Every day, more people in the US talk about living in Mexico.
Fewer talk about dying in Mexico.
But we are.
Listen to the Podcast
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Home Health Care in Rural Mexico
Brittany Baker
East Cape Home Health
Los Barilles, BCS -
Addressing Fear of Death in Ajijic
Loretta Downs
Chrysalis End-of-Life Inspirations
Ajijic, JAL -
Living and Dying Off-Grid in Central Mexico
Brian Fey
Pátzcuaro, MIC
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Mexican Funeral Homes and Your Consumer Rights
Toni Lehman & Damián Medina
Peninsula Funeral Care
Los Cabos, BCS -
The Reality of Green Burial in Mexico
Wilka Roig
Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
San Miguel de Allende, GTO -
Serving the Community with Comfort Care
Luena Pearson
Comfort Care
Todos Santos, BCS -
Advance Directives and What Matters In Mexico
Deborah Bickel
Be Well San Miguel
San Miguel de Allende, GTO -
Cultivating Death Positivity in Mexico
Elis Regina
ANICCA
La Paz, BCS
Read the Blog
Grieving as an Expat in Mexico
Grief expert Dr. Alan Wolfelt teaches that when grieving, we can find peace by practicing the six needs of mourning. Mourning, Wolfet reminds us, is an outward expression of grief, while grief is an internal experience. So, how can we make space (and time) for healthy expressions of grief? As immigrants to Mexico, we may find it easier, or harder, to mourn.
A Different Kind of End-Of-Life Checklist
There are common elements to end-of-life planning checklists, whether you’re preparing for end of life in Mexico or anywhere else. In this post, I propose a few less conventional action items. These suggestions don’t appear on most end-of-life planners. Nonetheless, they can be of great benefit when it comes to supporting a gentler aging and dying process.
Spanish Words and Phrases for End of Life
When we first learn to speak Spanish the lessons are typically centered on how to introduce ourselves to strangers, order food at a restaurant, or ask where the bathroom is. I’ve yet to see a Spanish language lesson that focuses on how to talk about end of life and what to say to someone who is grieving, but why not?
Living (And Dying) In Liminal Spaces
Liminal. It’s a word that can apply to both space and time. It describes a state of being that is neither here nor there; materially, energetically. The liminal occupies the before and after, both sides of a border and the threshold in between. It describes a transition, a becoming, a process.
The Loneliness of Expat Life
Many of us made the decision to leave support networks behind when we chose to move to Mexico. We moved away from immediate family, away from lifelong friends, and away from the communities in which we spent the most formative parts of our lives. If we were lucky enough to have consistent healthcare in the US, we may have also moved from a family doctor or medical care team.
Why Contemplating Death Makes Sense
Some people find it morbid, negative, bad luck or just plain too scary to earnestly contemplate death. John Powers quotes from Dr. Richard Kalish in his book, Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, saying, “Death is blasphemous and pornographic. […] We avoid it. We deny it exists. We consider it horrible, ugly and grotesque.”
“La muerte es segura,
pero su hora es incierta.”
Mexican Proverb