently in Mexico
When the information technology worker first decided to bike from his Uruguay hometown to Alaska, friends thought he’d be back in a month.
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Students in Mexico City protest proposed return to in-person classes
Thousands of students, parents, and teachers marched in protest against the government’s proposal to reopen the nation’s schools in June.
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Puebla cousins keep small-town life interesting with inventive salsas
A pair of cousins are well on their way to cornering the artisanal salsa market in their town of Chipilo, Puebla, and other Mexican cities.
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OK, Google: what’s wrong with your algorithms since I moved to Mexico?
While writer Joseph Sorrentino has adjusted well to his move south of the border, the omniscient search engine in his life hasn’t so much.
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Italian is what’s for dinner at many restaurants in this Puebla town
Craving Italian food? Restauranteurs in Chipilo satisfy with unique dishes that meld both their Veneto and their Mexican culinary heritages.
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Becoming a master mezcal producer means no longer asking questions
Braulio García can’t quite explain when the heart of an agave is ready to be cut to make the truly Mexican liquor. ‘One just knows,’ he says.
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Both ancient and modern roots influence a Xochimilco Holy Cross fiesta
San Gregorio Atlapulco’s Día de la Cruz rituals have roots in the feast day’s origins in 326 but also in traditions started 50 years ago.
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Mexico’s unwritten driving rules not unlike those for supermarket shopping
When handling a car, Mexicans think nothing of weaving in and out, cutting in front of other vehicles or even stopping if they see a friend.
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Mural project aims to educate residents about their town’s unique history
Zuri Merlo and Iván Galeazzi are on a mission to create 15 paintings throughout the Puebla town of Chipilo that illustrate the town’s story.
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Cotton candy vendor’s act of kindness unites both kids and adults in joy
Cotton candy vendors in the Mexico City pueblo of San Gregorio Atlapulco often provide some free entertainment along with their sugary wares.
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An Easter excursion imparts a sober reminder: be careful, for life is short
In Chihuahua, Joseph Sorrentino followed the sound of mariachis, expecting a religious procession he could photograph. He was wrong.
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On Holy Week, these youths exchange worldly pleasures for divine ones
Los Varones, men in charge of religious tasks in the Mexico City community of San Gregorio Atlapulco, may have existed since the 1600s.
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Holy Week photo expedition leads to an unanticipated cultural encounter
The plan was to document a well-known Good Friday reenactment in Tlalixtac, Oaxaca. When a local official objected, things got confusing.
