Poker in Mexico has been growing in popularity at an astonishing rate over the last few years and the best example of this is the large number of automated poker tables popping up in casinos around the country. These state-of-the-art, 9-player, mistake-free tables and two-player, Heads Up-style tables allow casino visitors to enjoy one of the most popular games in the world, legally.

The same technology that is used in the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, Australia and cruise ships around the world is becoming a fixture in the many casinos and poker rooms of Mexico. Players can choose from popular poker games like Texas Hold’em and 7-Card Stud with no mistakes, faster gameplay and no tipping like traditional brick and mortar poker tables.

Mexico’s poker players can also enjoy online poker from the comfort of their own home at top online poker rooms such as Full Tilt Poker. One of the best offers going for new poker players in Mexico looking to build their bankroll is the one offered by the popular free bankroll program called Free Poker Cash Bankroll. This offer can be obtained by any poker player living in the country of Mexico, as well as online poker players from around the world.

Here is where you can play poker in Mexico on one of these unique and legal poker tables:

Caliente Casino

Tijuana

Caliente Casino Bosques

Mexico City

CasinoLife Del Valle

Mexico City

Emotion Casino

Chihuahua

Emotion Casino

Puerto Vallarta

CasinoLife Merida

Mérida

Royal Yak Hipodromo

Mexico City

Royal Yak Centro Magno

Guadalajara

CIE Cumbres

Cumbres

CIE Cancún

Cancún

Dubai Palace

Cancún

Mexico celebrates a yearly tradition called Day of the Dead during the last days of October and the first days of November. The legacy of past civilizations is graphically manifested on this occasion through people beliefs that death is a transition from one life to another in different levels, where communication exists between the living and the dead. This communication takes place once a year throughout the country.

Differing from the Roman Catholic imposed ritual to commemorate All Souls' Day, which is observed in many countries, the custom established by pre-colonial Mexican civilizations become a ceremony where indigenous beliefs blended with Catholic beliefs. Therefore, the Day of the Dead in Mexico is not a mournful commemoration but a happy and colorful celebration where death takes a lively, friendly expression.

Indigenous people believed that souls did not die, that they continued living in Mictlan, a special place to rest. In this place, the spirits rest until the day they could return to their homes to visit their relatives. Before the Spaniards arrived they celebrated the return of the souls between the months of July and August. Once arrived, the Spaniards changed the festivities to November 2nd to coincide with All Souls' Day of the Catholic Church.

Presently, two celebrations honoring the memory of loved ones who have died take place: On November 1st, the souls of the children are honored with special designs in the altars, using the color white on flowers and candles. On November 2nd the souls of the adults are remembered with a variety of rituals, according to the different states of the Mexican republic.

The celebrations of Day of the Dead or All Souls Day are referred differently in some of the states. For example in Yucatan it is known as Hanal Pixan which means "The path of the soul through the essence of food;" in the the highlands of Michoacan it is known as Jimbanqua or the party honoring the people who died that year; in San Luis Potosi, Hidalgo and in the southern part of Oaxaca it is known as Xantolo and Day of the Dead in the majority of Mexico. Whatever name is given, this is an ancestral tradition that blended with Catholicism to create a special time and space to remember and honor the loved ones by offering them an ofrenda, the fragrance of the flowers, the light of the candles, the aroma of special foods and the solemnity of prayers.

It is also a time to joke and make fun of death through "calaveras", poetry allusive to a particular person, generally politicians; sugar, chocolate and amaranth skulls which are given to one another with their friend's name so "they can eat their own death" and special crafts allusive to different aspects of the living, with skeletons representing daily activities.

People start getting ready for the celebration on the third week of October with the harvesting of the cempasuchitl flower, also known as the flower of the twenty petals or the flower of the dead which is sold in the market place or Tianguis, where the family goes to buy everything that they will need to get to put on the altar. On the altar they will place the ofrendas of fruits, vegetables and the special dishes prepared for the soul to enjoy the essence of the aroma of the food.

