The water heater in our Mexican home is probably heading towards its twentieth year. There's a little rust around the edges and the swing-door opening that reveals the pilot for lighting, but it's otherwise looking fine. Given its age and daily use, it isn’t entirely unreasonable for the heater to need some attention: and this week, attention called in the form of a faulty pilot light . . .

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Grow Your Own Salsa: A Mexican Windowsill Garden. These are very basic guidelines, and some tips for growing salsa ingredients as well as various uses for that wonderful Salsa Fresca..

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A fair rule about torn banknotes is that if you have more than half of the note, then it's valid, but less than half isn't. In Mexico merchants of all kinds will reject banknotes that have any part missing, and many will refuse to receive bills that are torn in any way, taped together, or even scribbled on . . .

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href="https://www.facebook.com/International.Living">Facebook, and Google+! On the western side of the Yucatán Peninsula is Mérida. This Mexican town of 1 million hosts the third largest Spanish colonial quarter in the world. And the historic centro is full of centuries-old homes, churches, and public buildings, as well as charming plazas, parks, and squares. Retirees and other expats “discovered” Mérida in the late 1980s and every year more and more North Americans and Europeans make the move, many of them renovating colonial buildings, turning them into private homes, B&Bs, restaurants, art galleries, and boutiques. You're reading Mérida, Mexico – The Colonial Gem on the Yucatán Peninsula by International Living, originally posted on InternationalLiving.com. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow International Living on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

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Naco is a derogatory term with racial and class roots that Mexicans use to describe people whose manners and tastes are considered to pertain to the lower classes. The word apparently originated in colonial times and referred to an indigenous servant of the Spanish gentry. In modern times, its use has become more widespread and its application broadened to include anyone deemed to show a lack of education in their use of language, taste in music, food, cars, or anything else . . .

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href="https://www.facebook.com/International.Living">Facebook, and Google+! Get your ideas into action, says Barbara Winter, our resident self-employment writer…and we have some great ideas for you to act on this month. Like converting what you know into a digital product that sells over and over again…even while you’re sleeping. Or investing in an emerging country like the pioneering expats finding opportunities in the tiny European country of Montenegro…one has set up a tourism marketing business there, while another is running an adventure sports business. Meet a chef who dreamed of opening a restaurant in a beautiful location by the sea and find out why he did it in Mexico. Or follow the footsteps of an aspiring writer who made her dream come true in the beautiful city of Prague. You're reading Incomes Abroad – June 2015 by International Living, originally posted on InternationalLiving.com. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow International Living on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

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Mexico’s realty market has not escaped the world-wide downturn property, in good part due to the knock-on effects of the financial trouble which began in 2007-2008. However, Mexico’s downturn has not been as deep or as severe as the one in the USA, and much less so than in places like Spain—and there are specific reasons for that . . .

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We were recently asked by a couple considering moving to Mexico whether a life-saving US-manufactured drug will be available here, and what the local brand name of the drug would be. It’s not an uncommon question: many people considering Mexico as a place to live often ask whether they can get their medicines locally . . .

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Mexico is now the North American leader in car assembly and export. The Mexico auto industry is booming, a stunning development of world significance. Assembly plants that popped up all around are now expanding. Nearby are convenient parts suppliers, tool shops and even tire manufacturers...

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Run, don't walk to the next Michoacan Traditional Food Festival (Cocineras Tradicionales) at the Convention Center in Morelia. The entrance is a stairway to heaven and you are about to eat food fit for gods and goddesses. The name "Traditional" only partially describes the Festival because it is traditional woman, in traditional clothing, cooking traditional recipes, with traditional utensils. However,...

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By Rebecca Smith HurdWhen I arrived in Puebla in August 2007 to study Spanish, I’d planned to stay for four months. Four years later, I’m still here, happily, with no plans to leave anytime soon. I recently traded-in my tourist visa for an immigrant one and even started consulting for the state . . .

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href="https://www.facebook.com/International.Living">Facebook, and Google+! Tim Leffel and his family live among the cobblestone avenues, pastel-colored colonial buildings, and leafy plazas of Guanajuato, one of Mexico's prettiest towns. "I really love the pace of life, the emphasis on family and fun rather than wearing 'busy-ness' as a badge of honor," he says. "Since Mexican cities are geared to pedestrians and people are always out and about on foot, we don't need a car and all the related expenses. Since healthcare costs are reasonable, there's no fear of a doctor's visit costing more than a car payment either." You're reading A Travel Income that Pays While You Sleep by International Living, originally posted on InternationalLiving.com. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow International Living on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

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href="https://www.facebook.com/International.Living">Facebook, and Google+! Tao is a best-in-class community with a rental market that is set to grow. Demand far exceeds supply. As I explained yesterday, this stretch of beach shows a chronic shortage of rentals right through the year. If an inexpensive condo, with strong rental potential, is what you are looking for then I have just the thing for two members. You're reading Flash Alert: Rental Potential with a $42,000 Discount in Mexico by International Living, originally posted on InternationalLiving.com. If you've enjoyed this post, be sure to follow International Living on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+!

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Of the many battles fought on Mexican soil in the nineteenth century, only one — the Battle of Puebla, fought on May 5, 1862 — has given rise to a Mexican national holiday. Why this one? The main reason is that the Battle of Puebla marks Mexico's only major military success since independence from Spain in 1821.

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It had been mentioned that Mexico's May 5 holiday - Cinco de Mayo - is more celebrated among Mexicans in the U.S. than it is in Mexico, and that nobody really seems to know why . . .

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