Focus On Mexico

Your Guide to Moving and Retiring to Mexico's Lake Chapala

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Grab Your Suitcase on New Year’s Eve!

Grab Your Suitcase on New Year’s Eve!

If a possible move to Mexico is on your 2019 bucket list, you may want to try the Mexican New Year's Eve tradition of running around the house or block with your suitcase in the first hours of 2019.   Or you may want to try some of the other Mexican New Year's Eve traditions shown here. https://www.chimuadventures.com/blog/2017/01/new-year-in-mexico/ Happy New Year to all of our FOCUS alumni and friends, especially to those we haven't met yet.  We are looking forward to seeing you at one of our 2019 learning seminars.  Many attendees have commented that they found the FOCUS program … [Read more...]

The U.S. and Mexico – Brothers From Another Mother

The U.S. and Mexico – Brothers From Another Mother

Jorge Ramos is a well-known Mexican American journalist and newscaster who has written numerous books, including the recent Stranger: The Challenge of a Latino Immigrant in the Trump Era.  In this wide ranging interview in Mexico City, he discusses the election of the new Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, commonly known as AMLO, and interviews Americans living in Mexico and Mexicans who have returned from the U.S.  This is a great birds eye view of Mexico today and why ~1.5 million Americans choose to make Mexico their home.  Check it out and join us for one of our intensive … [Read more...]

Shipping Household Goods to Mexico

Shipping Household Goods to Mexico

While what household items you decide to bring is ultimately a personal choice, here are a few tips to assist you in the decision making process. What Can You Ship? Article 90 of the Mexican Customs Law states that the items you bring must be used personal items and furniture of a house, e.g. clothes, books, furniture, appliances, and electronics. Tools and implements are also allowed if they are required for your profession or if they are used for a hobby. Medical equipment, such as a wheelchair, blood pressure or sugar monitors, and oxygen generators are allowed duty-free. New (unused) … [Read more...]

Mexico Banking Basics

Mexico Banking Basics

Now that we've talked about Mexican currency, let's review some banking basics.  Whether you are a visitor, snowbird, or making a permanent move to Mexico, knowing how and where to bank will help free your time for the all the things you really want to do as part of your Mexico vacation or life. It's Easy! First and most importantly, no matter what you may think or have heard, banking in Mexico is not difficult. It can be as simple as using your U.S. ATM card in an ATM machine for most daily transactions.  The ATM machines charge a variety of fees ranging from ~$1.50 US to ~$4.50 USD per … [Read more...]

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Join ‘Em

or Love it or Leave It - when it comes to the Fiestas Patronales Every town in Mexico has a nine-day annual fiesta honoring their patron saint.  The festivals are religious, pagan and secular all at once here in Mexico where contradictions live happily side by side!  Whether you will want to join in the fun or head for the hills (or in this case beach) will largely depend on how much you like to party, the proximity of your home to the town square, and your level of noise tolerance. The Guilds Ajijic's patron saint festival honoring San Andres (Saint Andrew)  is held every year from … [Read more...]