In Which Ilán Stavans Explains the Cultural Mega-character that was Chespirito: Roberto Gómez Bolaños (1929-2014)

Screenshot from Wikipedia

This piece in the NYT is must reading for anyone interested in Mexico.

P.S. This blog doesn't cover contemporary politics, but for those of you looking for a good source in English for what's happening in Mexico, I recommend signing up for the free emails from the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute of links to major articles in a variety of media.

Mexico Institute's Mexico Blog, The Mexico Portal

The Mexico Institute at Washington DC's Woodrow Wilson Center has launched a blog-- an outstanding resource for anyone interested in Mexico. The Mexico Portal.

New York City and Washington DC

I'm presenting Mexico: A Traveler's Literary Companion with Mexican writers Monica Lavin, Pedro Angelo Palou and translators Harry Morales and Daniel Shapiro on Sept 12th at New York University. Then on Sept 17th I'm giving a talk on this same book, and also my travel memoir, Miraculous Air: Journey of a Thousand Miles through Baja California, the Other Mexico, at the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute. Both events are free and open to the public. For more info, visit my events page. Back blogging after the 18th.