On November 1st in many towns the ritual of the Vigil of the Little Angels takes place in the cemeteries, particularly in the islands of Janitzio and La Pacanda in Lake Patzcuaro, Michoacan. Little girls dressed in satin blouses and colored skirts, white stockings and shiny shoes are the center of this ceremony. This is the way the tradition is passed down from generation to generation.

On November 2nd, the souls of the adults are honored in their homes with beautifully decorated altars. Each state has different styles but all of them represent a place where the ofrenda becomes a spiritual communion between life and death.

The celebration concludes in many towns with the vigil in the cemetery. In some places the vigil is done during the whole night of November 1st to November 2nd. In other towns the vigil is done during the day. Mysticism is the rule in the cemeteries, but in many music is also part of the ritual that combines religious prayers with the sounds of the trumpet playing a tune with a Mariachi band. Ritualistic dances are also part of the celebrations in many places in honor of the deceased.

Whichever is celebrated, Day of the Dead is a time of reflection about the meaning of life and the mission that one needs to fulfill. Death in many situations imparts a feeling of pain and loss, especially for those who do not know the purpose of their path on this earthly plane. For others, death is transcendence, transformation and resurrection. During the celebration of Day of the Dead all those feelings and beliefs come together in a season that brings to life the memory of the loved ones.

Guillermo Haro was a very notable Mexican thinker and is very famous because of his significant contributions in Astronomical studies. He is one of the discoverers of the Herbig-Haro objects, as well as the man behind several studies in stars, non-stellar objects, blue galaxies and many others. Also, he was lauded because of his influence in the development and growth of other areas of science and technology in his country. Despite being well known in the field of Astronomy, Haro’s first professional study is that of Philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

His passion for Astronomy has contributed greatly to the development and establishment of most significant research institutes in Mexico today. His service to the improvisation of Astronomy in Mexico started during his post as Director of the Astronomical Institute of UNAM and of the Observatorio Astrofisico de Tonantzintla in the fifties and the sixties. In the year 1972, he established the INAOE, which was located next to the Tonantzintla Observatory and became its first director. During that time, he made a strong promotion to Optics and Electronics fields which paved the way to the creation of a recent and graduate studies institution outside of the country’s capital- the first time that happened in the history of Mexico’s science and technology research. In his term as director, INAOE has considerably grown both in the field of Optics, Electronics and Astrophysics; which continued on to these past 3 decades. Today, the center is very famous and recognized in the entire world.

Guillermo Haro was a member of the illustrious Colegio National beginning 1953. He also co-founded the La Academia de la Investigacion Cientifica. These two centers are the most significant academic institutions and gathered the most well-known intellectuals of Mexico in the fields of Science, Technology, Humanities and Arts. He was the chief promoter of the development of the Instituto Nacional de la Investigacion Cientifica which was later transformed into the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia-the Mexican government’s arm to develop science and technology in the country.

We will not consider religious marriage in this article because it is up to the couple to decide if they want to bring their own priest or pastor, if they want to use one of the locals or if they want one of the local agencies. In any case, they will need to observe each particular religion's process to prepare a valid marriage.

Legal marriage in Mexico have to be performed by the Civil Registrar and can be performed between Americans or between one American and one Mexican, or one American and one citizen of another Country (Foreigner), or between a Mexican and a Foreigner.

Mexico has an international agreement with the USA to avoid having US citizen provide the standard long list of requirements to get married. Foreigners do need to provide additional information and wait longer periods of time. Here's an example:

1. American-American.

They only need to have a tourist visa (FMT) which is granted in Immigration for $ 20.00 dollars, ID, a copy of their birth certificate, and pay the Civil Registrar's fee (around $ 150.00 dollars).

2. American-Mexican.

In this case, the requirements include, in addition to those stated before, an authorization from Immigration, which can be obtained at the local Immigration office for about $ 270 dollars.

3. American-Foreigner.

The American will only need the list in the first paragraph. The foreigner will need the requirements on the second paragraph, just that the authorization form Immigration has to come with a long list of documents and has to come from Mexico City, for which there is a waiting period.

