Couldn’t you just go for some refried beans right now? They are great for breakfast, great for lunch, and we’re happy to have them for dinner, not to mention a medianoche snack! Let’s drop in on Gloria as she cooks up a batch for us.

Quite frankly, it’s not hard to find excellent Mexican food in Mexico City! Yet, we still consider ourselves lucky to have pulled into Fonda Mi Lupita while out foraging along Calle 17 de Mayo. We invite you to join us for a little chat with manager José Luis Calixto Escobar, completamente!

We asked Carli Muñoz if he’d play a few bars of his latest compositions, and, luckily for us, he obliged. One of the tunes, “Portrait of Mia,” was written for his brand-new hija, Mia. We’re wondering if he’ll ever address her as mi’ja.

Could it be that the “Tu Rock es Votar” campaign resulted in a closer Mexican 2006 election, one that ironically left the youth feeling more disillusioned than ever? Felipe Calderón Hinojosa edged out Andrés Manuel López Obrador by such a thin margin that the losing side demanded a total recount, which was not granted. The ensuing cloud surrounding the election left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Mexicans.

The Centro de Cultura Casa Lamm is composed of an art gallery, an art school, a cultural center, a bookstore, and, yes, the phenomenal Restaurante Lamm—all housed within a magnificent old mansion in the colonia Roma section of D.F. (Mexico City). Whether you want to sit down for a succulent meal of say, squash blossom lasagna, or just chill late-night with friends in the glass-encased courtyard, you are definitely going to want a fresh fruit margarita at the ready!

At only the tender age of 43, Ricardo Arjona not only has a street named for him in the town of his birth, Jocotenango, but a wing of the library at his alma mater also bears his name. Needless to say, this former basketball star knows how to rally the hometown crowd. Ricardo filmed this video for his latest hit single, Quien, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Juan is a seller of large garden plants in the fashionable La Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City. Luckily for us, he was willing to tell us a little about his lovely merchandise, most of which grows native in the lush mountains of Oaxaca.

Mexico has a rich and varied architectural heritage that can be seen in its many classic colonial era plazas and buildings. The elementos of this historic architecture are preserved and utilized by today’s planners and builders, providing D.F. (Mexico City) with developments that are modern yet traditional and inviting, maintaining a sense of continuity with the past as the country pushes ahead into the 21st century.

Ángeles Morales de las Heras, a.k.a. Shaila Dúrcal, the child of pop stars Rocio Dúrcal and Antonio Morales Barreto, grew up in Madrid but spent much of her life on the road touring the world with her mom. No stranger to the limelight, she debuted on Spanish television at 12, singing for Nikka Costa, who was then 19. Adult success was not immediate, but came quickly with the release of the highly sentimental, Recordando, her second album.

Mmmm… “roasted milk.” Somehow that translation doesn’t sound quite as tasty as the Peruvian (and Chilean) dessert “leche asada,” does it? In any case, our host Natalia (from Colombia) shows us how to whip up this sweet delicacy. In Part 1, Natalia starts by heating sugar to make caramel.

Cuban born Gloria Estefan’s album 90 Millas is a collection of songs inspired by her native country and recorded with many Latin American collaborators including Jose Feliciano, Carlos Santana, Arturo Sandoval, Andy Garcia, and a who’s who of prominent Cuban musicians.