We had a lovely long Independence Day weekend in Oaxaca... more on that in the days to come, but first a guest blog from Francisco. We hear many bad things about Mexico these days but here he reflects on the good.
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A land, a sea, a nature, an air, a people, a culture... a smile.

When I think about all that we call Mexico, I smile and savor my life here. All those who have visited other countries with an open mind, a desire to get to know the place and a desire to enjoy life know what I am talking about.

Mexico also has good things and bad things — it's not a perfect place, but as Mexicans mark 200 years since the beginning of the war of independence, it's a good opportunity to consider the good things, or at least the things I like about this country.

1. The people. Survivors, sensitive, creative, tough, smiling, fighters and hard-workers, caring, friendly, respectful and considerate, with pain and with dreams, with life. The indigenous and the enormous value each one of them have in their ideas, their lives anad their customs but especially in the wrinkled and tired faces of those who are poor by definition and have lived many years fighting against all the odds. The hard-working, plain-spoken northerners, the joyful southerners, the progressive and diverse people of Mexico City, the people deeply rooted  in the west and central Mexico, the liberals who push and push, and the conservatives, when you can talk to them. Indians, whites, blacks and their complex coexistence wrapped up in a racism that is taken for granted. Friends because they are experts in giving hugs even though they're men — they aren't afraid to show you how much they love you — the warmth of family and the smiles everyone wears when they get together. The physical contact between people. The women, their eyes — warm, flirtatious, caring, with blood in their veins and 100% women. Of course, this was before I got married — now I only like Sloane.

2. The culture. The colors, the identity, the diversity, the creativity, the sensitivity, the food, the architecture, the painting, the clothing, the dance. The  Aztecs, the Maya, the Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan, Teotihuacan, Chichen Itza, Monte Alban and other archeological sites, colonial cities, churches, old buildings, doors, hidden patios, convents and cities, especially Mexico City. Muralists, cartoonists, catrinas, talavera, lacquered wood, foreigners who come and fall in love with this country and stay. Tamayo's red, Frida's drama, the strength, ideas and splendor of Siqueiros. The music of the national anthem and the national shield. The Day of the Dead because it makes me think about my grandfather and those who cared for me, the Grito, Christmas, Mother's Day. Mariachis, trios, jarochos and norteños. Rib meat tacos and tacos with steak and chorizo, enchiladas, pressed chicharron and squash blossom quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese, cochinita pibil, tortas, tamales, pambazos, fish a la talla, ceviches and paella. Piropos and the trajineras of Xochimilco, especially the ones named Flor. The monument to Independence and the history, the long, complex history of Mexico!

3. Nature. Diverse, colorful, picturesque, enormous, beautiful. The deserts and the mountains, the jungles and the forests. The Sea of Cortez, the Copper Canyon, the Chiapas jungle, the turquoise sea and white sand of the Caribbean. The flowers and the water. Popo and Itza, Citlaltepetl, the Nevado de Toluca and the Nevado de Colima, the rivers of Veracruz and the landscapes of Hidalgo.

(I'm sorry for listing just a few things — it has to be this way or otherwise it would be a really long blog.)

When you have lived your entire life surrounded by this richness, it's hard to recognize and value it. But when you have traveled to other countries and receive visitors who admire all this, it makes you understand.

Congratulations for being such a beautiful land and congratulations also to Mexicans for the treasure you possess.