4. Mexican-Foreigner.

The foreigner will need to have the same requirements as in the last paragraph.

Not all States in Mexico have approved same sex marriages, but some, like in Mexico City, have already opened to that possibility, since early last year. Puerto Penasco has not yet authorized that option.

A Mexican marriage license is even valid in USA. Therefore, if you are thinking of marrying in Mexico for fun and in USA forever, you may want think twice and consider prenuptials. Prenuptials are an option rarely offered by resorts and agencies, and an important choice to keep in mind.

If the attendant is already legally married elsewhere, that fact could generate an illegal marriage (the second marriage is null and void); and if the bride and groom are not the same that got married before, these could be legal prosecution for bigamy. In other words, regardless of your thoughts and feelings, consult an attorney before getting married in Mexico.

Author: Steve Schwab

La Malinche, who lived in the early part of the 16th century, is often considered to be the “mother of the first Mexican.” This controversial figure played a major role in the Spanish conquest of Mexico. She was also a slave, mistress and interpreter of Hernán Cortés. Her image to this day is a mythical archetype that is frequently represented not only in folklore, but also in art and literature.

While she was known by a variety of different names including “Doña Marina” and “Malintze,” the Aztecs gave her the title La Malinche because it means the “captain’s woman,” as she was Cortés’ mistress. Since the Mexicans saw her as part of Cortés’ entourage, they started to believe she was a traitor who helped to destroy the Aztec empire.

La Malinche is a very polemic figure, as some Mexicans view her to this day as the founder of the nation. However, other people believe that she is a traitor who betrayed her own people by assisting Cortés to conquer the region. There are historians who believe that she actually saved her people from the Aztecs. La Malinche was from a wealthy and noble Mayan family. Her mother gave her away to a group of traders, and she ended up being the slave of a military chief. As a result of her background, she knew Mayan languages, but she also understood the language of the Aztecs as well. She was given to Cortés along with 19 other slave women by the Cacique (chief) of Tabasco.

Cortés found that he had trouble communicating with the Indians. He had previously relied on a Spanish priest, Jeronimo de Aguilar, who spoke Spanish and some of the Mayan languages. Cortés found out that Dona Mariña spoke the Mexican language and she began to act as an interpreter. She could translate Aztec words into a Mayan language that the Spanish priest Aguilar could understand, and then Aguilar could explain things to Cortés in Spanish.

She was loyal to Cortés, and he eventually decided to be loyal to her and began refusing other women. She also learned Spanish. After the fall of Tenochtitlán in late 1521, she lived in a house that Cortés had built for her and there she gave birth to his son.

La Malinche has also been a character in a variety of novels including Feathered Serpent: A Novel of the Mexican Conquest and the Golden Princess. It is interesting to note that in these literary portrayals, sometimes La Malinche is cast as a traitor and other times she is cast as a protector of Mexicans.

The truth is that La Malinche saved the lives of many Indians. As she was the right hand of Cortés when he conquered Mexico, she encouraged him to negotiate rather than harm on many occasions. Her support of open communication enabled the Spaniards to introduce Catholicism and she advocated people’s conversion to that faith, which appeased the Spanish conquerors. Her presence shaped the development of bilateral relations and she helped keep interaction with the Aztecs somewhat friendly. There is no doubt that La Malinche played a vital historical role, and was far more than just a reliable interpreter for the conquistadors.

Although poker in Mexico's casinos is legal in certain areas, it is only in the last few years that the card game has become more popular among its residents and now we are beginning to see more Mexican poker players winning major tournaments around the world, on a daily basis. Take for example two of Mexico's most successful players – Victor Perches, winner of a WSOP Bracelet in 2006, and Mexico's most recent WSOP Bracelet winner, Angel Guillen, who took home the prize back in 2009.

Perches, originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, arrived to the United States almost 30 years ago and shortly thereafter began a successful poker career. With plans of working in a food processing plant in Oregon, Perches moved to Las Vegas shortly thereafter. Even though it wasn't in his original plans, Perches eventually worked his way up to the 2006 World Series of Poker and won the first WSOP Bracelet in Mexico's history. At the age of 57 years-old, Victoriano Perches cashed in a cool $ 157,338 and the title of being the first Mexican poker player to win a coveted WSOP Bracelet in the tournament's history.

Angel "Boloban" Guillen is relatively new to the professional poker scene, but in his short career has already seen his fair share of big wins. It was at the LAPT in Punta del Este where he cashed in for a huge $ 99,920 prize and took third place in this prestigious poker tournament. Following up that big win, in 2009 the Mexico City native entered the World Series of Poker $ 2,500 No-Limit Hold'em event and took second place for a very impressive $ 312,800 cash prize. Many would have called it a day after a win like that, but Angel followed it up only 10 days later with a first place win in the $ 2,000 No Limit Hold'em Event and cashed in a massive prize of $ 530,548! With this win, Guillen became only the second poker player from Mexico to win a World Series of Poker Bracelet.

Although professional poker players in Mexico are few and far between, players such as these show promise that one day this highly-populated country will become a driving force in online and live poker tournaments around the world. "Like Chris Moneymaker did for you (in the US), I want to do the same thing in my country. Hopefully, I can." said Guillen regarding his future poker career.

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the increasing violence in Mexico. Just turn on the news or flip through the pages of your local newspaper and it is easy to see why so many people are asking “how safe is Mexico?” With the exception of a few regions Mexico is a very safe country. There are however, certain areas that are not advisable to travel to and even when in safe areas it is good to employ a good standard of common sense.

Hearing news of violence in Mexico can make one think twice about heading south of the border. But before you change your vacation destination take this into consideration: Mexico is a huge country and extremely diverse. Much of the violence that happens between drug cartels and authorities are in the US-Mexico border; a long ways off from our destinations. You will also be staying in a tourist zone where security and law enforcement have a much stronger presence. All of our packages also offer one-way or round trip FREE transportation from the airport to the resort, so you can be rest assured that you will safely reach your destination hassle free.

Many problems and risks that a traveler can deal with can be greatly reduced by just using common sense. If it’s dangerous or illegal back home chances are it will also be dangerous or illegal in Mexico as well.

Here are a few tips to make your vacation “worry-free” when traveling to a destination such as Mexico or a place where you have never been before:

* While you’re packing, bring the essentials that will be important on your trip. The expensive piece of jewelry that you got on Valentine’s Day… Maybe it’s best to leave it at home.

* Make a copy of your itinerary and passport and email them to yourself in case you lose these documents. You should bring a copy of these documents on vacation with you as well.

* Write down on a piece of paper and bring with you the international telephone numbers of the companies of your credit card or debit card.

* While taking money out, try to use ATM’s in shopping malls or chain convenience stores. Also avoid doing this late at night.

* When checking into the hotel, ask management for places that you should avoid. They live there, they will know what’s safe and what’s not.

* Always carry the amount of cash that you think you will need, it’s not a good idea to carry everything you brought.

There are some places in Mexico that can be dangerous but you should not let this stop you from taking your dream vacation. By avoiding the dangerous destinations listed by the U.S. Department of State’s Travel Alerts and the tips listed throughout this article you can help assure that your next trip to Mexico will be an enjoyable one.

Cancun is an important city in Quintana Roo estado (“state”), southeastern Mexico. The name applies to the city as well as to the adjacent island resort area. Cancún city is located on the northeastern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula and is essentially a service town for the resort area of Cancún situated on an L-shaped Cancún Island (13 miles long by 0.25-mile across). A causeway to Cancún city links the resort area of Cancún (also called the Zona Hotelera/Hotel Zone). Cancún Island, with its skyscraper hotels and sprawling resorts, and the coastal area occupied by Cancún city has abundant white sand beaches, palm groves, and coral reefs, with virtually no rainy season, as the jungles in southern Quintana Roo state draw off almost all the yearly rainfall.

Originally settled by Maya Indians, the area was first described and named Cancúne (Mayan: “Vessel at the End of the Rainbow”) in 1843 by the American explorer John Lloyd Stephens and the British explorer Frederick Catherwood in their classic work Incidents of Travel in Yucatan (1843). Cancún remained a small fishing-and-gathering settlement of about 100 Maya until 1970, when, after a three-year study of conditions by the Mexican government in association with private interests, the area was selected as a suitable site for an international holiday center.

Within a decade, a steady flow of tourists from all parts of the world had established Cancún as a successful experiment in planning an entirely new city and resort area. Many housing problems persisted even within the service town, where about 30,000 workers lived in rudimentary shacks. Cancún city is linked by highway with Puerto Juarezto in the north and Puerto Morelos to the south. An international airport is located 12 miles south of the city on the mainland. Population of Cancún city in 1990 was 167,730.

Mexico is a great country to practice bass fishing; this country located south of USA offers many great lakes and spots to choose from if you love fishing. One of these popular spots is Lake Agua Milpa.

Agua Mila is a 70,000 acre lake that opened for this sport in 1997. This is a heavily preferred lake not only because it is excellent for fishing but also because it is perhaps the most accessible lake in Mexico. It can be easily reached after a 3 hour trip from Puerto Vallarta or Guadalajara. You can even get sooner if you fly to Tepic.

The lake is located in a beautiful place surrounded by green mountains covered in tropical foliage. The lake is popular for its large bassmouth of up to 10 pounds! These fish are very aggressive and offer a unique fishing experience.

There is a lodge located near the lake that offers the best accommodation you can expect in your fishing trip to Mexico. The view is well, breathtaking, but that is something you can't really put in an article, so you'll have a better idea if you search an image on Google or another website.

By the way, to complement the excellent fishing, the restaurant in the lodge offers delicious Mexican food that will surely keep your belly happy!

The lodge over at Agua Milpa offers a package per person that includes 4 nights of lodging and 3 days to go fishing, the price currently for this package is $ 1250 per person. You have to add that the costs of getting to Mexico and to the lodge itself. For someone this may seem somewhat pricey, but I think it is totally worth it and you'll agree with me when go there.

The fishing season in Agua Milpa starts in September and ends in June, so you better plan ahead your times, in general is a big period of time you can use to go and find the biggest bassmouth fish you've ever seen. Don't forget to bring on your raincoat, as rain falls occasionally at this beautiful fishing spot.

This is a top spot for anglers in the World, and you have to take this into account if you plan to go with someone who is not an angler. Mainly because there are not many activities they can enjoy if they are not into bass fishing. The capacity for the lodge is 20 anglers.

Shipping to Mexico can be done through number of ways. There are also some procedure, rules and regulations to ship your packages/goods to Mexico. As Mexico is part of the NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) agreement, it is easier to ship your packages when compared to other countries. Now let’s see how to ship a product to Mexico.

Some basic procedures to shipping to Mexico:

• You have to submit the NAFTA FACTS document 8401 providing the required details about your package/goods to Mexico.
• Labeling should be perfect according to the Mexican labeling requirement which comes under NAFTA FACTS document 1602.
• Check whether your product is subject to NOM. Which means you have to get the certificate of compliances with NOMs, that your product is not anyway create a harmful or health issues.
• You have to get certificate of origin for your goods from NAFTA.
• For custom clearance, you have to produce free sale certificate for some particular goods.
• Final step is the custom clearance

As a final stage the custom broker or the service company will check your entire provided certificate. Later they will approve your goods for shipping to Mexico.

Here comes, custom clearance is not an easy deal. Initially the custom broker should certify that your product is not broken and the condition is good. This comes under deconsolidation. Then the pre examination takes place as the shipping goods and the goods mentioned in the provided documents are same. The automated manifest system takes place as a next step, in that if red light blinks your goods are under further custom clearance. If green light blinks, your goods qualified for shipping without further examination. Finally, custom examination takes place for red mark goods. Here they carefully check all the details and certificates provided by the exporter. This particular examination takes place for minimum of three hours and the goods again check with the automated manifest system. This time if the red light blinks, they never reconsider the product again to shipping to Mexico.